Chat with the Pi coding agent without leaving VS Code. Run several sessions side by side, branch a conversation from any message, steer the agent while it works, and approve every file change in a real diff before it touches your code.
Unofficial community extension. Not affiliated with the Pi project. You need Pi installed (the extension can install it for you).
Why use it
- Tabs for parallel work. Every tab is its own Pi session, so a long task in one doesn't block another. Close a tab to keep its session saved, and reopen it from History.
- Fork from any message. Hover a message and click Fork from here to branch into a new tab. The original conversation stays untouched. A Tree view shows every branch.
- Steer a running agent.
Enter redirects it after the current step, Alt+Enter queues a follow-up for when it finishes, Esc stops it and puts your message back in the box.
- Review before it lands. File edits and shell commands can pause for Approve / Deny, with a native side-by-side diff of the proposed change. Choose how strict to be: ask for everything, edits only, or never.
- Context without copy-paste. Your open file or selected lines attach automatically (one click removes them). Type
@ to attach any file, or press Ctrl+Alt+L to attach a selection.
- Slash commands that stay organised.
/ opens a sectioned menu (Context, Model, Session, Customize, Settings, Commands) with your Pi skills, prompt templates and extension commands.
- Know what it costs. Live context-window use, prompt and completion tokens, session cost, and this month's spend across all your Pi sessions, with optional budgets.
- Your models, your keys. Switch models mid-session, with a Scoped list from your Pi settings or All. Pick a thinking level for models that support it. Keys and logins stay in Pi's own config; this extension never stores them.
- Warnings stay out of the way. Errors and warnings collect behind a bell instead of cluttering the chat.
- Your side, your choice. Opens on the right;
Pi: Switch Side moves it to the left.
Getting started
- Install the extension and click the Pi icon in the side bar.
- If Pi isn't installed, click Install Pi Agent.
- Run
/login once (the Log in button opens Pi in a terminal) to connect a provider.
- Ask something.
Requires VS Code 1.107 or newer. Pi needs Node 22.19+ when installed through npm.
Settings
| Setting |
Purpose |
piAgent.approvalMode |
ask (edits and commands), edits, or off |
piAgent.autoAttachContext |
Attach the open file or selection automatically |
piAgent.side |
right (default) or left |
piAgent.sessionBudgetUsd |
Optional per-session budget shown in the footer |
piAgent.overallBudgetUsd |
Optional monthly budget across all Pi sessions |
piAgent.path / piAgent.agentDir |
Use a specific pi launcher or config directory |
piAgent.extraArgs |
Extra arguments for every Pi process, e.g. ["--models", "anthropic/*"] |
piAgent.maxTabs, piAgent.restoreTabs, piAgent.resumeLastSession |
Tab behaviour |
Privacy and safety
- No telemetry, and no network requests of its own. Prompts go to whichever provider you configured in Pi.
- Pi can run commands and edit files with your permissions, so the extension only runs in trusted workspaces. Keep
approvalMode on ask until you're comfortable.
Support
Questions, bugs and ideas: use the Q&A tab on this extension's Marketplace page. If it saves you time, you can buy me a coffee. It's entirely optional.
The Pi logo belongs to its owners and is used here to identify the tool this extension works with.
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