Agent setup

The group Advanced in Settings → ICAP Learning Agent sets what the agent can use and how it runs.

Setting	What it does	Default	Platform
Agent setup	Which tools and files the agent can use.	Your Pi setup + ICAP	computer
Folders outside the vault	Folders outside the vault that the agent can read.	none	computer, only with ICAP only (isolated)
Remember a request’s context	A follow-up continues the agent’s session.	on	computer
Parallel tasks	How many tasks can run at the same time, from 1 to 6.	3	both

Agent setup

On a computer, the agent is Pi. Pi is a general agent. You can also use it from the command line, with your own skills and extensions. Agent setup decides if ICAP uses that setup.

	Your Pi setup + ICAP	ICAP only (isolated)
Models and credentials	Pi’s (`~/.pi/agent/`)	Pi’s (`~/.pi/agent/`)
ICAP’s tools	yes	yes
Read files in the vault	yes	yes
Change files directly	yes	no
Shell commands	yes	no
Your skills, extensions, prompt templates and MCP servers	yes	no
Pi’s global `~/.pi/agent/AGENTS.md`	yes	no
`AGENTS.md` files inside the vault	yes	yes
The vault’s `.pi/` folder	if the vault is trusted	no
Folders outside the vault	through Pi’s shell	only the folders that you allow

Your Pi setup + ICAP

This is the default. The agent has all of your Pi setup, and ICAP adds its own tools and its rules for teaching. This is the same as when you run Pi in the vault yourself.

The agent can change files directly, without a proposal that you apply. ICAP does not block these changes. It records each change on the task that made it. You see the changes in the activity.

ICAP only (isolated)

The agent has only ICAP’s tools and Pi’s tools that read files. It can make new notes, but it cannot change an existing note directly. To change an existing note, it proposes a change, and you apply it or not. It can read only the vault and the folders in Folders outside the vault.

Use this setup if you want the agent to behave the same each time, or if you do not use Pi yourself.

Project trust

The vault can have its own Pi folder, .pi/, with extensions, skills and settings. Pi loads some of these files only from a trusted project.

ICAP does not ask you about trust. It uses the decision that you made in the Pi command line. If you made no decision, ICAP loads the vault’s .pi/ only when it has nothing that needs trust. With ICAP only (isolated), ICAP never loads it.

Folders outside the vault

This setting shows only when Agent setup is ICAP only (isolated). With your Pi setup, Pi’s own permissions apply.

Type one absolute path on each line, for example /Users/me/Books. A path starts with /, ~ or a drive letter such as C:\. The plugin ignores other lines.

The agent can then read the files and documents in these folders. It cannot change them.

Remember a request’s context

A request block can have more than one round. With this setting on, a follow-up continues the agent’s session from the last reply. The agent then does not read the full conversation again.

The note is always the record of the conversation. If you change the turns in the block, the session no longer matches the block. The agent then starts again from the text in the block. If you turn the setting off, every follow-up starts again from the block.

When you keep or clear the block, the plugin deletes the session.

Parallel tasks

This is the largest number of tasks that run at the same time. A task after that waits until a task ends.