Quickstart

Source: https://pi.dev/docs/latest/quickstart

Install and Uninstall

bash

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

--ignore-scripts disables dependency lifecycle scripts. Pi does not need install scripts for normal npm installs.

Uninstall with the package manager that installed Pi. The curl installer uses global npm, so curl and npm installs both remove with npm:

bash

npm uninstall -g @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
pnpm remove -g @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
yarn global remove @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
bun uninstall -g @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent

Uninstalling Pi leaves settings, credentials, sessions, and installed packages in ~/.pi/agent/.

Authenticate

Use /login in interactive mode for subscription providers; built-in subscription logins include Claude Pro/Max, ChatGPT Plus/Pro (Codex), and GitHub Copilot. API-key providers can be configured by environment variable or stored through /login in ~/.pi/agent/auth.json.

bash

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
pi

See references/providers.md for the full provider list.

First Session

bash

cd /path/to/project
pi

By default the model gets four tools: read, write (create/overwrite), edit (patch), and bash. Read-only built-ins grep, find, and ls are available through tool options. Pi works in the current directory and can modify files there — use git or another checkpointing workflow for rollback.

Project Instructions

Pi loads context files at startup:

~/.pi/agent/AGENTS.md
AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md from parent directories and the current directory

Run /reload or restart after changing context files.

Common First Tasks

bash

pi @README.md "Summarize this"
pi @src/app.ts @src/app.test.ts "Review these together"
!npm run lint
!!npm run lint
pi -c
pi -r
pi --name "my task"
pi --session <path|id>
pi -p "Summarize this codebase"
cat README.md | pi -p "Summarize this text"
pi -p @screenshot.png "What's in this image?"
pi --mode json "List files"
pi --mode rpc --no-session

Use !command to run shell and send output to the model; !!command runs without adding output to model context. Paste text or images with Ctrl+V (Alt+V on Windows), or drag images into supported terminals.

Switch models with /model or Ctrl+L, cycle thinking level with Shift+Tab, and cycle scoped models with Ctrl+P / Shift+Ctrl+P.