Setting up OpenCode is now taught in the L1 book Start With OpenCode. Its steps 1 to 6 install OpenCode Desktop, add a project, choose the free model and turn on the Plan/Build switch. Every step has a screenshot. This page keeps only what a seminar day adds: what to bring, the internet check, the recovery card and the instructor's rehearsal.
Before the seminar: bring these things
- Your laptop, charger and the account you normally use on it.
- Your university or guest Wi-Fi sign-in instructions. Ask the organiser in advance if you do not have access.
- Permission to install software, or a support appointment for a managed laptop.
- One small app idea, or pick a journey from the list below.
- Public, synthetic or explicitly approved example material for your project.
A free download of OpenCode does not guarantee free or unlimited model access. Do not buy a subscription to get past a confusing screen. Ask the teaching team which route the class uses.
1. Check the internet, not just Wi-Fi
- Join the network named in the university's joining instructions.
- Open a browser. Complete any university or guest sign-in page that appears.
- Open opencode.ai/download (opens in a new tab) and refresh it once.
Success: the page loads after the refresh.
If different: note the network name, the address and the message, and ask the classroom network contact. Do not turn off the firewall, certificate checks or other security settings.
2. Set up OpenCode
Follow steps 1 to 6 in Start With OpenCode.
Success: Space Bunny Free and Build appear under the message box.
If different: a managed laptop that blocks the installer is a support task. Show the exact message; do not bypass device management.
3. Make your first change
Continue with the book's worked example. You change one line in a small app, check it and undo it.
Success: you can make a change, see it in the browser and undo it.
4. Choose your journey
- Build Your Own Data Explorer
- Build Your Own Document Assistant
- Build Your Own Scientific Image Review App
- Build an App Around Your Scientific Method
- Build Your Own Lab Workflow App
- Build a Western Blot Densitometer
- Build a Plasmid Map Viewer
- Build an Actogram Viewer for Circadian Activity
- Build a Phylogeny Inspector
- Build a Species Occurrence Map
- Build a Patch-Clamp I–V Review App
- Build a Metabolic Pathway Model Sandbox
If you are stuck: the recovery card
Tell the instructor four things: which step, what you expected, what appeared, and what you tried once. Add your operating system, the OpenCode version and a cropped screenshot without passwords or private data.
| Symptom | First useful action |
|---|---|
| Model list empty or Space Bunny missing | Open a project and click New session, then open the model list again. Still missing: use the instructor's fallback. |
| Web pages fail | Complete the guest or campus sign-in; ask the network contact. |
| Web works but the model does not | Keep the exact error; the instructor checks that service and account. |
| Installer blocked | Check Windows x64/ARM64 or Mac Apple silicon/Intel, and managed-device permissions, with support. |
| App file missing | Ask OpenCode for the exact saved path of every file it created. |
| Changed code, unchanged browser | Check it is the file from the project folder, then reload the tab. |
| Undo leaves the file changed | See What goes wrong in the book. |
If access cannot be fixed quickly, pair on a working laptop and take turns at the keyboard.
Instructor preparation and rehearsal
- Do one fresh install each on Windows x64, Mac Apple silicon and Mac Intel. Add Windows ARM64 if a participant brings one. The book's screenshots come from OpenCode Desktop 2.0.16; note the release you rehearse.
- Rehearse on the classroom network: guest sign-in, download, a model reply, and reconnecting after a break.
- Confirm the free model's limits for the class size, and agree one fallback model route.
- Arrange support contacts and a spare laptop for pairing.
- Reserve the first 90-minute block for set-up and the worked example.
Source and scope
Setup steps and screenshots: Start With OpenCode, checked on OpenCode Desktop 2.0.16. Downloads: opencode.ai/download (opens in a new tab). The internet check and the recovery card come from the seminar organiser's classroom experience.