Installing and Launching Pi (pi.dev)#

Follow these steps to set up the Pi coding agent on your Mac Studio and link it straight to your custom local short-context models.

1 Environment Preparation#

Because Pi is a JavaScript terminal application, it runs on Node.js. If you do not have Node installed yet, use Homebrew to get it ready.

1.1 Install Node.js via Homebrew#

brew install node

2 Installation#

Install the official global Pi command-line tool. As noted in the documentation, we include the security flag to bypass unnecessary third-party package scripts.

Git & GitHub Guide#

1 Installation & Initial Configuration#

1.1 Installation#

MacOS (Requires Homebrew)#

brew install git

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)#

apt-get install git

Verify Version#

git --version

1.2 Global Configuration#

# Set Identity
git config --global user.name "Marc Ouellet"
git config --global user.email "marc.ouellet@gmail.com"

# Set Default Branch to match GitHub (main)
git config --global init.defaultBranch main

# Verify Settings
git config --global user.name
git config --global user.email

# Common Alias
git config --global alias.s "status"

2 The Collaborative Workflow#

To work simultaneously on the same project without overwriting each other, you should follow a specific cycle for every work session. This process ensures that everyone stays in sync while moving one step at a time.

Linux Initial Setup Guide#

1. Initial System Setup#

Timezone & Updates#

timedatectl set-timezone America/Toronto

apt update && apt full-upgrade -y

Warpification (Terminal UI)#

echo -e '\n# Auto-Warpify\nprintf '\''\eP$f{"hook": "SourcedRcFileForWarp", "value": { "shell": "bash", "uname": "'$(uname)'" }}\x9c'\'' ' >> ~/.bashrc

Essential Package Installation#

For Virtual Machines (Full Suite):

apt install gdebi curl sudo gpg ethtool ngrep lshw lsscsi cifs-utils ncdu etherwake lshw sudo tasksel fail2ban openssh-server qemu-guest-agent unzip smbclient fio iperf3 nmap net-tools apt-transport-https software-properties-common wget duf tldr zip git eza snapd samba glances -y

For LXC Containers (Lightweight):

UniFi Device SSH Configuration#

This guide covers hardening and configuring SSH access for UniFi consoles (UDM-SE, UNVR, UNAS-Pro) and management of secondary devices like Switches and Access Points.

1. Console Configuration (UDM-SE, UNVR, UNAS-Pro)#

SSH Key Setup#

1. Edit the authorized keys file to add your public keys:

nano .ssh/authorized_keys

# Restart the service
systemctl restart sshd

Install Tailscale#

For complete subnet advertising (10.1.0.0/16), exit node setup, and route approval guidelines, see the Tailscale Guide.

Windows 11 Optimization & SSH Setup#

This guide covers privacy hardening by disabling the “Recall” feature and setting up SSH keys for remote access to your homelab infrastructure.

1. Managing Windows Recall (AI Privacy)#

Windows Recall captures snapshots of your screen to help you find things you’ve seen. For increased privacy, you can manage this feature via the Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) tool.

Check Status#

Run Command Prompt (CMD) as Administrator and execute: