@pi-kaush/pi-tool-call-markers

Collapse Pi's adjacent successful tool calls into one compact, gear-headed block per tool type, so a run of similar calls reads as a tidy bulleted list instead of a wall of repeated headers and results.

What it changes

When several tool calls of the same type succeed in a row, Pi normally renders each one as its own expanded block. This extension groups them:

• One gear header per contiguous tool type. A run of read calls shares a single ⚙️ read header; the following write run gets its own ⚙️ write header.
• Bulleted call summaries. Each call in a group becomes one bullet with a short summary and, for common tools, a compact outcome such as → done, → 42 lines, or → +2/-1.
• Vertical spacing between tool types. A blank line separates one tool group from the next.
• One-line, width-safe summaries. Long targets truncate before their useful outcome tail instead of wrapping into taller blocks.
• Tool batches settle before grouping. A tool batch stays ungrouped while any sibling call is active. Earlier groups remain stable while a later batch runs, then visually adjacent settled calls merge across assistant turns that rendered no prose.
• Self-rendered tools keep their shell. Tools that own their framing keep singleton previews intact. Grouped summaries use only their stable header instead of scraping preview or diff lines.
• Partial and image results stay visible. Streaming progress and image-bearing results are not collapsed into text-only groups.
• Errors stay compact and visibly failed. A failed call keeps its own error-colored block and native collapsed detail until expanded.
• Ctrl+O restores full blocks. Expanding tools (setToolsExpanded(true)) brings back Pi's individual full blocks, including complete error details and successful results.

Bundled thinking-block extension

The package ships a second extension entrypoint, src/thinking-block-merger.ts. Pi loads it independently from the tool presentation extension, so its AssistantMessageComponent patch and shutdown lifecycle stay isolated while install, update, and removal remain one package operation.

It combines only directly adjacent thinking blocks for display. Tool calls, text, and other content remain boundaries; provider blocks and signatures are not modified.

Install

After the first npm release:

pi install npm:@pi-kaush/[email protected]

For local development:

pi \
  -e ./extensions/pi-tool-call-markers/src/index.ts \
  -e ./extensions/pi-tool-call-markers/src/thinking-block-merger.ts

Compatibility and risk

The tool presentation entrypoint currently relies on guarded, reversible prototype patches against two Pi component classes:

• ToolExecutionComponent (render + display presentation),
• Container (transcript grouping).

The bundled thinking-block entrypoint separately patches AssistantMessageComponent.updateContent. Its patch and lifecycle do not share state with tool presentation.

Pi exposes no public transcript or tool-grouping hook today, so the extension patches those prototypes and restores the originals on session_shutdown. Every patch is wrapped in try/catch with an idempotency guard (Symbol.for(...) markers), so if Pi's internals change the extension silently no-ops and Pi's default rendering is preserved.

Compatible Pi version: @earendil-works/pi-coding-agent and @earendil-works/pi-tui >=0.80.6. Because the patches touch internal prototype methods, a future Pi release that renames or restructures those methods can silently disable the affected presentation until this package is updated. All original methods are restored on shutdown.

TODO: migrate to a public Pi tool/transcript rendering API when one becomes available, and remove the prototype patches.

Design

• No runtime dependencies.
• Startup only registers session_start / session_shutdown handlers and installs the reversible patches; no I/O, subprocesses, model requests, or timers.
• Grouped output is cached per row and invalidated when any member's display version changes, so repeated renders reuse work while stale groups refresh on demand.
• Removing the package restores Pi's default rendering on the next session.

Development

From the repository root:

npm ci --ignore-scripts
npm run check

Inspect the publish payload:

npm pack --workspace @pi-kaush/pi-tool-call-markers --dry-run

License

MIT