/thinking command extension for pi

Adds a /thinking slash command to pi >=0.81.1 for changing the active thinking/reasoning level from inside a session.

Normally in pi, changing the thinking/reasoning level means opening the settings menu, navigating to Thinking, and selecting the requested level. This extension is a convenience shortcut for that workflow, so you can switch levels directly with commands such as /thinking low or /thinking xhigh.

This is especially useful when switching between model classes. Smaller models, including many local models, often benefit from tighter thinking limits than larger hosted models from major providers.

Install

Install just this extension from npm:

pi install npm:@hk_net/pi-thinking-command

Or install the full collection from GitHub:

pi install git:git@github.com:hknet/pi-extensions@main
pi install https://github.com/hknet/pi-extensions

Or install this extension manually:

cp packages/pi-thinking-command/thinking-shortcut.ts ~/.pi/agent/extensions/thinking-shortcut.ts

After installing, restart pi or run:

/reload

Usage

/thinking [off|minimal|low|medium|high|xhigh|max]

Examples:

/thinking off
/thinking low
/thinking medium
/thinking high
/thinking xhigh
/thinking max

If no argument is provided, /thinking sets the level to medium.

Levels

• off — disable extended thinking
• minimal — smallest available thinking budget
• low — light reasoning
• medium — balanced default reasoning
• high — more reasoning for harder tasks
• xhigh — very high reasoning budget
• max — maximum reasoning budget

Note: If the current model does not support the requested level, pi clamps to the nearest supported level (searching both up and down the level hierarchy).

Features

• Registers the /thinking command.
• Provides argument completions for all supported levels.
• Autocompletes /th... to /thinking without Pi's trailing-space insertion, then presents the level picker.
• Shows a thinking status item with the current level.
• Updates the status item when the thinking level changes.
• Validates input and displays an error for unknown levels.

Issues and feedback

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please report it on GitHub Issues.

For security vulnerabilities, please use GitHub's private vulnerability reporting instead of opening a public issue.