The Ink Arrives
Today, the FEAIA ecosystem reaches its second major milestone: Mates.ink is officially live.
If you've already seen Mates.beauty's champagne-pink couture world, Mates.ink is its counterpoint — not in purpose, but in style. Same engine. Same VRM rendering system. Same McpFOX agent protocol. But where Mates.beauty dresses in champagne and soft gradients, Mates.ink renders in near-black, ink-draft line work, and the visual grammar of a cinematic storyboard — alongside an uncompromising commitment to everything programmable.
This is a product written for a different kind of person.
What Is Mates.ink? Setting the Route
One-Line Positioning
"Give your AI a face it deserves."
This is the shared line across the Mates family. In Mates.ink's context, that face is not polished makeup — it is a sketch-line and a soul. Like an animation cel before coloring, it carries more tension than the finished product.
Relationship with Mates.beauty: Same Engine, Different Aesthetic
Mates.ink and Mates.beauty share the same underlying technical stack (VRM rendering engine, MatesScript emotion state machine, McpFOX agent bus), but deliberately occupy opposite ends of the style spectrum:
| Dimension | Mates.ink | Mates.beauty |
|---|---|---|
| Visual tone | Near-black (#08060F) · ink draft lines · cinematic framing |
Champagne pink · couture quality · candy-hue palette |
| Interface language | Code terminal feel · JetBrains Mono · chapter numbering | Soft light gradients · round sans-serif · sensation first |
| Target user | Minimalist tech users · OC creators · AI developers · VTuber back-stage operators | ACG consumers · fashion toy fans · visual experience first |
| Character style | Silver anime (Lirien) · chibi soft (Mochi) · black cat familiar (Kuro) | High-saturation wardrobe characters · IP collaboration priority |
| Interaction priority | Programmability · API depth · precise script control | Visual experience · wardrobe · emotional narrative |
| Technical docs | MatesScript docs · MatesDevAPI · McpFOX Handbook | Settings page UI · wizard-style configuration |
The shortest way to say it: Mates.beauty is the one you show your friends. Mates.ink is the one you can't bring yourself to close at 2am.
Three Pillars: The Mates.ink Product Statement
The Mates.ink website is structured around three pillars — each one addressing the deepest unmet need of a distinct type of desktop OC user.
Pillar P·01 · Emotion That Listens — In Sync, In Resonance
Eight emotion states, frame-blended in real time as your conversations unfold.
Your figure is not an emoji deck. The Mates.ink Emotion FSM reads the context of your AI platform conversations continuously — laughing when the answer lands, frowning when the model trips, settling into a gentle waiting posture when you go quiet for a while. The state machine is always running, and it remembers what you usually feel.
Technical specifications:
- 8 preset emotion states: idle · joy · think · surprise · sad · focus · celebrate · soothing
- State transitions: 300ms BlendShape cross-fade, no frame jumps
- Local emotion memory: system tracks trigger frequency; idle default posture drifts toward historical distribution over time
- Native context parsing for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other major AI platforms
Pillar P·02 · A Character That's Yours — Name · Dress · Collect
The core of the OC experience: this character belongs to you, not to a template.
Choose a starter 3D figure, name it, dress it, watch it grow — actions unlock, expression variants emerge, and a profile card records the arc of your time together. More importantly: you can upload your own VRM model and make your original OC the protagonist of your Mates.ink instance.
Technical specifications:
- VRM 1.0 / 1.1 full support (VRoid Studio direct export loads immediately)
- VRMA animation native support (VRoid Hub animation library compatible)
- Local-first identity: character name, profile, emotion memory all stored locally — no cloud dependency
- Milestone unlocks: companionship duration / conversation count thresholds trigger new actions or expression variants, all local, no server required
First-wave character roster (initial public release):
| ID | Type | Name | Style | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N · 01 | Anime · Silver | Lirien (凛) | Cool temperament, expressive nuance | Free |
| N · 02 | Anime · Chibi | Mochi (麻糬) | Soft and lively, high recognizability | Free |
| N · 03 | Familiar · Black Cat | Kuro (玄) | Dark-night aesthetic, physics hair | Pro |
| N · ?? | Encrypted | — — — | Next chapter | Coming soon |
Pillar P·03 · Programmable Down to the Bone — Script · API · McpFOX
This is where Mates.ink diverges most fundamentally from every other desktop companion product on the market.
The surface a beginner clicks is the surface a developer scripts. Nothing is hidden behind the UI — every action accessible in the Panel has a precise programmatic equivalent in MatesScript or MatesDevAPI. When your AI can think, it can direct your figure like a stage actor.
Full capability list:
- MatesScript: JSON DSL action scripting language; multi-track composition of emotion tracks, animation tracks, and camera tracks; priority arbitration system with deterministic conflict resolution
- MatesDevAPI: complete
window.MatesDevAPIinterface; core methods includeemotion(),play(),script(),chain; zero-configuration, callable directly from any page Console - McpFOX: open agent bus protocol with independent site at mcpfox.top; AI agents can subscribe to event streams, send live instructions, and choreograph full performance sequences
- DevTool (four zones): Zone A (dialogue flow) / Zone B (emotion decision) / Zone C (action state) / Zone D (console); full visual debugging at every layer
Interaction Design: Three Layers, Zero Gap
The Mates.ink Panel (v0.4.0) is built around a three-step interaction logic: hover to summon → click to commit → release to breathe.
01 · Hover → radial menu appears
Mouse over the character area; 200ms ease-out scale + fade-in. Inner ring of 8 emotion slots. Outer ring of 6 pre-staged MatesScript actions. Beginners discover what the figure can do. Builders compose what it will do next.
02 · Click → setEmotion(state, p:75)
A direct call into the FSM. Priority 75 — higher than ambient AI signals (~40), lower than full scripted theater (100+) — so a manual tap never interrupts a running scripted sequence unless you want it to.
03 · Release → idle_default resumes
Priority 0. Always present. The system idle_default script runs in the background at all times, resuming automatically when every higher-priority event clears. 8-15 second cadence of small, natural gestures — head turn, blink, subtle breath. The figure never freezes.
Complete Coverage Across User Depths
Mates.ink's commitment to "one-tap for beginners, fully programmable for experts" is genuine — not a marketing claim that hides complexity from casual users. Both capabilities coexist in the same product, at the same time.
Layer 1 · Explorer — One Tap
Install the extension, select a character, and it immediately begins living in your browser. The built-in sys:idle_default script activates automatically — no configuration needed for the figure to exhibit natural micro-gestures every 8-15 seconds. Emotion responses follow AI conversation context automatically. The Panel interface requires no prior knowledge.
For: Users who want a desktop companion that looks great, moves naturally, and responds to them — without needing to understand any of the technology underneath.
Layer 2 · Builder — Deep Customization
Full configuration via the HTML settings page:
- Upload custom VRM / VRMA files (unlimited in Pro)
- MatesScript visual editor: graphical composition of action chains, emotion timelines, animation clips
- Custom idle loop: upload multiple idle segments, system plays them in sequence or at random
- Character profile fine-tuning: personality tags, catchphrases, preferred emotion distribution
- Panel collapsible status bar: current FSM emotion state · active script ID · live frame rate
For: Users with VTuber operation experience, Bilibili content creation backgrounds, or OC design experience who want to configure every behavioral dimension of their companion.
Layer 3 · Hacker — Full API Access
Complete programmatic control via MatesDevAPI and the McpFOX toolset:
window.MatesDevAPI: no configuration, callable from any page Console without extension setup- MatesScript JSON DSL: complete specification documentation, multi-track, priority, loop modes
- McpFOX agent bus: subscribe to emotion event streams, send real-time instructions, choreograph complete performance sequences
- DevTool four-zone interface: visual debugging of FSM state, script execution queue, and animation frame state
For: Extension developers, AI tool integrators, and technical teams building Mates.ink into their own products or agent workflows.
Pricing: From Acquaintance to Commitment
| Tier | Price | Core Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 / forever | 1 starter character · 8-state emotion FSM · 5 idle loops · complete MatesDevAPI · McpFOX integration |
| Pro | $4.99/mo · $39/yr | Full character library · quarterly motion packs · unlimited VRM/VRMA imports · HTML script editor · cloud OC sync |
| Creator | $14.99/mo | All Pro benefits · mates.ink/yourname verified OC · one-tap config sharing · marketplace revenue share · Creator-only Discord stage |
Q: Is the free tier's MatesDevAPI fully functional?
Yes. API capability is not gated by tier — all technical interfaces are completely open in the free version. Paid tiers differ on character count, motion assets, and cloud services, not on API permissions.
Q: What does Creator verified OC mean?
Pro members can apply for the Creator program. Once verified, your character gets an official profile at mates.ink/yourname, you can share configurations directly with followers, and when the marketplace launches, you receive a revenue share from any transactions involving your character assets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How is Mates.ink different from the FEAIA desktop app?
FEAIA is a Windows desktop application running at the system level, with local AI model integration (Ollama) and a long-term memory module. Mates.ink is a Chrome browser extension that parses AI platform conversation context in real time. Both use the same character system and McpFOX protocol with shared data compatibility, but they target different usage scenarios — desktop companion vs. browser companion.
Q: Can I use a model I built in VRoid Studio?
Yes. VRoid Studio exports in VRM format (both 1.0 and 1.1 are supported) load directly. Characters and animations from VRoid Hub can be downloaded and imported directly, including VRMA animation files.
Q: Do I need to know programming to use MatesScript?
No — but knowing programming lets you go significantly further. MatesScript is JSON format with a full visual editor (Pro feature) for users who prefer graphical composition. Non-technical users work through the interface; advanced users edit JSON directly or generate scripts dynamically through the API.
Q: Is McpFOX a standalone product or part of Mates.ink?
McpFOX is an independent open agent bus protocol with its own site at mcpfox.top. Mates.ink is the first official supported platform for McpFOX. Other developers can integrate McpFOX into their own products and establish direct communication with Mates.ink characters. The protocol itself is open.
Q: What is the planned character roster size?
The current roadmap targets 24 characters. The first public release includes 4 (3 available now, 1 announced as coming soon). New characters will be revealed in subsequent versions, with both free and Pro tiers receiving additions.
Get Started
- Visit the site: mates.ink — full feature overview, character roster, and developer documentation
- Install the extension: Download Mates.ink (Chrome extension, free to start)
- Developer entry: Read the MatesScript Handbook · McpFOX docs
- Bring your OC: Prepare your VRM file and import it via the Panel settings page in one step
No UI hides everything from you. That's the Mates.ink commitment to every developer, creator, and user who still has their browser open when the rest of the world has gone to sleep.
Mates.ink current version: v0.4.0, in public beta with active iteration. Character roster planned for 24 total; first batch of 4 now public. Additional characters will be revealed in subsequent releases.
Mates.ink, Mates.beauty, and FEAIA are all part of the Voxvoy Studio ecosystem. Character data is local-first; cloud sync is an optional feature available in Pro and above.
