Preview is blank or shows the wrong area
Confirm the selected floating window. If native capture is blank, try Ignore alpha or desktop-area capture. Those alternatives include opaque pixels, so a custom background may no longer be visible.
Support
Recover the preview or display connection
Start with the smallest reversible check: confirm the source preview, close competing controllers, and test the known display path before changing advanced settings.
First checks
Work from source to screen
- 1
Confirm the host window
Keep the floating pet enabled and select the correct window in Companion. A window titled ChatGPT can be the right source.
- 2
Confirm the capture
Use Capture preview. A very large transparent canvas is expected in some host apps; use auto-framing or adjust the Source crop.
- 3
Clear the COM port
Close the software controller and other display controllers, including tray processes, so Pet Dock can own the selected port.
- 4
Test before streaming
Select Protocol A and the COM device, send the test pattern, then start the screen.
Useful tools
Use the included diagnostics carefully
Check-runtime.cmd- Checks portable-runtime import and Tk availability.
- Included probe tool
- Its I mode inspects device and driver details without writing to the display. Its B mode temporarily sends test images for the known Protocol-A path.
Restore-Desktop-Pet.cmd- Emergency recovery for experimental off-screen placement.
Inspect and redact any generated device report before sharing it. It can include window titles, process names, USB identifiers, driver details, and local paths.
Common cases
Choose the matching recovery path
Windows keeps a capture border
The operating system may not honor a borderless capture request. Desktop-area capture avoids the native capture indicator but includes anything that overlaps the selected desktop area.
Frames are corrupt, delayed, or partial
Pause streaming, keep compatible timing enabled, turn off low-lag partial updates, and restart. The preview applies orientation after its active transfer and requests a full redraw.
The pet was placed off-screen
Use Restore desktop pet or Restore-Desktop-Pet.cmd. Do not delete recovery state while the pet is off-screen. Some host apps stop rendering when moved beyond the desktop.
A metric is unavailable
N/A is expected when no supported local provider reports a reading. Pet Dock does not install sensor drivers or monitoring hooks to fill it in.
The preview is not a fit
Return to the stable v0.2.1 release, or use the source instructions in the repository if you need to inspect and run the app yourself.
Report an issue
Share a minimal, redacted report
Include the app version, Windows version, USB ID, selected protocol, a short sequence that reproduces the issue, and what you expected to happen. Do not post chat content, private window titles, personal identifiers, or pet assets without permission.
Expected limits
What support cannot promise
Pet Dock mirrors a host window; it cannot guarantee the host pet’s behavior or continued rendering. It also does not make the display a Windows monitor, add touch support, forward clicks, change drivers, or flash firmware.