Pi Agent: Interactive Mode
Last updated: 2026-08-31
Interactive mode is like chatting face-to-face with AI — ask, get answers, follow up, switch topics anytime.
1. Starting Interactive Mode
BASH
pi-agent chat
Enter the interactive REPL:
TEXT
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Pi Agent v0.8.0
Provider: deepseek (deepseek-chat)
Interactive mode started. Type a message to begin, /help for commands
you>
(1) Launch with Parameters
BASH
pi-agent chat --provider openai --model gpt-4o --system "You are a code review expert"
(2) Load Context from File
BASH
pi-agent chat --context ./project_context.json
2. Basic Operations
(1) Send Messages
Type text and press Enter:
TEXT
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you> Help me explain what decorators are
Decorators are a syntactic sugar in Python, using the @ symbol...
(2) Multi-line Input
Wrap content in triple quotes:
TEXT
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you> """
Please review the following code:
def add(a, b):
return a + b
"""
(3) Exit
TEXT
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you> /exit
Goodbye!
Or press Ctrl+C / Ctrl+D.
3. Slash Commands
Interactive mode has built-in commands starting with /:
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| /help | Show help |
| /exit | Exit interactive mode |
| /clear | Clear conversation history |
| /model | Switch model |
| /provider | Switch provider |
| /tools | List available tools |
| /use |
Enable a tool |
| /unuse |
Disable a tool |
| /skill |
Load a skill |
| /save |
Save conversation to file |
| /load |
Load conversation file |
| /context | Show current context info |
| /history | Show conversation history |
| /retry | Regenerate last response |
| /edit | Edit last user message |
Example 1: In-Session Model Switching (Difficulty: ⭐)
TEXT
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you> /model deepseek-reasoner
Model switched to deepseek-reasoner
you> Prove there are infinitely many primes
[Reasoning...] Assume primes are finite, let the largest be p...
you> /model deepseek-chat
Model switched to deepseek-chat
you> Say it simply
Simply put, primes are infinite...
4. Tool Interaction
Dynamically enable/disable tools in interactive mode:
TEXT
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you> /tools
Available tools:
[ON] calculator - Math calculations
[ON] search - Web search
[OFF] file_reader - File reading
[OFF] shell - System commands
you> /use file_reader
Tool enabled: file_reader
you> /use shell
Tool enabled: shell
you> Read main.py and run it
[Calling file_reader] -> Reading main.py
[Calling shell] -> Executing python main.py
main.py output: Hello, World!
5. Conversation Management
(1) Save Conversation
TEXT
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you> /save chat_20260828.json
Conversation saved to chat_20260828.json
(2) Load Conversation
TEXT
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you> /load chat_20260828.json
Loaded conversation (8 messages)
you> /history
[1] user: Help me explain decorators
[2] assistant: Decorators are...
[3] user: Give an example
...
(3) Edit and Retry
TEXT
📖 Display only
you> Write a sorting algorithm
[Gave bubble sort]
you> /edit
Edit your message: Write a quicksort algorithm
[Regenerated] Quicksort's core idea is divide-and-conquer...
FAQ
Q How to input long code in interactive mode?
A Wrap in triple quotes
""", or use /load to load a code file, then ask the Agent to analyze it.Q Does /retry consume extra tokens?
A Yes. Each retry is a new API call. Previous messages remain in context.
Q Can I run multiple interactive sessions simultaneously?
A Yes. Each terminal window is an independent session.
Summary
pi-agent chatenters interactive mode; type text to converse- Slash commands manage models, tools, conversation history
/useand/unusedynamically toggle tools/saveand/loadpersist conversations;/editand/retryrefine interactions
Exercises
- Basic (Difficulty: ⭐): Start interactive mode, have 3 rounds of conversation, use /history to review.
- Intermediate (Difficulty: ⭐⭐): Switch models and tools within a session, complete a "search + calculate" combined task.
- Advanced (Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐): Complete a full code review workflow: load code → review → modify → verify.
