pi-session-switch

Preview each session before switching in a mirror of Pi's native `/resume`-picker UI

Package details

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extension

Install pi-session-switch from npm and Pi will load the resources declared by the package manifest.

npm repo home report

$ pi install npm:pi-session-switch

Package: pi-session-switch
Version: 0.2.0
Published: Apr 7, 2026
Downloads: 381/mo · 18/wk
Author: w-winter
License: MIT
Types: extension
Size: 26.3 KB
Dependencies: 0 dependencies · 2 peers

Pi manifest JSON

{
  "extensions": [
    "extensions/session-switch/index.ts"
  ],
  "image": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/w-winter/dot314/main/assets/switch-session-demo.gif"
}

Security note

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

README

Session Switch for Pi (`pi-session-switch`)

Switch between Pi sessions with /switch-session, or open the same picker after interactive startup with pi --switch-session, using the same layout and affordances as Pi's native /resume picker plus a live preview of the currently highlighted session beneath the picker.

`/switch-session` demo

Install

From npm:

pi install npm:pi-session-switch

From the dot314 git bundle (filtered install):

{
  "packages": [
    {
      "source": "git:github.com/w-winter/dot314",
      "extensions": ["extensions/session-switch/index.ts"],
      "skills": [],
      "themes": [],
      "prompts": []
    }
  ]
}

Command

/switch-session

Startup flag

pi --switch-session

Opens the same picker after interactive startup, then relaunches Pi into the selected session.

This is an extension-only workaround for startup switching. Unlike native pi --resume, it does not provide missing-cwd recovery for sessions whose recorded cwd no longer exists, and it does not reuse Pi's normal in-process session-switch lifecycle or guarantee the same shutdown-hook cleanup semantics.

Behavior

/switch-session stays on Pi's native in-process session switch path
pi --switch-session reuses the same picker UI, then relaunches Pi into the selected session
Mirrors the native /resume picker layout, behaviors, and keybindings for the command path
Shows a live preview of the highlighted session below the picker
Shift+Up / Shift+Down scroll the preview by line
Shift+PageUp / Shift+PageDown page the preview
Preserves the native inline rename and delete-confirmation flows

Optionally replacing native `--resume`

If you want pi -r and pi --resume to use this extension's picker instead of Pi's built-in resume, add this wrapper to your .bashrc or .zshrc:

pi() {
  local -a args=()

  while (($#)); do
    case "$1" in
      --)
        args+=("$@")
        break
        ;;
      -r|--resume)
        if (($# > 1)) && [[ "$2" != -* ]]; then
          args+=(--session "$2")
          shift 2
        else
          args+=(--switch-session)
          shift
        fi
        ;;
      --resume=*)
        args+=(--session "${1#--resume=}")
        shift
        ;;
      *)
        args+=("$1")
        shift
        ;;
    esac
  done

  command pi "${args[@]}"
}

This rewrites:

pi -r / pi --resume to pi --switch-session (opens the picker)
pi -r <path> / pi --resume <path> to pi --session <path> (opens that session directly)

Compared with upstream

Derived from Damian Pedroza's pi-thread-switcher. This version has a few additions that I found helpful for readability: the session preview lives in a dedicated pane below the picker with syntax-highlighted Markdown rendering, and Shift+PageUp / Shift+PageDown are also offered for paging through the preview. The picker itself uses Pi's native SessionSelectorComponent, matching the /resume interaction model.

See THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md for full attribution.

Session Switch for Pi (pi-session-switch)