Domande frequenti
Questions, answered.
The things people ask before, and right after, installing pi-gna.
What is pi-gna?
A desktop app for the pi coding agent. It gives pi a window: readable chats, a browser you share with it, Computer Use, a Kanban board per project, GitHub reviews, laments, ATP plans, inline visuals and an iPhone remote.
Do I need pi installed?
Yes. pi-gna is a frontend, not a fork: every chat is a pi --mode rpc process running your own pi (1.0.0 or newer), with your models, logins, settings, extensions, skills and MCP servers.
Is it free?
Yes. pi-gna is open source under the MIT license, with no account to make. You pay your model provider as you do in the terminal.
Can I keep using pi in the terminal?
Of course. Sessions are pi’s own session files, so a chat started in the terminal continues in pi-gna, and back. pi --pigna opens pi-gna on the project you are in.
Which models does it support?
Whatever your pi supports. Settings › Providers signs in to pi’s model providers with an account or an API key, as pi’s /login does.
Why does macOS say it can’t verify the app?
Builds are not notarized, because there is no paid Apple certificate behind the project. Click Open Anyway in System Settings › Privacy & Security, or run xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/pi-gna.app.
Does pi-gna send my code anywhere?
pi-gna has no server, no account and no telemetry. Your prompts go to your model provider through pi, exactly as they do in the terminal, and pi-gna checks GitHub for updates.
Can pi click around my Mac without asking?
Computer Use is off by default. When it is on, you approve each app (once or always), terminals, pi-gna and system security prompts are always off limits, and Esc stops it. pi uses a cursor of its own, never your mouse.
How does the iPhone remote work?
Over Tailscale: pi-gna serves itself to your own tailnet with tailscale serve, never the public internet. Add it to your Home Screen, pair with a one-time code, and keep the Mac awake. It is off by default.
Will my pi extensions work?
Yes, they run inside pi exactly as in the terminal. Their dialogs, notices and widgets are drawn natively. Terminal-only UI (custom components, headers, footers) isn’t available in RPC mode.
Windows? Linux?
macOS is the home of pi-gna. A Windows x64 beta is published now and then as a GitHub prerelease; Linux isn’t supported yet.
How do updates work?
pi-gna checks GitHub when it starts and every few hours. A row in the sidebar shows the release notes; Update installs the new version when you quit, or right away with Restart now.
What does the name mean?
Pigna is Italian for pine cone, and mano a pigna is the 🤌 gesture. The hand is the P in the logo.
Something else? Ask on GitHub.
Pronto? Andiamo.
Free and open source. Bring the pi you already have, and it’s ready in a minute.
Install pi-gna for me by following the "For agents" steps in https://github.com/manuelcecchetto/pi-gna 