Muse on a Raspberry Pi: Which Pi, Parts and Setup

You can run Muse on a Raspberry Pi with Meta's Linux Device SDK. A small installer pairs the Pi with your Muse account over Bluetooth, and from then on Muse can run shell commands, read and write files, and check the machine's health. It isn't a talking speaker or a screen gadget. It gives your agent a Linux computer in your home to work on.

What Muse can do on a Raspberry Pi

The Linux Device SDK gives Muse four built-in commands:

system.run runs a shell command and returns its output and exit code.
file.read reads a file, 64 KB at a time.
file.write writes a file, 64 KB at a time, and replaces it only when the write is complete.
device.health reports uptime, load, memory, disk and temperature.

Commands run as the account you install the SDK for, with exactly that account's permissions. The README puts it plainly: "If it can use sudo, so can Muse." Meta's own example prompts include "What's using all the disk space on my Pi?" and "Install Home Assistant on my Pi and tell me how to open it."

It works the other way too. Any program on the Pi can send a message to Muse, with no credentials of its own, using a command like musegadget send-user-msg "The garage door has been open for an hour." The repo includes a full example that sends every note from a Pebble ring to its own Muse chat, and you can add your own commands in src/musegadget/executor.py.

Which Raspberry Pi to use

The SDK README lists the Raspberry Pi 3B+, 4, 5 and Zero 2 W. Here's how the most common choices compare. Prices are list prices, checked October 5, 2026.

Model	List price	CPU and memory	Bluetooth	Power input	Best for
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W	$15	1 GHz quad-core Cortex-A53, 512 MB	4.2 / BLE	Micro USB, 5 V 2.5 A	Shell and file jobs, tight spaces
Raspberry Pi 5 4GB	$110	2.4 GHz quad-core Cortex-A76, 4 GB	5.0 / BLE	USB-C, 5 V 5 A	Running apps like Home Assistant
Raspberry Pi 5 8GB	$175	2.4 GHz quad-core Cortex-A76, 8 GB	5.0 / BLE	USB-C, 5 V 5 A	Heavier apps, more headroom

Pi 5 prices went up in February and again in April 2026, following earlier rises Raspberry Pi said were "to offset the recent unprecedented rise in the cost of LPDDR4 memory". Resellers often charge more than list: the Walmart listing that gadgets.muse.ai links to was $199.99 for an 8GB board from a marketplace seller.

If you already own a Pi 4 or 3B+, use it. Other Linux computers work too if they have Bluetooth LE. hackshop's Zero 2 W page and Pi 5 page track current sellers.

What you need besides the board

A power supply. The Pi 5 needs 5 V at 5 A over USB-C with Power Delivery. Raspberry Pi's 27 W USB-C supply provides 5.1 V at 5 A. The Zero 2 W takes Micro USB at 5 V and 2.5 A, which Raspberry Pi's 12.5 W supply covers.
A microSD card. Raspberry Pi recommends at least 32 GB for Raspberry Pi OS with a desktop and at least 8 GB for Raspberry Pi OS Lite.
A supported OS. Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye or later, Debian 11 or later, or Ubuntu 22.04 or later, already on your network. 32-bit and 64-bit both work.
An account with sudo on the Pi.
An SDK token from gadgets.muse.ai (Account > SDK tokens). Every gadget needs one, including ones you build for yourself.
The Muse app on an iPhone or Android phone, to pair the device.

What you don't need: a microphone, a speaker or a screen. The Linux SDK has no voice or display features, so you talk to Muse in its app and Muse does the work on the Pi. You can even skip a monitor for setup, because Raspberry Pi Imager can set up networking, remote access and your login before the first boot. The hackshop store lists each part with seller links.

How to set up Muse on a Raspberry Pi

Flash Raspberry Pi OS to the microSD card with Raspberry Pi Imager. Set your Wi-Fi, username and SSH access in Imager so the Pi joins your network on first boot.
Boot the Pi and log in, at the keyboard or over SSH.
Create an SDK token at gadgets.muse.ai under Account > SDK tokens, and read the Gadget SDK Terms. Tokens start with mgst_.
Download the installer with curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/facebookincubator/muse-gadget-sdk/main/linux/install.sh -o install.sh, read it with less install.sh, then run it as the account Muse should use: bash install.sh --sdk-token mgst_YOUR_TOKEN. It installs into /opt/musegadget, starts the musegadget service, and asks before it gives Muse your account.
In the Muse app, turn on Settings > Devices > Developer mode, then tap Add Device (the + icon). Pick the device named MuseGadgetXXXXXX. Muse warns that it's a community device. Continue if it's yours.
When the app asks for Wi-Fi, pick the network shown. No password is needed because the Pi is already online.
Ask Muse something simple, like "What's using all the disk space on my Pi?"

Pairing stays open for 10 minutes. If you miss it, run sudo musegadget pair. To check on the service, use sudo systemctl status musegadget, and to remove it, run bash install.sh --uninstall. hackshop's Raspberry Pi 5 build steps follow the same flow with a parts list.

Raspberry Pi vs an ESP32 board for Muse

	Raspberry Pi (Linux SDK)	ESP32 board (ESP32 SDK)
What Muse gets	Shell, file and health commands	Status display, images, push-to-talk on full UI boards
Voice	None built in	Push-to-talk on boards with a mic
Screen	Not needed	Built in on many boards
Setup	Install script, no flashing	Build and flash firmware with ESP-IDF 6.0.1 from a Mac or Linux computer
Starting price	$15 (Zero 2 W) plus power supply and card	$21.50 (M5Stack StickS3)
Access	Your account's permissions, sudo included	Only the commands the firmware offers

The Pi wins when you want Muse to do real work: manage files, check backups or look after Home Assistant. An ESP32 board wins when you want something to hold and talk to. You can have both: pair a Pi and a small voice board like the M5Stack StickS3 with the same account, since one SDK token can be linked to up to 50 devices.

Keep it safe

Limit the account. Muse gets the same access as the account you install it for. Run bash install.sh --run-as someone to give Muse a different account, such as one without sudo.
Pair on a network you trust. Pairing only opens when you run the installer or musegadget pair on the machine. It has no manufacturer verification and can't prevent an active man-in-the-middle attack.
Know where the token lives. It's saved in /var/lib/musegadget/sdk_token, readable only by root.
Don't build anything critical on it. Meta says the SDK and tokens are not a supported product and may change, stop working or be withdrawn at any time.

Questions people ask

Can Muse talk to me through a Raspberry Pi?

Not with the Linux SDK as it ships. It has no voice or screen features: you talk to Muse in the Muse app, and Muse runs commands on the Pi. For push-to-talk, add an ESP32 board such as the M5Stack StickS3, or write your own command.

Which Raspberry Pi models work with Muse?

The Linux SDK README lists the Raspberry Pi 3B+, 4, 5 and Zero 2 W. Other Linux computers work too if they have Bluetooth LE and run Debian 11 or later or Ubuntu 22.04 or later.

Do I need a monitor and keyboard?

No. Raspberry Pi Imager can set up networking, remote access and your login before the first boot, so you can do the whole install over SSH.

Is it safe to let Muse use sudo?

That's your call. Muse gets exactly the permissions of the account you install it for, so if that account can use sudo, so can Muse. To limit it, run the installer with --run-as and pick an account without sudo.

Sources

Prices and details checked October 5, 2026.