CF

Pi - The Practical Guide

2h 36m 46s
English
Paid
Added to CourseFlix

Pi - The Practical Guide is a 45-lesson 2 hours 36 minutes self-paced course by Academind Pro (Maximilian Schwarzmüller). “Pi — A Practical Guide” is a course for developers who want to quickly master the minimalistic and extensible AI coding agent and customize it for real development tasks: working with code, terminal, files, context, sessions, packages…

Course facts

Lessons
45
Duration
2 hours 36 minutes
Language
English
Added to CourseFlix
October 2026
Instructor
Academind Pro (Maximilian Schwarzmüller)
Price
Premium

“Pi — A Practical Guide” is a course for developers who want to quickly master the minimalistic and extensible AI coding agent and customize it for real development tasks: working with code, terminal, files, context, sessions, packages, skills, and extensions.

Course Description

Pi is designed to be minimalistic yet highly extensible. This flexibility makes the tool adaptable but may initially raise questions: which AI model to choose, how the security system is set up, how to manage sessions and context, and which packages and extensions are truly useful in everyday work.

The course will guide you through a practical path — from the initial installation and configuration of Pi to daily use in projects. You will connect an AI model, configure the agent’s behavior, learn to work with files and the terminal, provide the right context, solve tasks within the codebase, and gradually extend Pi for your own workflow.

Special attention is given to advanced features: AGENTS.md files, reusable agent skills, prompt templates, packages, subagents, extensions, task management, session cloning and forking, session trees, summarization, and context compaction.

What You Will Learn

After completing the course, you will be able to transform Pi into a full-fledged coding agent, tailored to your development style, project requirements, and level of control needed.

Installing and Configuring Pi

You will install Pi, connect a supported AI model, understand model selection and reasoning levels, and learn to manage global and project settings.

Working Safely with Pi

You will understand Pi’s security model, learn to consciously use trust in projects, restrict available tools, and, if necessary, run Pi in a Docker container for additional isolation.

Using Pi in Daily Development

You will learn how to pass the necessary files and instructions to the agent, work with the terminal, execute commands, plan tasks before implementation, and get better answers through proper context management.

Configuring Agent Behavior through AGENTS.md

You will master local and global AGENTS.md files to set rules, constraints, work style, project specifics, and constant instructions for different codebases and sessions.

Extending Pi with Packages and Skills

You will explore useful packages that add web access, additional constraints, and subagents, as well as create your own reusable agent skills and prompt templates for recurring tasks.

Creating Pi Extensions

You will move from configuration to customization: learn to develop Pi extensions that can add new tools, commands, interface elements, permission checks, and other features.

Managing Sessions and Large Contexts

You will learn to queue tasks, resume work, clone and fork sessions, navigate session trees, and use summarization and compaction for effective work with long context chains.

What’s Included in the Program

  • Pi installation and initial configuration.
  • Connecting an AI model via subscription, API key, or local model.
  • Model selection and reasoning level configuration.
  • Global and project settings for Pi.
  • Security model, project trust, and tool constraints.
  • Running Pi in Docker for additional isolation.
  • Working with files, terminal, and tasks within the project.
  • Planning work without built-in Plan Mode.
  • Context and answer quality management.
  • Using local and global AGENTS.md files.
  • Installation and use of packages, subagents, and additional tools.
  • Creating your own agent skills and reusable prompt templates.
  • Developing Pi extensions.
  • Cloning, forking, session trees, summarization, and context compaction.

Practical Outcome

By the end of the course, you will confidently use Pi not as an experimental chat tool but as a working AI coding agent for development. You will be able to adapt it to a specific project, set behavior rules, restrict access, add new features, and build a sustainable process for working with long tasks and large context.

Requirements

  • Basic programming experience and understanding of code project workflows.
  • Pi installed or willingness to install it during the course.
  • Access to a supported AI model — via subscription, API key, or local model.
  • No prior experience with Pi is required.

Who This Course Is For

For Beginner Pi Users

This course is suitable if you want a clear path from installation and basic setup to confident use of Pi in real development tasks.

For AI Coding Agent Users

If you have already worked with tools like Claude Code, Codex, or other programming AI agents, this course will help you evaluate Pi as a more minimalistic and flexible alternative.

For Developers Needing More Control

The course will be useful if you want to go beyond ordinary prompting and build your own AI agent configuration with packages, skills, prompt templates, extensions, and advanced session management.

For Teams and Technical Specialists

The material is also suitable for those who want to standardize AI agent work in projects, define rules through AGENTS.md, limit available actions, and make using Pi more predictable and secure.

Who teaches Pi - The Practical Guide? Academind Pro (Maximilian Schwarzmüller)

Academind Pro (Maximilian Schwarzmüller) thumbnail

Academind is the teaching brand of Maximilian Schwarzmüller (Max) and Manuel Lorenz, two German developers whose Udemy catalog has become one of the largest single-instructor presences on that platform. Max in particular is widely cited as one of the clearest teachers of the JavaScript framework landscape — his Angular, React, Vue, and Node.js courses have collectively taught millions of students.

The Academind Pro platform extends beyond Udemy with deeper, more comprehensive courses aimed at developers building real applications rather than picking up syntax. Course material covers the full modern web stack: React (including Next.js), Vue, Angular, Node.js, NestJS, TypeScript, Docker, AWS, React Native, Flutter, and the broader full-stack JavaScript ecosystem.

The CourseFlix listing under this source carries over 25 Academind Pro courses spanning that range. Material is paid; Academind Pro runs on per-course pricing on the original platform. Courses are taught in Max's signature thorough, build-an-application-with-me style — long-form, deeply project-based, and continuously updated as the underlying frameworks evolve.

What lessons are included in Pi - The Practical Guide?

This is a demo lesson (10:00 remaining)

Watch the first 10 minutes free. One payment unlocks all 45 lessons here and every other premium course. No auto-renew.

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#1: Welcome To The Course!
All Course Lessons (45)
#Lesson TitleDurationAccess
1
Welcome To The Course! Demo
00:46
2
Installing Pi & Choosing A Model
03:56
3
Exploring Base Settings
02:12
4
Understanding Pi's Security Model
01:58
5
Running in a Sandbox
10:00
6
Exploring More Advanced Settings
06:19
7
Key Shortcuts & Hotkeys To Note
03:21
8
Basic Sessions Usage (Continue, Resume)
03:34
9
Searching & Understanding Sessions Management
04:21
10
Using Ephemeral Sessions
01:11
11
Starting with Initial Prompts & Using Print Mode
02:00
12
Controlling Tools Availability
03:35
13
Module Introduction
00:58
14
Introducing Pi Packages
00:55
15
Installing & Configuring a Third-Party Packages
05:01
16
Packages Can Add New Tools!
00:56
17
Adding Guardrails via a Package
02:34
18
Adding Subagents to Pi
02:05
19
Letting Pi Configure Itself
02:58
20
Exploring More Packages
00:40
21
Tweaking via AGENTS.md
04:22
22
Module Introduction
03:41
23
Referencing Files
02:56
24
Base TUI Interactions & Context Management
06:03
25
Running Normal Terminal Commands Easily In Pi
02:39
26
More Base Commands
02:45
27
Working With Pi On An Actual Project
02:54
28
Planning Without Plan Mode
04:40
29
More Example Work
02:36
30
Understanding Agent Skills
02:25
31
Module Introduction
00:58
32
Creating A Skill From Scratch
09:02
33
Building Global Skills & When To Use
06:29
34
Activating Skills Manually
00:55
35
Problem: Repeated Prompts
05:15
36
Solution: Prompt Templates
04:57
37
Introducing Extensions
02:54
38
Building Extensions
05:47
39
Steering & Queueing
04:38
40
How Pi Stores Sessions
01:51
41
Pi Session Management Commands
01:06
42
Cloning Sessions
03:19
43
Forking Sessions
02:03
44
Using the /tree Command
10:33
45
Managing Compaction
02:38
Watch the other 44 lessons

One payment unlocks this course and every other premium course. No auto-renew.

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What courses are similar to Pi - The Practical Guide?

More courses by Academind Pro (Maximilian Schwarzmüller)

Frequently asked questions

How much coding experience do I need before starting?
You'll get more out of the course if you're already comfortable working in a codebase and using a terminal. It starts with installing and configuring Pi, so you don't need to have the agent set up beforehand. The focus is on using and customizing a development tool rather than learning programming fundamentals. If files, terminal commands, and project configuration are familiar territory, you're closer to the intended starting point.
Will I actually use Pi on code, or mostly watch configuration walkthroughs?
You'll move beyond setup into working with Pi on an actual project. That includes referencing files, running terminal commands, supplying context, and planning work inside a codebase. There's also a section on creating a skill from scratch, plus work with prompt templates and extensions. Expect practical examples of using and adapting the agent, rather than a course organized around building one particular application from start to finish.
Is this useful if I want more control over my coding agent?
Yes, especially if you want to decide how the agent behaves rather than stick with its initial setup. You'll explore tool availability, project instructions through AGENTS.md, reusable skills, packages, and extensions. Security settings, sandboxing, and package-based guardrails also get attention. The emphasis is on shaping Pi around your development workflow, so it's a relevant fit if you're interested in both everyday use and the configuration behind it.
I already have Pi running. Does the course go beyond the basics?
Yes. Installation and basic settings are only the starting point. You'll also get into subagents, building extensions, creating reusable skills, and managing more complicated session histories. For example, cloning and forking sessions give you ways to branch your work, while compaction addresses how context is managed as a session grows. If you've only used basic prompts and resumed a few sessions, there's substantially more here than another setup walkthrough.
Does it help me choose a model and understand what Pi can access?
You'll work through choosing and connecting a supported AI model, along with settings such as reasoning levels. On the access side, there's attention to Pi's security model, running in a sandbox, and controlling which tools are available. Those are useful areas to understand before letting an agent work with your files and terminal. The course addresses both model configuration and operational controls, rather than treating installation as the whole setup process.
How much time should I set aside?
The video runtime is 2 hours and 36 minutes across 45 lessons. That's the viewing time, not a promise that you'll finish configuring and practicing everything in that window. If you want to follow along, allow extra time to install Pi, connect a model, try it on a project, and experiment with skills or extensions. You can use the runtime as your baseline and leave room for hands-on work.
Will any of this still be useful if I switch to another coding agent later?
Some of the habits should carry over: giving an agent relevant files, keeping context focused, turning repeated instructions into reusable prompts, and thinking carefully about tool access. You'll practice those ideas through Pi's own features. The exact commands, extension mechanisms, and session controls are Pi-specific, though, so don't expect a direct translation everywhere. The broader value is in learning how to structure agent-assisted work, alongside learning this particular tool.