“A major overhaul”: OpenCode 2.0 puts its terminal, desktop, and web apps on one shared service
The New Stack Paul Sawers
OpenCode 2.0 now runs its terminal, web, and desktop apps from one background service. That also brings a new API, SDK, and background tasks — and breaks some old plugins.
Based on reporting by The New Stack, Paul Sawers — read the original for the full story.
Summary, retelling and take written by AI under human oversight; images are AI-generated illustrations. How we work · Report an error
OpenCode 2.0 is finally being framed as the main release, after a public beta that landed about three months ago and a rollout that kept developers guessing. Anomaly, the company behind the open-source coding agent, says this version is a “major overhaul” built from the habits of “millions of daily users.” The pitch is simple enough: OpenCode is no longer just a collection of separate interfaces with shared plumbing underneath. It’s becoming a single system that can move across terminal, browser, and desktop without losing its place.
That starts with a shared background service that launches automatically on the developer’s machine. Start a session in the terminal, pick it up in the desktop app or web app, and let scripts connect to the same local service too. The company says the old client/server setup was there from the beginning, but version 2.0 makes it the default and opens the door to scheduled jobs, external apps, and even remote access from other machines.
The API has been rebuilt as well. Anomaly says the old one grew “haphazardly” while the broader agent market was still taking shape, and the new version gives the agent more control over its own work. It can spin up a Git worktree for a new task, move an existing session into that worktree, or interrupt another session that’s stuck. Developers can use the API through @opencode/client, which supports standard JavaScript and Effect, while a new embeddable SDK, @opencode/sdk, is meant to let other applications build around OpenCode’s core code.
OpenCode 2.0 also pushes harder on agent-to-tool automation. A feature called Code Mode lets agents write JavaScript that chains multiple tools together in one run, turning MCP servers and OpenAPI endpoints into functions rather than separate model calls. Anomaly is making that the default for all MCP servers, arguing that it cuts down on context bloat. On top of that, subagents and shell commands can now run in the background, so a developer can keep working while tests run or a code review happens elsewhere.
There’s a cost to the cleanup. Plugins made for OpenCode 1.0 won’t work on 2.0, and anything built against the old server API needs updates. Anomaly says it has already built more than 80 internal plugins to cover most of the new functionality, and terminal plugins are now stable. Users upgrading from 1.x have to do it themselves, either with opencode upgrade --major or /update in the terminal, because automatic installs are off as of the October 11 release notes.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is the right kind of upgrade: boring plumbing first, shiny agent tricks second. Open-source AI tools keep winning when they act like software people can actually build on, not demoware with a hero video and a prayer. Breaking old plugins will annoy people, but that’s the bill for turning a clever CLI into something that might survive contact with real teams.
Read more about this at: The New Stack