pi-discord-activity

A repo-ready package for adding Discord activity support to the Pi coding agent.

This project is split into two pieces:

• a Pi extension that listens to real Pi session and activity events
• a local helper daemon that owns the Discord RPC connection and updates your Discord activity

What this starter pack includes

• package.json
• TypeScript build config
• Pi extension implementation in src/extension
• Discord helper implementation in src/helper
• shared types/config in src/shared
• example local settings in .pi/example-settings.json
• install, setup, service, and verification docs

Quick Start

Published package install

For most users, the simplest path is to install the published package into Pi and let the extension auto-start the helper when Pi activity is first published.

1. Install the Pi package

   pi install npm:pi-discord-activity
   

2. Open Pi and use it normally

   With the default configuration, the extension will auto-start the helper the first time it needs to publish Discord activity.

3. Verify the integration

   Follow docs/verification.md for the Discord-side checks.

If you prefer explicit process management, you can still start the helper manually:

pi-discord-activity-helper
# or
npx pi-discord-activity-helper

Direct npm install

If you want the helper binary available directly from npm on your PATH:

npm install -g pi-discord-activity

You should still install the Pi package so Pi loads the extension:

pi install npm:pi-discord-activity

Then either let Pi auto-start the helper, or run it yourself:

pi-discord-activity-helper

Local repo / development install

1. Configure Discord (optional)

   The package already ships with a working default Discord application ID, so custom setup is optional.

   # optional: override the built-in default app
   export DISCORD_RPC_CLIENT_ID="your_discord_client_id"
   

   For a custom Discord application, see docs/discord-setup.md.

2. Install dependencies and build

   npm install
   npm run build
   

3. Install the Pi extension

   pi install .
   

   Manual fallback:

   mkdir -p ~/.pi/agent/extensions
   ln -s "$(pwd)/dist/extension/index.js" ~/.pi/agent/extensions/pi-discord-activity.js
   

4. Start Pi and let the helper auto-start

   The extension will start the helper automatically on the first publish attempt. If you prefer to run it yourself during development, you can still use:

   npm start
   

5. Verify the integration

   ./scripts/verify-installation.sh
   

   Then follow docs/verification.md for the manual Discord-side checks.

Status

This is a working Pi extension/helper package with:

• ✅ real Pi extension integration
• ✅ Discord activity transport and reconnect handling
• ✅ a built-in default Discord application ID for low-friction setup
• ✅ pi install . package installation support
• ✅ setup, service, and verification documentation

Typical next steps for a new user:

1. follow INSTALL.md
2. optionally configure a custom Discord application
3. optionally set up a background service using docs/service-recipes.md
4. verify the full flow with docs/verification.md

Requirements

• Node.js 20+
• npm 10+
• Discord desktop app running locally
• Pi coding agent installed locally

Install

For the full guided flow, see INSTALL.md.

Install from the published package

Recommended for most users:

pi install npm:pi-discord-activity

Then open Pi and let the extension auto-start the helper on first use.

Manual helper startup is still available if you want it:

pi-discord-activity-helper
# or
npx pi-discord-activity-helper

If you want the helper installed globally through npm as well:

npm install -g pi-discord-activity

Install from the local repo

npm install
npm run build
pi install .

Then open Pi and let the extension auto-start the helper, or run npm start manually if you prefer.

Guided setup scripts

The repo also includes automation scripts that can write .env, build the project, optionally run pi install ., and create a background service:

./setup.sh
# or on Windows
pwsh ./setup.ps1

Local development

Run the helper daemon:

npm run dev:helper

In another terminal, build and install the extension or use pi install . again after making changes.

If you want to test the HTTP transport without Pi, keep the helper running and POST a payload to:

http://127.0.0.1:42666/presence

Environment variables

The package ships with a built-in default Discord RPC client ID:

• 1495329514417426522

So DISCORD_RPC_CLIENT_ID is optional for normal use. The helper also reads .env and .env.local from the project root.

Common configuration:

DISCORD_RPC_CLIENT_ID=1495329514417426522
PI_PRESENCE_PORT=42666
PI_PRESENCE_HOST=127.0.0.1
PI_PRESENCE_PRIVACY_MODE=true
PI_PRESENCE_INCLUDE_PROJECT=false
PI_PRESENCE_DEBOUNCE_MS=2000
PI_PRESENCE_AUTOSTART_HELPER=true
PI_PRESENCE_DEBUG=false

Set PI_PRESENCE_AUTOSTART_HELPER=false if you want to disable auto-start and manage the helper manually or through an OS service.

Privacy defaults

Default behavior is privacy-first:

• project name is hidden unless explicitly enabled
• prompt content is never sent to Discord
• filenames are not sent to Discord

To allow project names in the Discord state line, set both:

export PI_PRESENCE_PRIVACY_MODE="false"
export PI_PRESENCE_INCLUDE_PROJECT="true"

Example Discord activity mapping

• Details: Using Pi Coding Agent
• State: <model> • <activity>
• Large image: pi
• Small image: provider key such as openai

Common activities:

• Starting
• Thinking
• Running Tools
• Editing Files
• Idle
• Error

Documentation

• INSTALL.md — full installation guide
• docs/discord-setup.md — custom Discord application setup
• docs/service-recipes.md — macOS, Linux, and Windows service recipes
• docs/verification.md — manual verification flow and troubleshooting

License

MIT