Blog
Building Utsuwa in the open.
Development updates, release notes, and behind-the-scenes notes from the project.
Latest posts
Utsuwa is Moving to the AGPL
Starting with 0.12.1, Utsuwa is licensed AGPL-3.0-or-later instead of MIT. What changed, what did not, and why.
Dev Log @2026.7.9
Photo mode, reminders, the chat window returns, and a companion you can decorate around. This is the play update.
Dev Log @2026.7.3
A dev log from CJ on Utsuwa going fully local, OpenAI-compatible endpoints, showing your companion photos, cross-platform desktop builds, and an early look at Live2D.
Dev Log @2026.5.29
A quick update from CJ on where Utsuwa has been, what changed, and the roadmap for active development.
What Are VRM Models (And Where to Find Them)
VRM is the open standard for 3D avatars. Here's what it is, where to find free models, and how to make your own.
Starting the Project
Why I started building Utsuwa, an open-source VRM avatar companion as an alternative to closed platforms.
Utsuwa is Japanese for vessel. We built the body. You decide what fills it. Most AI lives in a text box and forgets you by morning. Utsuwa gives yours a face, a voice, and a memory, on your own keys or fully offline, with nothing routed through us.
Why we built it