bug(wizard): PAI_DIR and secrets not properly shared between wizard and packs

[mellanon]

The bundle wizard and pack installers don't coordinate on where configuration is stored, causing several problems during installation.

Problem 1: Secrets saved to .zshrc, packs expect .env file

Wizard behavior (install.ts lines 816-833):

// Wizard writes to shell profile (.zshrc), NOT .env:
const envExports = `
export PAI_DIR="${config.paiDir}"
export DA="${config.daName}"
export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY="${config.elevenLabsApiKey}"
`;
await Bun.write(shellProfile, existingProfile + "\n" + envExports);

Pack behavior:

// Pack looks for .env file which doesn't exist
await Bun.file("~/.claude/.env").text()

Result: User provides ElevenLabs API key during wizard, then pack asks for it AGAIN because it can't find the .env file.

Problem 2: PAI_DIR not available to packs

The wizard adds PAI_DIR to .zshrc but:

1. Doesn't export to current session
2. User is told to "reload shell" but Claude Code sessions don't reload
3. Packs fall back to ~/.config/pai instead of user's chosen directory

Problem 3: Wizard may write wrong PAI_DIR

When ~/.claude is a symlink (common for multi-environment setups), the wizard sometimes writes the wrong path to .zshrc.

Suggested Fixes

Option A - Wizard creates BOTH .zshrc exports AND .env file:

// After writing to .zshrc, ALSO create .env
const envContent = `
DA="${config.daName}"
PAI_DIR="${config.paiDir}"
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY="${config.elevenLabsApiKey}"
`;
await Bun.write(`${paiDir}/.env`, envContent);

Option B - Wizard exports to current session:

// After writing to .zshrc
process.env.PAI_DIR = config.paiDir;
process.env.ELEVENLABS_API_KEY = config.elevenLabsApiKey;

Option C - Packs confirm installation directory before proceeding:

Installing kai-hook-system...
Target directory: ~/.config/pai (from PAI_DIR or default)
Is this correct? [Y/n]:

Environment

• macOS
• PAI v2 (current main branch)
• Tested in clean sandbox with symlinked ~/.claude

[mellanon]

Additional finding: Symlink setups break due to PAI_DIR priority

During further testing with a symlink-based multi-environment setup, I discovered another aspect of this issue.

Setup

~/.claude → /path/to/PAI-test/.claude  # Symlink for environment switching
PAI_DIR="/path/to/PAI-v1.2/..."        # Set by wizard in .zshrc

Problem

Hook code prioritizes PAI_DIR over ~/.claude:

const paiDir = process.env.PAI_DIR || process.env.HOME + '/.claude';

Since PAI_DIR exists (from wizard), the || ~/.claude fallback never runs. Hooks write to v1.2 location even though the symlink points elsewhere.

Workaround

Pack installer had to hardcode PAI_DIR override in every hook command:

"command": "PAI_DIR=/Users/me/.claude bun run /Users/me/.claude/hooks/foo.ts"

This works but:

1. Hardcodes username (not portable)
2. Every hook command needs the override
3. Easy to miss one

Suggested fix

Hooks should prefer ~/.claude and resolve symlinks:

import { realpathSync } from 'fs';
const paiDir = realpathSync(process.env.HOME + '/.claude');
// OR simply always use ~/.claude:
const paiDir = process.env.HOME + '/.claude';

This would make symlink-based environment switching work correctly.

[mellanon]

Another data point: The voice server installation (kai-voice-system pack) has the same issue.

The install.sh creates a LaunchAgent (com.pai.voice-server.plist) that hardcodes PAI_DIR:

<key>PAI_DIR</key>
<string>/Users/foo/Documents/src/PAI-v1.2/Personal_AI_Infrastructure</string>

This should be $HOME/.claude to follow the symlink, allowing multi-environment setups to work correctly.

Fix: Change the LaunchAgent template to use:

<key>PAI_DIR</key>
<string>/Users/foo/.claude</string>

This way the voice server respects whichever environment ~/.claude currently points to.

[danielmiessler]

Thanks for catching this inconsistency! 🙏

Fixed in commit 197f082 - the wizard now:

• Creates a .env file in $PAI_DIR in addition to shell profile exports
• Exports variables to the current process for immediate use
• All packs can now reliably read from $PAI_DIR/.env

This ensures consistency between wizard setup and pack expectations.