Pipe Operators
MTHDS Standard Reference
Pipe operators are part of the MTHDS open standard. For the authoritative language specification, see Pipes & Operators on mthds.ai. This page documents Pipelex-specific behavior and usage.
Pipe operators are the fundamental building blocks in Pipelex, representing a single, focused task. They are the "verbs" of your pipeline that perform the actual work.
Each operator specializes in a specific kind of action, from interacting with Large Language Models to executing custom Python code. You combine these operators using Pipe Controllers to create complex methods.
Core Operators
Here are the primary pipe operators available in Pipelex:
PipeLLM: The core operator for all interactions with Large Language Models (LLMs), including text generation, structured data extraction, and vision tasks.PipeStructure: Turns free-form text into structured, typed data via a single LLM call — ideal when the text comes from an upstream extraction, search, or generation step.PipeExtract: Performs Optical Character Recognition (OCR) on images and PDF documents to extract text and embedded images, and fetches and extracts content from web pages.PipeImgGen: Generates images from a text prompt using models like GPT Image, Flux, or other image generation models.PipeSearch: Searches the web using a configurable search provider and returns structured results with an answer and source citations.PipeFunc: An escape hatch that allows you to execute any custom Python function, giving you maximum flexibility.PipeCompose: Composes outputs deterministically from working memory — renders Jinja2 templates for formatted reports or complex prompts, or constructs structured objects by mapping fields from inputs, without an LLM.
Overview
Pipelex provides the following pipe operators:
PipeLLM: For LLM-based text generation and processingPipeCompose: For composing text (Jinja2 templates) or structured objects (construct mode) from working memory dataPipeExtract: For optical character recognition and document processingPipeFunc: For executing custom functionsPipeImgGen: For AI-powered image generationPipeSearch: For web search with structured resultsPipeStructure: For turning free-form text into structured data
PipeLLM
Core operator for LLM-based text generation and processing.
Key Features
- Text generation
- Structured output generation
- Multiple output modes
- System prompt customization
- LLM configuration
PipeCompose
Composes outputs deterministically from working memory, without an LLM.
Key Features
- Template mode: Jinja2 rendering to Text or Html outputs
- Construct mode: structured objects assembled by field mapping
- Field methods: references, templates, fixed values, nested constructs
- Native wrapper unwrapping when copying whole inputs into native fields
PipeExtract
Processes images and PDFs using Optical Character Recognition, and fetches and extracts content from web pages.
Key Features
- PDF processing
- Image processing
- Text extraction
- Image extraction
- Page view generation
PipeFunc
Executes custom functions within the pipeline.
Key Features
- Custom function execution
- Working memory integration
- Multiple output types
- Function registry integration
PipeImgGen
Generates and manipulates images.
Key Features
- Image generation
- Quality control
- Multiple output formats
- Batch processing
- Parameter customization
PipeSearch
Searches the web and returns structured results with sources.
Key Features
- Web search via configurable providers
- Structured results with answer and source citations
- Dynamic prompt templates with
$variablesyntax - Standard and deep search models