OpenCode: The Terminal-Based AI Agent

If you live in the terminal, you know the pain of switching context. You are deep in neovim or managing servers, and suddenly you need to open a heavy GUI just to ask an AI a question about your code.

Enter OpenCode.

It's a new open-source CLI tool that brings the power of Agentic AI directly to your command line, and it might just be the fastest way to code with AI.

What makes OpenCode special?

1. Model Agnostic (Freedom!)

Most AI tools lock you into a specific provider.

• GitHub Copilot = OpenAI models.
• Cursor = Mostly Claude/GPT.

OpenCode lets you bring any model.

• Want to use Claude 3.5 Sonnet for logic? ✅
• Want to use DeepSeek V3 for cost savings? ✅
• Want to use a Local Ollama Model for privacy? ✅

2. The TUI (Terminal User Interface)

It's not just a chat. It's a full TUI with:

• Diff Views: See exactly what code the AI changes before agreeing.
• File Picker: Quickly select context without leaving the keyboard.
• Command Execution: Let the agent run npm test or git status directly.

How it works

Once installed (it's a Go binary, so it's tiny and fast), you just run:

opencode

You are dropped into a session. You can type:

"Read main.go and add a logger middleware."

OpenCode will:

1. Read the file.
2. Plan the change.
3. Show you the diff.
4. Apply it if you approve.

Ideal Use Cases

1. The "Quick Fix" on a Remote Server Ever broke production and needed to fix a bug over SSH? You can't run VS Code there. But you can run OpenCode. It's a lifesaver for DevOps usage.

2. Privacy-First Development Since it supports local models natively, you can point it at your local Ollama instance running Llama 3. No code ever leaves your machine.

3. Vim/Neovim Users If you already possess the muscle memory for the terminal, OpenCode feels like a natural extension of your workflow, not a disruption.

Comparisons

Conclusion

OpenCode isn't trying to replace Cursor for full project development. But for quick tasks, server management, and terminal junkies, it is the best tool we have seen this year.

Get started with OpenCode →