Daemon/PixInsight liveness, version, installed optional modules (BXT/NXT/SXT…), open windows, current session, active job. Call first. Does not launch PixInsight unless launch:true.

Which optional processes/scripts exist in this PixInsight (BlurXTerminator, NoiseXTerminator, StarXTerminator, StarNet, GraXpert, WBPP, ImageSolver, SPCC…). Tools fall back automatically when something is missing.

Create a new processing session (an output namespace under the workdir: work/, previews/, checkpoints/). Sessions persist across server restarts; the latest is current.

List sessions in the workdir and which is current.

Switch the current session to an existing one (resume work).

End the current session; optionally close all image windows in PixInsight.

Tail of the PixInsight console output captured for the most recent (or given) job.

Escape hatch: run arbitrary PJSR (PixInsight JavaScript) inside the warm PixInsight instance. Assign result = ... to return JSON. Helpers: PIMCP.win.view(id), PIMCP.stf, PIMCP.preview.render(view,{out_path}), PIMCP.K.{GRAY,RGB,REAL,INTEGER,NOSWAP} (macros are not visible to eval). Gated by config allowRawScripts.

Delete intermediate directories in the current working dir (calibrated, cosmetic, debayered, weighted, registered, lnorm, wbpp, quicklook) keeping master/, checkpoints/, previews/, project/, pipeline/. dry_run lists what would go.

Kill PixInsight and relaunch the daemon (picks up daemon code changes; open windows are lost).

Stop the daemon loop (PixInsight stays open) or kill the PixInsight process (mode:'kill' — loses unsaved windows; the only way to abort a running ImageIntegration).

Status, progress (current/total, percent, ETA) and result of an async job. Poll every 10–30 s for long jobs, or use job_wait.

Block up to max_seconds (≤ 300) for a job to finish; returns the final result or the latest progress. Prefer this over tight job_status polling.

Tail of the PixInsight console log for a job (streams live while running). Also extracts ImageIntegration rejection lines when present.

Request cancellation. Per-frame operations (calibrate, register, cosmetic, debayer, normalize) stop at the next frame; a running ImageIntegration cannot be interrupted (use pi_stop mode:'kill').

List jobs submitted by this server process (id, op, status, progress).

Inventory a folder tree of FITS files WITHOUT PixInsight: parses headers, classifies light/dark/flat/bias (IMAGETYP → ASIAIR path → filename), groups by camera/gain/offset/exposure/temperature/target, reports counts and total integration. Result is cached in the session for match_calibration. The scanned root becomes write-protected.

File paths of a frame group from the last scan.

Raw FITS header cards of one file plus the parsed frame record (no PixInsight needed).

For a light group from the last scan: choose darks/flats/flat-darks/bias with the matching rules (exact INSTRUME/GAIN/OFFSET/binning, EXPTIME ±0.5 %, temperature graded ok/acceptable/poor), and output the CMOS calibration policy (dark+flat without bias when darks match; bias+optimizeDarks only for dark scaling; flats with flat-dark or bias). Returns reasoning, warnings and blocking issues. Show the plan to the user before stacking.

Master library contents (content-addressed by camera/gain/offset/binning/exposure/temperature/source frames).

Open image windows/views: id, size, colour space, bit depth, file path, linear guess, astrometric solution, mask.

Open an image file (FITS/XISF/TIFF/…) in PixInsight as a view. Returns the view id, dimensions, FITS keywords. The window stays open for later tools.

Close an image window (force: discard unsaved changes, default true).

Deep-copy a view into a new window (no history). Use before experimenting.

Per-channel median, MAD, mean, σ, min/max, clipped-black and saturated counts/percent, MRS noise estimate, SNR proxy, background neutrality ratios, linear guess. Read-only. Use after every stretch/sharpen step.

Per-channel histogram counts (default 256 bins) for a view. Read-only.

FITS keywords, XISF properties and astrometric solution summary of an open view.

LOOK AT THE IMAGE. Renders a JPEG preview of a view (auto-stretched by default for linear data) and returns it inline as an image plus its file path. Never modifies the view. stretch: 'stf' (AutoSTF), 'hard' (aggressive), 'none' (as-is, for already stretched images).

1:1 (or zoomed) JPEG of a region — for star shapes, halos, ringing, noise texture. Defaults to a 512 px box at the image centre. Pass center [x,y] or rect. zoom >1 magnifies.

Side-by-side JPEG of two views (or a view and a checkpoint file) with the same stretch — before/after checks.

Objective star quality of a view: count, median FWHM (px and arcsec if pixel_scale given), eccentricity, centre vs edge FWHM, brightest stars. Uses StarDetector + DynamicPSF (Moffat). Read-only.

Apply an AutoSTF to the on-screen display of a view (non-destructive; for a human watching the PixInsight window).

Save a view to disk. Format by extension: .xisf (lossless, recommended), .fit, .tif, .png, .jpg. bit_depth 8/16 for tif/png. Output must be under the workdir (never in source folders).

Write an .xisf checkpoint of a view into the session's checkpoints/ dir; returns the path for restore_checkpoint.

Roll back: load a checkpoint .xisf into the view in place (same id) or as a new window if the id is not open.

Undo the last N history steps of a view (PixInsight undo stack).

Checkpoint files in the current session.

Integrate bias frames into a master bias (average, Winsorized/percentile rejection by count, no normalization). Cached by fingerprint; returns instantly on a hit. Async unless wait:true.

Integrate darks into a master dark. Do NOT pass master_bias unless you will use dark optimisation (CMOS rule: bias lives inside the dark). Cached by fingerprint. Async: returns job_id.

Calibrate flats with a master flat-dark (preferred) or master bias, then integrate multiplicatively (EqualizeFluxes rejection normalization). Never calibrate flats with the light master dark. Cached. Async.

ImageCalibration of light frames (CFA-aware) with master dark/flat (+bias only for dark scaling). Refuses without a master flat unless config requireFlats=false or force:true. Outputs /work/calibrated/*_c.xisf. Async with per-frame progress.

CosmeticCorrection on calibrated (still mosaiced, cfa:true) frames: hot pixels from the master dark and/or auto-detect (sigma). Run BEFORE debayer. Async with per-frame progress; ~120 s for 30 frames.

Debayer CFA frames (pattern Auto reads BAYERPAT; ASI2600MC = RGGB) with VNG (default) / SuperPixel / Bilinear. Run AFTER cosmetic correction. Async with per-frame progress.

SubframeSelector measurement of (debayered) frames: FWHM, eccentricity, SNR weight, PSF signal weight, star count, median, noise per frame, plus spread statistics. Stored in the session for select_subframes. Async.

Approve/reject measured frames with explicit limits (max_fwhm, max_eccentricity, min_stars, min_snr_weight) or relative rules (fwhm_factor × median). Returns approved/rejected with reasons and the spread, then writes SSWEIGHT into approved frames (output to /work/weighted). Be reluctant to reject with < 20 frames.

StarAlignment of frames to a reference (default: highest-weight approved frame from select_subframes). Writes *_r.xisf and .xdrz drizzle data. Async, per-frame progress, cancellable.

LocalNormalization (.xnml) of registered frames against the reference; feeds integrate/drizzle for gradient-aware normalization. Async, per-frame.

ImageIntegration of registered frames → master light .xisf. Rejection auto by count (<8 Percentile, 8–20 Winsorized, >20 LinearFit), normalization additive+scaling (or LocalNormalization when .xnml given/available), weights from SSWEIGHT keyword or PSF signal weight. Reports rejected-pixel % (high = clouds/satellites/bad frame). Refuses < 3 frames without force. ALWAYS async.

DrizzleIntegration from .xdrz files (written by register and updated by integrate). Needs dithered subs; scale 1 (CFA-free super-sampling of rejection) or 2. Async.

Quick-look stack with FastIntegration (registration + integration in one pass, no drizzle, no LN). Good for a 2-minute sanity check of a night's data. Async.

Generic fallback: apply ANY installed PixInsight process by name to a view (or globally when id omitted) with a flat params object using exact PJSR parameter names (see process_params). Enum values may be given as strings (e.g. 'WinsorizedSigmaClip'). Checkpoints first.

Default parameter listing (toSource) of a PixInsight process — discover exact parameter names for apply_process.

Remove light-pollution gradients on a LINEAR image. method 'DBE' (DynamicBackgroundExtraction with automatically placed background samples, stars/object rejected; the user's preferred method), 'GradientCorrection' (default when DBE not requested), or 'ABE'. Checkpoints first. Look at the preview afterwards; dry_run reports the DBE sample layout.

ImageSolver astrometric solution (needed by SPCC/PCC and annotate). Seeds RA/DEC/focal/pixel size from FITS keywords; pass them if headers lack them. Needs internet for the Gaia/VizieR catalog. Non-destructive (adds metadata).

Render an annotated JPEG (Messier/NGC/named stars/constellations/grid) of a plate-solved view to confirm the target. Non-destructive.

SPCC (default; needs plate solution + internet, defaults tuned for a Sony OSC sensor with UV/IR cut) → PCC fallback → ColorCalibration (no astrometry). Optionally neutralizes background. Linear data only. Checkpoints first.

BackgroundNeutralization (equalize channel backgrounds) — linear stage. Checkpoints first.

SCNR green (or other colour) cast removal, non-linear stage typically. Checkpoints first.

BlurXTerminator if installed (correct_only mode for the linear stage), else native Richardson-Lucy Deconvolution with a PSF sized from measured FWHM (conservative, deringing on). Check crop_preview for dark rings afterwards. Checkpoints first. Async-ish (can take minutes).

NoiseXTerminator if installed, else MultiscaleLinearTransform (linear data) / TGVDenoise (non-linear) with a strength 0..1. Checkpoints first.

StarXTerminator / StarNet2 → starless view (in place) + stars view. Returns NOT_INSTALLED if neither exists (this rig: none installed). Checkpoints first.

Linear → non-linear. method: 'sts' (AutoSTF made permanent; target_background 0.25 default, shadows_clip -2.8), 'arcsinh' (colour-preserving, stretch factor), 'masked' (MaskedStretch, star-friendly), 'mas' (MultiscaleAdaptiveStretch), 'ht' (manual shadows/midtones/highlights), 'ghs' if installed. Checkpoints first. Check clipped-black % afterwards.

CurvesTransformation: explicit curves per channel ({K:[[0,0],[0.3,0.35],[1,1]], S:…}) or convenience contrast (-1..1) / brightness (-1..1). Non-linear stage. Checkpoints first.

ColorSaturation boost (amount -1..1, default 0.3) or explicit hue curve. Non-linear stage. Checkpoints first.

Resize by factor (integer downsample uses IntegerResample average) or to width×height. Checkpoints first.

Crop to rect [x, y, w, h]. Checkpoints first.

Trim registration edges: finds rows/columns with > max_zero_fraction zero pixels and crops them (+pad). dry_run reports the rect only. Checkpoints first.

PixelMath expression on a view ($T = target; other view ids usable). new_id creates a new image instead of replacing. Checkpoints first when in place.

LinearFit the view to a reference view (match channel/sessions). Checkpoints first.

UnsharpMask (luminance, deringing) for the non-linear stage; gentle defaults sigma 2 amount 0.6. Checkpoints first.

HDRMultiscaleTransform to recover bright cores (galaxy cores, nebula centres) on a non-linear image. Checkpoints first.

LocalHistogramEqualization (non-linear). Checkpoints first.

Screen-blend a stars image back onto a starless image (PixelMath), optionally into a new view.

ChannelExtraction (RGB / CIE L / …) into new views.

Convert a view to grayscale in place. Checkpoints first.

Invert a view (useful on masks). Checkpoints first.

StarMask process → new mask view (mask_id). Use with apply_mask to protect stars during stretches/sharpening.

Luminance range mask (RangeSelection on a stretched gray copy): low/high 0..1, fuzziness, smoothness, invert. Returns mask_id (new view).

Mask from a PixelMath expression evaluated on the view ($T), e.g. 'iif($T>0.2,1,0)'. Returns mask_id.

Attach (or remove with remove:true) a mask view to an image window; subsequent processes on that view are masked. inverted:true protects where the mask is bright.

Which mask (if any) is attached to a window and whether it is enabled/inverted.

Binarize a (mask) view at a threshold. Checkpoints first.

MorphologicalTransformation (Dilation/Erosion/Opening/Closing/Median) — grow/shrink masks. Checkpoints first.

Gaussian convolution (soften masks). Checkpoints first.

One call from raw lights to a master light. engine 'wbpp' (default): PixInsight's WeightedBatchPreprocessing in a separate instance with exactly the matched calibration groups, then the master is opened in the daemon and WBPP intermediates are deleted. engine 'native': plan → masters (cached) → calibrate → cosmetic (CFA) → debayer → measure → select (SSWEIGHT) → register (+drizzle data) → local normalization → integrate [→ drizzle]. Frames dropped with exclude_frames (after blink_frames) are honoured. Working files go to /working-files. Runs in the background; poll pipeline_status. Resumable with resume_id.

Progress of a pipeline_run: current stage, per-stage status, live job progress, warnings, master light path/view id, integration rejection stats.

Cross-check: run PixInsight's own WeightedBatchPreprocessing (WBPP) in a separate PixInsight instance on a light group + calibration groups, fully automated. Slow (whole pipeline) but independent — compare its master light to ours with image_statistics/measure_stars. Extra WBPP parameters can be passed as params using WBPP automation names (e.g. generateRejectionMaps, darkExposureTolerance, smartNamingOverride).

Status of a wbpp_run (running/ok/error, log tail, master light paths).

Blink-style review before stacking: renders a contact sheet of auto-stretched thumbnails for a light group (or file list) with per-frame background, star count, gradient and saturation, and flags suspects (clouds, dawn, trails, defocus). LOOK at the sheet, then pass the bad indexes to exclude_frames. Pages of up to 30 frames.

Drop frames (by blink index) from the light group before stacking. The exclusion list is applied by pipeline_run / stack. Pass an empty list to clear.

Save the processing 'project': the view as XISF (PixInsight embeds the processing history), companion views (masks/stars), every checkpoint reference and the tool history as manifest.json under /project/. PixInsight .xosm projects cannot be written by scripts.