# Pi: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters > Split into individual files for easier consumption. ## Table of Contents - [01. What Pi Is](./01-what-pi-is.md) - [02. Design Philosophy](./02-design-philosophy.md) - [03. The Four Modes of Operation](./03-the-four-modes-of-operation.md) - [04. The Architecture — How Everything Fits Together](./04-the-architecture-how-everything-fits-together.md) - [05. The Agent Loop — How Pi Thinks](./05-the-agent-loop-how-pi-thinks.md) - [06. Tools — How Pi Acts on the World](./06-tools-how-pi-acts-on-the-world.md) - [07. Sessions — Memory That Branches](./07-sessions-memory-that-branches.md) - [08. Compaction — How Pi Manages Context Limits](./08-compaction-how-pi-manages-context-limits.md) - [09. The Customization Stack](./09-the-customization-stack.md) - [10. Providers & Models — Multi-Model by Default](./10-providers-models-multi-model-by-default.md) - [11. The Interactive TUI](./11-the-interactive-tui.md) - [12. The Message Queue — Talking While Pi Thinks](./12-the-message-queue-talking-while-pi-thinks.md) - [13. Context Files — Project Instructions](./13-context-files-project-instructions.md) - [14. The SDK & RPC — Embedding Pi](./14-the-sdk-rpc-embedding-pi.md) - [15. Pi Packages — The Ecosystem](./15-pi-packages-the-ecosystem.md) - [16. Why Pi Matters — What Makes It Different](./16-why-pi-matters-what-makes-it-different.md) - [17. File Reference — All Documentation](./17-file-reference-all-documentation.md) - [18. Quick Reference — Commands & Shortcuts](./18-quick-reference-commands-shortcuts.md) - [19. Building Branded Apps on Top of Pi](./19-building-branded-apps-on-top-of-pi.md) --- *Split into per-section files for surgical context loading.*