@pi-unipi/btw

A pi extension for parallel side conversations with /unipi:btw — part of the Unipi suite

Packages

Package details

extensionskill

Install @pi-unipi/btw from npm and Pi will load the resources declared by the package manifest.

npm repohome report
$ pi install npm:@pi-unipi/btw
Package
@pi-unipi/btw
Version
3.0.1
Published
Nov 2, 2026
Downloads
5,557/mo · 738/wk
Author
neuron-mr-white
License
MIT
Types
extension, skill
Size
31.4 KB
Dependencies
1 dependency · 3 peers
Pi manifest JSON
{
  "skills": [
    "./skills"
  ],
  "themes": [],
  "prompts": [],
  "extensions": [
    "./extensions/btw.ts"
  ]
}

Security note

Pi packages can execute code and influence agent behavior. Review the source before installing third-party packages.

README

BTW

Ask a side question while the main agent works, without adding it to the main conversation.

@pi-unipi/btw · part of UniPi

What it does

  • Opens a panel in place of the input box. The main agent continues to run.
  • Answers each question in a new, read-only session. This session starts with a copy of the main conversation, with tool calls that are in progress.
  • Gives the side session four tools only: read, grep, find and ls. It cannot run commands or change files.
  • Uses the model and the thinking level of the main session.
  • Writes nothing to the main session. The main agent never sees the question or the answer.
  • Keeps no memory between questions. Each question starts again from the main conversation.

Quick start

UniPi installs this package:

pi install npm:@pi-unipi/unipi

To install this package alone:

pi install npm:@pi-unipi/btw

Then ask a question:

/unipi:btw what does the retry loop in client.ts do?

Commands

Command What it does
/unipi:btw [question] Opens the panel. If you give a question, the panel starts to answer it.

In print mode (no UI), /unipi:btw <question> shows the answer as a notification. A question is necessary in this mode.

Panel keys

Key What it does
Enter Asks the question in the input. It does nothing while an answer streams.
↑ / ↓ Shows an earlier or later question and answer. Works when the input is empty.
PgUp / PgDn Scrolls a long answer.
Ctrl+C Stops the answer that streams. If no answer streams, it closes the panel.
Esc Closes the panel. An answer that streams continues and goes into the history.

Run /unipi:btw again to open the history. Only one answer can stream at a time.

How it works

The panel shows each question, a line for each tool call, and the answer as markdown. The history stays in memory for the Pi session only. BTW clears it when a session starts or resumes, and when you move in the session tree.

If you want a change to your files, ask in the main conversation.

Older sessions can contain btw-note messages from an earlier BTW version. BTW still shows these messages and hides them from the model.

BTW comes from pi-btw by Dan Bachelder.

See also