$ cat ~/map/pi-chat.md

Pi Chat

Minimal local browser chat for pi: streaming replies, persistent sessions, and in-pi launching via /pi-chat-start.

tools✓ Sep 14

Facts

repository: github.com/ManuelSelch/pi-chat ↗
GitHub Stars: ★ 1
Forks: 0
license: —
npm / mo: —
last push: Oct 15, 2026

install

npm install then npm run dev (the server binds to the machine's loopback interface only); link extension/pi-chat.ts into ~/.pi/agent/extensions for the in-pi slash commands

## TL;DR

A minimal local browser chat driven by the existing Pi SDK, credentials, tools, and persistent sessions, streaming replies over a typed WebSocket protocol.

## Key points

$Powered by the existing Pi SDK, credentials, tools, and persistent sessions — the first prompt creates a standard persistent Pi session, and existing credentials and configuration load from the normal Pi agent directory.
$Server-authoritative architecture: a typed, runtime-validated WebSocket protocol; a snapshot replaces browser state on every connection and reload; subsequent events use monotonic sequence numbers; Pi SDK event shapes do not cross the network boundary; provider credentials stay server-side.
$The Slice 0/1 demo ships prompt and abort controls, real-time assistant text streaming, persistent current-project sessions, and a minimal responsive chat interface; Markdown/KaTeX, tool cards, project/session selection, slash autocomplete, and file references are listed as later slices.
$extension/pi-chat.ts adds slash commands inside pi — /pi-chat-start with --port, --cwd, and --no-open, plus /pi-chat-stop, /pi-chat-restart, and the /pi-chat status command — installed by linking the file into ~/.pi/agent/extensions.
$PI_CHAT_MODEL selects the model with the same spelling as the Pi CLI, resolved after extensions load so extension-provided providers work, and an unknown name fails fast at startup; PI_CHAT_CWD points the server at another working directory; npx tsx scripts/list-models.ts lists models with working auth.
$Transport tests run against a fake runtime and cost no tokens; npm test covers protocol, chat-state reducer, message mapping, and transport integration.

## FAQ

Q Where do sessions and credentials live?

In pi's normal places — the first prompt creates a standard persistent session file, and existing credentials and configuration load from the normal Pi agent directory; the browser only talks to the local server.

Q Does the browser talk to Pi SDK types directly?

No — Pi SDK event shapes do not cross the network boundary; the server maps them onto a typed WebSocket protocol, and a fake runtime adapter covers deterministic transport tests.

Pi Chat

## TL;DR

## Key points

## FAQ

## References

## Related entries

## Guides