@mblarsen/pi-switch0.2.0

pi-switch

Switch between Pi and PiG in the same terminal, with the same session.

• Run /pig in Pi to continue in PiG.
• Run /pi in PiG to continue in Pi.
• A command for the current program does nothing except show a notification.

The launcher waits for the current program to shut down before it starts the other one. It passes --session <full-session-id>, without --session-dir or a session file argument. It keeps the working directory and checks the resumed session file and branch. A custom handoff entry persists the active branch, including after /tree navigation. This entry stays out of model context and does not change earlier entries.

Setup

Requires macOS or Linux, Node.js 22.14 or newer, and both pi and pig on PATH.

npm install -g @mblarsen/pi-switch
pi-switch pi
# Or start in PiG:
pi-switch pig

The launcher loads the extension into each program automatically. You do not need to install the extension separately in each program. Installing it only through pi install or pig install does not install the launcher on your shell's PATH.

For your normal pi and pig commands, add these functions to your Bash or Zsh configuration:

pi() { command pi-switch pi "$@"; }
pig() { command pi-switch pig "$@"; }

Replace existing aliases for these names before defining the functions. The launcher resolves the executables from PATH, not from shell functions. Management commands such as pi install and pig update pass through without extension injection. No setup command edits your shell configuration.

For explicit executable paths:

export PI_SWITCH_PI_BIN=/absolute/path/to/pi
export PI_SWITCH_PIG_BIN=/absolute/path/to/pig

Both programs must be able to find the session by ID through their existing configuration. The extension does not copy sessions or change session-directory settings. An ID that resolves to another file fails the handoff check.

Behavior and safeguards

Switch commands accept no arguments and need no confirmation. Switching requires an idle interactive session with a saved session file. Finish active work and queued messages, and send or clear unsent editor text first.

An executable or session-file check failure leaves the current program open. A crash, signal, or cancelled switch does not start the other program. A normal quit exits the launcher and returns to your shell. If the target cannot resume the same session and branch, it exits and the launcher prints a recovery command. The launcher does not automatically retry or alternate between failing programs.

Settings, credentials, models, and extensions remain specific to each program. Initial command-line flags and prompts apply only to the first program. The launcher does not replay them after a switch. In-memory extension state and unsaved UI state do not transfer.

A session started outside the launcher cannot switch in place. The command explains how to start through the launcher instead of terminating that session.

Development

From this repository:

node packages/switch/launcher.mjs pi
node --test packages/switch/*.test.ts
pig install ./packages/switch/index.ts --validate-only --json
python3 packages/switch/pty-smoke.py

The optional pseudo-terminal test needs installed Pi and PiG executables and Python 3. It uses disposable configuration directories and shared temporary session storage, without model requests. It tests both round-trip directions, with and without tree navigation, terminal resizing, and normal exit. It does not read or change your live sessions.