Setting Up and Using the Pi Coding Agent

• May 29, 2026
• 8 min read
• pi-agent
• ai
• coding

I have been using AI coding tools for a while now. At the time of writing this, I am subscribed to both Cursor and OpenAI Codex. They are great at what they do and I use them for most of my main project work.

But over 2 weeks ago, I came across Pi – an open-source terminal coding agent. It has a small core and lets you add features through extensions and packages, instead of packing everything in by default. I liked the idea, so I decided to set it up and see where it fits.

I am still figuring out the right balance, but Pi has already found a place for my side projects and experiments. In this post, I'll share how I installed it, what my setup looks like, and my honest experience so far.

What is Pi?

Pi is an open-source terminal coding agent created by Mario Zechner. It works in your terminal and gives the AI model four tools by default – read, write, edit, and bash – to work with your codebase.

There is no built-in plan mode, no sub-agents, no MCP, and no permission popups. Instead, you can add these things through extensions, skills, and packages. This keeps the core small and lets you build exactly the setup you want.

Pi works with many AI providers – Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, Groq, xAI, OpenRouter, Kimi, and more. You can use an API key or log in with an existing subscription.

How I use Pi alongside other tools

Right now, I use different tools for different kinds of work:

• OpenAI Codex for complex tasks on my main projects
• Cursor for simpler day-to-day coding on those same projects
• Pi for side projects, experiments, and one-off tasks – usually paired with open-source models like DeepSeek and Kimi

Pi feels right for side projects because it's fast, lightweight, and I can use cheaper models without burning through expensive subscriptions.

One example: I recently used Pi with the DeepSeek v4 Flash model to scrape 285K URLs from a website. It ran for about 1.5 hours and cost me just $1 through the official DeepSeek API. I used the pi-codex-goal extension to track the long-running task and it worked without issues. You can read more about this on X.

Installing Pi

Installation is one command:

curl -fsSL https://pi.dev/install.sh | sh

Once installed, start it by typing pi in your terminal. But first, you need to set up a provider and API key.

Setting up DeepSeek as the provider

Pi has a built-in /login command that makes setting up any provider easy. Here is what I did:

1. Opened Pi by typing pi in the terminal
2. Typed /login and chose Use an API key
3. Selected DeepSeek from the providers list
4. Entered my DeepSeek API key when asked

That's it. Pi saves the key and you're ready to go. After logging in, use /model to pick your model – I chose deepseek-v4-pro with xhigh thinking.

I default to xhigh thinking because I want the model to think deeply before making changes. For lighter tasks like the URL scraping, I switch to the faster and even cheaper deepseek-v4-flash model.

You can open the model picker with Ctrl+L, cycle through your scoped models with Ctrl+P, and change the thinking level with Shift+Tab.

I also sometimes use the Kimi For Coding model through Pi, which has been working well. I like that I can try different models without changing tools.

The interface and my custom footer

When you open Pi, the interface is clean. The editor is at the bottom, the conversation in the middle, and the footer shows your working directory, git branch, current model, thinking level, and context window usage.

One thing I customized early on was the footer. The default footer shows more information than I need. So I asked Pi itself to build me a custom minimal footer. I described what I wanted – current folder, git branch with a dirty marker, model name, thinking level, and a compact context bar – and it wrote the TypeScript extension for me.

The extension lives at ~/.pi/agent/extensions/minimal-footer.ts and Pi loads it automatically on every startup. It was a small change but it made the experience feel personal. I also learned a bit about how Pi extensions work in the process.

Packages I installed

Pi packages are npm or git packages that bundle extensions, skills, prompts, and themes. You install them with pi install. Here are the ones I use:

1. pi-web-access

This package gives Pi the ability to search the web, fetch page content, extract YouTube video transcripts, and explore GitHub repos. You can find it at pi.dev/packages/pi-web-access.

pi install npm:pi-web-access

It works out of the box with Exa search (no API key needed), and you can optionally add API keys for Perplexity, Exa, or Gemini for more control. I configured it to use Exa as the default search provider by creating a ~/.pi/web-search.json file:

{
  "provider": "exa",
  "summaryModel": "deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash",
  "workflow": "none"
}

With this package, Pi can search the web, read documentation, understand YouTube videos, and clone and explore GitHub repositories – all without leaving the terminal.

2. pi-codex-goal

This package adds goal tracking to Pi. It's built by Mitch Fultz. It gives the model three new tools – get_goal, create_goal, and update_goal – that let you create long-running tasks and track progress.

pi install npm:pi-codex-goal

I use this whenever I have a bigger task that spans multiple prompts. Instead of repeating the context each time, I create a goal once and Pi keeps track of what needs to be done. It was especially useful during the 285K URL scraping task – the goal kept the task on track even when the session got long.

3. pi-vision-proxy

DeepSeek cannot look at images – it has no vision capabilities. The pi-vision-proxy package fixes that by proxying images to another model that does have vision.

pi install npm:pi-vision-proxy

I have set up Kimi K2.6 as my vision model. Now, whenever I paste an image into Pi, it sends the image to Kimi with some context, and then DeepSeek uses what Kimi saw to finish the task. It works well for the occasional screenshot or design reference I throw at it. You can read more about this setup on X, and I also have a short video in the X post as well.

Keyboard shortcuts and commands I use

Pi has many shortcuts. Here are the ones I use regularly:

The difference between Enter and Alt+Enter took some time to get used to. If I want Pi to change direction mid-work, I press Enter. If I just want to add a note for after it finishes, I use Alt+Enter.

And these are the commands I use, often by typing / in the editor:

• /model – Switch models without remembering the shortcut
• /settings – Change thinking level, theme, and other settings
• /resume – Pick up from a previous session
• /new – Start a fresh session
• /tree – See the full session history and jump to any point
• /compact – Summarize old messages to free up context
• /session – Show current session info like tokens and cost

The /tree command is especially useful. You can see your entire conversation history like a tree, jump to any branch, and continue from there. It's great when you want to try a different approach without losing what you had before. But I am still learning about it, and have very curious after coming across this shared Pi session from Dillon Mulroy.

Will read more about it.

A few things I learned while using Pi

Long sessions fill up the context window. Pi has automatic compaction that summarizes older messages when you're running out of space. You can also do it manually with /compact. And I love the pi --continue command, that directly opens the last chat in the repo/folder.

Another thing I like is the steering system. While Pi is working (running bash commands, editing files, etc.), you can type a new message and press Enter. This queues a steering message that gets delivered after the current tool finishes. I use this when I notice Pi going in the wrong direction mid-work and want to correct it quickly. Sometimes, instead of a steering message, I also do Option+Enter that sends the message after previous output is completely finished generating.

While I don't use it, you can use your Codex subscription inside Pi, Cursor subscription via this SDK, 100s of models via OpenRouter, xAI, Claude and many more providers via API.

Things I like about Pi

After using Pi for a few weeks, here's what stands out:

1. Simple and fast: The terminal interface is snappy. No Electron, no UI lag.
2. Customizable: I built the exact footer I wanted, picked the packages I need, and the rest stays minimal.
3. Works with any provider: I use DeepSeek and Kimi regularly, and switching between them is one shortcut away. I also learn a lot when using it – you get closer to how things actually work, unlike more polished tools where everything is hidden.
4. Session tree is brilliant: Being able to branch conversations and go back to any point is something I miss when using other tools.
5. Open source (MIT): I like that no company decides what features I get or how much I pay.
6. Compaction just works: I don't think about context limits. Pi handles it in the background, and faster and better than others.

Final thoughts

I am still using Cursor and Codex for my main project work, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. They are polished tools that do their jobs well.

But Pi has earned a permanent place for my side projects and experiments. It's fast, it's cheap (especially with open-source models), and the combination of Pi + DeepSeek + a few well-chosen packages has been solid so far.

Here's what my current setup looks like:

• DeepSeek v4 Pro with xhigh thinking (default)
• DeepSeek v4 Flash for lighter tasks
• Kimi For Coding as an alternative model
• pi-web-access for web search and content extraction
• pi-codex-goal for tracking longer tasks
• pi-vision-proxy to handle images via Kimi K2.6
• A custom minimal footer extension

That's it. I tried more packages but kept only what I actually use.

If you are comfortable in the terminal and like the idea of a minimal, extensible agent, give Pi a try. Start with the basics and add packages as you feel the need.

I have been using Pi for a few weeks now and the setup is stable. I uninstalled a few extensions that didn't add enough value. The simpler the setup, the better.

I will keep updating this post as I discover new things about Pi.