@esso0428/pi-subagents 0.15.0

package/README.md

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+# @esso0428/pi-subagents
+
+A [pi](https://pi.dev) extension that brings **Claude Code-style autonomous sub-agents** to pi. Spawn specialized agents that run in isolated sessions — each with its own tools, system prompt, model, and thinking level. Run them in foreground or background, steer them mid-run, resume completed sessions, and define your own custom agent types.
+
+> **Fork of [`@tintinweb/pi-subagents`](https://github.com/tintinweb/pi-subagents) integrating `npm:pi-subagents`-style JSON agent overrides — configure agents via `settings.json` without writing `.md` files.**
+
+<img width="600" alt="pi-subagents screenshot" src="https://github.com/tintinweb/pi-subagents/raw/master/media/screenshot.png" />
+
+
+https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/8685261b-9338-4fea-8dfe-1c590d5df543
+
+
+## Features
+
+- **Claude Code look & feel** — same tool names, calling conventions, and UI patterns (`Agent`, `get_subagent_result`, `steer_subagent`) — feels native
+- **Parallel background agents** — spawn multiple agents that run concurrently with automatic queuing (configurable concurrency limit, default 4) and smart group join (consolidated notifications)
+- **Live widget UI** — persistent above-editor widget with animated spinners, live tool activity, token counts, and colored status icons. Configurable via `/agents → Settings → Widget`: `all` (every agent), `background` (default — hides foreground runs, which already render inline as the `Agent` tool result), or `off`
+- **FleetView** — Claude Code-style navigable list of `main` + every running subagent rendered below the editor (earliest-launched first). Press `↓` (or `←`) at an empty prompt to jump in, `↑`/`↓` to move the selection, `Enter` to open the selected agent's live, auto-updating conversation, `Esc` to return. Finished agents linger briefly before dropping out, and a viewer stays open through completion so you can read the final output. Toggle via `/agents → Settings → Fleet view`
+- **Conversation viewer** — select any agent in `/agents` to open a live-scrolling overlay of its full conversation (auto-follows new content, scroll up to pause). Steer a running agent inline by pressing `Enter` to open a composer, typing, then `Enter` to send (`Esc` or an empty submit returns) — the message appears as a user message and redirects the agent after its current tool. Stop a still-running agent by pressing `x` (then `x` again to confirm) — both work for background agents too
+- **Custom agent types** — define agents in `.pi/agents/<name>.md` or `.agents/agents/<name>.md` (project) or globally, with YAML frontmatter: custom system prompts, model selection, thinking levels, tool restrictions
+- **Mid-run steering** — inject messages into running agents to redirect their work without restarting
+- **Session resume** — pick up where an agent left off, preserving full conversation context
+- **Graceful turn limits** — agents get a "wrap up" warning before hard abort, producing clean partial results instead of cut-off output
+- **Case-insensitive agent types** — `"explore"`, `"Explore"`, `"EXPLORE"` all work. Unknown types fall back to general-purpose with a note
+- **Fuzzy model selection** — specify models by name (`"haiku"`, `"sonnet"`) instead of full IDs, with automatic filtering to only available/configured models
+- **Context inheritance** — optionally fork the parent conversation into a sub-agent so it knows what's been discussed
+- **Persistent agent memory** — three scopes (project, local, user) with automatic read-only fallback for agents without write tools
+- **Git worktree isolation** — run agents in isolated repo copies; changes auto-committed to branches on completion
+- **Skill preloading** — inject named skills into agent system prompts, discovered from `.pi/skills/`, `.agents/skills/`, and global locations (Pi-standard `<name>/SKILL.md` directory layout supported)
+- **Tool denylist** — block specific tools via `disallowed_tools` frontmatter
+- **Styled completion notifications** — background agent results render as themed, compact notification boxes (icon, stats, result preview) instead of raw XML. Expandable to show full output. Group completions render each agent individually
+- **Event bus** — lifecycle events (`subagents:created`, `started`, `completed`, `failed`, `steered`, `compacted`) emitted via `pi.events`, enabling other extensions to react to sub-agent activity
+- **Cross-extension RPC** — other pi extensions can spawn and stop subagents via the `pi.events` event bus (`subagents:rpc:ping`, `subagents:rpc:spawn`, `subagents:rpc:stop`). Standardized reply envelopes with protocol versioning. Emits `subagents:ready` on session start
+- **Schedule subagents** — pass `schedule` to the `Agent` tool to fire on cron / interval / one-shot. Session-scoped jobs with PID-locked persistence; results land via the same `subagent-notification` followUp path as manual background completions; manage via `/agents → Scheduled jobs`
+- **Model scope enforcement** — opt-in validation that subagent model choices stay within your pi `enabledModels` allowlist (sourced from `/scoped-models`, with both global and project-local pi settings honored). Caller-supplied out-of-scope → hard error to orchestrator; frontmatter-pinned out-of-scope → warning + runs anyway (frontmatter authoritative). Toggle via `/agents → Settings → Scope models`
+
+## Install
+
+```bash
+pi install npm:@esso0428/pi-subagents
+```
+
+Or load directly for development:
+
+```bash
+pi -e ./src/index.ts
+```
+
+## Quick Start
+
+The parent agent spawns sub-agents using the `Agent` tool:
+
+```
+Agent({
+  subagent_type: "Explore",
+  prompt: "Find all files that handle authentication",
+  description: "Find auth files",
+  run_in_background: true,
+})
+```
+
+Foreground agents block until complete and return results inline. Background agents return an ID immediately and notify you on completion.
+
+### Scheduling
+
+Add a `schedule` field to register the agent to fire later instead of running now:
+
+```
+Agent({
+  subagent_type: "Explore",
+  prompt: "Look at recent commits and summarize what changed since last week",
+  description: "Weekly commit review",
+  schedule: "0 0 9 * * 1",   // 9am every Monday (6-field cron)
+})
+```
+
+Schedule formats:
+
+- **Cron** — 6-field (`second minute hour day-of-month month day-of-week`), e.g. `"0 0 9 * * 1"` for 9am every Monday, `"0 */15 * * * *"` for every 15 minutes.
+- **Interval** — `"5m"`, `"1h"`, `"30s"`, `"2d"`. Fires repeatedly at that interval.
+- **One-shot relative** — `"+10m"`, `"+2h"`, `"+1d"`. Fires once at that future time.
+- **One-shot absolute** — full ISO timestamp, e.g. `"2026-12-25T09:00:00.000Z"`.
+
+When a schedule fires, the spawn runs in background and its completion notification arrives in the conversation through the same `subagent-notification` followUp path as a manually-spawned background agent — your parent agent reasons about the result the same way.
+
+Schedules are **session-scoped**: they reset on `/new` and restore on `/resume`. List and cancel via `/agents → Scheduled jobs` (creation is the `Agent` tool's job — there is no parallel manual-create wizard). Storage at `<cwd>/.pi/subagent-schedules/<sessionId>.json` with PID-based file locking for cross-instance safety.
+
+**Disable the feature entirely**: `/agents → Settings → Scheduling → disabled` removes `schedule` from the `Agent` tool spec (no LLM-context cost), hides the menu entry, and stops any active scheduler. The schema-level removal takes effect on the next pi session; the runtime kill is immediate. Re-enable from the same menu.
+
+Restrictions:
+- `schedule` cannot be combined with `inherit_context` (no parent conversation exists at fire time) or `resume` (schedules create fresh agents).
+- `run_in_background` is forced to `true`.
+- Scheduled fires bypass the `maxConcurrent` queue so a 5-minute interval cannot be deferred behind long-running manual agents.
+- **Headless `pi -p` doesn't wait for scheduled subagents.**
+
+## UI
+
+The extension renders a persistent widget above the editor showing active agents. By default it shows background runs only (`widgetMode: background`) — foreground agents already render inline as the `Agent` tool result, so the widget would otherwise double-render them. Switch to `all` (every agent) or `off` (hide the widget) via `/agents → Settings → Widget`:
+
+```
+● Agents
+├─ ⠹ Agent  Refactor auth module · ↻5≤30 · 5 tool uses · 33.8k token (62%) · 12.3s
+│    ⎿  editing 2 files…
+├─ ⠹ Explore  Find auth files · ↻3 · 3 tool uses · 12.4k token (8%) · 4.1s
+│    ⎿  searching…
+├─ ⠹ Agent  Long-running task · ↻42 · 38 tool uses · 91.0k token (84% · ⇊2) · 2m17s
+│    ⎿  reading…
+└─ 2 queued
+```
+
+The token field is annotated with two optional signals inside parens:
+- **`NN%`** — context-window utilization (color-coded: <70% dim, 70–85% warning, ≥85% error). Omitted when the model has no declared `contextWindow`, or briefly right after compaction.
+- **`⇊N`** — number of times the session has compacted, when > 0. Stays dim; the percent's color carries urgency.
+
+### FleetView
+
+While subagents are running, a Claude Code-style navigable list renders **below** the editor:
+
+```
+  esc to interrupt · ← for agents · ↓ to manage
+
+  ● main
+  ○ general-purpose  Sleep then report 1                                11s · ↓ 13.1k tokens
+  ○ general-purpose  Sleep then report 2                                11s · ↓ 13.1k tokens
+                                                                                   ↓ 3 more
+```
+
+The list is ordered earliest-launched first, and only shows agents you can actually open (pending/queued agents with no session yet appear once they start). At an **empty prompt**, press `↓` (or `←`) to move focus from the prompt into the list — the selected row is marked `●`, the rest `○`. `↑`/`↓` move the selection, `Enter` opens the selected agent's live conversation overlay (it auto-updates as the agent works), and `Esc` (or `↑` above `main`) returns to the prompt. Selecting `main` returns to the normal view. Inside the overlay, press `Enter` to steer the running agent — type a message and `Enter` to send it (`Esc` or an empty submit returns), and it redirects the agent the same way the `steer_subagent` tool does. A viewer stays open when its agent finishes so you can read the final output, and finished agents linger in the list for a few seconds before dropping out. Typing anything at a non-empty prompt behaves normally — the list only captures arrow keys when the prompt is empty. Disable it entirely via `/agents → Settings → Fleet view`.
+
+Individual agent results render Claude Code-style in the conversation:
+
+| State | Example |
+|-------|---------|
+| **Running** | `⠹ ↻3≤30 · 3 tool uses · 12.4k token (8%)` / `⎿ searching, reading 3 files…` |
+| **Completed** | `✓ ↻8 · 5 tool uses · 33.8k token (62%) · 12.3s` / `⎿ Done` |
+| **Wrapped up** | `✓ ↻50≤50 · 50 tool uses · 89.1k token (84% · ⇊2) · 45.2s` / `⎿ Wrapped up (turn limit)` |
+| **Stopped** | `■ ↻3 · 3 tool uses · 12.4k token (8%)` / `⎿ Stopped` |
+| **Error** | `✗ ↻3 · 3 tool uses · 12.4k token (8%)` / `⎿ Error: timeout` |
+| **Aborted** | `✗ ↻55≤50 · 55 tool uses · 102.3k token (95% · ⇊3)` / `⎿ Aborted (max turns exceeded)` |
+
+Completed results can be expanded (ctrl+o in pi) to show the full agent output inline.
+
+By default, foreground and background agents each stream their full conversation to a per-subagent transcript — a JSON-lines file at `<os-tmpdir>/pi-subagents-<uid>/<cwd>/<session>/tasks/<agent-id>.output` (owner-only `0700`, cleared on reboot). Set `output_transcript: false` on a custom agent to write no transcript path or file for it, or set `outputTranscript: false` in `subagents.json` to make transcripts opt-in for the whole project (frontmatter overrides the project default). This governs **only** the transcript: it is independent of `persist_session` (the pi session on disk), and it does not affect `isolation: worktree` (which commits the agent's work to a git branch) or `memory:` (durable files) — set those accordingly if the goal is to keep a run off disk entirely. Background agent completion notifications render as styled boxes:
+
+```
+✓ Find auth files completed
+  ↻3 · 3 tool uses · 12.4k token · 4.1s
+  ⎿  Found 5 files related to authentication...
+  transcript: .pi/output/agent-abc123.jsonl
+```
+
+Group completions render each agent as a separate block. The LLM receives structured `<task-notification>` XML for parsing, while the user sees the themed visual.
+
+## Default Agent Types
+
+| Type | Tools | Model | Prompt Mode | Description |
+|------|-------|-------|-------------|-------------|
+| `general-purpose` | all 7 | inherit | `append` (parent twin) | Inherits the parent's full system prompt — same rules, CLAUDE.md, project conventions |
+| `Explore` | read, bash, grep, find, ls | haiku (falls back to inherit) | `replace` (standalone) | Fast codebase exploration (read-only) |
+| `Plan` | read, bash, grep, find, ls | inherit | `replace` (standalone) | Software architect for implementation planning (read-only) |
+
+The `general-purpose` agent is a **parent twin** — it receives the parent's entire system prompt plus a sub-agent context bridge, so it follows the same rules the parent does. Explore and Plan use standalone prompts tailored to their read-only roles.
+
+Default agents can be **ejected** (`/agents` → select agent → Eject) to export them as `.md` files for customization, **overridden** by creating a `.md` file with the same name (e.g. `.pi/agents/general-purpose.md`), or **disabled** per-project with `enabled: false` frontmatter.
+
+## Custom Agents
+
+Define custom agent types by creating `.md` files. The filename becomes the agent type name. Any name is allowed — using a default agent's name overrides it.
+
+Agents are discovered from three locations (higher priority wins):
+
+| Priority | Location | Scope |
+|----------|----------|-------|
+| 1 (highest) | `.pi/agents/<name>.md` | Project — pi's config dir; authoritative, and where `/agents` writes |
+| 2 | `.agents/agents/<name>.md` | Project — the shared cross-tool `.agents` workspace (same convention as `.agents/skills/`) |
+| 3 | `$PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR/agents/<name>.md` (default `~/.pi/agent/agents/<name>.md`) | Global — available everywhere |
+
+Project-level agents override global ones with the same name, so you can customize a global agent for a specific project. If both project locations define the same name, **`.pi/agents/` wins** — `.pi` stays the project authority; `.agents/agents/` is an additional read location for projects that keep their agent assets in the `.agents` workspace. The global location follows the upstream `PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` env var — set it to relocate all pi-coding-agent state (agents, skills, settings) to a custom directory.
+
+### Example: `.pi/agents/auditor.md`
+
+```markdown
+---
+description: Security Code Reviewer
+tools: read, grep, find, bash
+model: anthropic/claude-opus-4-6
+thinking: high
+max_turns: 30
+---
+
+You are a security auditor. Review code for vulnerabilities including:
+- Injection flaws (SQL, command, XSS)
+- Authentication and authorization issues
+- Sensitive data exposure
+- Insecure configurations
+
+Report findings with file paths, line numbers, severity, and remediation advice.
+```
+
+Then spawn it like any built-in type:
+
+```
+Agent({ subagent_type: "auditor", prompt: "Review the auth module", description: "Security audit" })
+```
+
+### Frontmatter Fields
+
+All fields are optional — sensible defaults for everything.
+
+| Field | Default | Description |
+|-------|---------|-------------|
+| `description` | filename | Agent description shown in tool listings |
+| `display_name` | — | Display name for UI (e.g. widget, agent list) |
+| `tools` | all 7 | Which tools the agent can call. Built-in names (`read, grep, …`), `*` / `all` (all built-ins), `none`, and `ext:<extension>` / `ext:<extension>/<tool>` selectors for extension tools. See [Tool & extension scoping](#tool--extension-scoping) below |
+| `extensions` | `true` | Which extensions to load for the agent. `true` (all defaults), `false` (none), or an explicit list: `[mcp, "/abs/path.ts", "*"]`. See [Tool & extension scoping](#tool--extension-scoping) below |
+| `exclude_extensions` | — | Extension denylist applied after `extensions:` — exclude wins. Plain names only (case-insensitive), no paths or `*`. Useful with `extensions: true` to drop one extension (e.g. `pi-notify`) |
+| `skills` | `true` | Inherit skills from parent. Can be a comma-separated list of skill names to preload (see [Skill Preloading](#skill-preloading) for discovery locations) |
+| `memory` | — | Persistent agent memory scope: `project`, `local`, or `user`. Auto-detects read-only agents |
+| `disallowed_tools` | — | Comma-separated tools to deny even if extensions provide them |
+| `isolation` | — | Set to `worktree` to run in an isolated git worktree |
+| `model` | inherit parent | Model — `provider/modelId` or fuzzy name (`"haiku"`, `"sonnet"`). Resolved tolerantly (`.`/`-` and a trailing date stamp are interchangeable) and falls back to the same model under another provider if the named one doesn't have it |
+| `thinking` | inherit | off, minimal, low, medium, high, xhigh, max — actual availability depends on your pi version and model; pi clamps unsupported levels down |
+| `max_turns` | unlimited | Max agentic turns before graceful shutdown. `0` or omit for unlimited |
+| `persist_session` | `false` | Persist this subagent as a normal pi session instead of keeping the session in memory only. The subagent's `.output` transcript is still written either way unless `output_transcript: false` |
+| `output_transcript` | `true` (or `subagents.json` `outputTranscript`) | Write this subagent's `.output` transcript; when set, overrides the `subagents.json` `outputTranscript` default. Set `false` to write no transcript file or path. Governs only the transcript — independent of `persist_session`, `isolation: worktree`, and `memory:` |
+| `session_dir` | pi default | Optional session directory when `persist_session: true`; omitted uses pi's normal session location, and relative paths resolve from the agent cwd |
+| `prompt_mode` | `replace` | `replace`: body is the full system prompt (no AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md inheritance). `append`: body appended to parent's prompt (agent acts as a "parent twin" — inherits parent's AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md) |
+| `inherit_context` | `false` | Fork parent conversation into agent |
+| `run_in_background` | `false` | Run in background by default |
+| `isolated` | `false` | Hermetic specialist mode: forces `extensions: false` + `skills: false` + drops `ext:` selectors. Only built-in tools. Distinct from `isolation: worktree` (filesystem) |
+| `enabled` | `true` | Set to `false` to disable an agent (useful for hiding a default agent per-project) |
+
+Frontmatter is authoritative. If an agent file sets `model`, `thinking`, `max_turns`, `inherit_context`, `run_in_background`, `isolated`, or `isolation`, those values are locked for that agent. `Agent` tool parameters only fill fields the agent config leaves unspecified.
+
+**Forgiving `model:` resolution.** A `model:` pin is matched against pi's model registry tolerantly, so cosmetic id variations don't silently drop the agent back to the parent's model: `.` and `-` are treated as equivalent in version numbers (`claude-haiku-4.5` ≡ `claude-haiku-4-5`), a trailing `-YYYYMMDD` date stamp is optional (`anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001` matches an undated registry id and vice-versa), and a `provider/modelId` whose named provider doesn't carry that model retries the bare id against every provider. Precedence is **exact → fuzzy under the named provider → same model under any provider → unavailable**, so an exact match always wins and dated snapshots aren't conflated. If nothing resolves, the pin can't run and the agent inherits the parent model — `/agents → Agent types` flags this case as `(unavailable, fallback: inherit)` and shows the resolved target `(→ provider/id)` when resolution lands on a different provider or version than configured. (This is distinct from [Model Scope](#model-scope) enforcement, which matches the `enabledModels` allowlist by *exact* entry.)
+
+### Tool & extension scoping
+
+`extensions:` decides **which extensions load**, `tools:` decides **which tools surface to the LLM**. They compose:
+
+```yaml
+# Default (both omitted): all extensions load, all 7 built-ins surface
+
+tools: read, grep, find           # narrow to listed built-ins; extensions still load
+tools: "*"                        # all 7 built-ins (alias: `all`)
+tools: none                       # zero built-ins (alias: `""`)
+tools: "*, ext:mcp/search"        # built-ins plus one extension tool
+
+extensions: false                 # no extensions load
+extensions: [mcp]                 # only mcp loads
+extensions: ["*", "/abs/foo.ts"]  # all defaults plus one path-loaded extension
+
+exclude_extensions: pi-notify     # everything except pi-notify (with extensions: true)
+
+# Specialist: load one extension, expose only one of its tools, keep built-ins
+extensions: [mcp]
+tools: "*, ext:mcp/search"
+
+isolated: true                    # hermetic: built-ins only, no extensions/skills/context
+```
+
+A few rules the examples don't make obvious:
+
+- `extensions:` is the sole loading authority. `ext:foo` in `tools:` narrows what surfaces; it can't load `foo` on its own. Mismatches fire `extension-error:…` warnings.
+- Any `ext:` entry flips extension tools to an explicit allowlist — unnamed extensions still load (handlers fire) but expose no tools. So `tools: "*, ext:mcp/search"` exposes only `search` from `mcp`, nothing from any other extension.
+- Extension names match case-insensitively (`[Mcp]` = `[mcp]`); tool names in `ext:foo/bar` stay case-sensitive.
+- Extensions that register tools **lazily** work too. MCP-backed extensions typically can't enumerate their tools until their servers connect, so they register from `session_start` or `before_agent_start` rather than at load. Subagent scoping is re-derived as tools appear, so these surface normally — including under `ext:` selectors, which keep narrowing correctly no matter when a tool shows up.
+- An installed **package** extension matches by its package short name (`@scope/pi-subagents` → `[pi-subagents]`), in addition to its path-derived name (a package whose entry is `src/index.ts` also answers to `[src]`). Prefer the package name — the path-derived one is incidental.
+- Plain `tools:` typos fail loudly: `tools: reed, grep` fires `tools-error:…` instead of silently producing an under-tooled agent.
+- `exclude_extensions:` wins over `extensions:` and over `ext:` selectors — an excluded extension never loads and a `tools: ext:` entry can't pull it back. Plain names only (no paths, no `*`); a name matching nothing fires an `extension-error:…` warning.
+- `exclude_extensions:` is **not a sandbox**: excluded extensions' factory code still executes once during loading. Exclusion suppresses their tools and their bound lifecycle hooks (`pi.on` handlers like `session_start` only fire for extensions bound to the session), but not other load-time side effects — a factory that subscribes directly to the shared `pi.events` bus stays live. Don't rely on it to contain an untrusted extension.
+- Array and string forms are equivalent: `[a, b]` == `"a, b"`.
+
+## `npm:pi-subagents`-Style JSON Agent Overrides
+
+This fork adds the ability to configure — and even create — agents entirely through JSON,
+no `.md` files required. The syntax matches [`npm:pi-subagents`](https://github.com/nicobailon/pi-subagents)
+(also known as oh-my-opencode-agent / OMO style): put a `subagents.agentOverrides` block in
+`settings.json` and it takes the highest priority.
+
+### Priority Chain
+
+```
+Local  JSON  (.pi/settings.json → subagents.agentOverrides)   ← highest
+Global JSON  (~/.pi/agent/settings.json → subagents.agentOverrides)
+───── ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─
+Local  .md   (.pi/agents/*.md)
+Global .md   (~/.pi/agent/agents/*.md)
+Built-in      (general-purpose, Explore, Plan)               ← lowest
+```
+
+JSON overrides win over everything below the line. If an agent name in the JSON doesn't
+match any existing `.md` or built-in agent, **it is auto-registered** with the fields you
+provide.
+
+### Global Override Example
+
+Put this in `~/.pi/agent/settings.json` to set project-wide defaults for all your agents:
+
+```json
+{
+  "subagents": {
+    "defaultModel": "opencode/deepseek-v4-flash-free",
+    "agentOverrides": {
+      "Explore": {
+        "model": "github-copilot/gpt-5-mini",
+        "thinking": "off"
+      },
+      "researcher": {
+        "model": "opencode/deepseek-v4-flash-free",
+        "thinking": "max",
+        "systemPrompt": "You are an autonomous web researcher. Search for external evidence, official docs, ecosystem behavior, recent changes, benchmarks, and primary sources. Return a focused research brief with source links, confidence level, gaps, and decision implications. Do not edit project files."
+      },
+      "reviewer": {
+        "model": "opencode/deepseek-v4-flash-free",
+        "thinking": "max",
+        "tools": ["read", "grep", "find", "ls", "bash"]
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+### Local Project Override Example
+
+Put this in `.pi/settings.json` within a specific project. These values **merge over** the
+global ones, so you can override only the fields you need to change for this project:
+
+```json
+{
+  "subagents": {
+    "agentOverrides": {
+      "researcher": {
+        "model": "openai-codex/gpt-5.4",
+        "thinking": "high"
+      },
+      "fixer": {
+        "model": "openai-codex/gpt-5.4",
+        "thinking": "high",
+        "tools": ["read", "grep", "find", "ls", "bash", "edit", "write"],
+        "systemPrompt": "You are Fixer — a fast, focused implementation specialist. Execute code changes efficiently with complete context. NO external research, NO delegation, NO planning. Implement and report."
+      },
+      "explorer": {
+        "model": "openai-codex/gpt-5.4",
+        "thinking": "high",
+        "tools": ["read", "grep", "find", "ls", "bash"]
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+```
+
+In this example, `researcher` gets `openai-codex/gpt-5.4` from the local override (instead of
+the global `opencode/deepseek-v4-flash-free`). `fixer` and `explorer` don't exist in global
+overrides and have no `.md` files — they are **auto-registered** from this JSON alone.
+
+### Supported Override Fields
+
+| Field | Type | Description |
+|---|---|---|
+| `model` | `string \| false` | Model to use; `false` clears override and inherits parent |
+| `thinking` | `string \| false` | Thinking level: `off`, `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `max` |
+| `systemPrompt` | `string` | Full system prompt (replaces agent's default) |
+| `tools` | `string[]` | Tool allowlist — agent gets exactly these tools and no others |
+| `disabled` | `boolean` | `true` hides the agent from the type list |
+| `skills` | `string[]` | Skill list. `["*"]` = all skills, `[]` = none, `["simplify"]` = only named |
+
+### How Skills Are Mapped
+
+| Nico JSON (`string[]`) | Resulting tintinweb value |
+|---|---|
+| `["*"]` | `true` — all skills inherited |
+| `["simplify", "librarian"]` | `["simplify", "librarian"]` — only listed |
+| `[]` or `false` | `false` — no skills |
+| omitted | `true` — all skills (default) |
+
+## Tools
+
+### `Agent
+
+Launch a sub-agent.
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
+|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
+| `prompt` | string | yes | The task for the agent |
+| `description` | string | yes | Short 3-5 word summary (shown in UI) |
+| `subagent_type` | string | yes | Agent type (built-in or custom) |
+| `model` | string | no | Model — `provider/modelId` or fuzzy name (`"haiku"`, `"sonnet"`). Resolved tolerantly (`.`/`-` and a trailing date stamp interchangeable) with provider fallback |
+| `thinking` | string | no | Thinking level: off, minimal, low, medium, high, xhigh, max (availability depends on pi version and model) |
+| `max_turns` | number | no | Max agentic turns. Omit for unlimited (default) |
+| `run_in_background` | boolean | no | Run without blocking |
+| `resume` | string | no | Agent ID to resume a previous session |
+| `isolated` | boolean | no | No extension/MCP tools |
+| `isolation` | `"worktree"` | no | Run in an isolated git worktree |
+| `inherit_context` | boolean | no | Fork parent conversation into agent |
+
+### `get_subagent_result`
+
+Check status and retrieve results from a background agent.
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
+|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
+| `agent_id` | string | yes | Agent ID to check |
+| `wait` | boolean | no | Wait for completion |
+| `verbose` | boolean | no | Include full conversation log |
+
+Cancelling a `wait: true` call (for example, with `Esc`) stops only the wait. The background agent keeps running, and its completion notification still arrives normally.
+
+### `steer_subagent`
+
+Send a steering message to a running agent. The message interrupts after the current tool execution.
+
+| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
+|-----------|------|----------|-------------|
+| `agent_id` | string | yes | Agent ID to steer |
+| `message` | string | yes | Message to inject into agent conversation |
+
+## Commands
+
+| Command | Description |
+|---------|-------------|
+| `/agents` | Interactive agent management menu |
+
+The `/agents` command opens an interactive menu:
+
+```
+Running agents (2) — 1 running, 1 done     ← only shown when agents exist
+Agent types (6)                             ← unified list: defaults + custom
+Create new agent                            ← manual wizard or AI-generated
+Settings                                    ← max concurrency, max turns, grace turns, join mode
+```
+
+- **Running agents** — select one to open its live conversation viewer. While it's still running, press `Enter` to open the steering composer, then `Enter` again to send a message that redirects the agent (same mechanism as the `steer_subagent` tool; `Esc` or an empty submit returns), or press `x` (then `x` again to confirm) to stop/abort it — including **background** agents, which a global Esc can't unambiguously target (Esc still stops a blocking foreground `Agent` call). A stopped agent reports its partial output flagged as incomplete, not as a completion.
+- **Agent types** — unified list with source indicators: `•` (project), `◦` (global), `✕` (disabled). Each row shows the agent's model, and the highlighted agent's full description appears below the list. The model column flags `(unavailable, fallback: inherit)` when a configured model can't be resolved (it would silently inherit the parent model), and shows `(→ provider/id)` when it resolves to a different provider or version than configured. Select an agent to manage it:
+  - **Default agents** (no override): Eject (export as `.md`), Disable
+  - **Default agents** (ejected/overridden): Edit, Disable, Reset to default, Delete
+  - **Custom agents**: Edit, Disable, Delete
+  - **Disabled agents**: Enable, Edit, Delete
+- **Eject** — writes the embedded default config as a `.md` file to project or personal location, so you can customize it
+- **Disable/Enable** — toggle agent availability. Disabled agents stay visible in the list (marked `✕`) and can be re-enabled
+- **Create new agent** — choose project/personal location, then manual wizard (step-by-step prompts for name, tools, model, thinking, system prompt) or AI-generated (describe what the agent should do and a sub-agent writes the `.md` file). Any name is allowed, including default agent names (overrides them)
+- **Settings** — configure max concurrency, default max turns, grace turns, and join mode at runtime
+
+## Graceful Max Turns
+
+Instead of hard-aborting at the turn limit, agents get a graceful shutdown:
+
+1. At `max_turns` — steering message: *"Wrap up immediately — provide your final answer now."*
+2. Up to 5 grace turns to finish cleanly
+3. Hard abort only after the grace period
+
+| Status | Meaning | Icon |
+|--------|---------|------|
+| `completed` | Finished naturally | `✓` green |
+| `steered` | Hit limit, wrapped up in time | `✓` yellow |
+| `aborted` | Grace period exceeded | `✗` red |
+| `stopped` | User-initiated abort | `■` dim |
+
+## Concurrency
+
+Background agents are subject to a configurable concurrency limit (default: 4). Excess agents are automatically queued and start as running agents complete. The widget shows queued agents as a collapsed count.
+
+Foreground agents bypass the queue — they block the parent anyway.
+
+## Join Strategies
+
+When background agents complete, they notify the main agent. The **join mode** controls how these notifications are delivered. It applies only to background agents.
+
+| Mode | Behavior |
+|------|----------|
+| `smart` (default) | 2+ background agents spawned in the same turn are auto-grouped into a single consolidated notification. Solo agents notify individually. |
+| `async` | Each agent sends its own notification on completion (original behavior). Best when results need incremental processing. |
+| `group` | Force grouping even when spawning a single agent. Useful when you know more agents will follow. |
+
+**Timeout behavior:** When agents are grouped, a 30-second timeout starts after the first agent completes. If not all agents finish in time, a partial notification is sent with completed results and remaining agents continue with a shorter 15-second re-batch window for stragglers.
+
+**Configuration:**
+- Configure join mode in `/agents` → Settings → Join mode
+
+## Model Scope
+
+**Opt-in:** off by default. Enable via `/agents → Settings → Scope models`.
+
+When on, each subagent spawn's effective model is validated against pi's own `enabledModels` list (configured via pi's `/scoped-models` UI). pi-subagents reads that list; it doesn't manage it. Both of pi's settings files are honored: global `~/.pi/agent/settings.json` and project-local `<cwd>/.pi/settings.json`. **Project overrides global** — mirrors pi's `SettingsManager` deep-merge, so a tighter per-project scope (hand-edited into the project settings) is respected.
+
+**Out-of-scope handling depends on source:**
+
+| Model source | Out-of-scope behavior |
+|---|---|
+| Caller-supplied via `Agent({ model: "..." })` | Hard error returned to the orchestrator, listing allowed models |
+| Pinned in agent frontmatter | Warning toast + the pinned model runs (frontmatter is authoritative) |
+| Parent-inherited (neither set) | Warning toast + parent's model runs |
+
+**Design:** `scopeModels` is a guardrail against the orchestrator picking unexpected models at runtime, not a hard policy against user-level config. The "frontmatter is authoritative" guarantee from v0.5.1 still holds for `model:` — caller params can't override frontmatter, and frontmatter pins run even when out of scope (with a visible warning).
+
+**Pattern format:** only exact `provider/modelId` entries are honored (e.g. `anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5-20251001`). Glob patterns (`*sonnet*`), bare model IDs, and `:thinking` suffixes — which pi itself supports — are silently dropped here. pi's `/scoped-models` picker writes exact entries, so the limitation is invisible if you configure scope through the UI. Hand-edited globs produce an empty allowed set (scope check becomes a no-op).
+
+**No-op safety:** if `enabledModels` is missing or empty in pi's settings, scope check skips entirely — no false positives, no spurious errors.
+
+## Persistent Settings
+
+Runtime tuning values set via `/agents` → Settings (max concurrency, default max turns, grace turns, default join mode, scheduling on/off, scope models on/off, disable defaults on/off, output transcript on/off, tool description full/compact/custom, widget all/background/off) persist across pi restarts. Two files, merged on load:
+
+- **Global:** `~/.pi/agent/subagents.json` — your machine-wide defaults. Edit by hand; the `/agents` menu never writes here.
+- **Project:** `<cwd>/.pi/subagents.json` — per-project overrides. Written by `/agents` → Settings.
+
+**Precedence:** project overrides global on any field present in both. Missing fields fall back to the hardcoded defaults (max concurrency `4`, default max turns unlimited, grace turns `5`, join mode `smart`, defaults enabled).
+
+**Disable defaults** (`disableDefaultAgents`, default `false`): when on, the three built-in agents (general-purpose, Explore, Plan) are not registered — only your project/global custom agents are advertised and spawnable. User-defined agents are unaffected, including ones that override a default by name. The Agent tool's type list updates on the next pi session (the tool schema is registered at startup).
+
+**Output transcript** (`outputTranscript`, default `true`): the project/global default for writing each subagent's `.output` transcript. Toggle via `/agents → Settings → Output transcript`, or set `false` in `subagents.json` to make transcripts opt-in project-wide — useful when run transcripts shouldn't sit on disk for backup or DLP tooling to pick up. A custom agent's `output_transcript` frontmatter overrides this per agent. Applied live at spawn time. Governs only the transcript, not `persist_session`, worktree commits, or memory files.
+
+**Tool description** (`toolDescriptionMode`, default `"full"`): which Agent tool description the LLM sees. `"full"` is the rich Claude Code-style prompt (~1,400 tokens with the default agents); `"compact"` is ~75% smaller — one-line agent type list, terse usage notes — for small/local models where tool-spec tokens are expensive. Per-option details stay in the parameter descriptions in every mode (the parameter schema is never customizable). Applies on the next pi session.
+
+`"custom"` registers your own description from `<cwd>/.pi/agent-tool-description.md` (project) or `<agentDir>/agent-tool-description.md` (global; project wins). The file is read once at tool registration, so edits also apply on the next pi session. Dynamic parts stay live via placeholders — a static agent list would go stale the moment you add a custom agent:
+
+```markdown
+Launch an autonomous agent. Available types:
+{{typeList}}
+
+Custom agents live in .pi/agents/ or {{agentDir}}/agents/.
+```
+
+Placeholders: `{{typeList}}` (full per-agent descriptions), `{{compactTypeList}}` (first sentence each), `{{agentDir}}`, `{{scheduleGuideline}}` (expands with its own leading newline + `- ` bullet when scheduling is on — place it directly after your last rule line; empty when scheduling is off). Unknown placeholders are left verbatim with a stderr warning; a missing or empty file falls back to `"full"` with a warning. Note the usual trust umbrella: a project-level file shapes the orchestrator's prompt, same as project agents and extensions do.
+
+**Starting point:** copy [`examples/agent-tool-description.md`](examples/agent-tool-description.md) — it reproduces the default full description exactly (a CI test keeps it in sync), so you can trim from a known-good baseline instead of writing from scratch.
+
+**Example — global defaults for a beefy machine:**
+
+```bash
+mkdir -p ~/.pi/agent
+cat > ~/.pi/agent/subagents.json <<'EOF'
+{
+  "maxConcurrent": 16,
+  "graceTurns": 10
+}
+EOF
+```
+
+Every project now starts with concurrency 16 and grace 10, without ever touching the menu. Individual projects can still override via `/agents` → Settings.
+
+**Failure behavior:** missing file is silent; malformed JSON logs a `[pi-subagents] Ignoring malformed settings at …` warning to stderr; invalid/out-of-range field values are dropped per-field; write failures downgrade the `/agents` toast to a warning with `(session only; failed to persist)`.
+
+## Events
+
+Agent lifecycle events are emitted via `pi.events.emit()` so other extensions can react:
+
+| Event | When | Key fields |
+|-------|------|------------|
+| `subagents:created` | Background agent registered | `id`, `type`, `description`, `isBackground` |
+| `subagents:started` | Agent transitions to running (including queued→running) | `id`, `type`, `description` |
+| `subagents:completed` | Agent finished successfully (background and foreground) | `id`, `type`, `durationMs`, `tokens` (lifetime `{ input, output, total }`), `toolUses`, `result` |
+| `subagents:failed` | Agent errored, stopped, or aborted (background and foreground) | same as completed + `error`, `status` |
+| `subagents:steered` | Steering message sent | `id`, `message` |
+| `subagents:compacted` | Agent's session successfully compacted | `id`, `type`, `description`, `reason` (`"manual"` / `"threshold"` / `"overflow"`), `tokensBefore`, `compactionCount` |
+| `subagents:scheduled` | Schedule lifecycle change | `{ type: "added" \| "removed" \| "updated" \| "fired" \| "error", … }` (job/agentId/error fields per type) |
+| `subagents:scheduler_ready` | Scheduler bound to session, enabled jobs armed | `sessionId`, `jobCount` |
+| `subagents:ready` | RPC handlers registered and armed — fired on session start; not emitted in a session that excludes pi-subagents | — |
+| `subagents:settings_loaded` | Persisted settings applied at extension init | `settings` (merged global + project) |
+| `subagents:settings_changed` | `/agents` → Settings mutation was applied | `settings`, `persisted` (`boolean` — `false` on write failure) |
+
+`tokens.total` = `input + output + cacheWrite`. `cacheRead` is excluded — each turn's `cacheRead` is the cumulative cached prefix re-read on that one API call, so summing per-message would over-count it. Use `contextUsage.percent` (surfaced as `(NN%)` in the widget) for current context size.
+
+## Cross-Extension RPC
+
+Other pi extensions can spawn and stop subagents programmatically via the `pi.events` event bus, without importing this package directly.
+
+All RPC replies use a standardized envelope: `{ success: true, data?: T }` on success, `{ success: false, error: string }` on failure.
+
+### Discovery
+
+Listen for `subagents:ready` to know when RPC handlers are available:
+
+```typescript
+pi.events.on("subagents:ready", () => {
+  // RPC handlers are registered — safe to call ping/spawn/stop
+});
+```
+
+`subagents:ready` fires only when pi-subagents is actually loaded **and bound** in the current session. A session that excludes it (via an agent's `extensions:`) emits no `subagents:ready` and does not answer the RPC channels — exactly as if pi-subagents were not installed. Treat "no `subagents:ready`" as "not available here" and give discovery a timeout rather than waiting indefinitely.
+
+### Ping
+
+Check if the subagents extension is loaded and get the protocol version:
+
+```typescript
+const requestId = crypto.randomUUID();
+const unsub = pi.events.on(`subagents:rpc:ping:reply:${requestId}`, (reply) => {
+  unsub();
+  if (reply.success) console.log("Protocol version:", reply.data.version);
+});
+pi.events.emit("subagents:rpc:ping", { requestId });
+```
+
+### Spawn
+
+Spawn a subagent and receive its ID:
+
+```typescript
+const requestId = crypto.randomUUID();
+const unsub = pi.events.on(`subagents:rpc:spawn:reply:${requestId}`, (reply) => {
+  unsub();
+  if (!reply.success) {
+    console.error("Spawn failed:", reply.error);
+  } else {
+    console.log("Agent ID:", reply.data.id);
+  }
+});
+pi.events.emit("subagents:rpc:spawn", {
+  requestId,
+  type: "general-purpose",
+  prompt: "Do something useful",
+  options: { description: "My task", run_in_background: true },
+});
+```
+
+`options.model` accepts either a `Model` object (e.g. `ctx.model`) or a `"provider/modelId"` string — strings are resolved against `ctx.modelRegistry` at the RPC boundary, so cross-extension callers can forward serializable values without losing auth context.
+
+`options.cwd` (absolute path to an existing directory — anything else returns an error envelope; `null` means unset) runs the agent in a different working directory than the parent session. Its tools operate there and the prompt's environment block describes it, but **`.pi` config still loads from the parent session's project** — the target directory's `.pi` extensions never execute, and its agents/skills/settings are not picked up. Combined with `isolation: "worktree"`, the worktree is created *from* the target directory's repo, the agent works at the equivalent subdirectory inside the copy (a monorepo-package cwd stays scoped to that package), and the resulting `pi-agent-*` branch lands in that repo — the completion message names it. On session end, worktree registrations are pruned in every repo that received one; only a hard crash can leave a stale entry (then: `git worktree prune` in the target repo). Agents with `memory:` keep reading/writing the parent project's memory.
+
+### Stop
+
+Stop a running agent by ID:
+
+```typescript
+const requestId = crypto.randomUUID();
+const unsub = pi.events.on(`subagents:rpc:stop:reply:${requestId}`, (reply) => {
+  unsub();
+  if (!reply.success) console.error("Stop failed:", reply.error);
+});
+pi.events.emit("subagents:rpc:stop", { requestId, agentId: "agent-id-here" });
+```
+
+Reply channels are scoped per `requestId`, so concurrent requests don't interfere.
+
+## Persistent Agent Memory
+
+Agents can have persistent memory across sessions. Set `memory` in frontmatter to enable:
+
+```yaml
+---
+memory: project   # project | local | user
+---
+```
+
+| Scope | Location | Use case |
+|-------|----------|----------|
+| `project` | `.pi/agent-memory/<name>/` | Shared across the team (committed) |
+| `local` | `.pi/agent-memory-local/<name>/` | Machine-specific (gitignored) |
+| `user` | `<agentDir>/agent-memory/<name>/` (default `~/.pi/agent/agent-memory/`, honors `PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR`) | Global personal memory |
+
+The `user` scope previously hardcoded `~/.pi/agent-memory/`. If that legacy directory exists for an agent and the new location doesn't, it keeps being used — existing memories aren't orphaned.
+
+Memory uses a `MEMORY.md` index file and individual memory files with frontmatter. Agents with write tools get full read-write access. **Read-only agents** (no `write`/`edit` tools) automatically get read-only memory — they can consume memories written by other agents but cannot modify them. This prevents unintended tool escalation.
+
+The `disallowed_tools` field is respected when determining write capability — an agent with `tools: write` + `disallowed_tools: write` correctly gets read-only memory.
+
+## Worktree Isolation
+
+Set `isolation: worktree` to run an agent in a temporary git worktree:
+
+```
+Agent({ subagent_type: "refactor", prompt: "...", isolation: "worktree" })
+```
+
+The agent gets a full, isolated copy of the repository. On completion:
+- **No changes:** worktree is cleaned up automatically
+- **Changes made:** changes are committed to a new branch (`pi-agent-<id>`) and returned in the result
+- **Agent committed its own work:** the branch is created at the agent's HEAD, preserving its commits (uncommitted leftovers are committed on top first)
+
+The automatic preservation commit uses `--no-verify`, so local pre-commit hooks can't block it — the commit is local-only and never pushed, and pre-push/server-side hooks still apply.
+
+If the worktree cannot be created (not a git repo, no commits, or `git worktree add` fails), the `Agent` tool returns a clear error instead of running unisolated — `isolation: "worktree"` is a strict guarantee, not a hint. Initialize git and commit at least once, or omit `isolation`.
+
+## Skill Preloading
+
+Skills can be preloaded by name and injected into the agent's system prompt:
+
+```yaml
+---
+skills: api-conventions, error-handling
+---
+```
+
+**Discovery roots** (checked in this order, first match wins):
+
+| Scope | Path | Source |
+|---|---|---|
+| Project | `<cwd>/.pi/skills/` | Pi-standard |
+| Project | `<cwd>/.agents/skills/` | [Agent Skills spec](https://agentskills.io/integrate-skills) |
+| User | `$PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR/skills/` (default `~/.pi/agent/skills/`) | Pi-standard |
+| User | `~/.agents/skills/` | [Agent Skills spec](https://agentskills.io/integrate-skills) |
+| User | `~/.pi/skills/` | Legacy (pre-Pi) |
+
+**Per root, a skill named `foo` resolves to the first of:**
+
+- `<root>/foo.md` — flat file at the top level
+- `<root>/foo/SKILL.md` — directory skill (top-level)
+- `<root>/*/.../foo/SKILL.md` — directory skill, found by recursive descent
+
+Recursion skips dotfile directories and `node_modules`. A directory that itself contains a `SKILL.md` is treated as a single skill — we don't descend into it. Traversal is byte-order sorted for deterministic resolution across filesystems.
+
+**Security:** symlinks are rejected at every layer (root, flat file, skill directory, `SKILL.md` inside a skill directory) — intentional deviation from Pi, which follows symlinks. Skill names with path-traversal characters (`..`, `/`, `\`, spaces, leading dot, >128 chars) are rejected.
+
+## Tool Denylist
+
+Block specific tools from an agent even if extensions provide them:
+
+```yaml
+---
+tools: read, bash, grep, write
+disallowed_tools: write, edit
+---
+```
+
+This is useful for creating agents that inherit extension tools but should not have write access.
+
+## Architecture
+
+```
+src/
+  index.ts            # Extension entry: tool/command registration, rendering
+  types.ts            # Type definitions (AgentConfig, AgentRecord, etc.)
+  default-agents.ts   # Embedded default agent configs (general-purpose, Explore, Plan)
+  agent-types.ts      # Unified agent registry (defaults + user), tool name resolution
+  agent-runner.ts     # Session creation, execution, graceful max_turns, steer/resume
+  agent-manager.ts    # Agent lifecycle, concurrency queue, completion notifications
+  cross-extension-rpc.ts # RPC handlers for cross-extension spawn/ping via pi.events
+  group-join.ts       # Group join manager: batched completion notifications with timeout
+  custom-agents.ts    # Load user-defined agents from .pi/agents/, .agents/agents/, and global agents
+  memory.ts           # Persistent agent memory (resolve, read, build prompt blocks)
+  skill-loader.ts     # Preload skills (Pi-standard + Agent Skills spec layouts)
+  output-file.ts      # Streaming output file transcripts for agent sessions
+  worktree.ts         # Git worktree isolation (create, cleanup, prune)
+  prompts.ts          # Config-driven system prompt builder
+  context.ts          # Parent conversation context for inherit_context
+  env.ts              # Environment detection (git, platform)
+  ui/
+    agent-widget.ts       # Persistent widget: spinners, activity, status icons, theming
+    conversation-viewer.ts # Live conversation overlay for viewing agent sessions
+```
+
+## License
+
+MIT — [tintinweb](https://github.com/tintinweb)