> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.otter-shell.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# About Otter Shell

> Native Wayland apps for a lightweight PikaOS desktop: shell daemons, utilities, and shared libraries.

Otter Shell is a lightweight Wayland desktop for PikaOS. Small native apps, one job each, backed by shared Zig libraries.

## Desktop shell

Background daemons and overlays on your compositor:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Status bar" icon="bars" href="/desktop/otter-bar">
    Workspaces, clock, battery, volume, MPRIS, tray, and custom widgets.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Application launcher" icon="rocket" href="/desktop/otter-launcher">
    Fuzzy app search with calculator, emoji, and clipboard modes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Wallpaper" icon="image" href="/desktop/otter-wallpaper">
    Per-display wallpapers with rotation and lockscreen support.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Theme generator" icon="palette" href="/desktop/otter-theme-gen">
    Wallpaper-reactive themes that rewrite `theme.conf` and optional app templates.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Notifications" icon="bell" href="/desktop/otter-notifications">
    freedesktop.org notification daemon; drop-in for mako or dunst.
  </Card>

  <Card title="On-screen display" icon="volume-high" href="/desktop/otter-osd">
    Volume, brightness, and lock-key overlays.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="sliders" href="/desktop/otter-settings">
    **Start here.** Apps, themes, and bar layout in the GUI.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Display manager" icon="door-open" href="/desktop/otter-greeter">
    Wayland login greeter with PAM and fingerprint support.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Session services" icon="shield" href="/desktop/session-setup">
    Lock, logout, idle, and polkit for session security.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Applications

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Otter Terminal" icon="terminal" href="/apps/otter-term">
    Wayland terminal with tabs, splits, shell integration, and URL handling.
  </Card>

  <Card title="System monitor" icon="chart-line" href="/apps/otter-monitor">
    CPU, memory, GPU, disk, and network views with sortable process tables.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Screenshot & recording" icon="camera" href="/apps/otter-screenshot">
    Region, window, and fullscreen capture plus hardware-accelerated recording.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Clipboard manager" icon="clipboard" href="/apps/otter-clip">
    Persistent history with search, pinning, and Super+V popup.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Product shot composer" icon="image" href="/apps/otter-shot">
    Frame screenshots with gradients, shadows, and custom chrome.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sticky notes" icon="note-sticky" href="/apps/otter-note">
    Markdown notes on a persistent layer-shell surface.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Otter Assistant" icon="robot" href="/apps/otter-assistant">
    Local AI chat on your machine (`otter-shell-extras`).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Speech tools" icon="microphone" href="/apps/otter-transcribe">
    On-device transcription and local TTS (via `otter-shell-extras`).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Small tools" icon="wrench" href="/apps/otter-calc">
    Calculator, emoji picker, color picker, auto-clicker, timer, calendar, and weather helpers.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Jade" icon="star" href="/desktop/otter-jade">
    Animated otter desktop pet with tamagotchi-style care mechanics.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Get started

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Installation" icon="download" href="/installation">
    Run `pikman install otter-shell`.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Quick start" icon="rocket" href="/quickstart">
    Launch apps and bind hotkeys in a few minutes.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Session setup" icon="desktop" href="/desktop/session-setup">
    Autostart shell daemons in your compositor config.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Settings" icon="sliders" href="/desktop/otter-settings">
    Themes, bar layout, and app settings in otter-settings.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Developer guide" icon="code" href="/developers/overview">
    Build from source and write apps with Otter libraries.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>