Tool Output Browser

Most of this extension was written with the pi agent CLI.

Opens one tool result at a time without changing pi's compact transcript view.

Back to the extension workspace

Usage

Open the browser in TUI mode:

• Run /tool-output to browse tool outputs on the active session branch.
• Run /tool-output [initial filter] to open with an optional filter.

In the picker:

• Type to filter by tool name, arguments, output, or result details.
• Press Up / Down and Page Up / Page Down to navigate.
• Press Enter to open the selected result.
• Press Escape or Ctrl+C to close.

In an opened result:

• Press Up / Down or j / k to scroll one visual line.
• Press Page Up / Page Down or Space to scroll one page.
• Press Home / End or g / G to jump to the start or end.
• Press Tab / Right to switch among output, arguments, and details.
• Press n / p to open the next or previous matching tool result.
• Press Escape / Left to return to the picker.
• Press Ctrl+C to close the browser.

Pi's normal Ctrl+O remains unchanged and still expands or collapses every tool row in the transcript.

Scope and limitations

The browser reads tool-result messages from the current active branch. Newest results appear first; results that exist only on alternate branches are not shown.

The output view shows the complete text stored in the tool-result message, rather than the compact transcript preview. The arguments and details views show the corresponding stored metadata. The browser shows image blocks as MIME-type markers, not terminal images.

The browser uses an overlay because pi's public extension API exposes only the global tool-expansion state. It cannot focus or expand individual built-in transcript rows.

Tool-level truncation still applies. If a tool stored only a truncated result, such as a large read result, the browser cannot recover omitted content. For truncated bash output, use the full-output path recorded by pi when that temporary file is still available.

Privacy

The extension reads only the active in-memory session branch and does not write or upload tool output. It displays output and metadata locally in the TUI.

Requirements

Interactive TUI mode is required; overlays are unavailable in RPC, JSON, and print modes.

Installation

Install the standalone package:

pi install npm:@stagefright5/pi-tool-output-browser

For source development and tests, see the source README and workspace development guide.