Code Wiki

⚠️ Beta — Highly Experimental This extension is in active development. APIs, behavior, and generated wiki layout may change without notice.

Generate and maintain a persistent, beginner-friendly codebase wiki inside your repository. The extension guides Pi's agent to build Markdown documentation, keep it current incrementally, and file substantial answers from codebase questions back into the wiki.

The design is inspired by Karpathy's LLM Wiki pattern: the wiki is a durable, compounding artifact (index.md + pages + log.md + schema), not a throwaway answer or full regeneration on every run.

Install

pi install npm:@petechu/pi-code-wiki
/reload

How It Works

The extension sends focused prompts to Pi's agent for three maintenance operations:

1. Init — survey the codebase, identify core abstractions, write beginner-friendly chapter pages, and create the persistent wiki control files.
2. Update — read the existing schema/index/log/metadata first, inspect changed or relevant source files, update affected pages and links, append the log, and refresh metadata.
3. Query — answer a codebase question using the wiki first and source files as needed; file substantial answers under answers/ so future work compounds.

Everything runs through Pi's native tools — no Python, no external LLM calls, no GitHub crawling.

Usage

Commands

Command	Description
/code-wiki init [options]	Generate a new persistent wiki for the current repository
/code-wiki update [options]	Incrementally maintain an existing wiki
/code-wiki query "question" [options]	Answer a codebase question and file substantial results
/code-wiki doctor	Check if a wiki exists and show its status
/code-wiki help	Show usage information

Query forms

Both forms are supported:

/code-wiki query --question="How does model selection work?"
/code-wiki query "How does model selection work?"

Options

Option	Description	Default
--target=<path>	Target subdirectory (narrows scope)	Repo root
--output=<path>	Wiki output directory (relative to repo root)	docs/code-wiki
--exclude=<glob,...>	File patterns to exclude (strictly enforced)	tests, deps, build artifacts
--language=<lang>	Output language	english
--format=<standard|obsidian>	Output Markdown format	standard
--detail-level=<summary|standard|deep|exhaustive>	Durable wiki explanation detail	standard
--question=<text>	Question for query	none
--force	Overwrite existing wiki (init only)	Prompt before overwrite

Detail Level

Use --detail-level to control how much explanation durable wiki content should contain without changing source analysis scope.

/code-wiki init --detail-level=summary
/code-wiki init --detail-level=deep
/code-wiki update --detail-level=exhaustive

Detail level	Contract	Soft target per chapter/concept page
summary	Concise orientation: purpose, main responsibilities, and relationships. Minimal snippets only when essential.	~300–700 words, 0–1 short snippets
standard	Default. Beginner-friendly but not thin: explains why each abstraction exists, how it fits, main flows, and important files.	~900–1,600 words, 1–3 short snippets
deep	Thorough walkthroughs: lifecycle/data-flow examples, important edge cases, module interactions, and source-grounded explanations.	~1,800–3,500 words, 2–5 short snippets
exhaustive	Near-reference level: relevant internals, public surfaces, variants, gotchas, and detailed relationships without raw code dumps.	~3,500+ words when warranted

Detail level applies to durable wiki content: generated pages, maintained pages, index summaries/diagrams, and filed answer pages. /code-wiki query chat responses stay concise by default; any durable answer page follows the wiki detail level.

The selected level is stored in .code-wiki.json and reflected in .code-wiki-schema.md. update and query inherit the existing wiki's level unless explicitly overridden. If an override is passed to update or query, it is persisted for future maintenance. init --force behaves like a fresh init and does not preserve the previous wiki's detail level.

Precedence:

1. Explicit CLI/tool option (--detail-level or detailLevel)
2. Existing wiki metadata for update/query
3. codeWiki.defaultDetailLevel from project/global settings for new wikis
4. Built-in default: standard

Invalid explicit values fail fast. Invalid settings values are warned about and ignored. Existing metadata without detailLevel is treated as standard.

Code snippets are evidence, not the main content. Generated wiki pages should prefer prose explanations, diagrams, and walkthroughs over long snippets; snippets should be short, cited, introduced, and explained afterward.

Target Directory (Monorepo Support)

Use --target=<subdirectory> to narrow the wiki scope to a specific subdirectory within a monorepo:

/code-wiki init --target=packages/backend
/code-wiki init --target=packages/frontend --output=docs/frontend-wiki

When --target is set:

• Only files within that subdirectory are crawled and analyzed.
• The project name in the wiki uses the target directory's basename (e.g., backend).
• The default output path becomes docs/code-wiki/<target-basename> (e.g., docs/code-wiki/backend).
• The read guard blocks the agent from reading files outside the target directory.
• Omit --target to use the full repo root (default behavior, unchanged).

Generated Wiki Layout

The wiki is written to docs/code-wiki/ by default and includes:

• index.md — content-oriented catalog, project overview, relationship diagram, chapter links, query-answer links, and maintenance links.
• 01_*.md, 02_*.md, etc. — beginner-friendly pages for core codebase abstractions.
• .code-wiki-schema.md — durable maintenance rules for future Pi agents: scope, page conventions, index/log maintenance, cross-linking, citations, update workflow, and query-answer filing workflow.
• log.md — append-only chronological record with parseable headings such as ## [YYYY-MM-DD] update | ....
• answers/ — durable answer pages created from substantial /code-wiki query results.
• .code-wiki.json — metadata: settings, layout, git commit, timestamps, last operation, selected format/detail level, and generated file list.
• .obsidian/app.json — created only for --format=obsidian so the output directory can be opened as an Obsidian vault.

Obsidian Mode

Use --format=obsidian to generate Obsidian Flavored Markdown instead of portable standard Markdown:

/code-wiki init --format=obsidian --output=my-vault/docs

In Obsidian mode, the prompt asks the agent to use:

• [[wikilinks]] for internal wiki links, including answer pages under answers/.
• YAML frontmatter properties on every page.
• Obsidian callouts such as > [!note] and > [!warning].
• Inline kebab-case #tags for graph/search discovery.

On init, the extension creates .obsidian/app.json in the wiki directory and displays a copyable open URI plus platform command, for example:

obsidian://open?path=<absolute-wiki-path>
open 'obsidian://open?path=<absolute-wiki-path>'      # macOS
xdg-open 'obsidian://open?path=<absolute-wiki-path>'  # Linux
start "" "obsidian://open?path=<absolute-wiki-path>" # Windows

/code-wiki doctor reports the stored format from .code-wiki.json. update and query inherit the stored format automatically, so you do not need to repeat --format=obsidian after initialization.

Standard mode remains the default and keeps the current portable Markdown behavior. Invalid --format values silently fall back to standard.

Update vs Init

• init — generates a fresh persistent codebase wiki. Fails if the output directory already has content unless --force is used.
• update — performs incremental maintenance. The agent reads .code-wiki-schema.md, index.md, log.md, and .code-wiki.json first, then updates affected pages, links, log, and metadata based on changed or relevant source files.

Query Behavior

/code-wiki query asks the agent to:

1. Read index.md, log.md, .code-wiki-schema.md, and metadata first.
2. Inspect relevant wiki pages, then source files needed to verify the answer.
3. Answer with citations to wiki/source paths.
4. Write a durable page under answers/ when the answer is substantial.
5. Link the answer from index.md, append log.md, and refresh .code-wiki.json.

Trivial answers may be logged without creating an answer page.

Model Selection

/code-wiki init, /code-wiki update, and /code-wiki query select a generation model before sending the wiki prompt:

1. Read codeWiki.generationModels from Pi's global settings and project .pi/settings.json (project overrides global).
2. Iterate the list in order, skipping missing models and auth failures; if a candidate switch fails with setModel, continue to the next model instead of stopping.
3. If no configured model can be activated, fall back to the currently selected Pi model.
4. Switch the active model to the selection before sending the wiki prompt (unless it is already current).

/code-wiki doctor does not require or switch any model — it only checks local filesystem and git metadata.

Default generation models

[
  { "provider": "openai-codex", "id": "gpt-5.4-mini" },
  { "provider": "github-copilot", "id": "gpt-5.4-mini" },
  { "provider": "openai-codex", "id": "gpt-5.3-codex-spark" },
  { "provider": "github-copilot", "id": "gemini-3-flash-preview" },
  { "provider": "github-copilot", "id": "claude-haiku-4.5" },
  { "provider": "anthropic", "id": "claude-haiku-4-5" }
]

Customizing via settings

{
  "codeWiki": {
    "defaultDetailLevel": "deep",
    "maxSize": 100000,
    "generationModels": [
      { "provider": "openai-codex", "id": "gpt-5.4-mini" },
      { "provider": "github-copilot", "id": "gpt-5.4-mini" }
    ]
  }
}

Place this in ~/.pi/settings.json (global) or <project>/.pi/settings.json (per-project, overrides global). defaultDetailLevel applies to new wikis; existing wiki metadata takes precedence during update and query. maxSize is only configured through settings.

Strict Exclude Enforcement

During any code-wiki operation (init, update, query), the extension intercepts built-in read tool calls and blocks reads matching the configured exclude patterns. This ensures excluded files cannot be accidentally read even if the agent drifts from the prompt guidance.

Behavior:

• Blocked (exclude): Any file matching an --exclude pattern is blocked with an error: Blocked by code-wiki exclude pattern: <path>.
• Blocked (target scope): When --target=<path> is set, any file outside the target directory is blocked with an error: Blocked by code-wiki target scope: ....
• Allowed: Wiki artifact files inside the output directory are still readable during update and query operations (e.g., index.md, log.md, chapter pages, schema, metadata).
• Normal reads unaffected: When no code-wiki operation is active, the read tool works normally without any restrictions.
• Defaults applied: If no --exclude is specified, the built-in defaults are used (test directories, build artifacts, node_modules, .git/.github, wiki output, etc.).

The enforcement is a safety net, not a replacement for prompt guidance. The agent is still strongly encouraged to follow the file map and exclude instructions in the prompt.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"Not inside a Git repository"	Run Pi from within a Git working directory
"Wiki directory already exists"	Use --force to overwrite, or /code-wiki update to maintain it
Query requires a question	Use --question="..." or positional text after /code-wiki query
Invalid detail level	Use one of summary, standard, deep, or exhaustive
Agent doesn't write all files	The prompt may span multiple turns — the agent will continue until complete
Wiki includes its own output	The prompt explicitly excludes the wiki directory from source analysis
"Target directory does not exist"	Ensure the path exists relative to the repo root, e.g. --target=packages/backend
Doctor reports missing schema/log	Run /code-wiki update; the prompt will recreate missing control files
Obsidian vault not recognized	Copy the obsidian://open?... URI from the init output to open in Obsidian manually

Acknowledgement & Inspiration

This extension is inspired by PocketFlow-Tutorial-Codebase-Knowledge and Karpathy's LLM Wiki pattern for persistent, compounding knowledge bases maintained by LLM agents.