opencode

The open source coding agent for your terminal

Stars
★ 220k
Last updated
today
License
MIT
Primary language
TypeScript

At a glance

How it runs
CLIDesktop app
Cost
Free software; you pay for model usage
Setup effort
Low · running in minutes
Typical use
Describe a task in natural language from the terminal and have it locate code and propose changes
Not a fit if
  • Teams needing long-term maintenance guarantees
  • Users who want a GUI-only, no-terminal workflow

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.

  1. Describe a task in natural language from the terminal and have it locate code and propose changes
  2. Use as a unified cross-platform (macOS/Linux/Windows) coding agent across a team
  3. Local prototyping and quick fixes outside of CI
  4. Teams that prefer open source tooling they can self-host or audit

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.

What are this agent's strengths and limitations?

Pros
  • 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
Limitations
  • 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 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.

Key facts side by side with the most closely related agents.

Agent Source review Form / cost Stars Updated Language Full support on
opencode This agent 47 · Major gaps CLIFree + model costs ★ 220k today TypeScript —
senpi 74 · Some gaps CLIFree + model costs ★ 487 today TypeScript OpenAI API · Claude API
zot Coding Agent 59 · Major gaps CLIFree + model costs ★ 351 1d ago Go OpenAI API · Claude API
FuXi Terminal AI Coding Agent 37 · Major gaps CLIFreemium ★ 3.3k 1d ago Python OpenAI API · Claude API

How does FollowAgents rate this agent?

FollowAgents source review · FARS-2.1
Major gaps
47/ 100 5-point scale 2.4 / 5
This review covers the source as of Aug 09, 2026. The project has shipped 20 stable release(s) since, which have not been re-reviewed. The score and verdict describe the reviewed version only. Recent releases ↓
Trust 8/29
Reliability 6/14
Adaptability 12/18
Convention 11/18
Effectiveness 7/13
Verifiability 3/8
Why each dimension lost points
Trust8 / 29 · 1.4/5

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.

Reliability6 / 14 · 2.1/5

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.

Adaptability12 / 18 · 3.3/5

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.

Convention11 / 18 · 3.1/5

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.

Effectiveness7 / 13 · 2.7/5

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.

Verifiability3 / 8 · 1.9/5

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.

Risks and how to mitigate them
  • Not found in source: rollback or recovery pathBack up first, or work on a git branch or snapshot, so its changes can be undone.
  • 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.
Evidence confidence: Low Reviewed Aug 09, 2026 Reviewed revision 38e10eb1408f New commits since this review; the score may not cover them
See the full review method →

Recent releases

Latest entries from the project's GitHub Releases. Notes are quoted from upstream as written, not rewritten or tested by FollowAgents.

  1. v1.19.3
    Release notes excerpt
    Core Improvements - Configure model reasoning options to generate reasoning variants, replacing catalog variants while preserving your configured variant overrides.
    View on GitHub ↗
  2. v1.19.2
    Release notes excerpt
    Core Bugfixes - OpenCode 1 now stays on the 1.x release line: update checks use only the npm opencode-ai latest version, so 1.x installs are never offered a 2.x build as a regular update. - Upgrading to OpenCode 2 remains a separate, explicit choice through the 2.0 offer in /update or opencode upgrade --major. - Fix upgrades for installs managed by yarn. - Skip 1.x updates for Homebrew Core installs, which now track OpenCode 2, and check tap and Chocolatey availability before offering an update. - The install script refuses to install 2.x versions.
    View on GitHub ↗
  3. v1.19.1
    Release notes excerpt
    Core Bugfixes - Session sharing has been discontinued. Existing share links and session-sharing commands are no longer available, and importing sessions from share URLs is unsupported.
    View on GitHub ↗

FAQ

Is opencode free?
The tool itself is open source and free, but you still need to bring your own model API key or provider account to actually call an LLM.
Which operating systems are supported?
macOS, Linux, and Windows all have dedicated install paths (see the install steps).
Why is the default branch dev instead of main?
That's the repository's existing convention — pay attention to the branch name when cloning or browsing source to avoid tracking an unintended branch.
View on GitHub ↗ Install ↓

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