docs: distinguish Pi extensions from PI WEB plugins

This commit is contained in:
Federico Jaramillo Martinez
2026-07-22 23:53:30 +02:00
parent ced3261651
commit e8d418a71a
6 changed files with 108 additions and 83 deletions
+16 -4
View File
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ Process restarts depend on the key:
- `pathAccess`: applies on the next request; existing file views may need a browser refresh.
- `uploads.defaultFolder`: applies to newly opened Files upload dialogs and new direct drag/drop batches after config/workspace refresh.
- `plugins`: reload the browser tab after changing PI WEB plugin enablement.
- Pi package install/remove/update: not a PI WEB config key; after a mutation, type `/reload` in each idle PI WEB session on the target machine to refresh Pi runtime resources such as extensions, skills, prompt templates, themes, and context/system prompt files as supported by Pi. Reload the browser page separately for PI WEB browser plugin changes. A routine session daemon restart is not required for those ordinary resources. If a globally installed extension adds, removes, or changes a provider, manually restart `pi-web-sessiond.service`; `/reload` cannot change the startup provider baseline. See [Extension provider registrations](https://pi-web.dev/plugins#extension-provider-registrations).
- Pi package install/remove/update: not a PI WEB config key; after a mutation, type `/reload` in each idle PI WEB session on the target machine to refresh ordinary Pi resources such as extensions, skills, prompt templates, themes, and context/system prompt files. Reload the browser page separately for PI WEB browser plugin changes. If a global Pi extension adds, removes, or changes a provider, manually restart `pi-web-sessiond.service`; `/reload` cannot change the startup provider baseline. See [Pi extension provider baseline](#pi-extension-provider-baseline).
- `shortcuts`: saved settings apply in the browser after config refresh/save.
## Global config example
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ Rows with JSON key `—` are runtime-only environment variables, not config-file
| Manual file upload default folder | `uploads.defaultFolder` | — | Global + project | **Overrides**: project value wins for workspaces in that project; otherwise global/default applies | New Upload dialogs and direct drag/drop batches after config/workspace refresh |
| Upload/body limit | `maxUploadBytes` | `PI_WEB_MAX_UPLOAD_BYTES` | Global | Not supported locally | Restart web/API and session daemon on that machine |
| Companion CLI command | `agent.command` | `PI_WEB_AGENT_COMMAND` | Global/session daemon | Not supported locally | Restart session daemon on that machine; affects doctor/status/update checks |
| Agent profile state directory | `agent.dir` | `PI_WEB_AGENT_DIR` (`PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` for Pi compatibility) | Global/session daemon | Not supported locally | Restart session daemon on that machine; affects auth, models, settings, sessions, Pi packages, and package-backed plugins |
| Agent profile state directory | `agent.dir` | `PI_WEB_AGENT_DIR` (`PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` for Pi compatibility) | Global/session daemon | Not supported locally | Restart session daemon on that machine; affects auth, models, settings, sessions, Pi packages, and Pi-package-backed PI WEB plugins |
| Agent can spawn sessions | `spawnSessions` | `PI_WEB_SPAWN_SESSIONS` | Global/session daemon | Not supported locally | Restart session daemon on that machine |
| Tracked subsessions (beta) | `subsessions` | `PI_WEB_SUBSESSIONS` | Global/session daemon | Not supported locally; also requires `spawnSessions` | Restart session daemon on that machine |
| Plugin enablement/settings | `plugins.<id>.enabled`, `plugins.<id>.settings` | — | Global | Not core local config; plugins may read their own project files | Reload browser tab |
@@ -202,9 +202,21 @@ An alternate command always requires an explicit state directory. The command mu
Environment variables take precedence over the config file. `PI_WEB_AGENT_COMMAND` selects the companion CLI, `PI_WEB_AGENT_DIR` sets the profile state directory, and `PI_WEB_AGENT_SESSION_DIR` overrides session storage separately from `agent.dir`. The legacy `PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` and `PI_CODING_AGENT_SESSION_DIR` names apply only to a canonical Pi companion command; PI WEB never derives ambient environment-variable names from an arbitrary command. Use the explicit `PI_WEB_AGENT_*` names for alternate commands. `PI_WEB_AGENT_DIR` is an unconditional override, while a legacy `PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR` override stops applying when Settings selects an alternate command so the command and directory can transition together.
The session daemon resolves the persisted desired values plus its environment once at startup. That secret-free active profile stays fixed for the daemon lifetime. **Settings → Session daemon** saves command and directory together as desired configuration and shows whether the profile is active, needs a restart, or cannot be compared. Until the daemon restarts, sessions, Pi package operations, package-backed plugin discovery, status/install detection, and update planning continue to use the daemon-owned active profile; a web/API restart recovers that same active profile instead of applying the newly saved values.
The session daemon resolves the persisted desired values plus its environment once at startup. That secret-free active profile stays fixed for the daemon lifetime. **Settings → Session daemon** saves command and directory together as desired configuration and shows whether the profile is active, needs a restart, or cannot be compared. Until the daemon restarts, sessions, Pi package operations, Pi-package-backed PI WEB plugin discovery, status/install detection, and update planning continue to use the daemon-owned active profile; a web/API restart recovers that same active profile instead of applying the newly saved values.
If the session daemon cannot report a valid active profile, profile-dependent package and plugin operations report unavailable instead of falling back to independently resolved config. A package-managed update command is shown only when PI WEB can preserve the active profile with a recognized, safe Pi companion CLI; otherwise the command is omitted. Remote profile editing likewise requires advertised support, and the gateway rejects a remote save if the target does not return the requested profile. Restart the session daemon on the selected machine to establish the next active profile.
If the session daemon cannot report a valid active profile, profile-dependent Pi package and PI WEB plugin operations report unavailable instead of falling back to independently resolved config. A package-managed update command is shown only when PI WEB can preserve the active profile with a recognized, safe Pi companion CLI; otherwise the command is omitted. Remote profile editing likewise requires advertised support, and the gateway rejects a remote save if the target does not return the requested profile. Restart the session daemon on the selected machine to establish the next active profile.
### Pi extension provider baseline
This policy applies to **Pi runtime extensions**, not PI WEB browser plugins. Pi extensions are runtime modules loaded by the session daemon and can call `pi.registerProvider(...)`; PI WEB plugins are browser-side UI modules and never run in the session daemon.
PI WEB shares one model runtime across all sessions. When the session daemon starts, before any project resources load, it initializes global Pi extensions from the active agent profile (`agent.dir`), including extensions supplied by globally configured Pi packages. Provider registrations made by synchronous or awaited asynchronous extension factories during this bootstrap join the shared baseline. PI WEB captures both config-form registrations (`pi.registerProvider("id", config)`) and native-provider registrations (`pi.registerProvider(provider)`), alongside Pi built-ins, environment credentials, and providers from the active agent directory's `models.json`.
After startup capture, every later Pi extension provider registration, native registration, and unregistration is a no-op, regardless of source or provider ID. This includes global extensions replayed while sessions load, project extensions attempting to add or replace a provider, same-ID replacement or unregistration, lifecycle callbacks such as `session_start`, and `/reload`. The captured provider stays unchanged while non-provider Pi extension features continue to load and reload normally.
Ignored mutations are written to the session-daemon log once per operation and provider ID. The log entry contains no provider configuration or credentials, and PI WEB does not show a session warning or notification. This prevents accidental provider, configuration, or credential contamination between projects; it is not a security boundary because Pi extensions remain trusted daemon code.
Configure providers before the daemon starts: use the active agent directory's `models.json`, or install the Pi extension globally in that agent profile. Project Pi extensions and project-level `models.json` files cannot add providers to PI WEB's shared baseline. After updating PI WEB—or after installing, removing, or updating a global Pi extension that registers providers—manually restart `pi-web-sessiond.service` (`systemctl --user restart pi-web-sessiond`). Restarting only the web/API service and running `/reload` do not rebuild the baseline.
### Session daemon tools