opencode

OpenCode CLI

Use OpenCode as an autonomous coding worker orchestrated by Hermes terminal/process tools. OpenCode is a provider-agnostic, open-source AI coding agent with a TUI and CLI.

When to Use

• User explicitly asks to use OpenCode
• You want an external coding agent to implement/refactor/review code
• You need long-running coding sessions with progress checks
• You want parallel task execution in isolated workdirs/worktrees

Prerequisites

• OpenCode installed: npm i -g opencode-ai@latest or brew install anomalyco/tap/opencode
• Auth configured: opencode auth login or set provider env vars (OPENROUTER_API_KEY, etc.)
• Verify: opencode auth list should show at least one provider
• Git repository for code tasks (recommended)
• pty=true for interactive TUI sessions

Binary Resolution (Important)

Shell environments may resolve different OpenCode binaries. If behavior differs between your terminal and Hermes, check:

terminal(command="which -a opencode")
terminal(command="opencode --version")

If needed, pin an explicit binary path:

terminal(command="$HOME/.opencode/bin/opencode run '...'", workdir="~/project", pty=true)

One-Shot Tasks

Use opencode run for bounded, non-interactive tasks:

terminal(command="opencode run 'Add retry logic to API calls and update tests'", workdir="~/project")

HTTP API / Server Control

When the user has opencode server running (commonly http://localhost:63333), Hermes can operate OpenCode sessions directly with curl via terminal. Prefer read/list/status endpoints first, and only create/send prompts when the user has asked to run a coding session.

For Aaron's Linear-backed OpenCode issue workflow, first verify the independently maintained cmd:linear-build-workspace command plus create_linear_workspace.py and linear_build_orchestrator.py exist under ~/.config/opencode. Only then load the compatibility-only hermes-opencode-linear-build workflow. If any component is absent, use a maintained Pi/Codex workflow instead of generic manual OpenCode workdir/worktree patterns.

Readiness checks:

terminal(command="curl -sS http://localhost:63333/global/health")
terminal(command="curl -sS http://localhost:63333/session")

Useful endpoints observed in OpenCode 1.14.x:

Endpoint	Use
GET /global/health	health/version, e.g. {\"healthy\":true,\"version\":\"1.14.x\"}
GET /session	list sessions; supports query params such as directory, workspace, limit, search, archived
POST /session	create a session; JSON body may include title, agent, model, permission, workspaceID, parentID; in OpenCode 1.14.x permission is an array of objects like {\"permission\":\"bash\",\"action\":\"allow\",\"pattern\":\"*\"}, not a map
GET /session/{sessionID}	session metadata
GET /session/{sessionID}/message	list messages for a session; supports limit and before
POST /session/{sessionID}/message	send a prompt; JSON body can include parts, agent, model, variant, tools, system, noReply
POST /session/{sessionID}/prompt_async	fire-and-monitor prompt launch; OpenCode 1.14 may return 204 No Content on success, so do not retry via /message after a 204
GET /event	workspace-scoped SSE event stream
GET /global/event	global SSE event stream
POST /session/{sessionID}/permissions/{permissionID}	answer permission prompts
GET /config/providers	provider/model availability; output may include secrets, so never paste raw output back to the user

Example create + prompt shape (use an explicit repo directory/workspace query when appropriate):

terminal(command="curl -sS -X POST 'http://localhost:63333/session?directory=/absolute/repo/path-url-encoded' -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{\"title\":\"Hermes task\",\"agent\":\"build\"}'")
terminal(command="curl -sS -X POST 'http://localhost:63333/session/$SESSION_ID/prompt_async?directory=/absolute/repo/path-url-encoded' -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{\"parts\":[{\"type\":\"text\",\"text\":\"Inspect the repo and summarize test commands. Do not edit files.\"}],\"agent\":\"build\"}'")

Observed OpenCode 1.14.40 quirk: POST /session may reject richer bodies like {"permission":{"edit":"allow",...}} with HTTP 400 even though simple {title, agent} succeeds. Start with the minimal body, then send the work prompt via /prompt_async. A successful /prompt_async can return an empty response body; treat HTTP 2xx as the success signal and poll /session/status.

Pitfalls:

• /doc may expose a partial OpenAPI document; the frontend bundle can reveal additional session/message endpoints.
• /config and /config/providers may include credential-bearing or sensitive provider metadata; summarize only non-secret facts.
• Creating sessions and posting prompts are side effects and may spend model tokens. Do not do that for a smoke test unless the user explicitly asks.
• For coding workflows, pass/choose the correct repo directory/workspace so OpenCode does not operate from $HOME.

Attach context files with -f:

terminal(command="opencode run 'Review this config for security issues' -f config.yaml -f .env.example", workdir="~/project")

Show model thinking with --thinking:

terminal(command="opencode run 'Debug why tests fail in CI' --thinking", workdir="~/project")

Force a specific model:

terminal(command="opencode run 'Refactor auth module' --model openrouter/anthropic/claude-sonnet-4", workdir="~/project")

Interactive Sessions (Background)

For iterative work requiring multiple exchanges, start the TUI in background:

terminal(command="opencode", workdir="~/project", background=true, pty=true)
# Returns session_id

# Send a prompt
process(action="submit", session_id="<id>", data="Implement OAuth refresh flow and add tests")

# Monitor progress
process(action="poll", session_id="<id>")
process(action="log", session_id="<id>")

# Send follow-up input
process(action="submit", session_id="<id>", data="Now add error handling for token expiry")

# Exit cleanly — Ctrl+C
process(action="write", session_id="<id>", data="\x03")
# Or just kill the process
process(action="kill", session_id="<id>")

Important: Do NOT use /exit — it is not a valid OpenCode command and will open an agent selector dialog instead. Use Ctrl+C (\x03) or process(action="kill") to exit.

TUI Keybindings

Key	Action
Enter	Submit message (press twice if needed)
Tab	Switch between agents (build/plan)
Ctrl+P	Open command palette
Ctrl+X L	Switch session
Ctrl+X M	Switch model
Ctrl+X N	New session
Ctrl+X E	Open editor
Ctrl+C	Exit OpenCode

Resuming Sessions

After exiting, OpenCode prints a session ID. Resume with:

terminal(command="opencode -c", workdir="~/project", background=true, pty=true)  # Continue last session
terminal(command="opencode -s ses_abc123", workdir="~/project", background=true, pty=true)  # Specific session

Common Flags

Flag	Use
run 'prompt'	One-shot execution and exit
--continue / -c	Continue the last OpenCode session
--session <id> / -s	Continue a specific session
--agent <name>	Choose OpenCode agent (build or plan)
--model provider/model	Force specific model
--format json	Machine-readable output/events
--file <path> / -f	Attach file(s) to the message
--thinking	Show model thinking blocks
--variant <level>	Reasoning effort (high, max, minimal)
--title <name>	Name the session
--attach <url>	Connect to a running opencode server

Procedure

1. Verify tool readiness:
   • terminal(command="opencode --version")
   • terminal(command="opencode auth list")
2. For bounded tasks, use opencode run '...' (no pty needed).
3. For iterative tasks, start opencode with background=true, pty=true.
4. Monitor long tasks with process(action="poll"|"log").
5. If OpenCode asks for input, respond via process(action="submit", ...).
6. Exit with process(action="write", data="\x03") or process(action="kill").
7. Summarize file changes, test results, and next steps back to user.

PR Review Workflow

OpenCode has a built-in PR command:

terminal(command="opencode pr 42", workdir="~/project", pty=true)

Or review in a temporary clone for isolation:

terminal(command="REVIEW=$(mktemp -d) && git clone https://github.com/user/repo.git $REVIEW && cd $REVIEW && opencode run 'Review this PR vs main. Report bugs, security risks, test gaps, and style issues.' -f $(git diff origin/main --name-only | head -20 | tr '\n' ' ')", pty=true)

Parallel Work Pattern

Use separate workdirs/worktrees to avoid collisions:

terminal(command="opencode run 'Fix issue #101 and commit'", workdir="/tmp/issue-101", background=true, pty=true)
terminal(command="opencode run 'Add parser regression tests and commit'", workdir="/tmp/issue-102", background=true, pty=true)
process(action="list")

Session & Cost Management

List past sessions:

terminal(command="opencode session list")

Check token usage and costs:

terminal(command="opencode stats")
terminal(command="opencode stats --days 7 --models anthropic/claude-sonnet-4")

Pitfalls

• Interactive opencode (TUI) sessions require pty=true. The opencode run command does NOT need pty.
• /exit is NOT a valid command — it opens an agent selector. Use Ctrl+C to exit the TUI.
• PATH mismatch can select the wrong OpenCode binary/model config.
• If OpenCode appears stuck, inspect logs before killing:
  • process(action="log", session_id="<id>")
• Avoid sharing one working directory across parallel OpenCode sessions.
• Enter may need to be pressed twice to submit in the TUI (once to finalize text, once to send).

Verification

Smoke test:

terminal(command="opencode run 'Respond with exactly: OPENCODE_SMOKE_OK'")

Success criteria:

• Output includes OPENCODE_SMOKE_OK
• Command exits without provider/model errors
• For code tasks: expected files changed and tests pass

Rules

1. Prefer opencode run for one-shot automation — it's simpler and doesn't need pty.
2. Use interactive background mode only when iteration is needed.
3. Always scope OpenCode sessions to a single repo/workdir.
4. For long tasks, provide progress updates from process logs.
5. Report concrete outcomes (files changed, tests, remaining risks).
6. Exit interactive sessions with Ctrl+C or kill, never /exit.