opencode
The open source coding agent for your terminal
Source is open for inspection, but as an independent startup-maintained project there's less visible enterprise-grade security response process; no isolated permission verification was performed.
Very high stars/forks and active iteration, but the fast release cadence means this review did not retest a pinned version across multiple tasks.
Clearly scoped as a terminal coding agent, installable via many package managers; README translations into 20+ languages show real internationalization investment.
Documentation exists but is spread across many localized READMEs and the external opencode.ai site; note the default branch is `dev`, not the more common `main`.
Very large GitHub adoption, but no third-party benchmark or reproducible output comparison was available for this review.
This review relied on the public README and repo metadata only — no independent install/reproduction was performed.
- Default branch is `dev`, not `main` — be careful which branch you track for releases
- As a fast-moving young project, default permissions may change between versions; check current docs before granting broad access
- This is a static review; no isolated dynamic verification was performed
What it does & when to 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
Pros & cons
- 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 to install
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 to use
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.
Compared to similar agents
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.