opencode
The open source coding agent for your terminal
Evidence: AGENTS.md describes a permission system (plan agent denies file edits by default, bash commands require confirmation), but lacks specific permission configuration details; SECURITY.md explicitly states no sandbox, permission system is a UX feature, not security isolation. User confirmation is mentioned for plan agent, but not detailed for all scenarios. Data flow transparency is detailed in CONTEXT.md (e.g., Session History, Context Source), but external data flow is not specified. Sensitive data handling is not explicitly mentioned. Dependency security: package.json has patchedDependencies and trustedDependencies, but no vulnerability scanning or audit evidence. External effects: SECURITY.md mentions server mode requires password, but not detailed. Rollback is not mentioned. Source attribution: README and CONTRIBUTING provide maintainer info, but publisher is unverified. Deductions: incomplete permission system description, user confirmation only partial, data flow transparency lacks external flow, sensitive data handling not explicit, dependency security lacks audit evidence, external effects limited, rollback missing, source attribution limited by unverified publisher.
Evidence: AGENTS.md and CONTEXT.md are internally consistent, with clear terminology and rules. Dependency availability: package.json lists many dependencies, but no availability guarantees or mirrors. Failure messages: CONTEXT.md describes error handling (e.g., SessionNotFoundError), but no user-friendly failure message examples. Deductions: dependency availability lacks guarantees, failure messages limited.
Evidence: README in multiple languages provides installation and usage instructions, covering various platforms and package managers, broad audience. Capability boundaries are clearly described in AGENTS.md and CONTEXT.md (e.g., build vs plan agent permissions). Trigger precision: AGENTS.md provides specific commands and rules (e.g., branch naming, commit format). Environment fit: README provides multiple installation methods, CONTEXT.md describes PTY environment. Deductions: capability boundaries not covering all scenarios, trigger precision may be imprecise for some rules.
Evidence: Information architecture is clear, AGENTS.md, CONTEXT.md, CONTRIBUTING.md have distinct roles. Install notes are detailed in README, covering multiple platforms. Naming stability: AGENTS.md specifies branch and commit naming conventions. Examples and FAQ provided in README and CONTRIBUTING. Known limitations explicitly stated in SECURITY.md (e.g., no sandbox). License is MIT, clear. Versioning changelog not provided, but package.json has version info. Maintenance responsibility is clear in CONTRIBUTING. Deductions: versioning changelog missing, maintenance responsibility clear but publisher unverified.
Evidence: Output usability: README provides clear installation and usage examples, CONTEXT.md defines terminology for understanding. Marginal value: as open-source coding agent, provides various features (e.g., agents, SDK). Cost-benefit: no performance or resource consumption data. Deductions: cost-benefit lacks data support.
Evidence: Claim traceability: claims in README and CONTEXT.md are documented, but no test or verification evidence. Cross-source corroboration: multilingual READMEs are consistent, but no external verification. Fact-inference separation: documentation distinguishes description and design intent, but not explicitly labeled. Deductions: lack of test evidence, limited cross-source corroboration, fact-inference separation not explicit.
- This agent has no sandbox; the permission system is a UX feature, not security isolation. Do not run in untrusted environments.
- Server mode is unauthenticated by default; set OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD to avoid exposing the API.
- Publisher is unverified, limiting source attribution; assess supply chain risks carefully.
- Dependency security lacks audit evidence; review patchedDependencies and trustedDependencies for legitimacy.
What does this agent do, and when should you use it?
opencode is a fully open source terminal coding agent with a text-based UI (TUI), installable through mainstream package managers like npm, Homebrew, Scoop, and pacman. It has an active release cadence and a very large community, with its README translated into 20+ languages — unusually broad internationalization for a tool in this category.
Runs as a TUI in your terminal, understands your repository's context, generates and applies code changes, and executes commands — installable across macOS, Linux, and Windows via several package managers.
- Describe a task in natural language from the terminal and have it locate code and propose changes
- Use as a unified cross-platform (macOS/Linux/Windows) coding agent across a team
- Local prototyping and quick fixes outside of CI
- Teams that prefer open source tooling they can self-host or audit
What are this agent's strengths and limitations?
- Fully open source under MIT, auditable and forkable
- Extremely broad install support (npm/brew/scoop/choco/pacman/mise, etc.)
- Strong internationalization — README available in 20+ languages, friendly to non-English teams
- Very large community with stars/forks near the top of comparable tools
- As a young project maintained by an independent startup, long-term maintenance guarantees are less established than tools backed by larger companies
- Default branch is
dev, which needs extra care when tracking releases - This review did not verify the current version's default permissions or actual runtime behavior
How do you install or deploy this agent?
Recommended: curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash. Package managers also work: npm i -g opencode-ai@latest, brew install anomalyco/tap/opencode (macOS/Linux), scoop install opencode or choco install opencode (Windows).
How do you use this agent?
After installing, run opencode in your project directory to enter the TUI and describe your task in natural language; see opencode.ai's official docs for session/configuration details.
How does this agent compare with similar options?
Compared to similar terminal coding agents like Codex CLI or Claude Code, opencode's main differentiator is being fully open source (MIT) without tying you to a single model vendor's subscription, plus much broader install channel support. It suits teams who want to self-host, audit the code, or avoid being locked into one AI vendor's account system.