Run pig from the folder you want to work in. pig uses that folder to discover files, instructions, and configuration, and to group saved sessions. If you have not installed pig or chosen a model yet, follow the Quickstart.

pig may ask whether you trust the working folder before loading its project resources. See Project trust.

The transcript shows your prompts, pig's responses, tool calls, results, and errors. You write prompts and commands in the editor. The footer shows the current folder, session, model, context usage, and accumulated usage and cost.

Type a request and press Enter to send it. Use Shift+Enter to add a line, or press Ctrl+G to work on a longer prompt in your configured external editor.

To include files or images:

• Type @ to search for a file and add it to your prompt.
• Press Tab to complete a path.
• Paste an image or drag it into a compatible terminal.

pig shows each tool call and result while it works. Press Ctrl+O to expand or collapse tool output. Press Ctrl+T to show or hide thinking blocks.

The startup header lists the instructions and resources pig loaded. The editor border indicates the current thinking level. The footer updates as the model uses context and reports usage.

pig does not ask before every tool call. Review commands and changed files, and use a sandbox for untrusted or unattended work. See Security.

You can send more input while pig is working:

What you want	Action
Adjust the current task	Type a message and press Enter
Add work after the current task	Type a message and press Alt+Enter (or Command+Enter where the terminal sends it)
Return queued messages to the editor	Press Alt+Up
Stop the current task	Press Escape

A message sent with Enter waits until the current response and its tool calls finish, then guides the next response. A follow-up sent with Alt+Enter waits until pig finishes the current task. Aborting returns queued messages to the editor.

Windows Terminal reserves some Alt shortcuts. See Terminal Setup for the Windows alternatives.

Type / to search the available commands. The commands you will use most often are:

• /model selects a model. Press Ctrl+L to open the same selector.
• /thinking selects how much reasoning the current model uses. Press Shift+Tab to cycle through supported levels.
• /login and /logout manage provider access.
• /settings changes common preferences.

Prompt templates, skills, and extensions can add more commands to the same menu. See Choose a Model, Configuration, or the complete Slash Commands reference.

pig saves sessions automatically unless session persistence is disabled.

• /new starts a new session.
• /resume opens another saved session.
• /name gives the current session a recognizable name.
• /session shows its file, ID, message count, token usage, and cost.

Use /tree, /fork, or /clone when you want to explore another approach without losing existing work. Use /compact to reduce the conversation history sent to the model. See Sessions and Context for these workflows.

After leaving pig, run pig --continue from the same folder to resume its most recent session.

Prefix a command with ! to run it and include its output in the conversation:

!git status

Use !! when you want to run a command without sending its output to the model. pig still records it in the session, marked as excluded from context.

Press Ctrl+X or run /copy to copy the last assistant response. Use /export to save the session as HTML or JSONL, or /export md for Markdown.

Use /share to upload the session and get a viewer link. pig creates a secret GitHub gist through the GitHub CLI (gh, signed in), so anyone with the link can view it. Review the session first because it can contain prompts, tool output, file contents, and credentials exposed during the conversation.

Regular mode uses the terminal's normal scrollback. Fullscreen mode keeps the editor and status area fixed while the transcript scrolls within the terminal window. Choose a mode through /settings or --tui-mode.

Terminal support for mouse input, keyboard shortcuts, and inline images varies. See Terminal Setup for platform-specific configuration and Keybindings for every configurable shortcut. Run /hotkeys to inspect the shortcuts active in your current session.

When troubleshooting terminal rendering or conversation state, run /debug. pig writes the rendered terminal lines and current session messages to pig-debug.log in your agent directory.

Review this file before sharing it. It can contain prompts, model responses, tool output, file contents, and terminal data.