Can multiple people share at the same time?

Yes. Several users can share their windows simultaneously in the same session.

What are persistent rooms?

Rooms like 'eng-sync' that stay in place — you click once to join, with no links to send and nothing to schedule.

How can Petal be deployed?

Three ways: Petal Cloud (zero-config hosted LiveKit infrastructure), Self-host (point the app at a LiveKit server you run via docker-compose so traffic stays yours), or Fork & build (full control over the app and stack).

Petal — Open source pair programming with real shared windows

Petal is an open source pair programming app from the makers of CoScreen. It provides low-latency, high-resolution window sharing with remote control: shared windows appear as real, movable windows on your desktop (not tiles in a grid), with labeled user cursors and instant remote mouse and keyboard input. Multiple users can share windows simultaneously, and persistent rooms let teammates join with one click — no links to send and nothing to schedule.

Key Features

High-resolution screensharing

Low latency, high resolution sharing of individual application windows rather than whole-screen capture.

Real shared windows

Shared windows appear as actual windows on your desktop — movable and resizable, not tiles locked into a grid.

Interactive remote control

Click into any shared window to type, scroll, and click as if it were your own, with labeled user cursors visible on all shared windows.

Simultaneous multi-user sharing

Several users can share their windows at the same time, each labeled with its owner (e.g. 'compositor.rs by Mira').

Persistent rooms

Create named rooms like 'eng-sync' that teammates can join with a single click — no meeting links to send and nothing to schedule.

Open source with flexible deployment

Source code is available on GitHub; run via Petal Cloud, self-host on your own LiveKit server, or fork and build your own version.

How It Works

Download the desktop app

Install Petal for Mac or Windows (Linux support is listed as coming next).

Join a persistent room

Create or join rooms like 'eng-sync' — one click gets you in, with no links or scheduling required.

Share and control windows

Share individual windows with teammates; they appear as real windows on their desktops with labeled cursors, and any participant can type, scroll, and click in shared windows.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Open source — the app's source is viewable and forkable on GitHub
Shared windows behave as real, movable desktop windows rather than fixed grid tiles
True remote control: remote mouse, keyboard, scrolling, and clicking with labeled cursors
Supports multiple users sharing windows simultaneously
Persistent rooms remove meeting-link and scheduling overhead
Three deployment options: hosted cloud, self-hosted, or fully forked/customized

Who It's For

Best for

Developer pairs and small teams doing hands-on pair programming
Engineering teams that want always-available persistent rooms instead of scheduled meetings
Teams needing real remote control (typing, clicking, scrolling) on shared windows, not just viewing
Organizations with compliance or data-control needs who can self-host the media server

Not ideal for

Users on Linux (support is announced as coming but not yet available)
Teams looking for browser-based, install-free screen sharing

Use Cases

Pair programming sessions with shared editor windows and shared control

Engineering syncs ('eng-sync' style rooms) with persistent, always-joinable rooms

Remote debugging and code review on a teammate's actual windows

Teams with compliance requirements who need media traffic to stay on their own self-hosted server

FAQ

What is Petal?

Petal is an open source pair programming tool offering low-latency, high-resolution screensharing and remote control of individual application windows.

Who makes Petal?

Petal is made by the team behind CoScreen.

Is Petal open source?

Yes. The source is available on GitHub, and you can view, fork, and build the app yourself.

Which platforms does Petal support?

Downloads are available for Mac and Windows. Linux support is described as coming next.

How does remote control work?

Petal