Anybody using Serena with pi.dev?

[doug-rosser]

I'm using https://pi.dev/packages/pi-mcp-adapter to run MCP Servers and this is the contents of my .mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serena": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "serena",
      "args": [
        "start-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

I can connect up Serena with pi.dev when I start a session (the Serena web page loads in my browser) and activate the project:

 All set up! Here's the status:

 ┌─────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │ Component       │ Status                                                                                                 │
 ├─────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
 │ Serena MCP      │ Connected (26 tools available)                                                                         │
 ├─────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
 │ Project         │ bookfun activated at /home/drosser/stuff/projects/bookfun                                              │
 ├─────────────────┼────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
 │ Memories loaded │ project_overview, project_style_and_conventions, suggested_commands, what_to_do_when_task_is_completed │
 └─────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

 Project summary: Django-based eBook platform (PDF/EPUB) with:
 - Backend: Python 3.14+ / Django / SQLite
 - Frontend: TypeScript → vanilla JS (ThemeManager)
 - Testing: pytest, Playwright E2E, Vitest, mypy, ruff, ESLint

 I'm ready to help. What would you like to work on?

But at some point while working in the project, it looks like the Serena process "dies" (Errors in the panels like "Error loading configuration") and the logs don't really have an exception or errors to debug. Is there a "debug" mode I can run Serena in to troubleshoot this?

[doug-rosser]

To answer my own question, I dived into the problem with pi.dev itself. In summary, Serena will time-out and shutdown after ten minutes. To add insult to injury, pi.dev wasn't re-starting Serena when needed. My "fix" is just to start Serena and leave it running. Don't use the debug stanza unless you're interested in watching how and when Serena is doing its thing.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "serena": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "serena",
      "args": [
        "start-mcp-server"
      ],
      "lifecycle": "keep-alive",
      "debug": true
    }
  }
}