Start here

PI-Desktop is a local-first AI coding agent desktop client. The app keeps the workspace, host process, agent runtime, and provider configuration visible and inspectable while still making everyday coding work feel direct.

Choose a path

If you want to…	Start with
Understand what is shipped	Product scope
Learn how the system fits together	Architecture
Trace a protocol or storage boundary	Runtime specs
Build an extension	Plugin development
Understand why a decision exists	ADR index
Validate a user-visible change	E2E test plan

The Chinese entry follows this same path: open the bilingual guide to read the localized orientation and jump into the matching topic map.

The mental model

Renderer UI  →  Electron orchestration  →  Rust host core
      ↓                    ↓                       ↓
  transcript          pi Node sidecar          SQLite + processes

The renderer owns presentation. Electron coordinates desktop capabilities. The Rust host owns privileged process, filesystem, RPC, and persistence boundaries. The pi sidecar owns the agent loop and provider-facing model work.

Working with the docs

The documentation is English-first at the source-of-truth level. The 中文入口 provides the same information architecture and a complete translated companion for every specification. Each Chinese page links back to its English source; technical identifiers remain unchanged so search and cross-reference paths stay stable. Use global search when you know a term, protocol method, or decision number; use the sidebar when you are exploring a domain.

Before you change a boundary

1. Read the relevant spec.
2. Check the linked ADRs and the decisions log.
3. Update the E2E scenario when behavior is user-visible or protocol-visible.
4. Run the narrowest useful validation, then record the result in the change.

See the AI development workflow and change checklist for the complete repository rules.