Use it from the Pi terminal

This page is for people who already work in Pi's terminal interface and want a browser view of that same session.

Set it up

Install pi-webapp as a Pi package once, then start Pi as usual:

pi install npm:pi-webapp
cd ~/projects/my-app
pi

Inside Pi, type:

/web

Pi opens your browser on the workbench and shows the address as a notification in the terminal. The status line changes to Web 已启动 · /web 重新打开 (the web interface is started; run /web to open it again).

If the browser doesn't open (a remote machine, SSH, or no desktop), copy the printed address. If you closed the tab, run /web again to get the address back.

You need Node.js 22.19 or later and Pi 0.87.1 or later (pi --version). This mode uses your installed Pi, not the copy bundled with the web launcher.

How it behaves

• The browser mirrors that terminal session. What you type in either place shows up in both. Pi still owns the agent, the tools and the session file.
• It lives as long as that Pi process. Quitting Pi ends the web service and its address. Starting pi again and entering /web gives you a new address with a new token.
• No background service. pi-webapp status and pi-webapp stop manage the background launcher, not this mode. Likewise Update and restart in Settings isn't available here; see below.
• The folder you started Pi in appears as a workspace, next to any others Pi already knows about.

Open the browser automatically

Set PI_WEBAPP_AUTO_OPEN=1 before starting Pi, and Pi runs /web for you at startup in the terminal interface:

PI_WEBAPP_AUTO_OPEN=1 pi

This is the one case where 1 matters. For the background launcher, PI_WEBAPP_AUTO_OPEN=0 is how you stop the browser from opening (see Environment variables).

Update

From a normal shell, not inside Pi:

pi update npm:pi-webapp

Then restart Pi and enter /web. A bare pi update updates Pi itself, not the extension. More in Updates.

Prefer the background launcher?

You can switch any time. The sessions are the same files, so a chat you started in the terminal shows up in the web launcher's sidebar, and the other way round. See Quick start.