Getting Started

Getting Started

This guide walks you through installing opencode Studio and sending your first message.

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Prerequisites

1. Install opencode

opencode Studio requires the opencode CLI to be installed on your system.

opencode --version

If opencode is not found, visit opencode.ai for installation instructions.

2. Configure a Model Provider

opencode needs at least one AI model provider configured (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Ollama, etc.).

3. A VS Code-family Editor

Any of these: VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity, VSCodium, or code-server.

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Installation

Option A: From Marketplace (Recommended)

1. Open Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
2. Search "opencode Studio"
3. Click Install

Cursor/Windsurf/Antigravity/VSCodium pull from Open VSX automatically.

Option B: From VSIX

1. Download the latest .vsix from GitHub Releases
2. Extensions → ⋯ → Install from VSIX…

Option C: From Command Line

code --install-extension martian7777.opencode-studio

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First Run

1. Open the Sidebar

Click the opencode icon in the Activity Bar. The extension will:

• Detect your workspace
• Spawn opencode serve on a random port (or use SDK fallback if spawn fails)
• Connect and subscribe to the SSE event stream

A blue banner shows "Starting opencode server…" while it launches.

2. Choose Your Execution Mode

In the header, select a mode from the dropdown:

Mode	When to use
✋ Manual	Learning / reviewing — you approve every action
⚡ Auto (default)	Daily use — safe things auto-run, risky things prompt
⏩ Bypass	Trusted tasks — everything runs without asking
◔ Plan	Architecture/design — read-only, no file edits

3. Send Your First Message

Type a message and press Enter:

Explain the structure of this project

4. Try Image Attachments

• Paste from clipboard (Ctrl+V / Cmd+V)
• Drag and drop onto the input area (a dashed drop zone appears)
• Click 📎 Attach to pick files

5. Use @-Mentions

Type @ to fuzzy-search workspace files:

@src/components/Header.tsx refactor this to use a custom hook

6. Try Slash Commands

Type / to see available opencode commands:

/compact summarize the current conversation

7. Handle Permissions

In Manual or Auto (risky) mode, tool actions pause for your approval:

• Allow Once — run this one time
• Always Allow — auto-approve this pattern going forward
• Reject — deny the action

8. Stop a Request

Click the ■ Stop button (replaces Send while generating) to cancel.

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What's Next?

• 📖 Features Guide — Learn all features in detail
• ⚙️ Configuration — Settings, modes, and keyboard shortcuts
• 🔧 Troubleshooting — Fix common issues