OpenCode vs Claude Code: AGENTS.md, providers and setup

OpenCode is an open source coding agent with a terminal interface, a desktop app and a web app. It takes its providers and models from the models.dev catalogue. Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool for the terminal, IDEs, a desktop app and the browser. Anthropic does not support routing it to non-Claude models through any gateway. Both read AGENTS.md, but OpenCode prefers it over CLAUDE.md, while Claude Code prefers CLAUDE.md over it.

OpenCode vs Claude Code at a glance

Install OpenCode and Claude Code

Install OpenCode with its install script:

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

• OpenCode also installs with npm, Bun, pnpm, Yarn, Vite+, Homebrew, the AUR or mise.
• The npm package is @opencode/cli, installed with npm install -g @opencode/cli.
• On Windows, OpenCode offers standalone CLI zip downloads and a desktop app installer.
• OpenCode's docs state that Windows package managers are not supported.

Install Claude Code on macOS, Linux or WSL:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

In Windows PowerShell:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

• When the installer finishes, open a new terminal and run claude --version to check the install.
• Native installs update automatically in the background.
• Homebrew and WinGet installs do not auto-update, so you upgrade them yourself.
• The commands are brew install --cask claude-code for Homebrew and winget install Anthropic.ClaudeCode for WinGet.
• On native Windows, Git for Windows lets Claude Code use the Bash tool, and without it Claude Code uses PowerShell.
• The Claude desktop app includes Claude Code, so you don't need the CLI separately, and it requires a paid subscription.

Model providers and LLM gateways

OpenCode takes its provider and model list from the models.dev catalogue. Run /connect, choose a provider and enter its credentials, then run /models to pick a model. Start Ollama and pull a model, and OpenCode finds it automatically and adds its completion models to /models. To send a catalogue provider through a proxy or compatible endpoint, override its settings.baseURL.

Claude Code reaches Claude models in these ways:

The four cloud providers also lack every feature that requires a claude.ai sign-in, such as cloud sessions, Remote Control and Ultrareview.

• The CLI, Agent SDK, VS Code and JetBrains extensions, hooks, skills, plugins and MCP servers work on every provider.
• Any gateway that exposes a supported API format works, but Anthropic does not endorse, maintain or audit third-party gateway products.
• ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL changes where requests are sent, not which model answers them.
• Setting ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL without a gateway credential leaves a saved claude.ai login active, so its usage limits and billing still apply.
• When ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL points at a host other than api.anthropic.com, Claude Code turns off features such as Remote Control and server-managed settings.

Inside Claude Code, pick a model with /model, claude --model, ANTHROPIC_MODEL or the model setting, in that order of priority. Aliases include opus, sonnet, haiku, fable and best. The opusplan alias uses opus in plan mode, then switches to sonnet for execution. Administrators can restrict which models users can select with availableModels in managed settings.

How OpenCode reads AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md

• OpenCode reads an AGENTS.md in your project root, and its rules apply in that directory and its subdirectories.
• It uses a project CLAUDE.md only when no AGENTS.md exists, so with both files present only AGENTS.md is used.
• Personal rules go in ~/.config/opencode/AGENTS.md, which takes priority over ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md.
• The instructions option in opencode.json adds more instruction files or remote URLs, combined with your AGENTS.md files.
• Setting OPENCODE_DISABLE_CLAUDE_CODE=1 turns off all .claude support in OpenCode.
• Narrower variables turn off only ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md or only .claude/skills.

How Claude Code reads AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md

• From v2.1.277, Claude Code reads AGENTS.md when there is no CLAUDE.md, .claude/CLAUDE.md or CLAUDE.local.md in your working directory or above it.
• Your ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md, your organisation's managed CLAUDE.md and .claude/rules/ files keep loading alongside AGENTS.md.
• Claude Code does not read AGENTS.local.md, AGENTS.override.md or anything under a .agents/ directory.
• Adding a CLAUDE.local.md to a project that relies on AGENTS.md stops Claude Code reading AGENTS.md for you.
• Set Project instructions in /config to claude-md-and-agents-md to have Claude Code read both files together.
• Set Project instructions to claude-md or managed-only to leave AGENTS.md out.
• Before v2.1.281, some sessions, such as those on Amazon Bedrock or with telemetry disabled, read CLAUDE.md files only.

Share one instruction file between OpenCode and Claude Code

The simplest shared setup is one AGENTS.md and no CLAUDE.md. OpenCode reads AGENTS.md first, and Claude Code reads it when it finds no CLAUDE.md.

If you need rules for Claude Code only, keep a CLAUDE.md that imports AGENTS.md, and add the extra rules below the import:

@AGENTS.md

## Claude Code

Use plan mode for changes under `src/billing/`.

OpenCode still reads only AGENTS.md, because it uses CLAUDE.md only when no AGENTS.md exists.

• Claude Code's /init folds Cursor and Copilot rule files into the generated CLAUDE.md.
• With CLAUDE_CODE_NEW_INIT=1 set, Claude Code's /init also reads AGENTS.md.
• Claude Code's /import appends a one-time copy of files such as AGENTS.md to CLAUDE.md.
• /import also carries over MCP servers, commands, subagents and skills.
• /import is unavailable on Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud's Agent Platform, Microsoft Foundry and Claude Platform on AWS, and through a Claude apps gateway.
• If anyone works on Windows, use the @AGENTS.md import rather than a symlinked CLAUDE.md.

Orbtile with Claude Code and OpenCode

Orbtile puts coding agent sessions on a Logitech MX Creative Keypad, an iPhone (iOS 17 or later) or an Android phone (Android 8.0 or later), with waiting sessions first. It runs on a computer with macOS 14.0 Sonoma or later on Apple silicon, or Windows 11 (x64). Claude Code, Codex, ZCode, Antigravity and Kimi Code are supported out of the box.

• Claude Code: install the Orbtile plugin in Settings > Agents > Claude Code on a Mac, or with its Install button on Windows.
• Running sessions: restart Claude Code sessions that were already running once, so they load the plugin.
• Background runs: turn on Show background sessions on Claude Code's page, so scheduled or headless runs get keys too.
• OpenCode: it is not one of the supported agents, so it needs an adapter you build with Orbtile's Adapter API.
• Turn on adapters: in Settings > Agents, choose Build your own, turn on Let your own tools show sessions, then allow each new adapter.
• Answer from the keypad: for local Claude Code sessions, press Deny on key 7 once, or hold Allow on key 9 for 0.6 seconds.

See Show any script or agent on a keypad with the Orbtile Adapter API and Approve agent tool calls without switching windows.