Pi

Pi Integration

Run tasks through Pi (Mario Zechner's self-extending coding agent) to compare with Claude Code.

Usage

How It Works

When you run /pi <command>:

1. Skill Detection: If the command is a skill (starts with /), read its SKILL.md
2. Context Gathering: Collect user profile, pillars, today's date, vault path
3. Terminal Launch: Open a new Terminal.app window with Pi
4. Context Injection: Pi receives the full skill instructions + context

This ensures a fair comparison - Pi gets the same instructions Claude Code would get.

Implementation

/pi (No Arguments)

Open Pi in a new terminal window in the vault directory.

macOS (default):

osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal"
    do script "cd \"'$VAULT_PATH'\" && pi"
    activate
end tell'

If in tmux:

tmux split-window -h "cd \"$VAULT_PATH\" && pi"

Output to user:

✓ Pi opened in new Terminal window

  You can now interact with Pi directly.
  When done, Cmd+Tab back here.

/pi on

Enable Pi mode for the session.

Steps:

1. Read System/user-profile.yaml
2. Set or update pi_mode: true under a beta section:

   beta:
     pi_mode: true
   

3. Confirm to user:

   ✓ Pi mode enabled
   
   Tasks will prefer Pi. To run something in Claude Code instead,
   just say "use Claude Code for this" or run `/pi off`.
   

Behavior when Pi mode is on:

When the user asks to build something (e.g., "build me a tool that tracks relationships"):

• Suggest running it through Pi: "Pi mode is on. I'll open Pi with this task."
• Automatically invoke /pi "build me a tool that tracks relationships"

/pi off

Disable Pi mode.

Steps:

1. Read System/user-profile.yaml
2. Set pi_mode: false under beta section
3. Confirm:

   ✓ Pi mode disabled
   
   Back to Claude Code for all tasks.
   

/pi <skill> (e.g., /pi /daily-plan)

Run a Dex skill through Pi with full context.

Steps:

1. Parse the skill name:

   • Extract skill name from command (e.g., daily-plan from /daily-plan)
   • Handle with or without leading /

2. Locate skill file:

   • Check .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md
   • Also check .claude/skills/<skill-name>-dave/SKILL.md (user variants)
   • If not found, report error

3. Read skill instructions:

   • Read full SKILL.md content
   • This is what Claude Code would use

4. Gather context:

   VAULT_PATH: /path/to/vault
   DATE: 2026-02-03
   DAY: Monday
   USER_NAME: [from user-profile.yaml]
   PILLARS: [from pillars.yaml]
   

5. Build Pi prompt: Combine skill instructions + context into a single prompt:

   # Task: [Skill Name]
   
   You are helping a user with their personal knowledge system (Dex).
   Execute the following skill instructions.
   
   ## Context
   
   - **Vault Path:** /Users/dave/Claudesidian
   - **Date:** Monday, February 3, 2026
   - **User:** Dave Killeen
   - **Pillars:** [list from pillars.yaml]
   
   ## Skill Instructions
   
   [Full SKILL.md content here]
   
   ---
   
   Execute this skill now. You have access to the vault at the path above.
   Read files as needed to gather context.
   

6. Launch Pi with prompt:

   Write prompt to a temp file, then launch Pi:

   # Write prompt to temp file (handles special characters)
   PROMPT_FILE=$(mktemp)
   cat > "$PROMPT_FILE" << 'PROMPT_EOF'
   [Full prompt content]
   PROMPT_EOF
   
   # Launch Pi in new Terminal
   osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal"
       do script "cd \"'$VAULT_PATH'\" && pi -p \"$(cat '$PROMPT_FILE')\" && rm '$PROMPT_FILE'"
       activate
   end tell'
   

7. Confirm to user:

   ✓ Pi launched with /daily-plan
   
   Pi has received the full skill instructions and context.
   A new Terminal window should now be active.
   
   When done, compare the results:
   - Pi's output: See Terminal window
   - Claude Code: Run /daily-plan here
   

/pi "custom task" (Quoted String)

Run a custom task (not a skill) through Pi.

Steps:

1. Extract the task description from quotes

2. Gather basic context (vault path, date, user)

3. Build prompt:

   # Task
   
   [User's task description]
   
   ## Context
   
   - **Vault Path:** /Users/dave/Claudesidian
   - **Date:** Monday, February 3, 2026
   
   Execute this task. You have access to the vault.
   

4. Launch Pi with prompt (same as above)

Error Handling

Pi Not Installed

If pi command not found:

❌ Pi is not installed

Install it with:
  npm install -g @mariozechner/pi-coding-agent

Then try again.

Skill Not Found

If skill doesn't exist:

❌ Skill not found: /unknown-skill

Available skills:
  /daily-plan, /daily-review, /week-plan, ...

Or run a custom task:
  /pi "build me a tool that..."

Beta Not Activated

If Pi beta not activated:

❌ Pi integration requires beta activation

Run: /beta-activate PILAUNCH2026

Environment Detection

Detect the user's environment to choose the best terminal launch method:

# Check if in tmux
if [ -n "$TMUX" ]; then
    # Use tmux split
    tmux split-window -h "cd \"$VAULT_PATH\" && pi"
else
    # Check OS
    if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
        # macOS - use Terminal.app or iTerm2
        if [ -d "/Applications/iTerm.app" ]; then
            osascript -e 'tell application "iTerm"
                create window with default profile
                tell current session of current window
                    write text "cd \"'$VAULT_PATH'\" && pi"
                end tell
            end tell'
        else
            osascript -e 'tell application "Terminal"
                do script "cd \"'$VAULT_PATH'\" && pi"
                activate
            end tell'
        fi
    else
        # Linux - try common terminals
        if command -v gnome-terminal &> /dev/null; then
            gnome-terminal -- bash -c "cd \"$VAULT_PATH\" && pi; exec bash"
        elif command -v xterm &> /dev/null; then
            xterm -e "cd \"$VAULT_PATH\" && pi" &
        else
            echo "Please open a terminal and run: cd \"$VAULT_PATH\" && pi"
        fi
    fi
fi

Comparison Workflow

After running a task through Pi:

1. Review Pi's output in the Terminal window

2. Run the same task in Claude Code (e.g., /daily-plan)

3. Compare:

   • Quality of output
   • Time taken (subjective)
   • Ease of iteration
   • Integration with Dex

4. Capture learnings (optional):

   /pi capture
   

   Logs the comparison to System/Pi_Comparisons/YYYY-MM-DD.md

Notes

• Pi runs as a separate process in its own terminal
• Pi has access to your vault files but not Dex MCP servers
• For MCP access, Pi uses the MCP bridge (if configured in .pi/)
• Results may differ because Pi's approach is more minimal

Related

• /pi-tools - View synced Pi extensions
• /beta-status - Check Pi beta activation
• System/Beta/pi/README.md - Pi setup documentation