pi-workflow-engine

Multi-agent workflows for pi.

When a task benefits from independent review, competing hypotheses, or separate verification, pi-workflow-engine fans it out to subagents and synthesizes one result. Run a built-in workflow or add dynamax to a prompt so pi can compose a one-off workflow for the task.

Quick start

Requires pi 0.80.10 or newer.

pi install npm:pi-workflow-engine

Restart pi or run /reload, then try either style:

dynamax investigate why typecheck started failing on this branch

/workflow code-review
/workflow refactor-scout src/
/workflow diagnose "the schema migration broke typecheck"

Built-in workflows inspect and report by default; they do not edit your working tree.

What you get

• Independent analysis. Give correctness, testing, performance, or other concerns to separate agents instead of asking one agent to cover everything.
• Verified results. Workflows can check and rank findings before presenting a single synthesis.
• Live visibility. Follow phases and agents in the TUI, with usage and cost totals when the provider reports them.
• Controlled execution. Concurrency, timeouts, agent counts, and token budgets keep fan-out bounded.
• Safe follow-up. Advisory runs leave the checkout alone, while selected review fixes can return isolated patch previews.

Built-in workflows

Workflow	Best used for
code-review	PRs, branch diffs, ref ranges, or focused targets
refactor-scout	Small, defensible refactors without broad rewrites
diagnose	Competing explanations for bugs or failing commands
perf-review	Measured bottlenecks rather than performance guesses
research	Cited external evidence with independent claim verification

The research workflow needs an installed pi tool that can search or browse the web. See the built-in workflow guide for behavior and requirements.

Use Dynamax for one-off workflows

Use dynamax when no saved workflow quite fits and independent passes are likely to change the answer:

dynamax review this branch for correctness, tests, and maintainability; verify every finding
dynamax investigate this flaky test using separate timing, fixture, diff, and external-state hypotheses
dynamax argue both implementation options, then have another agent challenge the recommendation

The token enables Dynamax for one turn. Sticky mode remains active for the pi session:

/workflow:dynamax on
/workflow:dynamax off
/workflow:dynamax status

In the TUI, a standalone dynamax token receives a short moving-shine sweep and then stays highlighted. Use PI_DYNAMAX_EFFECT=static or PI_DYNAMAX_EFFECT=off to reduce or disable the cue; the prompt editor guide has the full details.

Tiny edits and straightforward questions are still better handled by one agent. Dynamax is useful when independence or breadth materially improves the result.

Review and inspect results

code-review verifies, deduplicates, and ranks candidate findings. Open the interactive findings view for follow-up, or bring back the latest result without rerunning the workflow:

/workflow code-review --result-viewer
/workflow:results
/workflow:inspector

The viewer can produce isolated patch previews for selected findings without changing the active checkout. The usage guide covers review actions and recent run history.

Create your own workflows

Saved workflows are TypeScript modules for repeatable orchestration; inline workflows are useful for one-off Dynamax tasks. The workflow authoring guide covers the API, typed handoffs, model profiles, tool access, composition, and registration.

Develop locally

git clone https://github.com/timbrinded/pi-workflow-engine
cd pi-workflow-engine
bun install
bun run typecheck && bun run test
pi -ne -e .

pi -ne -e . loads the working copy without also loading an installed global copy. There is no build step; pi loads the TypeScript extension directly.

For the complete command reference, model configuration, workflow authoring, runtime controls, resume behavior, and troubleshooting, see USAGE.md.

Questions and ideas are welcome in GitHub Issues. MIT licensed.