# AI use cases for Pi Agent Desktop (abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop)

Repo: [abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop](https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop) | Use cases: 5 | Page: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/

Pi Agent is a local desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux that packages the pi coding agent into an installable application with a visual interface.

This file holds every use case of this repo. Each one starts with a "## " heading and ends with its URL.

- Resume past Pi coding sessions from a desktop window: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/resume-past-pi-sessions/
- Schedule a saved prompt to run as a new session: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/schedule-recurring-agent-prompt/
- Branch or fork a Pi conversation from any message: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/branch-or-fork-agent-conversation/
- Switch Git worktrees and review diffs in a desktop app: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/switch-worktrees-and-review-diffs/
- Run the local web dev server behind an HTTP proxy: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/run-web-dev-server-behind-http-proxy/

## How to resume past Pi coding sessions from a desktop window with Pi Agent Desktop

Repo: [abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop](https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop) | Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README

Find earlier Pi sessions by project and continue them without digging through .jsonl files.

**Who it is for:** A developer who has used Pi in a terminal and now wants to pick up old coding sessions for a project.

**The problem:** Past Pi sessions are hard to find and reopen when they are buried in terminal history or session files.

**The outcome:** The user sees their projects in the app, opens a past session, and continues the conversation with the agent.

### Steps

1. Open the releases page at https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop/releases and download the Apple Silicon `aarch64.dmg`, the Linux `.deb`, or the Windows `x64-setup.exe`.
2. Install the app. On macOS, drag Pi Agent into Applications.
3. If macOS blocks the first launch, run `xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Pi Agent.app"` and open the app again.
4. Open Pi Agent and select your project in the sidebar to see its past sessions.
5. Open the session you want and send a new message to continue it.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop README, explain how to locate and resume a past Pi session for the project at <project-path>. Expected output: the session name and date the user should open. Verify that Pi reads sessions from ~/.pi/agent/ before reporting success.
```

### Caveat

The app reads Pi's local data directory by default, so sessions created on another machine will not appear unless their files are copied into ~/.pi/agent/ or PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR points there.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/resume-past-pi-sessions/

## How to schedule a saved prompt to run as a new session with Pi Agent Desktop

Repo: [abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop](https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README

Run a saved prompt hourly, daily, weekly, on a cron expression, or once, with notifications.

**Who it is for:** A developer who wants a recurring check, such as a daily summary of a project, run by the agent without starting it by hand.

**The problem:** Repeated agent checks are easy to forget when each one has to be started manually in a new session.

**The outcome:** The saved prompt runs on the chosen schedule in a new session, and the user is notified when a run succeeds or fails.

### Steps

1. Install and open Pi Agent from the releases page at https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop/releases.
2. Save the prompt you want to repeat and open the Scheduled tasks area.
3. Choose the schedule: hourly, daily, weekly, a custom cron expression, or once.
4. Keep the default read-only tools unless the task needs more access.
5. Keep the app open, since scheduled tasks run while the app is open, even with its window hidden, and check the notification for each run.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop README, describe how to set up a daily scheduled task that runs a saved prompt for <project-name>. Expected output: the schedule settings and the default tool mode. Verify that the README states the app must stay open for runs to happen.
```

### Caveat

Scheduled runs only happen while Pi Agent is open, so a machine that is closed or asleep will miss runs except for a single catch-up run after sleep.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/schedule-recurring-agent-prompt/

## How to branch or fork a Pi conversation from any message with Pi Agent Desktop

Repo: [abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop](https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop) | Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README

Try another direction from an earlier message without losing the original session.

**Who it is for:** A developer who wants to test a different approach from a point earlier in a long agent conversation.

**The problem:** Continuing a conversation from the latest message makes it hard to explore an alternative path without mixing it with the first attempt.

**The outcome:** The user keeps the original session intact and works on a separate branch or an independent forked session.

### Steps

1. Open the session in Pi Agent and find the earlier message you want to revisit.
2. Choose to continue from that message as a branch to explore a new direction in the same session.
3. Or choose to fork the conversation into an independent session if you want a separate copy.
4. Send the new prompt and compare the result with the original session.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop README, explain how to branch and how to fork a Pi conversation from an earlier message. Expected output: a short list of the two options and when to use each. Verify that the README names both branch and fork actions before answering.
```

### Caveat

The README describes the branch and fork actions but does not say how they are labeled in the interface, so follow the on-screen options in your build.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/branch-or-fork-agent-conversation/

## How to switch Git worktrees and review diffs in a desktop app with Pi Agent Desktop

Repo: [abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop](https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop) | Difficulty: Beginner | Time: 15 minutes | Basis: From the README

Move between Git worktrees from the sidebar and preview diffs and project files.

**Who it is for:** A developer working on several branches of one repo at once who wants the agent to follow the right worktree.

**The problem:** Juggling Git worktrees in a terminal makes it easy to run the agent against the wrong working copy.

**The outcome:** The user selects a worktree from the sidebar, browses its files, and previews diffs before accepting the agent's changes.

### Steps

1. Open Pi Agent and select your project in the sidebar.
2. Choose the Git worktree you want from the sidebar.
3. Browse project files in the app to confirm which working copy you are in.
4. Open the diff preview to review the changes the agent made in that worktree.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop README, explain how to switch to a Git worktree and preview a diff for the project at <project-path>. Expected output: the sidebar and preview steps in order. Verify that the README lists diffs among the previewable file types.
```

### Caveat

The README does not describe how worktrees are created, so set up the worktrees with Git first and then select them in the sidebar.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/switch-worktrees-and-review-diffs/

## How to run the local web dev server behind an HTTP proxy with Pi Agent Desktop

Repo: [abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop](https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop) | Difficulty: Intermediate | Time: 30 minutes | Basis: From the README

Route model and API calls through a proxy while developing Pi Agent from source.

**Who it is for:** A developer on a network that requires an HTTP proxy who wants to run Pi Agent from source.

**The problem:** Model and API requests fail on a network that only allows traffic through a proxy.

**The outcome:** The local dev server starts at localhost:30141 and sends its model and API requests through the configured proxy.

### Steps

1. Clone the repository from https://github.com/abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop and open it in a terminal.
2. Install dependencies with `npm install`.
3. Start the dev server through your proxy, replacing 127.0.0.1:7890 with your proxy address: `HTTP_PROXY=http://127.0.0.1:7890 HTTPS_PROXY=http://127.0.0.1:7890 NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1 npm run dev`. (inferred, check the README)
4. Open http://localhost:30141 in your browser and send a test message to confirm model requests work.

### Prompt to paste into your agent

```text
Using the abcwyc/pi-agent-desktop README, prepare the commands to start the dev server behind the HTTP proxy at <proxy-url>. Expected output: the exact environment variables and the npm command to run. Verify that NO_PROXY keeps localhost and 127.0.0.1 off the proxy.
```

### Caveat

The README says the dev server listens only on 127.0.0.1, so it is reachable from this machine only unless you use the separate LAN mode, which needs a password.

Disclaimer: Third-party repos we don't own or vouch for. AI-generated use cases can be wrong: review everything and run at your own risk. Full text: https://dedupedai.com/disclaimer/

URL: https://dedupedai.com/use-cases/abcwyc-pi-agent-desktop/run-web-dev-server-behind-http-proxy/