$ npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent
Minimal. Opinionated. Extensible.
Lean core keeps your context clean. Use only what you need.
Core
- 4 toolsread, write, edit, bash
- Multi-providerAnthropic, OpenAI, Google, Mistral, Groq, Cerebras, xAI, OpenRouter, ZAI, MiniMax, Amazon Bedrock, Ollama, plus OAuth for Copilot, Gemini CLI, Antigravity, Claude, Codex
- /modelswitch models mid-conversation
- Sessionstree view, branching, resume any point
- Compactionauto-summarize long conversations
- Bash modeprefix with
!to run commands - Imagespaste or drag into context
- Model cyclingCtrl+P/Shift+Ctrl+P,
--modelspatterns - Message queuingsteering vs follow-up messages
Opt-in
- AGENTS.mdproject instructions
- Prompt templatesreusable /commands
- Skillson-demand instruction files
- Extensionstools, commands, hooks, custom UI, games
- Themesdark, light, or custom with hot reload
- SDKembed pi in your apps with full control
- RPC modeJSON protocol for other languages
- HTML exportshareable session snapshots
- /shareupload session as secret GitHub gist
The rest is in the docs.
What we didn't build
pi is opinionated about what it won't do. These are intentional design decisions to minimize context bloat and avoid anti-patterns.
No MCP. Build CLI tools with READMEs (see Skills). The agent reads them on demand. Would you like to know more? If you must, use mcporter.
No sub-agents. Spawn pi instances via tmux, or build your own sub-agent extension. Observability and steerability for you and the agent.
No permission popups. Security theater. Run in a container or build your own with Extensions.
No plan mode. Gather context in one session, write plans to file, start fresh for implementation.
No built-in to-dos. They confuse models. Use a TODO.md file, or build your own with extensions.
No background bash. Use tmux. Full observability, direct interaction.
Read the blog post for the full rationale.
Get involved
Bug reports and feature requests: Please use GitHub Issues. This is the only channel actively monitored by maintainers.
Discord: There's an unofficial community Discord for general discussion. Note that maintainers do not actively monitor this channel.
MIT License • Mario Zechner & contributors