Meta releases Muse Gadgets with ESP32 firmware and a Linux SDK

• Meta opened Muse to custom hardware with ESP32 firmware and a Linux SDK, announced in its launch post.
• Home Link connects Muse to home Wi-Fi and local HTTP APIs, according to the website text quoted by testingcatalog.
• The initial Home Link batch contains 5,000 units, free to Muse subscribers while supplies last, according to the allocation announcement.
• Early gadget examples include e-ink displays and conference badges, highlighted in one post and in another.

The ESP32 SDK includes a 412 × 412 desktop simulator for its production UI. Local programs can send messages into Muse side chats without credentials of their own, a delightfully hackable hook. Each SDK directory also includes an AGENTS.md file for coding agents.

The firmware introduced in the announcement thread supports custom displays, audio I/O and sensors. Its README spells out several constraints:

• Toolchain: ESP-IDF 6.0.1 is required; other versions are unsupported.
• Default board: ESP32-C5 DevKitC-1, using its built-in status light and BOOT button.
• Home-network tunnel: boards without PSRAM, including classic ESP32 and ESP32-C6 boards, cannot run it. Muse can still reach and control the gadget itself.
• Voice replies: push-to-talk sends a voice note, but Muse replies in text. Spoken answers require a builder-added text-to-speech API.

The Linux SDK documentation supports Bluetooth LE-equipped Linux computers, including Raspberry Pi 3B+, 4, 5 and Zero 2 W. Supported operating systems include Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye, Debian 11 and Ubuntu 22.04 or later, in both 32-bit and 64-bit configurations.

The installer creates /opt/musegadget and starts a persistent musegadget service. Four commands ship with the kit:

• system.run: executes a shell command and returns output and exit code.
• file.read: reads files in 64 KB chunks.
• file.write: writes in 64 KB chunks, replacing the file only when complete.
• device.health: reports uptime, load, memory, disk and temperature.

Custom commands are added through COMMAND_SPECS and Executor.run in src/musegadget/executor.py.

Both kits advertised in the launch thread use the onboarding path described in the repository README:

1. Every gadget requires an SDK token, including self-built devices. Tokens come from Account > SDK tokens on the gadgets website, with separate Gadget SDK Terms.
2. The Muse app on iOS or Android requires Settings > Devices > Developer mode to be enabled.
3. Devices appear under Add Device with names prefixed by MuseGadget.

The repository is Apache 2.0 licensed, with separate licenses for specified third-party files and dependencies. The Jollybot avatar is explicitly excluded from the Apache license.

Meta's own gadget reaches compatible devices over home Wi-Fi, including anything exposing a local HTTP API. The official site describes community-built skills for lights, TVs and printers, with functionality depending on the user's setup.

Eligibility is narrower than the general “free for subscribers” announcement: an active Muse subscription in the United States is required, with one device per subscriber. The site lists October shipping, first come, first served; the announcement estimates a few weeks.

An early claim confirmation puts applicants on a notification list rather than confirming immediate shipment.

Muse was already being promoted as “genuinely feels like living in the future”. The subsequent gadget posts highlighted four concrete directions:

• An e-ink display for Muse, shared in a gadget post.
• A conference badge, highlighted in another post.
• A small keychain, shown in a follow-up.
• Wine-collection tracking, mentioned as another use case.

Muse receives the install account's permissions on Linux. If that account can use sudo, so can Muse, according to the Linux README; the installer asks before granting account access and reports sudo capability.

The ESP32 documentation adds two security details:

• Pairing creates a fresh encrypted session and requires a physical button press, but community devices have no manufacturer verification and cannot prevent an active man-in-the-middle attack.
• NVS stores Wi-Fi credentials and device tokens. Without NVS encryption, someone with physical access can read them; the firmware exposes CONFIG_HOMEHUB_NVS_ENCRYPTION for supported boards.

Muse also has a separate Tailscale connector, which joins a tailnet as its own node. Tailscale says access is outgoing-only, to declared nodes, under the user's existing access controls.