btw

btw is a Pi extension for asking a side question without derailing the session you are in.

It forks the current conversation into a throwaway side chat. The side chat sees everything the main conversation has seen, but it has no tools — it cannot read or write files, run commands, or steer the main conversation. You ask, you read the answer, you close it. The main session is untouched.

This btw implementation was inspired by Ben's setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Qu2SkSQeBU It removes subagent functionality and includes fixes so it can be reused across environments.

Installation

pi install npm:@lpirito/pi-btw

Commands

| Command | What it does | | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | | /btw <question> | Open a side chat forked from the current conversation | | /btw | Same, but prompts you for the question | | /btws | List every side chat from this session and reopen one |

Both commands are TUI-only. In non-interactive modes they no-op with a notice.

The side chat view

The overlay is a normal back-and-forth chat — you can keep asking follow-ups in the same forked context.

| Key | Action | | -------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | submit | Send the message | | interrupt | Close the overlay (the chat keeps running) | | clear | Cancel the in-flight response | | ↑ / ↓ | Scroll the transcript | | pgup / pgdn| Page through the transcript |

Keys follow your Pi keybindings, so the footer shows whatever you have tui.input.submit, app.interrupt, and app.clear bound to.

Development

npm install
npm run typecheck
npm test