PiG can create prompt templates. Ask it to build one for your workflow.

Prompt Templates

Prompt templates are Markdown snippets that expand into full prompts. Type /name in the editor to invoke a template, where name is the filename without .md.

Locations

PiG loads prompt templates from:

Global: ~/.pig/agent/prompts/*.md
Project: .pig/prompts/*.md (only after the project is trusted)
Packages: prompts/ directories or pi.prompts entries in package.json
Settings: prompts array with files or directories
CLI: --prompt-template <path> (repeatable)

Disable discovery with --no-prompt-templates. Run /reload after you add or change a template in an active session.

A leading ~ in a prompts setting entry expands to your home directory, also in !, +, - and wildcard entries such as "!~/prompts/old.md", as in Pi 1.5.0.

Format

---
description: Review staged git changes
---
Review the staged changes (`git diff --cached`). Focus on:
- Bugs and logic errors
- Security issues
- Error handling gaps

The filename becomes the command name. review.md becomes /review.
description is optional. If missing, the first non-empty line is used.
argument-hint is optional. When set, the hint is displayed before the description in the autocomplete dropdown.

Argument Hints

Use argument-hint in frontmatter to show expected arguments in autocomplete. Use <angle brackets> for required arguments and [square brackets] for optional ones:

---
description: Review PRs from URLs with structured issue and code analysis
argument-hint: "<PR-URL>"
---

This renders in the autocomplete dropdown as:

→ pr   <PR-URL>      : Review PRs from URLs with structured issue and code analysis
  is   <issue>       : Analyze GitHub issues (bugs or feature requests)
  wr   [instructions]: Finish the current task end-to-end
  cl  : Audit changelog entries before release

Usage

Type / followed by the template name in the editor. Autocomplete shows available templates with descriptions. PiG expands the template before the text reaches the agent. Extensions receive the raw input first through the input event, unless an extension command with the same name handles it.

/review                           # Expands review.md
/component Button                 # Expands with argument
/component Button "click handler" # Multiple arguments

Arguments

Templates support positional arguments, defaults, and simple slicing:

$1, $2, ... positional args
$@ or $ARGUMENTS for all args joined
${1:-default} uses arg 1 when present/non-empty, otherwise default
${@:-default} or ${ARGUMENTS:-default} uses all arguments when present/non-empty, otherwise default
${@:N} for args from the Nth position (1-indexed)
${@:N:L} for L args starting at N

Arguments follow shell-like quoting, so /review "API compatibility" supplies one argument that contains a space.

Example:

---
description: Create a component
---
Create a React component named $1 with features: $@

Default values are useful for optional arguments:

Summarize the current state in ${1:-7} bullet points.

Usage: /component Button "onClick handler" "disabled support"

Loading Rules

Template discovery in prompts/ is non-recursive.
If you want templates in subdirectories, add them explicitly via prompts settings or a package manifest.

Worked example

Save this as ~/.pig/agent/prompts/review.md:

---
description: Review staged git changes
argument-hint: "[focus]"
---
Review the staged changes (`git diff --cached`). Focus on: $1
Bugs, security issues and error handling gaps.

Type a slash and the first letters of the name (here re) in the editor. The autocomplete list shows the template with its argument hint, its description and where it came from ([u] for your own templates, [p] for the project's):

  reload      Reload keybindings, extensions, skills, prompts, themes, and context files
  review      [focus] — [u] Review staged git changes

Type /review security and press Enter. PiG sends the expanded text, not the command. Checked in the provider request:

Review the staged changes (`git diff --cached`). Focus on: security
Bugs, security issues and error handling gaps.

The argument forms, checked on PiG. For the template Create a React component named $1 with features: $@, typing /component Button "onClick handler" "disabled support" sends:

Create a React component named Button with features: Button onClick handler disabled support

$@ is all arguments, including the first. For the template Summarize the current state in ${1:-7} bullet points. Rest: ${@:2}, saved as sum.md:

you type:   /sum
PiG sends:  Summarize the current state in 7 bullet points. Rest:

you type:   /sum 3 alpha beta
PiG sends:  Summarize the current state in 3 bullet points. Rest: alpha beta

A template whose name matches a built-in command never runs: the built-in wins (Slash commands).

See upstream Pi's prompt template documentation for the reference implementation.

PiG Documentation