Coding agent (CLI) · Earendil
pi
Minimal terminal coding agent and agent toolkit that you extend with TypeScript extensions, skills and packages. Runs interactively, in print/JSON mode, over RPC, or embedded through an SDK.
pi review
pi is a minimal terminal coding agent and agent toolkit from Earendil that you extend with TypeScript. It is free and open source under the MIT licence. We read the vendor's pages and repository in October 2026. We did not run an independent test.
Who it is for
Developers who want a small agent harness they can script, embed and customise, and who are happy to add their own isolation.
What stands out
pi runs interactively, in print or JSON-stream mode, over RPC, or embedded through a TypeScript SDK. Inside the app, /login takes either a provider subscription or your own API key.
Extensions, skills, prompt templates and themes can be bundled as packages and shared through npm or git. It has a native MCP client, with `pi mcp add`, `list` and `login` commands. One model config covers hosted providers such as Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and OpenRouter, and local servers such as Ollama, LM Studio and vLLM.
Price and licence
pi is free. We saw no pricing page on pi.dev on 28 October 2026. The licence is MIT, so the source is open in the usual sense. Model cost comes from whatever you connect: a provider subscription, your own API key, or a local endpoint that costs nothing beyond your hardware.
Where it falls short
- There is no built-in permission system or sandbox. Tools run with the launching user's rights, and the docs point to Docker, a micro-VM extension or OpenShell for isolation.
- Sub-agents and plan mode are left out on purpose. They have to come from packages or your own extension.
- It needs Node.js 22.19 or newer and has no graphical interface. Native Windows uses Git Bash by default.
- New issues and pull requests from first-time contributors are closed automatically by default, which limits outside contribution.
Alternatives
Oh My Pi is a fork that adds LSP, a debugger and subagents. For more options, see terminal coding agents. OpenCode is another open-source choice.
Facts: platforms, price and licence
- platforms
- macOSWindowsLinuxNeeds Node.js 22.19+ (installers can fetch it). Native Windows uses Git Bash by default, or run inside WSL. Nix build for Linux/macOS (ARM64, x86-64). A Termux-on-Android guide exists in the docs but is not listed as an official platform.
- price
- Freepi itself is free (MIT, no pricing page seen on pi.dev, seen 2026-10-28). Model cost comes from whatever you connect: /login accepts a provider subscription (OAuth) or your own API key, and local endpoints (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM) cost nothing beyond hardware.
- source
- Open sourceLicence: MIT
- github
- earendil-works/pi 118.3k stars, seen 2026-10-28
pi features
- ✓ yes MCP
- – no Multi-agent
- ✓ yes Headless / CI
- – no Sandbox
- ✓ yes Local models
- ✓ yes Your own API key
- ? not verified Git worktrees
- ? not verified SSH
✓ documented · – absent or not in its feature list · ? not verified
pi strengths
- Print, JSON-stream and RPC modes plus a TypeScript SDK make it scriptable and embeddable.
- Extensions, skills, prompt templates and themes can be bundled as packages and shared via npm or git.
- Works with subscription logins, API keys and local servers (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM) through one model config.
- Native MCP client with `pi mcp add/list/login` commands.
pi weak points
- No built-in permission system or sandbox: tools run with the launching user's rights, and docs point to Docker, a micro-VM extension or OpenShell for isolation.
- Sub-agents and plan mode are intentionally not built in; they have to come from packages or your own extension.
- Requires Node.js 22.19+ and has no GUI; terminal only.
- New issues and PRs from first-time contributors are auto-closed by default, which limits outside contribution.
Who pi is for
- best for
- Developers who want a small, hackable agent harness they can script, embed and customise, and who are fine adding their own isolation.
- look elsewhere if
- Anyone who wants built-in approval prompts, sandboxing or sub-agent orchestration out of the box.
Lists that include pi
Sources and what we could not verify
Checked 2026-10-28. Prices and features change; the vendor's page is the authority.
- pi.dev — install commands, platform installers, description
- github.com/earendil-works/pi — source: MIT, stars, README (no sub-agents, no built-in permission system, containerization)
- github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/LICENSE — giấy phép MIT License (Mario Zechner)
- github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/packages/coding-agent/docs/models.md — local models (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM) via models.json
- github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/packages/coding-agent/docs/providers.md — API keys, subscription login, provider list
- github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/packages/coding-agent/docs/cli.md — print / JSON / RPC modes, pi mcp commands
- github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/packages/coding-agent/docs/mcp.md — MCP client over stdio and streamable HTTP
- github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/packages/coding-agent/docs/security.md — no approval per tool call, run in container for safety
- github.com/earendil-works/pi/blob/main/packages/coding-agent/docs/windows.md — native Windows and WSL
Not verified
- price: no pricing page found; free status rests on MIT license and absence of any paid tier on pi.dev
- ssh, git_worktrees, team_sharing, phone_remote, mobile_app not checked in docs (left null)
- ssh/sftp/tabs/split_panes/port_forwarding/jump_host/x11_forwarding/serial/telnet/mosh/cloud_sync not applicable to this product (null)
- repo moved: older name badlogic/pi-mono now redirects to earendil-works/pi