Questions
FAQ
Is this the official iDotMatrix app?
No. DeskDot is an independent, community-built project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by the makers of iDotMatrix; the name is only used to say which panels it works with. It talks to your own panel over Bluetooth and sends nothing to the manufacturer.
Which panels does it work with?
The iDotMatrix 32×32 RGB panel (it advertises as IDM-xxxxxx) is verified on hardware. Other sizes share the protocol but are untested, and every app is designed for 32×32.
Do I need the iDotMatrix phone app?
No, and you should close it while DeskDot runs: the panel accepts one Bluetooth connection at a time.
Does it cost anything or need an account?
No. It's MIT-licensed, runs locally and has no account. Almost every live data source is free and key-less; a few optional ones (GitHub token, Home Assistant, your own services) use your own credentials. See API keys & costs.
Can I try it without a panel?
Yes: uv run deskdot serve --sim runs the engine, studio and MCP server against a simulated panel that looks like the real LEDs.
Why are some animations perfectly smooth and others not?
Bluetooth carries about 5–9 live frames a second. So deterministic loops are baked once into a GIF that the panel plays with its own firmware, perfectly smooth. Only things that change with live data are streamed. The Apps explorer marks each app as a baked loop, live stream or firmware feature.
What is MCP, and which agents work?
The Model Context Protocol lets AI agents call tools. DeskDot's MCP server (deskdot-mcp) is a thin client over the engine's HTTP API, so any MCP client works: Claude Code and Claude Desktop are documented in docs/MCP.md, and Gemini CLI, Codex and Cursor use the same stdio command.
Can I write my own app?
Yes. An app is one Python file: a pydantic settings model and a pure render() that draws with clipped primitives and bitmap fonts. Drop it in plugins/ and the studio builds its form. Start with docs/APP_SDK.md and docs/DISPLAY_DESIGN.md.
Does the Android app work?
It's in beta: it builds and its Bluetooth bridge is unit-tested, but it hasn't been run on a real phone yet. Build steps are in android/README.md.
Something's wrong. Where do I report it?
Open an issue on GitHub. Security issues: see SECURITY.md. Contributions: CONTRIBUTING.md.
Unofficial. DeskDot is an independent, community-built project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by the makers of iDotMatrix; "iDotMatrix" is used only to identify compatible panels and all trademarks belong to their owners. DeskDot runs locally and sends nothing to the manufacturer.