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Providers & Models

Pi supports multiple LLM providers through both API keys and OAuth subscriptions. Each provider offers different models with varying capabilities for vision, reasoning, and context windows.

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Supported Providers

Pi maintains a registry of tool-capable models, updated with every release.

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Subscription-Based (OAuth)

Anthropic Claude

Pro/Max subscription
pi
/login anthropic

OpenAI Codex

ChatGPT Plus/Pro subscription (GPT-5.x models)
pi
/login openai-codex

GitHub Copilot

Copilot subscription
pi
/login github-copilot

Google Gemini CLI

Gemini 2.0/2.5 via Cloud Code Assist
pi
/login google-gemini-cli

Google Antigravity

Free Gemini 3, Claude, GPT-OSS via Google Cloud
pi
/login google-antigravity

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API Key-Based

ProviderEnvironment VariableModels
AnthropicANTHROPIC_API_KEYClaude 3.5 Sonnet, Opus, Haiku
OpenAIOPENAI_API_KEYGPT-4o, GPT-4o mini, o1
Google GeminiGEMINI_API_KEYGemini 1.5/2.0 Pro, Flash
Google VertexGOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT + ADCGemini via Vertex AI

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Authentication

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Quick Start with OAuth

1

Start Pi

pi
2

Login

/login
Select your provider from the interactive list.
3

Authenticate

Follow the OAuth flow in your browser. Pi will automatically save your credentials to ~/.pi/agent/auth.json.
4

Select Model

/model
Choose from available models for your provider.

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Using API Keys

Set environment variables before starting Pi:
# Anthropic
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# OpenAI
export OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Google Gemini
export GEMINI_API_KEY=AI...

# Then start Pi
pi

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Special Authentication Cases

Vertex AI uses Application Default Credentials:
# Local development
gcloud auth application-default login
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT="my-project"
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION="us-central1"

# Production (service account)
export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS="/path/to/key.json"
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT="my-project"
export GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION="us-central1"

pi --provider google-vertex
See Google ADC documentation.
Azure requires resource name or base URL:
export AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY="your-key"
export AZURE_OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://your-resource.openai.azure.com/openai/v1"
# Or
export AZURE_OPENAI_RESOURCE_NAME="your-resource"

# Optional: API version (defaults to v1)
export AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION="v1"

# Optional: Model to deployment mapping
export AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT_NAME_MAP="gpt-4o=my-deployment,gpt-4o-mini=prod"

pi --provider azure-openai
Bedrock uses AWS credentials:
# Option 1: AWS Profile
export AWS_PROFILE="my-profile"
export AWS_REGION="us-east-1"

# Option 2: Access Keys
export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="..."
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="..."
export AWS_REGION="us-east-1"

# Option 3: Bearer Token
export AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK="..."
export AWS_REGION="us-east-1"

pi --provider amazon-bedrock

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Model Selection

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Interactive Selection

Press Ctrl+L or use /model to open the model selector: 
┌─ Select Model ────────────────────────────────────┐
│ > claude-sonnet                                   │
│                                                   │
│ anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514               │
│ anthropic/claude-opus-4-5                        │
│ anthropic/claude-3-5-haiku-20241022              │
│ openai/gpt-4o                                    │
│ openai/gpt-4o-mini                               │
│ google/gemini-2.5-flash                          │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Command Line Selection

pi --provider anthropic --model claude-sonnet-4

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Cycling Models

Configure models to cycle with Ctrl+P: 
# Specific models
pi --models "claude-sonnet-4,claude-haiku,gpt-4o"

# All models from a provider
pi --models "anthropic/*"

# Glob patterns
pi --models "*sonnet*,*haiku*"

# With thinking levels
pi --models "sonnet:high,haiku:low,gpt-4o:medium"
In Pi, press:
  • Ctrl+P: Next model
  • Shift+Ctrl+P: Previous model

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Listing Available Models

# List all models
pi --list-models

# Search models
pi --list-models sonnet
pi --list-models "vision"
pi --list-models "reasoning"

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Model Capabilities

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Vision Support

Models with input: ["text", "image"] can process images: 
# Check if model supports vision
pi --list-models --model gpt-4o | grep input

# Use with images
pi --model gpt-4o @screenshot.png "What's in this image?"

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Reasoning/Thinking

Models with reasoning: true support extended thinking: 
pi --model gpt-5-mini --thinking high
Thinking levels:
  • minimal: Fast responses
  • low, medium: Balanced
  • high, xhigh: Deep reasoning

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Default Models

Set default model in ~/.pi/agent/settings.json: 
{
  "defaultProvider": "anthropic",
  "defaultModel": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
  "defaultThinkingLevel": "medium"
}
Or use /settings command in Pi.

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Switching Providers Mid-Session

Pi supports switching models and providers during a conversation: 
# In Pi:
> "Explain quantum computing" 
> (Using claude-sonnet-4)
> /model
> (Switch to gpt-4o)
> "Simplify that explanation"
> (Using gpt-4o, sees full conversation history)
Thinking blocks from one provider are converted to text with <thinking> tags when sent to other providers.

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Cost & Token Tracking

Pi tracks token usage and costs automatically: 
┌─ Footer ──────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ~/project  session-name                           │
│ 1.2M / 200K tokens (cached: 800K)                │
│ $0.15 total ($0.03 this turn)                    │
│ anthropic/claude-sonnet-4                         │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
View detailed stats: 
/session  # Shows total tokens, cost, cache usage

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Environment Variables Reference

# Anthropic
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
ANTHROPIC_OAUTH_TOKEN=...  # Alternative to API key

# OpenAI
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Azure OpenAI
AZURE_OPENAI_API_KEY=...
AZURE_OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://resource.openai.azure.com/openai/v1
AZURE_OPENAI_RESOURCE_NAME=...  # Alternative to base URL
AZURE_OPENAI_API_VERSION=v1
AZURE_OPENAI_DEPLOYMENT_NAME_MAP=model=deployment,model2=deployment2

# Google
GEMINI_API_KEY=AI...
GOOGLE_CLOUD_PROJECT=my-project  # For Vertex/Gemini CLI
GOOGLE_CLOUD_LOCATION=us-central1
GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=/path/to/key.json

# Amazon Bedrock
AWS_PROFILE=my-profile
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=...
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK=...
AWS_REGION=us-east-1

# Other Providers
GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...
CEREBRAS_API_KEY=...
XAI_API_KEY=...
OPENROUTER_API_KEY=...
AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY=...
ZAI_API_KEY=...
MISTRAL_API_KEY=...
MINIMAX_API_KEY=...
KIMI_API_KEY=...

# GitHub Copilot
COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_...
GH_TOKEN=ghp_...  # Alternative
GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_...  # Alternative

# Advanced
PI_CACHE_RETENTION=long  # Extend cache: Anthropic 1h, OpenAI 24h
PI_AI_ANTIGRAVITY_VERSION=1.23.0  # Override Antigravity version

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Troubleshooting

# Clear saved credentials
rm ~/.pi/agent/auth.json

# Re-authenticate
pi
/login

# Check available models
pi --list-models

# Ensure you're authenticated
pi
/login provider-name
Enable the model in VS Code first:
  1. Open VS Code
  2. Open Copilot Chat
  3. Click model selector
  4. Select the model (shows warning icon)
  5. Click “Enable”
  6. Try again in Pi
# Switch to different provider
/model

# Or use slower model from same provider
pi --model claude-haiku  # Cheaper, higher limits

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