Pi: Detailed Introduction

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Pi: Detailed Introduction

A deliberately minimal, extensible open-source agent harness.

• Audience: Terminal users who prefer composing their own workflow to a bundled all-in-one product.
• Cost: MIT-licensed software; inference, hosting, and optional services cost separately.

Official account & key contributors on X

• Mario Zechner — key Pi contributor (@badlogicgames)

Table of Contents

Getting started

1. What it is and who it is for
2. Access and setup: your first session

Usage and configuration

3. A concrete task and how to check it
4. Costs: software, models, and execution
5. Configuration and extensions

Limits and references

6. Permissions, data, and limitations
7. Frequently asked questions
8. Official references

Use the contents to jump to each section. If an in-page link does not respond, open it in a new tab.

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What it is and who it is for

In one sentence: A deliberately minimal, extensible open-source agent harness.

Who it suits: Terminal users who prefer composing their own workflow to a bundled all-in-one product.

What you can do:

• Work with files and tasks in a project directory.
• Package prompts, skills, and extensions.
• Integrate through scripting, RPC, or an SDK.

Where to start: Install from pi.dev or the repository. The CLI requires Node.js 22.19 or newer.

Cost: MIT-licensed software; inference, hosting, and optional services cost separately.

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Access and setup: your first session

Install from pi.dev or the repository. The CLI requires Node.js 22.19 or newer.

npm install -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
pi

Start in your project and use /login to connect a subscription or API key.

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A concrete task and how to check it

First ask for a repository map and test commands, then try a small tested change.

Example:

Explain startup and testing without editing files. After I confirm, add one boundary test for the date parser.

Verify that tests ran and keep commits to compare behavior before and after extensions.

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Costs: software, models, and execution

Pi itself is MIT-licensed. Connected subscriptions, APIs, and local inference services determine their own usage costs.

Containers, remote hosts, and tool APIs can add expense. A smaller extension set also makes unexpected requests easier to trace.

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Configuration and extensions

Extensions, reusable skills, prompt templates, and themes can be bundled as Pi packages shared through npm or Git.

Pi deliberately omits built-in subagents and plan mode. Add those through packages when needed. Developers can use print/JSON modes, RPC, or the TypeScript SDK.

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Permissions, data, and limitations

There is no built-in permission system. Pi inherits the launching process’s file, network, process, and credential access. Use Gondolin, Docker, or OpenShell when isolation is required.

Extensions execute code; inspect their sources and access. Cloud inference sends relevant context to the provider. Containerization

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Frequently asked questions

Is it oh-my-pi? No. oh-my-pi is a separate derivative with different packaging and defaults.

Can it run fully offline? That depends on your model and extensions.

Is it beginner-friendly? You need comfort with terminals, model access, and isolation. Compare a more bundled interface if you want those decisions made for you.

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Official references

• Repository
• Documentation
• Containerization and permissions