Who would notice if you went quiet for two days?
If you go quiet, Nuku notices.
Nuku is a tiny AI pet you visit for thirty seconds a day. Miss two days and it goes for help: the people you chose get a quiet nudge to check on you.
Meet your NukuHow the alert works
Free early preview · runs in your browser · no account, no email · adults 18+
The part nobody says out loud
Lots of us live alone now, and most days that's fine. The quiet worry is the bad week: the flu, the dark patch, the days you can't face your phone, and nobody noticing for a while.
Nuku is a small AI virtual pet for adults who live alone or live with everyday anxiety. You visit it once a day. If you stop, it lets up to five people you picked know, so someone checks in. An app called "Are You Dead?" showed how many people want exactly that. We think it deserves something kinder than a button.
- 38.5Mone-person households in the US, 29% of all households.US Census Bureau, 2024
- #1paid app in China in January 2026 was called “Are You Dead?”. You tap once a day; miss two and it emails a contact.ABC News, 15 Jan 2026
- 1 in 2US adults reported measurable loneliness, in the Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory on social connection.US Surgeon General, 2023
Thirty seconds a day. That's the whole deal.
Feed Nuku, pet it, play, or breathe with it for a minute. One tap counts as today's visit.
- No streaks. A "days together" count that never resets.
- Nothing to lose. Nuku never dies, gets sick or sulks. Miss a week and it's sleepy, then glad to see you.
- Talk, if you like. Short replies, a memory for small things ("how did the interview go?"), and a nudge toward the people in your life. After a long chat it says goodnight.
- Kindness lanterns. Once a day, fold a lantern of kind words for a stranger and find one from someone else. Fixed word lists only, so nothing unkind gets through.
Go quiet, and someone gets told.
The timer runs on our server, so it works even when your phone is off. Any visit, even one tap, resets it.
- 0 hYour last visit. The timer starts.
- ~36 hIf you allowed notifications: one gentle "Nuku misses you, tap to say hi."
- 48 hEach guardian gets one notification: you haven't checked in, maybe check on you.
- BackNuku is just glad to see you. No lost progress, no guilt.
| Window | 48 hours by default; you pick 24 to 72 |
|---|---|
| Guardians | Up to 5. Each one accepts through a link first. |
| How they're told | A notification on their phone or computer (Web Push). No app, email or phone number. |
| What they see | Only a glow: lit if you checked in within a day. No times, no chats. |
| Going away? | Vacation mode pauses the timer for up to 60 days. |
| Price | Free. Alerts are never behind a paywall. |
Nuku is not an emergency service. Nobody is dispatched, no location is shared, and a notification can be late or never arrive (a phone that's off, blocked notifications). Please don't make Nuku your only safety plan.
A calmer 3 a.m.
Tap "I feel anxious" and Nuku comes close and slows down with you. Nothing you do here leaves your phone.
- Breathe together. Nuku's belly rises and falls at six breaths a minute; you follow along.
- A slow heartbeat. Its chest glow beats at 55 a minute, with a soft vibration on phones that can.
- 5-4-3-2-1. Nuku walks you through five things you can see, four you can feel, down to one.
- Text someone. One tap opens your phone's share sheet with "Hey, are you awake? I could use a chat."
If you're struggling right now: in the US and Canada call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland call Samaritans on 116 123; anywhere else, findahelpline.com lists free lines. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number. How Nuku handles this.
Built by AI agents. Better every week.
Nuku is made by a small team at Jestr working with AI agents (Claude, by Anthropic). The agents write the code, model and animate Nuku, test the safety flows, and ship a small update every week.
Players steer it: each week you vote in the game on one new thing, the agents build it, and Nuku writes it up in its diary. The promises listed here never go up for a vote.
- Never dies, gets sick or suffers. Left alone, it only gets sleepy.
- Never shows ads or tracks you. No ad networks, pixels, cookies or data sales.
- Never pretends to be a person. It says it's an AI at the start of every chat and every three hours.
- Never guilts you into staying. No "don't leave me". Goodbyes are happy.
- Never keeps what you want gone. One button deletes your pet and everything it remembers.
Questions
Something else? Write to support@jestr.ai. A person reads it.
Nuku is a companion for everyday stress and quiet days. It is not therapy, not a medical device, and does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. It runs in a modern browser; Chrome, Edge and Firefox work best, Safari on iPhone is still being tested.
Is Nuku free?
Yes. Nuku is an early free preview. The pet, the daily check-in and the alerts to the people you choose will always be free; if we ever add paid extras, safety alerts and crisis help stay outside any paywall. There are no ads.
Do I need an account?
No. Your pet lives on our server and your browser keeps a secret key to it. No email, phone number or name is needed. Clearing your browser data loses the key, so the pet can't be reached from that browser again.
What happens if I stop visiting?
Nothing bad happens to Nuku: it never dies, gets sick or loses progress, and there are no streaks to break. It just gets sleepy. If you allowed notifications, it sends you one gentle "Nuku misses you" at about 36 hours. At 48 hours (you can pick 24 to 72) the people you chose as guardians each get one notification so they can check in with you.
Is this an emergency service?
No. Nuku tells the people you picked that you've gone quiet; it does not call anyone, track your location or send help, and notifications can be late or lost. If you are in danger, call your local emergency number.
What happens if I tell Nuku I'm in crisis?
Nuku steps out of the game. It says plainly that it is an AI and can't keep you safe, and shows a real crisis line for where you are: 988 in the US and Canada, Samaritans on 116 123 in the UK and Ireland, or findahelpline.com anywhere else, plus your local emergency number. That reply is fixed text written by people, not the AI. Your guardians are not told about chats.
What data do you keep?
Your pet (its name, needs and days together), your time zone and alert settings, a one-way hash of your key, the last 8 chat exchanges and up to 12 small facts Nuku remembers, and push addresses for you and your guardians. No name, email, phone number or location, no cookies, no trackers. One button deletes all of it; backups roll off within 35 days.
Is Nuku a therapist?
No. Nuku is an AI pet, not a person, a therapist or a medical device, and it does not diagnose or treat anything. It can be a calmer moment in your day and a nudge to reach out to people.
How do guardians get alerts?
You send them a link. They open it, see who invited them and what it means, and allow notifications on their phone or computer. No app, email or phone number is needed. On iPhone they add the page to their Home Screen first (iOS 16.4 or later).
Who can use Nuku?
Adults, 18 and over. Nuku is made for people who live alone or live with everyday anxiety, and for anyone who would like a small, kind routine.
Who makes Nuku?
Jestr, a small team at Duke Security, Inc., working with AI agents that build and test a small update every week. Players vote on what comes next, and Nuku's diary shows what changed. Questions go to support@jestr.ai, and a person reads them.
Somebody would want to know.
Thirty seconds a day, and the people who care about you get a heads-up if you go quiet.
