Windows Notes

Pi runs natively on Windows, but there are some platform-specific differences to be aware of.

Shell Requirements (bash tool)

Pi’s bash tool (and !command shortcuts) require a POSIX shell. On Windows, install one of:

You can also set a custom shell in settings:

{
  "shell_path": "C:\\Program Files\\Git\\bin\\bash.exe"
}

Newline: Use Ctrl+Enter to insert a newline in the editor (instead of Shift+Enter which is common on Linux/macOS). Enter submits the message.

Pi attempts to use the system clipboard for /copy and image pasting.

Ensure you are running in a terminal that supports clipboard access if using remote sessions (e.g. via SSH).
If clipboard operations fail, Pi will typically fall back to printing the content or ignoring the paste.

Pi supports both forward slashes / and backslashes \ in paths.
When configuring paths in JSON (e.g. settings.json), remember to escape backslashes: C:\Users\Name\.pi.
Use forward slashes in settings.json for cross-platform compatibility if possible (C:/Users/Name/.pi).

In bash tools and !command shortcuts, Pi tries to use sh (Git Bash or similar) if available.
If configuring shell_path, point it to your preferred shell executable (e.g., bash.exe, powershell.exe, pwsh.exe).
Secret resolution in models.json uses cmd /C to execute !commands.