PAI must run from ~/.claude directory - preventing adding files of a project's directory to context.

[SeanBlahovici]

I have been playing around with PAI, and one annoying issue I have is this:
I start Pai from my project's directory, but it cd's back to ./claude directory. I tried modifying the scripts to force Pai to run in my project's directory, but then it writes MEMORY files in my project's directory...

I would be fine with running in .claude user directory, but referencing files to add them to context with @mentions does not show an autocomplete. This is close to being a dealbreaker as I rely heavily on adding files to context this way.

Does anyone have a workaround? Is it possible to run PAI from a chosen directory and have it modify the fiels it needs to modify in the user's .claude directory?

Thank you!

[wojteksbt]

For running in project directory you can run pai --local.

MEMORY files in project directory is a regression introduced with 4.0.x versions. Somewhere is an issue for that

[wojteksbt]

Here it is #915. @danielmiessler has closed the issue with This is being addressed as part of the next major PAI release comment, but there was no new release since then.

[danielmiessler]

Hey @SeanBlahovici, thanks for raising this, and sorry it sat for a while.

We're changing how LifeOS ships. Instead of cloning a full ~/.claude directory and running it as a complete system, LifeOS is becoming a skill you install through an agentic installer. The installer hands integration to your own AI, which reads your actual machine (your OS, your paths, your harness) and wires the hooks and system prompt in where they belong.

That's aimed right at what you hit here. The old "one directory, one layout, hope it matches your setup" approach is exactly what broke for so many people, and the new model should handle it far better because your AI does the integration per machine instead of us guessing.

So we're closing this in prep for that release. If it still bites you once the skill-based version is out, reopen or file a fresh one and we'll jump on it. Appreciate you taking the time.