pi-model-picker

A categorized, keyboard-driven model selector extension for the pi coding agent.

Instead of a flat searchable list, models are grouped by provider in horizontal tabs. Switch categories with Tab or arrow keys, type to filter within a category, and navigate with ↑/↓.

Preview

╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  Select Model                                                   ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║◀  Anthropic │ Google │ Cliproxyapi │ Ollama ▶                   ║
║─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
║  Search: claude_                                                ║
║─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
║▶ Claude Sonnet 4.6 ●                         200k  thinking     ║
║  Claude Opus 4.5                             200k  thinking     ║
║  Claude Haiku 3.5                            200k  vision       ║
║─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────║
║  ↑↓ navigate  ·  Tab/← → category  ·  enter select  ·  esc     ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

• Active model shown with ● and highlighted in green
• Context window shown as 200k, 1M, etc.
• Capability tags: thinking (extended reasoning), vision (image input)
• Search filters by model name or id within the current category
• Search term preserved per category — switch away and back, your query is still there
• Wraparound navigation — ↑ on the first item jumps to the last, and vice versa

Install

Via npm (recommended)

npm install -g pi-model-picker
pi-model-picker

Restart pi after installation.

Via pi package manager

pi install npm:pi-model-picker

Via git

pi install git:github.com/rilham97/pi-model-picker

Manual

git clone https://github.com/rilham97/pi-model-picker.git \
  ~/.pi/agent/extensions/model-picker

Restart pi.

Usage

Trigger	Description
/models	Open the categorized picker
Ctrl+Shift+M	Keyboard shortcut

Note: /model is a built-in pi command and cannot be overridden. Use /models (with an s) for this picker. The built-in /model (flat search) continues to work as normal.

Controls

Key	Action
↑ / ↓	Navigate models (wraps around)
Tab / Shift+Tab	Switch provider category
← / →	Switch category (when search field is empty)
← / →	Move cursor in search field (when field has text)
Type	Filter models in the current category
Enter	Select highlighted model
Esc	Cancel

How it works

The picker calls modelRegistry.refresh() then modelRegistry.getAvailable() — the same data source as pi's built-in /model command. Only models with auth configured (API key or OAuth) are shown. Models are grouped by their provider field and sorted alphabetically within each category, with the currently active model's provider appearing first.

Uninstall

pi remove npm:pi-model-picker
rm -rf ~/.pi/agent/extensions/model-picker

License

MIT