PAI does not work correctly when installed to a non-default CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR

[raychaser]

I use multiple CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR locations to isolate different workflows. This has been working well, but PAI was effectively hardcoded to ~/.claude — around 30 files used inline process.env.PAI_DIR || join(homedir(), '.claude') patterns that didn't resolve correctly when running from a non-default config directory.

I worked on fixing this and got it working. The fix centralizes all path resolution into a single getPaiDir() helper in hooks/lib/paths.ts that handles $HOME, ${HOME}, and ~ expansion, with homedir() as the fallback. The rest of the changes are mechanical: swap the inline pattern for the helper, remove unused imports.

Here's the diff: main...raychaser:Personal_AI_Infrastructure:main

~48 files touched, though the changes are almost entirely mechanical (import swap + pattern replacement). Tested with a non-default CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR — hooks fire correctly, statusline works, sessions track to the right directory.

I'd love to see this upstreamed but wanted to check if there's interest before opening a PR, given the size of the change.

Naturally, I found out only after doing all of this about #694, #778, and #784. Should have done research first. Maybe a triumvirate can get it done? @Spirotot @neilinger My change is based on Release 4.0.1 but now has the 4.0.2 changes as well.

PR now live: #873

[raychaser]

Update: opened #873 which ports the getPaiDir() migration to v4.0.3 (the previous PR #838 targeted v4.0.1). Same approach, now aligned with the latest release.

[danielmiessler]

Hey @raychaser, 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.

[raychaser]

Oh, NICE. Am I reading correctly between the lines that this setup aims to also work in other harnesses (Pi in particular is interesting for me.)