How to Install OpenCode and Code with AI, Step by Step

Table of Contents

• Two names you shouldn't mix up
• Step by step

  • 1. Install the OpenCode CLI
  • 2. Check that it runs
  • 3. Connect a provider
  • 4. Enter a real repo
  • 5. Send the first task
• If something fails
• Frequently asked questions

  • Are OpenCode and OpenCode Go the same thing?
  • Can I install it with Homebrew or Scoop?
  • Do I need a powerful GPU?
  • How do I get the $5 credit?
• In short

Two names you shouldn't mix up

• OpenCode: the CLI. You install it once. It's free software, runs as opencode.
• OpenCode Go: the subscription (~$5 the first month, $10 after) with open models and usage ceilings. It's one provider you can connect. It's not required to install the CLI.

You can install OpenCode today and connect Anthropic's API, Z.ai or another. Go is the shortcut if you don't want to manage ten API keys.

Step by step

1. Install the OpenCode CLI

The official v2 doc gives these routes. Pick one:

npm install -g @opencode/cli

bun install -g --trust @opencode/cli

pnpm add -g --allow-build=@opencode/cli @opencode/cli

yarn global add @opencode/cli

curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/v2/install | bash

The npm package uses a trusted postinstall script to download the native binary for your platform. That's why bun and pnpm ask for the --trust / --allow-build flag.

What not to use, according to that same doc: Homebrew, AUR, Scoop, Chocolatey or a loose .exe from a mirror. 2025 tutorials saying brew install opencode are outdated compared to v2.

Docker exists (ghcr.io/anomalyco/opencode with version tags) if your workflow is containers. For day one, npm or the script is enough.

2. Check that it runs

Close and reopen the terminal (the PATH sometimes doesn't refresh). Then:

opencode

It has to open the TUI, not command not found. If the curl script installed into a directory your shell doesn't load, open a new session or source your .bashrc / .zshrc.

No GPU needed. No need for opencode tui as some magic subcommand: the binary with no arguments launches the interface.

3. Connect a provider

Inside the TUI, the command is:

/connect

There you pick the provider. Reasonable paths:

• OpenCode Go: if you want the $10 plan and the open models. Create the account with the $5 link, complete billing, and connect Go from /connect. The ceiling details (5 hours / week / month) are in the pricing post; here all that matters is that the session authenticates.
• Z.ai / GLM: if you already have the Coding Plan, connect it as a custom provider with the coding endpoint. Don't mix in the generic chat key.
• Anthropic, OpenAI or another: /connect and paste the key. OpenCode ships with several built in.

Without a provider, the TUI is an empty shell. The typical day-one error isn't "it won't install": it's opening opencode without having connected anything.

4. Enter a real repo

cd /path/to/your/project
opencode

The agent sees the files in that directory. If you launch it in $HOME, it'll want to opine about your entire disk. Don't do it.

If the project already has an AGENTS.md or an opencode.json, it respects them. If not, you can initialize later; it doesn't block the first prompt.

5. Send the first task

Ask for something you can verify without faith:

• "What does src/auth.ts do?"
• "Write a test for this function and don't touch the rest."

If it edits the right file and the diff makes sense, the install is done. Only then is it worth talking about MCP, plugins and themes — the customize doc exists for day 2.

If something fails

• command not found: PATH. Reopen the terminal. With npm global, the npm prefix is sometimes missing from the Windows PATH.
• npm's postinstall got blocked: that's the script that downloads the binary. On bun/pnpm you must have passed --trust / --allow-build.
• The TUI opens but the model doesn't respond: it's not the install, it's /connect. Check the key and the provider.
• Go runs out mid-afternoon: that's the usage ceiling, not a CLI bug. That's explained in the limits post.

Frequently asked questions

Are OpenCode and OpenCode Go the same thing?

No. CLI vs model subscription. You can use the CLI without Go.

Can I install it with Homebrew or Scoop?

Not according to the v2 doc. npm/bun/pnpm/yarn or the opencode.ai/v2/install script.

Do I need a powerful GPU?

Not for Go or for cloud APIs.

How do I get the $5 credit?

With the Go link. It's applied to usage limits.

In short

• Install the CLI through the official v2 route, not through some blog's brew.
• /connect is the step people skip.
• Launch opencode inside the repo.
• Go is optional and cheap to try with the referral credit.
• Prices and ceilings: the other two posts.

👉 Try OpenCode Go with $5 in credit

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If you already have the agent in your head and what's missing is "making it run on this machine", you don't need another comparison. You need an install the official docs still back.

— Leandro Valencia