A conversational guide to OpenCode — what it actually is, the different ways to use it, and how to make it yours. No hype. No AI-tech jargon. Just the stuff that's useful.
The guide covers the full product surface, not just the customization layer:
- The architecture nobody explains (it's a server with multiple clients, not just a TUI)
- Every way to use it: terminal, browser, CLI scripts, IDE, headless server, remote attach
- OpenCode Go ($10/month) and Zen (pay-as-you-go) — what you get and what it costs
- Config, permissions, AGENTS.md, themes, model routing
- Built-in agents and how to create your own
- Plugins, MCP servers, skills, custom commands, custom tools
- Session management, stats, export/import, sharing
- Workflows that actually work
- Things even the author still hasn't figured out
The official docs are solid but dense. Most community guides are plugin showcases that miss half the product. This is a friend explaining it over coffee — here's what matters, here's what you can ignore, here's where I'm still confused.
Read the guide top-to-bottom the first time. It's short — about 10 minutes. Then use it as a reference.
If you want to get hands-on immediately:
- Install OpenCode if you haven't
- Run
/connectin the TUI to set up a provider - Copy the config template from the guide into
~/.config/opencode/opencode.json - Run
/initin a project to create an AGENTS.md
- speak-to-ship — voice-first development with Wispr Flow
- OpenCode docs — the official reference
- OpenCode Discord — active community
MIT
If something in the guide is wrong or outdated, it probably is. OpenCode moves fast. PRs welcome.