Pi 1.0 Coding Agent Setup: Set up and MCP Information

Pi 1.0 is the primary steady launch of Pi, an open-source terminal coding agent from Earendil. It shipped on October 1, 2026, and this Pi 1.0 coding agent setup information takes you from set up to a primary MCP server and a primary codemode script. Each command beneath comes from the official Pi documentation.

How you can Set Up Pi 1.0 and Configure MCP Servers

1. Set up Pi with npm set up -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent (Node.js 22.19 or newer) or the pi.dev installer script.
2. Confirm the set up with pi --version, then begin pi in a venture folder.
3. Log in to a mannequin supplier with /login.
4. Add an MCP server with pi mcp add and verify it with pi mcp record.
5. Reload with /reload and let the mannequin name the server from a codemode script.

Desk of Contents

The 1.0 launch modified a couple of defaults and added options that matter for this information. In line with the changelog, the terminal UI now runs fullscreen by default (set tuiMode to "common" to maintain regular scrollback), codemode makes use of about 40% fewer immediate tokens, and MCP OAuth dealing with was hardened.

Pi just isn’t Inflection AI’s Pi chatbot. The coding agent lives at pi.dev and within the earendil-works/pi repository on GitHub.

npm set up -g --ignore-scripts @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent
pi --version

curl -fsSL https://pi.dev/set up.sh -o set up.sh
much less set up.sh
sh set up.sh

cd /path/to/venture
pi

Pi wants entry to a mannequin by means of a supplier. Inside Pi, run /login, choose a supplier, and observe the prompts to make use of a subscription or retailer an API key. Run /mannequin afterward to decide on a special mannequin. The fashions documentation covers environment-variable authentication, native fashions, and customized endpoints.

Pi connects to Mannequin Context Protocol servers over stdio or streamable HTTP. Add an area stdio server, verify the connection, then begin Pi:

pi mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem .
pi mcp record
pi

Every part after -- is the server command and its arguments. pi mcp add solely writes the configuration and doesn’t join. pi mcp record connects to each enabled server and prints its state, instruments, and errors. It exits with standing 1 when an entry is invalid or an enabled server just isn’t related, so you should use it in scripts.

For a distant server, move a URL and, if it wants a token, the title of an atmosphere variable that holds it:

pi mcp add docs --url https://instance.com/mcp --bearer-token-env-var DOCS_TOKEN
pi mcp record

The place the configuration lives

By default the instructions write user-level servers to ~/.pi/agent/mcp.json. Add --local (or -l) to write down the venture file .pi/mcp.json as a substitute. Pi reads venture servers solely after you belief the venture. A venture entry replaces a user-level entry with the identical title. The file format matches different MCP purchasers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "."]
    },
    "docs": {
      "url": "https://instance.com/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${DOCS_TOKEN}" },
      "description": "Search and skim the product documentation"
    }
  }
}

Values in env and headers can reference atmosphere variables corresponding to ${DOCS_TOKEN}, so that you should not have to retailer a secret within the file. Preserve servers with credentials within the user-level file, and use the venture file just for servers the venture requires. After you modify a server exterior a session, run /reload inside Pi. Use /mcp to examine connections, sign up, reconnect, or disable a server.

Servers that use OAuth

Distant servers that use OAuth want no credentials in mcp.json. When the server rejects an unauthenticated connection, run pi mcp login <server> or /mcp login <server>. Pi opens the authorization web page, shops tokens in ~/.pi/agent/mcp-auth.json, and refreshes them once they expire. pi mcp logout <server> deletes the saved credentials.

{
  "defaultTools": ["+codemode"]
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
      "publicity": "deferred",
      "toolExposure": {
        "search_code": "direct",
        "delete_*": "hidden"
      }
    }
  }
}

Pi reveals every file learn, search, command, and edit it makes, nevertheless it doesn’t ask earlier than each device name. Evaluate the adjustments when it finishes and use model management for essential work. For untrusted or unattended work, run Pi in a container or one other sandbox. The safety documentation explains venture belief and what Pi can entry.

• A server is lacking or failing: run pi mcp record. /mcp inside a session reveals the total connection error and the tail of stderr from a failed stdio server.
• Config adjustments don’t present up: run /reload after including, eradicating, or modifying a server exterior the session.
• A venture server is ignored: venture .pi/mcp.json information are learn just for trusted initiatives.
• Server logs: logging notifications are appended to ~/.pi/agent/mcp.log.
• Invalid entries: Pi stories them and skips them with out blocking different servers. Server names could comprise solely letters, digits, _, and -.

From right here, add extra MCP servers, write an AGENTS.md with directions Pi ought to observe in a folder, or strive expertise and immediate templates. Browse the official MCP servers repository for ready-made servers, and verify each’s README earlier than you give it entry to your information or accounts.