Demo
Chat
Custom background & dark theme
Settings — providers & models
Settings — appearance (theme & background)
Why pi-desktop?
pi-desktop embeds the official Pi SDK (@earendil-works/pi-coding-agent) in the Electron main process. It is not a fork and not a reimplementation — it runs the same engine as the Pi CLI and inherits Pi's native strengths:
- Extensibility — TypeScript extensions, skills, and prompt templates installed for the Pi CLI work here too, including project-local ones (with a trust prompt before loading). Adapt Pi to your workflows, no forking required.
- Shared configuration — same
~/.pi/agent/directory as the CLI: sessions, auth, and model settings carry over. Start a session in the terminal, continue it in the GUI. - Providers — subscriptions (Claude Pro/Max, ChatGPT Plus/Pro Codex, GitHub Copilot) and API keys for Anthropic, OpenAI, Gemini, DeepSeek, Bedrock, and more.
And for those who prefer a GUI over a TUI:
- Minimalist by design — a clean, uncluttered interface that stays true to Pi's aesthetic
- Visual permission gates — approve or deny each tool call from a dock, backed by a per-tool rule engine
- Multi-session sidebar, per-session composer drafts, follow-up queue with undo
- Streaming markdown rendering, image previews, message copy
- Agent-initiated image display — a built-in
show_imagetool lets the agent deliberately show you images inline (single or grouped), without turning every tool result into noise - Custom background image with adjustable overlay dimming, light/dark/system themes
Download
Prebuilt installers are published on the Releases page.
| Platform | Download |
|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | pi-desktop-mac-arm64.dmg |
| macOS (Intel) | pi-desktop-mac-x64.dmg |
| Windows | pi-desktop-windows-x64.exe |
Builds are ad-hoc signed (no Developer ID certificate). On macOS, the first launch after a download may show "Apple cannot verify Pi Desktop is free from malware" — that's Gatekeeper blocking an un-notarized app. To open it:
System Settings → Privacy & Security → scroll to the bottom → click Open Anyway next to the Pi Desktop entry, then confirm with your password or Touch ID (recommended).
Or in Terminal:
xattr -cr "/Applications/Pi Desktop.app".Only the first launch of each downloaded version needs this — later updates install automatically in-app and skip Gatekeeper entirely. On Windows, click "More info" → "Run anyway" when SmartScreen appears.
Configuration
API keys are never stored in this repo or written into the app bundle. ~/.pi/agent/models.json references environment variables (e.g. $AI_OPS_API_KEY) and keys stay in your shell environment. If you already use the Pi CLI, your existing setup just works.
Development
Prerequisites: Node.js >= 22.19.
npm install
npm run dev
npm workspaces monorepo, three packages: packages/shared (IPC contracts), packages/backend (the only place that imports the Pi SDK), packages/desktop (Electron + React 19 + Tailwind 4 + Zustand). Common commands: npm run typecheck / test / lint / build / dist.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full guide. If you are in China and the Electron binary download stalls, set ELECTRON_MIRROR=https://npmmirror.com/mirrors/electron/ first.
Disclaimer
pi-desktop is a community project. It is not built by or affiliated with the Pi team (earendil-works).