π Zen-mode
Hide thinking and tools. Words still stream.
Distraction-free focus mode for Pi
δΈζ Β· English Β· Design notes (δΈζ)
Every turn in Pi floods the chat with reasoning and tool calls. **Zen-mode** hides those two kinds of process output with switches: turn a switch off and that category keeps its native UI (thinking blocks stay looking like thinking blocks); turn it on and the output is hidden. The model's words always stream as usual. When the run finishes, what was hidden is re-rendered as a dim one-line placeholder. Want to see the hidden process? `Ctrl+Alt+R` unfolds the latest run:
`Ctrl+Alt+S` unfolds earlier runs:
## Features
- **Hide per switch** β thinking / tools each choose live vs hidden; text always streams
- **Native UI for what's visible** β unhidden thinking keeps compact-thinking / built-in styling
- **Answer-first when done** β full final answer, one-line placeholders for what was hidden
- **Reveal on demand** β `ctrl+alt+r` / `ctrl+alt+s` restore the latest run or pick an earlier one through the original renderer
- **Non-invasive** β coexists with renderer extensions like [pi-compact-thinking](https://github.com/nostalfinals/pi-compact-thinking); when zen is off it never touches their rendering
## Install
```bash
pi install npm:pi-zen-mode
```
Then `/reload` (or restart Pi).
> Want a quick try? Drop `zen-mode.ts` into `~/.pi/agent/extensions/` and `/reload`.
Update with `pi update --extensions`.
## Usage
`/zen` opens the settings panel:
Besides the **focus mode** switch, there are two more:
* **thinking** β whether thinking blocks are hidden for every turn while focus mode is on
* **tools** β whether tool rows are hidden for every turn while focus mode is on
## Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `ctrl+alt+f` | Toggle zen focus mode |
| `ctrl+alt+r` | Reveal / collapse the **latest** run's hidden process |
| `ctrl+alt+s` | Open a picker to reveal / collapse **any** collapsed run |
`ctrl+o` is Pi's **global** tool-output toggle (not per row): it expands every tool currently on screen, and new tool rows inherit that flag. While a run is in flight zen still paints tools as empty; after the run, if the flag is on, tools render in full instead of the one-line placeholder. Press `ctrl+o` again to collapse and placeholders come back.
While a run is in progress `/zen` and the three shortcuts are ignored β change settings after it finishes so a half-streamed turn is not rewritten mid-flight.
> After a **compaction** (auto or `/compact`) or a branch switch, runs before that point no longer have live components β their full process was replaced by the summary β so those collapsed runs can't be expanded; the picker only lists runs collapsed afterwards.
## Configuration
Created on first change at `~/.pi/agent/zen-mode.json` (or under `$PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` when set):
```json
{
"enabled": true,
"hideThinking": true,
"hideTools": true,
"locale": "zh",
"toggleKey": "ctrl+alt+f",
"revealKey": "ctrl+alt+r",
"pickerKey": "ctrl+alt+s"
}
```
| Key | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `enabled` | Master switch |
| `hideThinking` | Hide thinking while running; collapse to a one-line `β` when done; `false` streams the native thinking UI |
| `hideTools` | Hide tool calls while running; collapse to a one-line `β` when done; `false` streams native tool rows |
| `locale` | Language for placeholders, footer, and the run picker: `zh` or `en`. The `/zen` panel itself stays bilingual |
| `toggleKey` / `revealKey` / `pickerKey` | The three shortcuts β any valid Pi keybinding string |
While zen is on, thinking and tools are tracked (so you can flip a switch later). The two sub-toggles only choose **hidden vs visible**, and the footer counts. Text is never hidden β interim chatter and the final answer are the same `text` parts on the wire, so hiding them would flash a few characters then vanish. Turn a switch off and that category uses the native renderer; turn it back on and already-finished runs collapse those rows to placeholders (only the tracked components are redrawn). `ctrl+alt+r` reveals through the original renderer. `/reload` after changes.
## Compatibility
- Requires TUI mode
- Implemented by hooking the `AssistantMessageComponent` / `ToolExecutionComponent` renderers β internal UI APIs may change in future Pi releases, so the extension may need updates after upgrading
- Tested with Pi `0.84.x`
## License
[MIT](./LICENSE)