Install OpenCode Desktop from the official download page
Choose a model: a free one to start, from $10 a month, a subscription you already have, or a local model
Put your project folder under Git and commit it as it is
Make it ask before it touches files outside the project folder
The safety habit
Plan
Allow
Read the diff
Keep or undo
Plan mode only reads. Build mode edits files: read the diff, then commit the change or restore it with Git. The same four steps work in any agent tool.
Your first 10 minutes
Documentation-based suggestion — not run here.
Lab: a folder holds a Python script that turns plate-reader exports into a summary table, plus one sample export. Company: a folder holds a small script that turns a weekly sales CSV into a one-page report.
Put the folder under Git and commit it as it is.
Open it in OpenCode Desktop and switch to plan mode. Ask: "Explain what this script does and list three ways it could fail on a new export."
Pick one failure, for example a missing column. Switch to build mode and ask for a clear error message when that column is absent. Keep the request to one change.
Read the diff. Run the script on the sample file and on a copy with the column deleted.
You're done when the normal file still gives the same table, the broken file gives a readable error, and the change is one commit you understand. T08-L01 walks through this pattern, and T08-L04 sets up the desktop app from first launch.
If it goes wrong If the change is wrong, discard it with git restore and ask again for something smaller.
Reviewer's notes: decision matrix, cost and evidence
Decision matrix
opencode app decision matrix
Overview
Verdict: start here if you want to change code or files with an AI agent and keep your choice of model. OpenCode is free and open source; you pay only for the model: free models to start, from $10 a month, or with a subscription you already have. Work in a Git folder, because the agent edits files and runs commands.
Best for
Someone learning to make small code or file changes with an agent, following the Write code track (T08).
A lab or company that wants to choose its own model: a cloud provider, a GitHub Copilot seat, or a local model through Ollama or LM Studio.
Work you want to review step by step: a plan mode that only reads, then changes you can see as a diff.
+ Pros
Read pros
OpenCode is an open-source AI coding agent made by Anomaly. It runs as a desktop app, in the terminal, or in the browser, and it plugs into VS Code, Cursor, Zed and other editors. You describe a change in plain words; the agent reads the project, proposes a plan, edits files and runs commands, and you review the result.
We use OpenCode Desktop every day to build this curriculum, and it is the coding tool the Write code track teaches.
Pick it when you want to choose the model. Connect an API key from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google or others, sign in with a GitHub Copilot seat, buy OpenCode's own Go plan, or point it at a local model. Ollama, LM Studio and vLLM running on your machine are picked up automatically.
Pick it when you want to look before anything changes. Plan mode only reads and writes up an approach. Build mode makes the changes. Permissions let you say which commands run freely, which ask first, and which are blocked.
Pick it when you want to learn the habit, not a product. Plan first, change one thing, read the diff: what you practise here carries over to any coding agent.
− Cons
Read cons
Pick something else when you want everything in one subscription.Cursor and Devin Desktop include model usage in the plan and hide provider choices.
Pick something else when you want a polished editor first and an agent second. Cursor is built around its editor. OpenCode's desktop app centres on the conversation and the diff.
Pick something else when the model is tied to one vendor anyway. If your company already pays for Claude or ChatGPT seats, Claude Code or Codex come with those plans.
Model quality varies. A cheap or small local model makes more mistakes on multi-file changes. Start with a strong cloud model, then try cheaper ones on tasks you can check.
Avoid if
You want one bill that includes the model and never think about providers. Cursor or Devin Desktop bundle model usage into the plan.
Nobody will review the changes or keep the project under version control. The agent can edit many files and run commands.
Workflow
Open a version-controlled project -> configure an approved provider -> ask for a plan or a small change -> inspect files, commands and diff -> run the project's own checks before accepting it. No project or provider was used for this review.
Cost
Read cost
Prices checked 23 September 2026: OpenCode itself is free software (MIT licence). You pay for the model in one of these ways:
Option
Price
OpenCode Zen free models (ten on 18 October 2026, no account needed)
Free; some keep no copy of your prompts, others may use them to improve the model
Your own provider account or API key
The provider's own rates
GitHub Copilot seat
Your existing Copilot subscription (device sign-in)
OpenCode Go (open models such as DeepSeek, GLM, Qwen, Kimi)
$10/month, with 5-hour, weekly and monthly usage limits per model
OpenCode Zen (pay as you go)
Per token, e.g. Claude Haiku 4.5 at $1 in / $5 out per million tokens; card fees of 4.4% + $0.30 passed on
Local model (Ollama, LM Studio)
Free software; you pay for a computer with enough memory for the model
Running effort is low. Install the app, connect one provider, and set a monthly spending limit with that provider. The bill grows with long sessions and big projects, because the agent re-reads files as it works. OpenCode 2 arrived on 11 September 2026; the desktop app was at 2.0.32 on 18 October. The 1.x line keeps getting fixes and stays on 1.x until you upgrade on purpose, and the migration guide says v1 plugins and server integrations need updating.
Restrictions
The terminal workflow needs a modern terminal and provider credentials. On Windows, the desktop app and the 2.x command line (npm package @opencode/cli) run natively; we used both on Windows 11 for the Write code books. WinGet's OpenCode packages install the older 1.x line. Availability and model features depend on the configured provider.
Links & evidence
Documentation-based · not hands-on · Sep 23, 2026
The curriculum team uses OpenCode Desktop daily, and it is the coding interface the curriculum teaches (books T08-L01, T08-L02, T08-L04). Facts and prices come from opencode.ai (docs, download page, Go and Zen pages, v1-to-v2 migration guide) and the npm registry, checked 23 September 2026. Rechecked hands-on with OpenCode Desktop 2.0.32 on 18 October 2026: free models, Windows and the npm package. The worked example is an illustration, not a recorded session.
OpenCode documentation (v2) · Sep 23, 2026 — Open-source coding agent with terminal, desktop and web interfaces; current version 2.0.x; OpenCode Go at $10/month.
OpenCode download page · Sep 23, 2026 — Desktop app for macOS, Windows and Linux, CLI install methods, editor extensions; made by Anomaly.
OpenCode providers · Sep 23, 2026 — GitHub Copilot device sign-in, API-key providers, automatic discovery of Ollama, LM Studio and vLLM.
OpenCode Go · Sep 23, 2026 — $10/month plan for open models, with 5-hour (20%), weekly (50%) and monthly usage limits per model.
OpenCode Zen · Sep 23, 2026 — Pay-as-you-go model gateway; example price Claude Haiku 4.5 $1/$5 per 1M tokens; card fees 4.4% + $0.30 passed on.
Migrate from V1 · Sep 23, 2026 — OpenCode 2 changes plugins, the server API and permission configuration; supported v1 configuration is meant to keep working.
Further review notes & alternatives
Alternatives and trade-offs
Claude Code: Anthropic's own agent. Wins when you already have a Claude plan and only want Claude models.
Cursor: a full code editor with a built-in agent and a $60 middle plan. Wins when you want to work in the editor yourself.
Devin Desktop: an editor plus a board for local and cloud agents. It can run OpenCode inside it. Wins when you want to hand off whole tasks.
Aider: a terminal tool that commits every change to Git. Wins for people who live in the terminal.
Use a terminal, desktop app, or IDE extension to work with coding agents.
Choose build mode for changes or plan mode for read-only exploration.
Connect supported providers, subscriptions, or local models through one workbench.
Anomaly (open-source; Dax Raad and team, originally SST) · byok · self-host
terminal coding
model agnostic
open source
local llm
api key
git integration
lsp support
write-code
automate
View sourced imageOpenCode Desktop 2.0.32, captured by the course on 18 October 2026 with made-up data (T08-L01).
OpenCode Desktop 2.0.32
Course-created screenshot of OpenCode (MIT licence) with made-up course data.
