pi Desktop GUI for Independent Developers: Running the pi SDK within Electron, reusing ~/.pi/agent authentication, configurations, and JSONL sessions, and replacing the terminal-based TUI interaction with a timeline view, tool cards, diff review, and an extension compatibility layer.
Core Concepts
1. Sessions Based on pi
- Dialogue content, tool call logs, branching, and compression info strictly follow the JSONL session files written by pi in ~/.pi/agent/sessions/.
- The desktop app does not create a separate "chat history database" to replace pi; it only stores local application preferences like window layouts, recent projects, extension toggles, and adapter overrides.
- Benefit: You can seamlessly switch between the terminal pi and desktop pi on the same session; uninstalling the desktop app won't lose your conversation history.
2. Shared Configuration and Authentication
- Model accounts, settings.json, extension package lists, and project-specific .pi/ resources follow the exact same paths and rules as the terminal version.
- Changes made in Desktop Settings → Pi are written back to the global settings.json; Skill toggles and other settings are applied to the global configuration rather than being "mock-enabled" only within the desktop app.
3. Extensions: Compatibility Layer + Adapters instead of Modifying Plugin Source
- Extensions typically use TUI in the terminal (selections, confirmations, questionnaires, tool result cards, /commands for config). The desktop app lacks a terminal canvas.
- Compatibility Layer: Universally intercepts UI requests from extensions and transforms them into Electron dialogs, timeline cards, or settings forms.
- Adapters: Each extension has a specification for "how to display/configure on desktop and which commands need special handling" (built into the app, with JSON overrides available for advanced users).
- Principle: Do not touch the extension npm packages or fork pi; manage differences through adapter specifications and documentation.
- AI-Assisted Adapter Writing: See the repository's doc/ folder (the adapter-authoring-guide.md can be fed to a model to generate custom adapter.json files).
Publisher’s description
What is pi Desktop?
pi Desktop by pi-desktop is free Windows software in the ai assistants & llms category. It is written in TypeScript.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE (NSIS) installers for 64-bit Windows. It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.7.7, released on October 25, 2026. The version history goes back to June 23, 2026: 30 releases, all linked to the official files. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The source code on GitHub (justhil/pi-app) has 383 stars. Similar programs include Claude Code, Codex CLI and ChatGPT.
Project description on GitHub: “Desktop app for the pi coding agent: streaming timeline, Git review with hunk staging, session tree, native UI for pi extensions. Windows · macOS · Linux. pi 编程 Agent 桌面客户端”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Free to use
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
- Updated in the last two months
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: pi Desktop is a free ai assistants & llm tool for 64-bit PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Is pi Desktop safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
ECD3B32C913CD7BCAA691DF71BFCC07CEC079029A7ABFCA408A0D7E9C3B85ABD· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Recent versions
All 30 versions ›| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.7.7Latest | October 25, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.7.6 | October 19, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.7.5 | October 11, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.7.4 | October 8, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.7.3 | October 6, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.7.1 | October 6, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.7.0 | October 4, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 0.6.2 | October 2, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id justhil.piDesktop -epi.Desktop-Setup-0.7.7-x64.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Information
- Publisher
- pi-desktop
- Category
- AI assistants & LLMs
- Licence
- 免费软件
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/justhil/pi-app
- Written in
- TypeScript
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Version
- 0.7.7
- Released
- October 25, 2026
- Added to the catalogue
- July 2, 2026
- Versions listed
- 30
- GitHub stars
- 383
- GitHub forks
- 38
- Website
- github.com
- winget ID
- justhil.piDesktop
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is pi Desktop free?
Yes. pi Desktop is free to use.
Is pi Desktop safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install pi Desktop with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can pi Desktop be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does pi Desktop run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of pi Desktop?
The versions page lists all 30 versions with links to their official installer files, back to June 23, 2026.
Can I use pi Desktop without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to pi Desktop?
Claude Code, Codex CLI, ChatGPT, oh-my-pi and GPT4All. The alternatives page compares them.
