{"slug": "show-hn-pi-black-use-your-claude-max-or-pro-subscription-with-pi", "title": "Show HN: Pi-Black – Use Your Claude Max (Or Pro) Subscription with Pi", "summary": "Paolo Anzini released Pi-Black, an unofficial Pi package that lets users run Anthropic's Claude Max or Pro subscriptions through the Pi assistant by routing OAuth requests via Claude Code 2.1.224 conventions. The package supports Pi versions 0.84.1, 0.84.2, and 0.84.3, and is available via Git install or as a standalone binary for macOS and Linux. It preserves Pi's credential storage and other features while only transforming OAuth-token requests.", "body_md": "Use your Claude Max (or Pro) subscription with Pi.\n\nPi Black is an unofficial Pi package that routes Anthropic OAuth requests through your existing Claude subscription usage by applying Claude Code 2.1.224 request conventions. The existing source patch and standalone-binary build system remain available as a fallback.\n\nPi Black has three independently versioned compatibility surfaces:\n\n| Component | Compatible version |\n|---|---|\n| Pi package | Pi 0.84.1, 0.84.2, and 0.84.3 |\nStandalone `pi-black` binary |\nBased on Pi 0.84.1 |\n| Claude Code protocol | 2.1.224 |\n\nThe Pi package fails closed on versions other than 0.84.1, 0.84.2, and 0.84.3. Each new Pi version must be explicitly revalidated and added to the runtime allowlist; the package peer dependencies are `\"*\"`\n\nbecause Pi supplies its core packages at runtime.\n\n```\npi install git:github.com/paoloanzn/pi-black\n```\n\nPi checks unpinned Git packages for updates in the background. When a newer Pi Black commit is available, Pi displays a package-update notice; apply it with:\n\n```\npi update --extensions\n```\n\nFor a reproducible install, pin a release tag:\n\n```\npi install git:github.com/paoloanzn/pi-black@v0.84.1-cc2.1.224.6\n```\n\nPinned packages do not move automatically. Install a newer tagged ref explicitly when you are ready to upgrade.\n\nThen use Pi's normal Anthropic login:\n\n```\n/login anthropic\n```\n\nThe package replaces only the built-in Anthropic provider implementation and only transforms OAuth-token requests. It preserves Pi's credential storage, OAuth refresh, model behavior, tools, retries, streaming, and usage accounting. API-key requests and non-Anthropic providers pass through unchanged.\n\nNo identity environment variables are required. When Claude Code state exists, Pi Black reads the installation ID and account UUID from `~/.claude.json`\n\n(or the location selected by `CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR`\n\n) in memory and adds matching request metadata. It does not copy, print, or persist those values.\n\nCurrent subscription routing also works when that optional metadata is unavailable, as demonstrated by the standalone Pi Black binary with no identity variables in its environment.\n\nFor Anthropic OAuth requests, Pi Black reproduces the version-specific SDK-CLI request shape:\n\n- exact billing and Agent SDK system-block ordering;\n- the prompt-dependent\n`cc_version`\n\nsuffix; - structure-aware\n`cch`\n\ncalculation using seeded XXH64; - per-request\n`x-client-request-id`\n\nvalues; - Claude Code session headers;\n- automatically discovered identity metadata when available.\n\nThe checksum implementation validates and updates only the first billing system block. User content, tool results, descriptions, and nested `model`\n\nor `max_tokens`\n\nfields cannot redirect the placeholder patch.\n\n```\nnpm ci --ignore-scripts\nnpm run check\n```\n\nPublic CI uses fake transports only. It never makes provider requests and requires no credentials.\n\nThe Pi package is the recommended installation. macOS and Linux users who prefer the standalone patched build can install the latest native release as `pi-black`\n\n:\n\n```\ncurl -fsSL https://github.com/paoloanzn/pi-black/releases/latest/download/install.sh | sh\n```\n\nThe installed launcher checks the latest release checksum at interactive startup. If the installed build differs, it offers to update before starting Pi Black. Downloads are checksum-verified; network-check failures are silent, while a rejected or failed update continues with the installed build. Set `PI_BLACK_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1`\n\nto disable this check; Pi's `PI_OFFLINE=1`\n\nalso disables it.\n\nInstall a specific standalone release with `PI_BLACK_RELEASE`\n\n:\n\n```\ncurl -fsSL https://github.com/paoloanzn/pi-black/releases/latest/download/install.sh | PI_BLACK_RELEASE=v0.84.1-cc2.1.224.6 sh\n```\n\nThe repository pins an immutable commit from [ paoloanzn/pi](https://github.com/paoloanzn/pi), applies the patch under\n\n`patches/`\n\n, and delegates standalone compilation to Pi's release builder.\n\n```\n./scripts/verify.sh\n./scripts/build-all.sh \"$PWD/out\"\n```\n\nManual patch application:\n\n```\ngit clone https://github.com/paoloanzn/pi.git pi\ncd pi\ngit checkout --detach 7aca0d7b3e041a9e2b635e8370b2549f032932d6\ngit am ../pi-black/patches/*.patch\n```\n\nBuild requirements and repeatability limits are in [ BUILD.md](/paoloanzn/pi-black/blob/main/BUILD.md).\n\nThis project is unofficial and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Anthropic or the upstream Pi project. Users must provide their own valid account credentials and determine whether use complies with applicable service terms. The compatibility mechanism is version-specific and must be revalidated when Claude Code or Pi changes.\n\nNo OAuth tokens, identifiers, captures, or private Claude state are included in the package or release artifacts. Pi and the derived patch are distributed under the MIT license; see [ LICENSE](/paoloanzn/pi-black/blob/main/LICENSE).", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pi-black-use-your-claude-max-or-pro-subscription-with-pi", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/paoloanzn/pi-black", "published_at": "2026-08-28 01:27:49+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-08-28 01:48:09.670346+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["Paolo Anzini", "Pi", "Claude Max", "Claude Pro", "Claude Code 2.1.224", "Anthropic", "Pi-Black"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pi-black-use-your-claude-max-or-pro-subscription-with-pi", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pi-black-use-your-claude-max-or-pro-subscription-with-pi.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pi-black-use-your-claude-max-or-pro-subscription-with-pi.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-pi-black-use-your-claude-max-or-pro-subscription-with-pi.jsonld"}}