Pi Model Modes

Mode presets for switching models and thinking levels in Pi.

Install

pi install npm:@zigai/pi-model-modes

Features

• Uses Ctrl+Shift+M to select and configure modes.
• Supports optional forward and backward shortcuts for cycling modes.
• Colors the prompt editor border from the active mode, with an opt-in setting for thinking-derived border colors.
• Applies an optional persistent default model to fresh sessions without changing it when the session model changes.

Modes can store a provider, model, thinking level, and optional color. Their JSON object order is the exact cycle order; with configured modes, no implicit entries are added. Mode cycling matches the active provider and model, ignoring thinking level, and wraps from the last mode to the first and vice versa. Set shortcuts.forward or shortcuts.backward to add cycling shortcuts.

Set the persistent default through Ctrl+Shift+M → Configure modes… → Set default model…, or edit defaultModel in the configuration file.

Configuration

Global settings are stored in ~/.pi/agent/extension-settings/pi-model-modes.json.

Option	Type	Default	Description
version	number	1	Settings format version.
currentMode	string	"default"	Currently selected mode ID.
defaultModel.provider	string	—	Default model provider.
defaultModel.modelId	string	—	Default model ID.
defaultModel.thinkingLevel	off | minimal | low | medium | high | xhigh | max	—	Pi thinking level for the default model, clamped to that model's capabilities.
modeUseThinkingBorderColors	boolean	false	Use thinking-level colors instead of mode colors for borders.
modeShowThinkingLevelStatus	boolean	false	Show thinking level alongside mode status.
shortcuts.forward	string	—	Shortcut for cycling modes forward.
shortcuts.backward	string	—	Shortcut for cycling modes backward.
modes	Record<string, ModelMode>	{}	Named model-mode specifications keyed by mode ID.

Defaults

{
  "$schema": "./schemas/pi-model-modes.schema.json",
  "version": 1,
  "currentMode": "default",
  "modeUseThinkingBorderColors": false,
  "modeShowThinkingLevelStatus": false,
  "modes": {}
}

Advanced example

{
  "$schema": "./schemas/pi-model-modes.schema.json",
  "currentMode": "deep",
  "modes": {
    "fast": {
      "provider": "openai-codex",
      "modelId": "gpt-5.4-mini",
      "thinkingLevel": "low",
      "color": "thinkingLow"
    },
    "deep": {
      "provider": "openai-codex",
      "modelId": "gpt-5.6-sol",
      "thinkingLevel": "high",
      "color": "thinkingHigh"
    }
  }
}

License

MIT