Kobo e-readers get a real app platform, including an agent-approval app

A new open-source project called Cobalt is turning Kobo e-readers into something closer to a small, focused app platform. It includes a launcher, a signed app store, a sandboxed runtime, and a Rust software development kit for people building apps. More than 20 apps are already listed at launch.

The interesting one for operators is Sidekick. It lets someone approve or deny a coding agent’s requests from a Kobo device when they’re away from their computer. Think of an AI coding tool that stops before taking an action and needs a human decision. Instead of reopening a laptop or digging through phone notifications, you could review that request on a distraction-light e-reader.

This is still an under-the-radar open-source project, not evidence that Kobo itself is building an enterprise AI product. But it points to a practical shift. AI agents will increasingly need people to make small approval decisions throughout the day. The best interface may not always be the main work app. It could be a simple device that puts one decision in front of you, records your answer, and gets out of the way.

That is the kind of thing we build into an AI command centre, making sure agent activity, approvals, and exceptions are visible to the people accountable for the outcome.