pi-tool-display

OpenCode-style tool rendering for the Pi coding agent.

pi-tool-display keeps tool calls compact by default, adds richer diff rendering for file edits, and improves a few core chat UI details such as thinking labels and the native user prompt box.

Features

Compact built-in tool rendering for read, grep, find, ls, bash, edit, and write
MCP-aware rendering with hidden, summary, and preview modes
Adaptive edit/write diffs with split or unified layouts, syntax highlighting, inline emphasis, and narrow-pane width clamping
Progressive collapsed diff hints that shorten automatically on small terminal widths instead of overflowing
Three presets: opencode, balanced, and verbose
Thinking labels during streaming and final message rendering, with context sanitization to avoid leaking presentation labels back into future model turns
Optional native user message box with markdown-aware rendering and safer ANSI/background handling
Per-tool ownership toggles so this extension can coexist with other renderer extensions
Capability-aware settings that automatically hide MCP and RTK-specific controls when those features are unavailable

Installation

Local extension folder

Place this folder in one of Pi's auto-discovery locations:

# Global default (when PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR is unset) ~/.pi/agent/extensions/pi-tool-display Project-specific

.pi/extensions/pi-tool-display

npm package

pi install npm:pi-tool-display

Git repository

pi install git:github.com/MasuRii/pi-tool-display

Usage

Interactive settings

Open the settings modal:

/tool-display

The modal exposes the day-to-day controls most people change regularly:

preset profile
read output mode
grep/find/ls output mode
MCP output mode (when MCP is available)
preview line count
bash collapsed line count
diff layout mode
native user message box toggle

Advanced options remain in config.json.

Direct commands

/tool-display show                    # Show the effective config summary
/tool-display reset                   # Reset to the default opencode preset
/tool-display preset opencode         # Apply opencode preset
/tool-display preset balanced         # Apply balanced preset
/tool-display preset verbose          # Apply verbose preset

Presets

Preset	Read Output	Search Output	MCP Output	Bash Output	Preview Lines	Bash Lines
`opencode`	hidden	hidden	hidden	opencode	8	10
`balanced`	summary	count	summary	summary	8	10
`verbose`	preview	preview	preview	preview	12	20

opencode (default): minimal inline-only display; tool results stay collapsed
balanced: compact summaries with line counts and match totals; bash shows line count only
verbose: larger previews for read/search/MCP/bash output

Bash Output Modes

Mode	Behavior
`opencode`	Classic collapsed output using `bashCollapsedLines` limit with expansion hint
`summary`	Shows only line count (e.g., "↳ 3 lines returned") — no output displayed
`preview`	Shows actual output lines using `previewLines` limit

Configuration

Runtime configuration is stored at:

Default global path: ~/.pi/agent/extensions/pi-tool-display/config.json
Actual global path: $PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR/extensions/pi-tool-display/config.json when PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR is set

A starter template is included at config/config.example.json.

Configuration options

Option	Type	Default	Description
`registerToolOverrides`	object	all `true`	Per-tool ownership flags
`enableNativeUserMessageBox`	boolean	`true`	Enable bordered user prompt rendering
`readOutputMode`	string	`"hidden"`	`hidden`, `summary`, or `preview`
`searchOutputMode`	string	`"hidden"`	`hidden`, `count`, or `preview`
`mcpOutputMode`	string	`"hidden"`	`hidden`, `summary`, or `preview`
`previewLines`	number	`8`	Lines shown in collapsed preview mode
`expandedPreviewMaxLines`	number	`4000`	Max preview lines when fully expanded
`bashOutputMode`	string	`"opencode"`	`opencode` (collapse), `summary` (line count), or `preview` (show lines)
`bashCollapsedLines`	number	`10`	Lines shown for collapsed bash output (opencode mode)
`diffViewMode`	string	`"auto"`	`auto`, `split`, or `unified`
`diffIndicatorMode`	string	`"bars"`	`bars` (vertical indicators), `classic` (+/- markers), or `none`
`diffSplitMinWidth`	number	`120`	Minimum width before auto mode prefers split diffs
`diffCollapsedLines`	number	`24`	Diff lines shown before collapsing
`diffWordWrap`	boolean	`true`	Wrap long diff lines when needed
`showTruncationHints`	boolean	`false`	Show truncation indicators for compacted output
`showRtkCompactionHints`	boolean	`false`	Show RTK compaction hints when RTK metadata exists

Tool ownership

Use registerToolOverrides to control which built-in tools this extension owns:

{
  "registerToolOverrides": {
    "read": true,
    "grep": true,
    "find": true,
    "ls": true,
    "bash": true,
    "edit": true,
    "write": true
  }
}

Set any entry to false if another extension should handle that tool instead.

Changes to tool ownership take effect after /reload.

Example config

{
  "registerToolOverrides": {
    "read": true,
    "grep": true,
    "find": true,
    "ls": true,
    "bash": true,
    "edit": true,
    "write": true
  },
  "enableNativeUserMessageBox": true,
  "readOutputMode": "summary",
  "searchOutputMode": "count",
  "mcpOutputMode": "summary",
  "previewLines": 12,
  "expandedPreviewMaxLines": 4000,
  "bashOutputMode": "opencode",
  "bashCollapsedLines": 15,
  "diffViewMode": "auto",
  "diffIndicatorMode": "bars",
  "diffSplitMinWidth": 120,
  "diffCollapsedLines": 24,
  "diffWordWrap": true,
  "showTruncationHints": false,
  "showRtkCompactionHints": false
}

Rendering notes

Edit and write diffs

edit and write results use the same diff renderer. In auto mode the extension chooses split or unified layout based on available width. On narrow panes it clamps rendered lines and shortens collapsed hint text so the diff stays readable instead of spilling past the terminal width.

Write summaries

When content is available, write call summaries include line count and byte size information inline so you can quickly see the size of the pending write before expanding the result.

Thinking labels

Thinking blocks are labeled during streaming and on final messages. Before the next model turn, the extension sanitizes those presentation labels out of the stored assistant context so they do not accumulate or pollute future prompts.

Native user message box

When enabled, user prompts render inside a bordered box using Pi's native user message component. The renderer preserves markdown content more safely and normalizes ANSI/background handling to avoid odd nested background artifacts.

Capability detection

The extension checks the current Pi environment and adjusts behavior automatically:

MCP tooling unavailable: MCP settings are hidden and MCP output is forced off
RTK optimizer unavailable: RTK hint settings are hidden and RTK compaction hints are disabled

This keeps the UI aligned with what the current environment can actually support.

Troubleshooting

Tool ownership conflicts

If another extension is already rendering one of the built-in tools:

Set registerToolOverrides.<tool> to false
Run /reload
Use /tool-display show to confirm the effective ownership state

Config not loading

If your settings are not being applied:

Check that the global Pi tool-display config exists (default: ~/.pi/agent/extensions/pi-tool-display/config.json, respects PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR)
Make sure the JSON is valid
Run /tool-display show to inspect the effective config summary

MCP or RTK settings missing

Those controls only appear when the corresponding capability is available in the current Pi environment.

Project structure

pi-tool-display/
├── index.ts                         # Extension entrypoint for Pi auto-discovery
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts                     # Bootstrap and extension registration
│   ├── capabilities.ts              # MCP/RTK capability detection
│   ├── config-modal.ts              # /tool-display settings UI and command handling
│   ├── config-store.ts              # Config load/save and normalization
│   ├── diff-renderer.ts             # Edit/write diff rendering engine
│   ├── line-width-safety.ts         # Width clamping helpers for narrow panes
│   ├── presets.ts                   # Preset definitions and matching
│   ├── render-utils.ts              # Shared rendering helpers
│   ├── thinking-label.ts            # Thinking label formatting and context sanitization
│   ├── tool-overrides.ts            # Built-in and MCP renderer overrides
│   ├── types.ts                     # Shared config and type definitions
│   ├── user-message-box-markdown.ts # Markdown extraction for user message rendering
│   ├── user-message-box-native.ts   # Native user message box registration
│   ├── user-message-box-patch.ts    # Safe native render patching helpers
│   ├── user-message-box-renderer.ts # User message border renderer
│   ├── user-message-box-utils.ts    # ANSI/background normalization helpers
│   ├── write-display-utils.ts       # Write summary helpers
│   └── zellij-modal.ts              # Modal UI primitives
├── config/
│   └── config.example.json          # Starter config template
├── tests/
│   └── tool-ui-utils.test.ts        # Utility tests for user message and diff helpers
└── assets/
    └── pi-tool-display.png          # README screenshot

Development

# Type check npm run build Run tests npm run test Full verification

npm run check

Related Pi Extensions

pi-image-tools — Image attachment and inline preview for the Pi TUI
pi-hide-messages — Hide older chat messages without losing context
pi-startup-redraw-fix — Fix terminal redraw glitches on startup
pi-permission-system — Permission enforcement for tool and command access

License

MIT

NAME

SYNOPSIS

INFO

DESCRIPTION

README