pi-updater

pi-updater checks for pi and extension updates and lets you install them from your current session. It also shows newer releases in your scoped model families, without changing your models or settings.

• npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/pi-updater
• repo: https://github.com/tonze/pi-updater

Pi already detects updates. This extension adds the prompt, installation, and return to your session. Installation uses Pi's native pi update command; pi-updater does not manage packages itself.

Installation

pi install npm:pi-updater

Requires pi 0.74.0 or later (the @earendil-works package scope). On older installs the extension fails to load harmlessly; if you need it there, pin pi-updater@0.3.3.

Usage

Checks run in the background on startup. Run /update to check manually. There is nothing to configure.

If only pi is outdated:

• Update now — run pi update --self, then restart pi on the current session
• Skip — ask again next session
• Ignore <version> — don't ask again until a newer version appears

If both pi and extensions are outdated, a combined prompt appears:

• Update all — run pi update --self --extensions, then restart
• Update pi only — run pi update --self, then restart
• Update extensions only — run pi update --extensions, then reload
• Skip — ask again next session

If only extensions are outdated, you're offered pi update --extensions. Extension-only updates reload in place when invoked through /update. From the startup prompt, Pi restarts into the current session instead.

"Ignore" is only offered in the Pi-only prompt and suppresses automatic prompts for that version. Manual /update checks still offer it.

Extension updates have no per-version skip; choosing Skip simply asks again next session. Pinned (@version / #ref) and local packages are excluded, matching pi's own update check.

In non-interactive modes, or if the restart fails, pi-updater falls back to a message telling you how to restart yourself. Ephemeral --no-session runs stay ephemeral across the restart.

How version checks work

The Pi version check uses Pi's update service. Extension checks use Pi's package manager. The prompt waits for both checks without blocking startup. If the automatic version check fails, it can use a cached result.

After an update restarts Pi, the startup check is skipped once. /update requests fresh results. Cache and dismissed-version state live in Pi's agent directory and respect PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR.

Scoped models

If a newer release in one of your scoped model families is available through the same provider, pi-updater shows a notice:

Scoped models · 1 update available
GPT-6 Sol → GPT-6.1 Sol openai-codex

/scoped-models to review

This is a suggestion, not an automatic upgrade. Pi-updater never switches models or edits your scope. A newer release is not necessarily a better fit or a drop-in replacement.

• On startup, each suggested release is shown once per provider. This is remembered across sessions, including known aliases of the same release.
• /update requests fresh metadata and shows eligible suggestions again.
• Adding the suggested release to your scope removes the suggestion.

Matching uses models.dev family and release-date metadata and Pi's available-model list. The notice compares the newest scoped release with the newest eligible release in the same family. OpenAI Codex uses OpenAI metadata but only suggests models available through Codex. Deprecated models can serve as scoped baselines but are never suggested as upgrades.

Unknown local/custom models and entries without family metadata or complete release dates are skipped. No explicit scope means no model check. This requires Pi's scoped-model API, verified with 0.99.1. Older supported versions still receive Pi and extension updates.

Model checks run independently of update prompts. The public catalog is cached for four hours; requests time out after ten seconds. Failed requests retain the last good catalog and also back off for four hours. Your scope and credentials are not sent to models.dev. Matching happens locally.

Catalog metadata and shown-notice IDs are stored in model-update-cache.json in Pi's agent directory. Offline mode skips requests and notices. PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK disables automatic model checks too.

Demo

Run /update --test in an interactive terminal to preview a combined Pi and extension update prompt alongside model hints. All updates shown are fixtures; choosing an update action only simulates progress. The command makes no network requests or cache changes and never installs, reloads, or restarts Pi. It also works offline.

Disabling checks

pi's standard environment variables are respected:

export PI_SKIP_VERSION_CHECK=1   # disable automatic checks
export PI_OFFLINE=1              # offline mode, also disables checks

While pi-updater is active it suppresses pi's built-in update notice so you don't get prompted twice for the same release. pi's "Package Updates Available" banner cannot be suppressed the same way, so it may still appear alongside pi-updater's extension prompt.

Limitations

Pi's native updater determines which installations can update automatically. Standalone binary installs receive download instructions. Windows self-update supports npm and pnpm installs only.

Model suggestions depend on catalog coverage and metadata. Pi-updater does not infer model families from names or refresh your provider configuration.

Updating pi-updater itself

pi update npm:pi-updater

License

MIT