Pi Coding Agent: Minimalist Terminal Workflows Training Course

Introduction to Pi

• Understanding Pi’s core philosophy of minimalism and control
• Comparisons with Claude Code, Codex CLI, and Cursor
• Overview of the four built-in tools: read, write, edit, and bash
• Evaluating when Pi is the preferred choice over heavier agents

Installation and Setup

• Installing Pi via npm and other package managers
• Configuring API keys for over 15 supported providers
• Setting up working directories and context files
• Running Pi in both local and Docker environments

Core Terminal Workflows

• Generating code through simple prompts
• Precise file reading and editing capabilities
• Safe execution of bash commands within the agent
• Managing session state and context resets

Building Custom Skills

• Comprehending the TypeScript skill API
• Developing custom read, write, and edit operations
• Integrating with bash execution for specialized workflows
• Isolated testing and debugging of skills

Prompt Templates and Themes

• Customizing system prompts for various languages and frameworks
• Creating reusable prompt templates to ensure team consistency
• Packaging themes as shareable modules

Extending Pi with npm Packages

• Bundling skills as pi packages
• Publishing to npm and Git repositories
• Installing community-contributed packages
• Managing dependency versions and compatibility

Provider Flexibility

• Switching between Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, and other backends
• Optimizing for cost, speed, and quality per task
• Utilizing fully local models for sensitive code handling

Practical Use Cases

• Workflows for automated testing and test generation
• Refactoring legacy code using custom skill chains
• Documentation generation and maintenance
• CI integration with minimal agent overhead

Security and Control

• Understanding the boundaries of the 300-word system prompt
• Requiring manual approval for write operations
• Sandboxing bash execution in untrusted environments
• Maintaining audit logs of all agent actions

Summary and Next Steps

• Recap of principles regarding minimalism, control, and extensibility
• Overview of community resources and contribution guidelines
• Advanced topics tailored for experienced Pi users