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vastsa/PI-Desktop

A local-first desktop workspace for AI coding agents, with persistent sessions, multi-model support, subagents, and a plugin system.

Open-source alternative to:Claude Code

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What is it?

PI-Desktop is an Electron desktop app for running AI coding agents against local projects. It organizes work as Project, Session, Agent, and Work, so sessions persist across app launches instead of being disposable chat threads. Agents can read and edit files, run commands, and be guided through Agent, Plan, or Goal modes, with privileged operations passing through a permission layer.

The app is model-agnostic. Users can connect OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenAI-compatible APIs, custom gateways, Ollama, LM Studio, or local models, and switch models per session. Credentials are stored in the OS keychain, and model requests go directly to the configured provider. Sessions can also be imported from Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, and Pi.

Functionality is extended through plugins, packaged as `.piplug` files or installed from a marketplace. Plugins can add commands, panels, floating widgets, agent tools, skills, themes, MCP servers, and background services. The project is built on the pi agent libraries and uses a Rust host core alongside a TypeScript and React frontend.

Key features

  • 01Persistent sessions that continue across app launches, with pin, archive, branch, and search.
  • 02Agent, Plan, and Goal modes for different levels of task control.
  • 03Subagents and Worker Sessions for delegating work in parallel.
  • 04Support for cloud, local, and OpenAI-compatible models, switchable per session.
  • 05Plugin system covering agent tools, panels, MCP servers, skills, and themes.
  • 06Permission layer that gates privileged agent operations.

Use cases

  • Running a coding agent against local repositories while keeping project data on your machine.
  • Comparing or mixing models, such as a cloud model for planning and a local model for private tasks.
  • Splitting a large refactor across parallel worker sessions for implementation, tests, and review.
  • Building a custom desktop tool or workflow on top of the plugin API.

Quick start

  1. 1

    Download the app from the releases page

  2. 2

    Clone the repository

    git clone ht
  3. 3

    Install Node.js 22.19+, pnpm 10+ and the stable Rust toolchain before running from source

Things to know

  • Licensed under LGPL-3.0, which carries copyleft obligations for modified library code.
  • The current release line is 0.21.x and is labeled Early Preview.
  • Running from source requires Node.js, pnpm and a Rust toolchain.
  • Linux packages require glibc 2.35 or newer.

In collections

Open-source AI agent frameworks & appsAI coding assistants & agentsMCP serversPrivacy & local-first toolsDesktop GUI apps & toolkits

Topics

#ai-agent#coding-agent#electron#desktop-app#local-first#mcp#plugins#rust#global#i18n

FAQ

What is PI-Desktop?
A local-first desktop workspace for AI coding agents, with persistent sessions, multi-model support, subagents, and a plugin system. PI-Desktop is an Electron desktop app for running AI coding agents against local projects. It organizes work as Project, Session, Agent, and Work, so sessions persist across app launches instead of being disposable chat threads. Agents can read and edit files, run commands, and be guided through Agent, Plan, or Goal modes, with privileged operations passing through a permission layer.
Is PI-Desktop free to use? What license does it have?
PI-Desktop is open source under the LGPL-3.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is PI-Desktop still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to PI-Desktop was on Nov 7, 2026.
What can I use PI-Desktop for?
Running a coding agent against local repositories while keeping project data on your machine. Comparing or mixing models, such as a cloud model for planning and a local model for private tasks. Splitting a large refactor across parallel worker sessions for implementation, tests, and review. Building a custom desktop tool or workflow on top of the plugin API.
How do I install PI-Desktop?
Download the app from the releases page Clone the repository: git clone ht Install Node.js 22.19+, pnpm 10+ and the stable Rust toolchain before running from source
Where can I get PI-Desktop?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/vastsa/PI-Desktop

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