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OpenCode 2.0 is a major overhaul of the coding agent, adding a shared background service, a redesigned API, JavaScript-based tool composition, background work and a more extensively used plugin system. The release also introduces breaking changes: version 1.0 plugins will not work, and the server API has been replaced.
OpenCode has announced version 2.0, a major overhaul of its coding agent that introduces a shared local service, a redesigned server API and new ways to run tools and agent tasks in the background. The changes affect developers using OpenCode through its terminal, web and desktop interfaces, as well as those building integrations; the project also warns of breaking changes for plugins and API clients.
OpenCode says version 2.0 draws on feedback from its millions of daily users and includes new features, performance work and bug fixes. A central change is that its server now runs as a single background process on the user’s machine. The terminal interface, web interface and desktop app connect to that service, rather than requiring users to start separate processes for each client. The release notes say the programmatic client can discover the local service automatically, and users can access it through CLI API commands or expose it to other hosts using the pairing flow.
The project says it rebuilt the API from scratch after the earlier version developed around evolving agent use cases. It has also released @opencode/client, with JavaScript and Effect-based clients, and @opencode/sdk, which packages the same code used by the CLI for use as a library. OpenCode says the SDK can support customized versions of the software in server environments, while still using the standard OpenCode server protocol. The Effect-based API remains under development, according to the release notes.
Version 2.0 also adds a JavaScript interpreter package called @opencode/codemode. OpenCode says it can turn MCP servers and OpenAPI endpoints into callable functions that an agent can combine in scripts, reducing the need to call tools one by one. MCP servers are opted into this mode by default, the project says. Other additions include background subagents and shell commands, which allow the primary agent to keep working while delegated work or longer-running commands continue. Users can also move a running foreground command or subagent into the background.
One Service, More Ways to Extend
The overhaul matters because it changes how developers can connect to and build on OpenCode, not just how they interact with an agent in a single interface. A shared local service gives the terminal, web and desktop clients a common point of connection, while the new client and SDK packages give scripts and custom applications ways to use the same system. OpenCode says scheduled tasks can use automatic service discovery, and that the service can be paired with other applications.
For agent workflows, code-mode tool composition and background execution offer a different way to handle work that involves multiple tools or takes time to complete. Rather than making sequential tool calls, an agent can write a script to combine calls, according to the project. Background subagents and shell commands can let the main session remain available while work continues. Those are capabilities described by the OpenCode team; the supplied release notes do not provide independent performance measurements or comparative results.
The plugin changes could matter to developers who customize the product. OpenCode says it implemented many of its own features as internal plugins and now has more than 80 plugins, while moving TUI plugins from experimental to stable. That approach is intended to keep the plugin API in active use, but users with existing 1.0 plugins will need to account for incompatibility.
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What Changes From Version 1
OpenCode had a client/server design before version 2.0, but the project says most users did not routinely use the server as a shared service. The new default brings the terminal, web and desktop clients together around one local process. The release also follows an earlier period in which, according to the developers, the API grew as the team and the wider software community learned more about agent workflows.
The project presents version 2.0 as a broad rebuild rather than a narrowly scoped feature update. Alongside the service and API changes, it introduces code mode, background work, a more actively maintained plugin system and a reusable SDK. The release notes say many other changes are backwards compatible, but identify several migration points that developers should check before upgrading.
To upgrade the CLI, the project instructs users to first install the latest 1.x release and then run opencode upgrade –major. Desktop users are directed to download the latest app. OpenCode says users can point the software at its migration documentation to help update configurations, but the supplied material does not detail every change involved.
““In 2.0 this server now automatically runs as a single background process on your machine.””
— OpenCode’s release notes
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Migration and Compatibility Questions
The supplied release notes do not state the announcement’s exact publication date, provide a full changelog, or give benchmarks for the reported performance improvements. It is also not clear from the material how much migration work typical users will need beyond the named breaking changes, or whether the suggested migration documentation covers every configuration and plugin setup.
OpenCode says version 1.0 plugins will not work in version 2.0 and that the server API is completely different. It also identifies a configuration change involving tui.json, which is moved to json; the release notes do not explain the exact migration steps in the supplied text. The Effect-based API is explicitly still in development. Claims about the system’s benefits and performance come from the project, and no independent evaluation is included in the source material.
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Upgrading and Building Integrations
Users planning to upgrade the CLI should first move to the latest 1.x version, then run opencode upgrade –major, following OpenCode’s instructions. Desktop users can install the latest release from the project’s download page. Before switching, plugin authors and users should check compatibility, since the release notes say 1.0 plugins are not supported in 2.0, and developers relying on the previous server API will need to review the replacement.
OpenCode says native apps that use the pairing flow are in development. The project also says the Effect-based API is available but remains in development, so its behavior may change. The next practical test for users will be how well existing workflows migrate and how the new service, SDK and plugin system perform in real deployments; the supplied announcement does not give dates for those developments.
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Key Questions
What is OpenCode 2.0?
OpenCode 2.0 is a major overhaul of the coding agent. It adds a shared local service, a redesigned API, scriptable tool composition, background tasks and an expanded plugin system.
What is the main change to how OpenCode runs?
The release makes a single background service on the user’s machine the shared connection point for the terminal, web and desktop interfaces. OpenCode says its programmatic client can discover the service automatically.
Will OpenCode 1.0 plugins work in version 2.0?
No. The release notes state that version 1.0 plugins will not work in OpenCode 2.0. Plugin users and developers should check the new system before upgrading.
How do users upgrade the CLI?
OpenCode instructs users to install the latest 1.x release first, then run opencode upgrade –major. The project says desktop users should download the latest app.
What remains under development?
The release notes say the Effect-based API is still in development. OpenCode also says native apps that use its pairing flow are in the works, without giving a release date.
Source: hn
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