A new saved conversation
Pi starts blank, creates a session record, and saves the conversation so you can resume it later.
Pi clean-launch flags
Focus 1:
--no-session
Learn why this flag exists even though plain pi already starts a new conversation.
A temporary conversation
Pi starts blank and keeps the conversation only in memory. When you exit, Pi has no saved session to resume.
Last saved session→Temporary test→
pi -c returns to the last saved sessionWhy use it?
For a throwaway experiment
Test a role, prompt, model behavior, or launch configuration without adding the test to Pi's saved conversation history.
To protect your resume path
A normal new session becomes the latest saved session. A temporary session does not, so pi -c can still return to the saved conversation you were using before the test.
When you know you will not continue it
If the conversation has no future value, there is no need to create another saved session.
When you do not need it
If your only goal is to start with a blank conversation, plain pi already does that. Use --no-session only when you also want the new conversation to remain unsaved.
What it does not do
--no-tools.AGENTS.md and other resources can still load.Try the complete loop
This test changes no configuration. It creates one temporary conversation and then returns to your last saved one.
Before leaving: remember the return path. Exit a Pi editor with Ctrl+D when the editor is empty.
At the normal terminal prompt, start the temporary conversation with pi --no-session.
Inside temporary Pi, send the prompt below and observe that the conversation works normally.
Exit temporary Pi with Ctrl+D, then run pi -c at the terminal.
Expected result: your previous saved conversation returns. The temporary conversation is not the session that Pi resumes.
What this prompt asks Pi to do
Answer one harmless question inside the temporary conversation so you can see that “no session” still provides a working conversation.
Exact prompt to copy
In one sentence, explain whether this temporary conversation can still answer me normally.What to watch
Pi can answer even though the conversation will not be saved as a resumable Pi session.
What to report afterward
Explain which saved conversation pi -c reopened and why.
Understanding check
Why might you choose pi --no-session instead of plain pi, even though both start with a blank conversation?
Because plain
pi saves the new conversation and makes it resumable, while pi --no-session keeps a disposable test out of saved session history and leaves pi -c pointing to the prior saved session.Precise wording: say “last saved session,” not merely “last session.” The temporary conversation happened, but Pi did not save it as a resumable session.