💬 pi-btw — Side Questions for the Pi Coding Agent

@narumitw/pi-btw is a native Pi coding agent extension that adds /btw, a side-question command for quick clarifications that should not interrupt or pollute the main agent conversation.

Use it when you want to ask a temporary question, inspect context, or get a short explanation while keeping the primary coding task focused.

✨ Features

• Adds a /btw side-thread command to Pi, with an optional initial question.
• Answers side questions in a temporary, scrollable UI.
• Supports follow-up questions in the same ephemeral side thread.
• Uses the current session branch as context.
• Uses Pi's current model or an independent model selected in pi-btw.json.
• Inherits Pi's current thinking level or uses a fixed level from pi-btw.json.
• Does not append the side question or answer to the main conversation.
• Works as an independently installable npm Pi extension package.

📦 Install

pi install npm:@narumitw/pi-btw

Try without installing permanently:

pi -e npm:@narumitw/pi-btw

Try this package locally from the repository root:

pi -e ./extensions/pi-btw

🚀 Usage

Start an empty side thread or provide its first question immediately:

/btw
/btw <your side question>

Examples:

/btw
/btw what does this TypeScript error mean?
/btw summarize the current implementation before we continue
/btw is this API name idiomatic?

Running /btw alone opens an empty ephemeral side thread with its editor ready. When an initial question is provided, its answer opens above the same editor. A compact btw · side thread header stays fixed above the content so the ephemeral workspace remains recognizable while scrolling. Messages use Pi's normal user and assistant presentation without numbered turns or role labels. Type each question and press Enter; no follow-up shortcut is required. Previous side questions and answers remain available to the model and visible for that invocation. While a response is running, the transcript stays visible above a compact Answering… status. The footer shows PgUp/PgDn only when history can scroll; press Ctrl+C to cancel an in-progress answer or leave the side thread. Closing it, reloading Pi, or switching sessions discards it without adding any of its questions or answers to the main conversation.

⚙️ Model and thinking level

By default, /btw uses the current session model. To use an independent model for side questions, create:

$PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR/pi-btw.json

The normal location is ~/.pi/agent/pi-btw.json. PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR is an existing Pi setting; pi-btw does not add any environment variables.

{
  "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "thinkingLevel": "low"
}

The model value uses provider/model-id format. Only the first / is the separator, so model IDs may contain additional slashes, such as openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet. The configured model must exist in Pi's model registry and have usable credentials. If it cannot be found or authenticated, pi-btw warns and falls back to the current session model. If neither model is available, /btw reports an error and stops. This selection affects only /btw; it does not change the main session model.

Pi calls its reasoning setting the thinking level. By default, /btw inherits the current runtime level, including changes made through /settings or Shift+Tab. It does not read or change defaultThinkingLevel directly. Supported fixed values are off, minimal, low, medium, high, and xhigh. The selected value applies to the model actually used by /btw and does not change the main session. Pi's provider layer may clamp a requested level when that model does not support it.

The settings file is optional and is never created automatically. A missing file, {}, or omitted fields silently inherit the current Pi model and thinking level. The file is read for each /btw invocation, so edits apply to the next side question without /reload. Invalid or unreadable settings produce a warning and fall back to the current Pi defaults.

🧠 Why use pi-btw?

Normal assistant messages become part of the main Pi conversation and can distract the coding agent from the task. pi-btw creates a lightweight side channel for context-aware questions, making it useful for pair programming, debugging, code review, and repository exploration.

🗂️ Package layout

extensions/pi-btw/
├── src/
│   └── btw.ts
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── tsconfig.json
└── package.json

The package exposes its Pi extension through package.json:

{
  "pi": {
    "extensions": ["./src/btw.ts"]
  }
}

🔎 Keywords

Pi extension, Pi coding agent, AI coding agent, side question command, agent chat workflow, TypeScript Pi package, npm Pi extension.

📄 License

MIT. See LICENSE.