# 🐾 RangerHQ Buddy

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[![license](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-GPL%20v2%2B-2a7d3e?style=flat-square)](LICENSE)
[![WordPress](https://img.shields.io/badge/WordPress-5.0%2B-21759b?style=flat-square&logo=wordpress&logoColor=white)](readme.txt)
[![PHP](https://img.shields.io/badge/PHP-7.4%2B-777BB4?style=flat-square&logo=php&logoColor=white)](readme.txt)
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[![last commit](https://img.shields.io/gitea/last-commit/ranger/rangerhq-buddy?gitea_url=https%3A%2F%2Fgit.davidtkeane.com&style=flat-square&color=6dbf7a)](https://git.davidtkeane.com/ranger/rangerhq-buddy/commits/branch/main)
[![no telemetry](https://img.shields.io/badge/telemetry-none-6dbf7a?style=flat-square)](#privacy)
[![made in Dublin](https://img.shields.io/badge/made%20in-Dublin%2C%20Ireland-2a7d3e?style=flat-square)](https://davidtkeane.com)

> A friendly little companion that lives in your WordPress dashboard.

Adopt a small virtual pet that lives in your WordPress admin. Right now Buddy just exists — they bob, they blink, they show their mood. As the plugin grows, their stats will reflect how well you take care of your WordPress site itself: published posts feed them, outdated plugins make them sick, clearing spam makes them happy.

**Gamifies WordPress maintenance with a bit of charm.**

---

## What this is

- A standalone WordPress plugin, GPL v2+ licensed.
- The spiritual successor to the tamagotchi feature that once lived inside A-WP-Notes v1.1.5 (now gracefully retired). Rebuilt from scratch, with all the v3-discipline lessons baked in from day one.
- Sister plugin to [Logbook](https://git.davidtkeane.com/ranger/a-logbook) in the RangerHQ plugin family. Logbook is *work*. Buddy is *play*.

## What it does

- Dashboard widget shows your Buddy with name, mood, and four stats bars.
- Dedicated Buddy admin page for the bigger view.
- Settings page where you can rename your Buddy and check for updates.
- Each WP admin gets their own Buddy stored per-user in `user_meta` — nothing leaves your site's database.

## What it doesn't do (yet)

- No interactions — feed / play / clean / sleep coming in Phase B.
- No time-based stat decay yet — Phase C.
- Only one species available right now — Phase D will add dog, dragon, sprite, etc.
- The killer feature — having Buddy's stats reflect your actual WP site health — is Phase E.

See [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) for the full version history and roadmap.

## Install

1. Download the latest [release zip](https://git.davidtkeane.com/ranger/a-buddy/releases) from Gitea.
2. WordPress admin → Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin → choose the zip → Install Now → Activate.
3. Find Buddy in the admin sidebar (paw-print icon).

The plugin self-checks for updates via the Gitea repo — see Settings → Buddy → Settings → Updates.

## Project pace

This is a **side project** built at a side-project pace. No commercial pressure, no release deadlines. Issues and feedback welcome via Gitea.

## Licence

GPL v2 or later — see [LICENSE](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html).