What is OpenCode used for?

OpenCode is an open-source AI coding agent for the terminal, with a beta desktop app and separate agents for building and read-only planning. It is a good fit for exploring unfamiliar codebases safely, planning changes before editing code and terminal-first AI-assisted coding.

Is OpenCode open source?

Yes. OpenCode is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at anomalyco/opencode and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. OpenCode is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

What is OpenCode an alternative to?

OpenCode is an open-source alternative to Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Devin. Other open-source alternatives to Claude Code include Cline, Kilo Code and Aider.

Is OpenCode actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to OpenCode was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.18.34, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 211k stars on GitHub.

OpenCode: open-source alternative to Claude Code, Cursor

About OpenCode

OpenCode is an open-source coding agent that helps developers write, change and understand code using AI models. It is built in TypeScript, released under the MIT license, and installed through an install script or, in beta, as a desktop application for macOS, Windows and Linux.

It ships with two built-in agents that you switch between with the Tab key. The build agent has full access for everyday development work, while the plan agent is read-only: it denies file edits by default and asks permission before running shell commands, which suits exploring an unfamiliar codebase or planning a change. A general subagent handles complex searches and multistep tasks and can be called with @general in messages.

Configuration is covered in the project documentation, and the install location can be controlled with environment variables. OpenCode suits developers who prefer working from the command line and want an agent whose source code they can read and modify.

Key features

Built-in build agent with full development access
Read-only plan agent for code exploration
Permission prompts before running shell commands
General subagent for multistep searches
Desktop app in beta for macOS, Windows and Linux
Tab key to switch between agents

Good fit for

→Exploring unfamiliar codebases safely
→Planning changes before editing code
→Terminal-first AI-assisted coding

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: ai-coding; coding-agent; cli; terminal; developer-tools; ai; typescript

OpenCode: questions and answers

What is OpenCode used for?: OpenCode is an open-source AI coding agent for the terminal, with a beta desktop app and separate agents for building and read-only planning. It is a good fit for exploring unfamiliar codebases safely, planning changes before editing code and terminal-first AI-assisted coding.
Is OpenCode open source?: Yes. OpenCode is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at anomalyco/opencode and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is OpenCode free?: Yes. OpenCode is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What is OpenCode an alternative to?: OpenCode is an open-source alternative to Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot and Devin. Other open-source alternatives to Claude Code include Cline, Kilo Code and Aider.
Is OpenCode actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to OpenCode was on 2 October 2026, and the latest release is v1.18.34, published on 30 September 2026. The project has 211k stars on GitHub.