Use Pi Coding Agent with A2Agent for Lower-Cost Models

Pi is a terminal coding agent that supports custom providers and models through ~/.pi/agent/models.json. By adding A2Agent as a custom provider, you can route Pi requests through A2Agent and select supported models from the /model picker.

Prerequisites

Pi Coding Agent installed — follow the official Pi Quickstart if needed
An A2Agent API key — sign up at a2agent.me/register to get one
A model ID listed on the A2Agent Models page

Setup

Create a custom A2Agent provider

Create or edit Pi’s custom model configuration:

mkdir -p ~/.pi/agent
nano ~/.pi/agent/models.json

Add the following configuration:

{
  "providers": {
    "a2agent": {
      "baseUrl": "https://api.a2agent.me/v1",
      "apiKey": "A2AGENT_API_KEY",
      "api": "openai-completions",
      "models": [
        {
          "id": "deepseek-v4-flash",
          "name": "DeepSeek V4 Flash"
        },
        {
          "id": "qwen3.7-plus",
          "name": "Qwen 3.7 Plus"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

The model IDs above are examples. Model availability may change, so use the exact IDs currently shown on the A2Agent Models page.

Start Pi and select an A2Agent model

Start Pi from the project directory:

cd /path/to/your/project
pi

Inside Pi, enter:

/model

Select:

a2agent

Then choose one of the configured models.

Run a test request

Start a new Pi session and enter:

Summarize this repository and explain how to run its checks.

You can also run a one-shot request:

pi --provider a2agent --model deepseek-v4-pro -p "Say hello and identify the active model."

If Pi returns a response, the A2Agent connection is working.

Troubleshooting

401 Unauthorized

Pi reached A2Agent, but the API key was rejected.

Confirm that the key is a valid A2Agent API key.
Check for accidental spaces or line breaks.
Do not use an OpenAI API key for A2Agent.

Connection refused or could not resolve host

Confirm that the base URL is exactly:

https://api.a2agent.me/v1

Make sure:

the /v1 path is included;
the URL does not contain /models or /chat/completions;
api is set to openai-completions; and

No A2Agent models appear in /model

Check the following:

the file is located at ~/.pi/agent/models.json;
the JSON syntax is valid;
the Provider name is a2agent;
at least one model is listed under models;
the model ID is spelled correctly.Check the current list at:A2Agent Models page

Model not found

The model ID must match an available A2Agent model exactly.Check the current list at:A2Agent Models pageModel IDs and availability may change over time. Update the models array with the current ID, then reopen /model.

Coding CLI Agents

Desktop & IDE Clients

Chat & GUI Apps

Local Runtimes / Harnesses

Prerequisites

Setup

Troubleshooting

​Prerequisites

​Setup

​Troubleshooting

Prerequisites

Setup

Troubleshooting