Petal Open Source Tool Turns Shared Windows into Real Desktops for Pair Programming

Real Windows Instead of Grid Tiles

Petal is an open source desktop application built for pair programming that takes a different approach to screen sharing. Instead of arranging participants in a grid of video tiles, Petal turns shared windows into real windows on the recipient's desktop. According to the project's interface, shared windows are movable, resizable, and sharp, and every shared window carries labeled user cursors so collaborators can see where others are pointing.

Instant Remote Control

The core interaction is described as remote control. A user clicks into any shared window and can then type, scroll, and click as if it were their own. The project states that mouse and keyboard input is delivered instantly, which lets a reviewer take over a terminal or editor session without a separate handoff step. In the example session shown in the app's interface, a code file named compositor.rs is open for editing while a shared Chrome window displays tabs such as eng-sync notes and remote control guides, with the participants identified by name.

Persistent Rooms and Simultaneous Sharing

Petal supports several users sharing their windows at the same time, so a team can keep multiple applications visible side by side. Rooms are persistent: the interface invites users to create a room like eng-sync, click once, and join, with no links to send and nothing to schedule. This positions the tool for ongoing engineering collaboration rather than one-off meetings.

Three Deployment Options on a LiveKit Backend

Petal says only the video backend changes between its three setups. Petal Cloud lets users download the app and join a meeting on the project's LiveKit video infrastructure, where the operator runs nothing, a path the project recommends for most teams. A self-hosted option points the same app at a LiveKit server the user runs, using one docker-compose and a server URL setting, so media traffic stays on the operator's own infrastructure, an option pitched at compliance and data control needs. A third option lets developers fork and build the app themselves for full control, including the ability to change the app and bring their own stack, which the project frames as the route for deep customization. The project is available on GitHub and documents its remote control feature in detail.

Sources: petal.live