pi-tool-renderer

Compact renderers for Pi tools, plus an optional tool_batch composite tool.

Install

Via npm:

pi install npm:@vanillagreen/pi-tool-renderer

Via vstack:

cargo install --git https://github.com/vanillagreencom/vstack.git vstack
vstack add vanillagreencom/vstack --pi-extension pi-tool-renderer --harness pi -y

Restart Pi after installation.

Defaults

• Re-registers read, bash, and available grep/find/ls with compact self-rendered rows while delegating execution to Pi's original tools.
• Registers tool_batch so multiple independent read/search/list/diagnostic bash calls can render as one combined result.
• Leaves edit and write on Pi's built-in renderers by default so standard diff/edit UI is preserved.
• Compacts user-message cards by default (compactUserMessages=true).
• Renders compaction summaries as compact tool-style rows by default (compactCompactionMessages=true).
• Keeps Pi's normal expand/collapse keybinding (Ctrl+O).

tool_batch

tool_batch accepts calls for read, grep, find, ls, and diagnostic bash.

{
  "calls": [
    { "tool": "read", "path": "README.md" },
    { "tool": "grep", "pattern": "registerCommand", "path": "pi-extensions" }
  ]
}

Prefer it for independent inspection calls. Do not use it for mutating commands, order-dependent commands, streaming output, or commands that should be inspected separately.

Per-call arguments can be flat, as above, or { "tool": "read", "args": { "path": "README.md" } }.

tool_batch does not reduce per-call output while the combined result fits Pi's normal tool-result budget. If the aggregate would exceed that budget, it caps only enough child output to keep the single batch result safe, preserving head and tail for capped children. Use separate calls or explicit read offset/limit chunks when you need the maximum output budget from each call.

Optional renderers

Enable through pi-extension-manager settings:

• renderMutationTools=true: compact edit/write renderers with rich red/green diff summaries, hunk counts, syntax highlighting, and optional side-by-side previews (splitDiffs).
• renderBashDiffs=false: keep read-only bash commands that output unified/git patches to a single compact summary line by default; enable to render those outputs with the rich Shiki diff UI.
• renderGitDiffCommandDiffs=false: keep explicit git diff bash commands to a single compact summary line by default; enable to restore the rich Shiki diff UI for those commands.
• applyPatchRenderer / applyPatchPreview: render apply_patch calls/results with parsed file patch previews.
• Generic OpenAI-style tool renderers for names such as web_search, webfetch, fetch_content, Agent, and Task*.
• MCP-looking tool renderers (mcp, mcp__server__tool, etc.) with mcpOutputMode.
• workingIndicator: optionally use a compact pulse or hide Pi's streaming indicator.
• toolChrome: optional global container chrome (off, transparent, or outlines).
• rightMarginGuard=true: render compact tool chrome, wrapped lines, diffs, and compact user-message borders one column short to avoid right-margin auto-wrap flashes in tmux and some terminals.
• pendingStatusAnimation=false: animate pending compact tool bullets; disabled by default for more stable streaming output at the bottom of terminal panes.

Output modes can be tuned live with readOutputMode, searchOutputMode, bashOutputMode, and mcpOutputMode.

Legacy stacking

stackToolCalls=true enables legacy stacking for separate native tool calls. It is disabled by default because current Pi still reserves spacer rows for hidden sibling tool entries. stackChildDisplay controls the tradeoff:

• rows: render child tools as separate compact ├/└ rows.
• headline: hide child rows and show the list only when expanded.
• anchor-list: hide child rows and show the compact list in the headline by default.

hideStackChildRows remains as a legacy alias for stackChildDisplay="headline" when stackChildDisplay is unset.

Limits

This package mostly changes rendering, not underlying tool execution. The tool_batch helper is a single tool result, so it enforces an aggregate safety cap when combined child output would exceed Pi's normal result budget; individual built-in tools still apply their own truncation first. Hidden Thinking... labels and reserved spacer rows require Pi core renderer changes to remove completely.