@q.roy/pi-remote

Remote terminal access for pi via WebSocket. Connect to your pi session from mobile browsers over LAN.

Features

• PTY-based remote access - Wraps pi in a pseudo-terminal for optimal performance
• WebSocket bridge - Real-time bidirectional terminal I/O
• Mobile-first - Touch scroll with momentum, virtual keybar (arrows, Ctrl+C, etc.)
• Token authentication - Secure LAN access with auto-generated tokens
• QR code - Scan to connect instantly from mobile
• /remote command - Restart pi in remote mode from within a running session

Usage as a pi Extension

This package is primarily used as a pi coding agent extension. The extension registers a /remote command that lets you switch your current pi session into remote access mode without losing context.

Global (all projects)

Add to ~/.pi/agent/settings.json:

{
  "extensions": [
    "~/path/to/pi-mono-extensions/packages/remote"
  ]
}

Or install from npm and reference the package:

{
  "packages": ["@q.roy/pi-remote"]
}

Project-local

Add to .pi/settings.json in your project root:

{
  "extensions": [
    "~/path/to/pi-mono-extensions/packages/remote"
  ]
}

Temporary (one-off)

pi -e ~/path/to/pi-mono-extensions/packages/remote/extension/index.ts

Using /remote inside pi

Once the extension is loaded, run /remote in pi:

/remote

This will:

1. Save your current session
2. Shut down the current pi process
3. Restart pi wrapped in a PTY with a WebSocket server
4. Display a QR code and URL — scan from mobile or open in a browser

When running inside a remote session, a persistent widget above the editor shows the remote URL.

Usage as a CLI Tool

You can also launch remote mode directly from the terminal without a running pi session:

npm install -g @q.roy/pi-remote
pi-remote

Options

# Specify a custom pi binary path
pi-remote --pi-path /path/to/pi

# Pass extra arguments to pi
pi-remote -- --continue

# Custom port (default: 7009)
PORT=8080 pi-remote

Architecture

┌─────────────┐
│   Browser   │  (mobile / desktop)
│  (xterm.js) │
└──────┬──────┘
       │ WebSocket
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│ HTTP Server │  (token auth, static files)
│   + WS      │
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       ▼
┌─────────────┐
│     PTY     │  (node-pty)
│   (pi CLI)  │
└─────────────┘

Source Layout

| Path | Description | |------|-------------| | extension/index.ts | Pi extension entry — registers /remote command and remote URL widget | | src/cli.ts | pi-remote binary entry point | | src/pty.ts | PTY management (node-pty), stdin/stdout attachment | | src/ws.ts | WebSocket bridge, mobile-priority resize logic | | src/server.ts | HTTP server with token auth, /api/local-url endpoint | | web/ | Browser frontend (xterm.js, touch scroll, virtual keybar) |

API

startRemote(options)

import { startRemote } from "@q.roy/pi-remote";

const cleanup = await startRemote({
  piPath: "/usr/local/bin/pi",  // optional, auto-detected
  args: ["--continue"],          // optional, passed to pi
  cwd: process.cwd(),            // optional
  env: process.env,              // optional
});

// Stop the server and kill the PTY process
cleanup();

Environment Variables

| Variable | Description | |----------|-------------| | PORT | HTTP server port (default: 7009) | | PI_REMOTE_URL | Set automatically when running inside pi-remote; the extension uses this to show the URL widget |

Security

• Token-based auth — Random 16-byte token required for all remote connections
• Localhost exempt — 127.0.0.1 connections skip token verification
• LAN only — Designed for local network use, not intended to be exposed to the internet

Development

# Install dependencies (from monorepo root)
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run build:ts

# Build web UI
npm run build:web

# Full build
npm run build

# Watch mode (TypeScript only)
npm run dev

# Link globally for testing
npm link

License

MIT