Terminal Browser Search Extension

Chrome-first Pi Harness extension that opens Google search results directly from /search <query> with minimal, terminal-silent UX.

Overview

This extension is designed for fast action, not conversational search explanations. When a user runs /search dotnet docs, Pi immediately launches Google Chrome with an encoded Google query URL.

Primary behavior:

• Accept user query input from /search <query>
• Sanitize and normalize query text
• Encode query safely
• Enforce trusted URL policy
• Open Chrome via system command on macOS
• Keep command execution silent from the user perspective

Features

• Native Pi extension command: /search <query>
• Dynamic query support (no hardcoded terms)
• Trusted host enforcement (https://www.google.com/search?q=...)
• Config-driven dry-run and auto-open toggles
• Dynamic context hook (beforeTurn) for search intent biasing
• Optional compaction strategy preserving command/query relevance
• Extensible launcher abstraction for future browsers

How It Works

Runtime flow:

1. Pi command /search <query> is handled by extension command registration in src/pi-extension.ts.
2. Query is parsed and sanitized by CommandParser.
3. URL is built by QueryEncoder.
4. URL is validated by UrlPolicy.
5. Launcher factory selects browser launcher (Chrome default).
6. open -a "Google Chrome" "<url>" executes.

Command

• /search <query>

Examples:

• /search dotnet docs
• /search openai codex prompt templates

Configuration

Config file:

• .pi/terminal-browser-search.config.json

Relevant settings:

• autoOpenBrowser (bool): open browser automatically
• dryRun (bool): build URL without opening browser
• defaultBrowser (chrome/firefox/safari)
• searchEngine.baseUrl (default Google search)
• searchEngine.queryParam (default q)
• searchEngine.allowedHosts (allowlist)

Environment overrides:

• PI_SEARCH_AUTO_OPEN
• PI_SEARCH_DRY_RUN
• PI_SEARCH_INCOGNITO

Project Structure

terminal-browser-search-extension/
├── AGENTS.md
├── LICENSE
├── README.md
└── .pi/
    ├── SYSTEM.md
    ├── terminal-browser-search.config.json
    └── extensions/
        └── terminal-browser-search/
            ├── extension.json
            ├── package.json
            ├── tsconfig.json
            ├── bin/search.js
            ├── src/pi-extension.ts
            ├── src/SearchRuntime.ts
            ├── src/CommandParser.ts
            ├── src/QueryEncoder.ts
            ├── src/UrlPolicy.ts
            ├── src/BrowserLauncherFactory.ts
            ├── src/launchers/MacOSBrowserLauncher.ts
            ├── src/DynamicContextHook.ts
            ├── src/CompactionStrategy.ts
            └── src/hooks.ts

Install (Local Repo)

From repo root:

cd .pi/extensions/terminal-browser-search
npm install
npm run build

Then reload Pi resources:

/reload

Install (npm Package)

After package publication:

pi install npm:pi-terminal-browser-search

Then reload resources:

/reload

Development

Build:

cd .pi/extensions/terminal-browser-search
npm run build

Pack validation:

npm run pack:check

Security Notes

• Only trusted search URLs are opened.
• Query input is sanitized before URL construction.
• Invalid or empty queries are rejected.
• No hardcoded token or secret handling in runtime flow.

Compatibility

• Platform: macOS launcher path implemented (open -a "Google Chrome" ...)
• Node.js: >=20

Developer

• Saba Burduli

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE.

Official Package Listing

To request inclusion in Pi's curated/official package ecosystem:

1. Publish package to npm (pi-terminal-browser-search)
2. Open submission request in badlogic/pi-mono
3. Include install command, repository URL, safety model, and demo evidence

Detailed checklist:

• docs/OFFICIAL_SUBMISSION.md