Aegis for OpenCode

June 5, 2026 · View on GitHub

Complete guide for using Aegis with OpenCode.ai.

This page only covers the OpenCode host install path. For the current Aegis Method Pack authority order, release gate, and known limitations, read:

  • docs/current/README.md
  • docs/current/AEGIS_METHOD_PACK_RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md
  • docs/current/AEGIS_KNOWN_LIMITATIONS.md

Installation

Add aegis to the plugin array in your opencode.json (global or project-level):

{
  "plugin": ["aegis@git+https://github.com/GanyuanRan/Aegis.git"]
}

Restart OpenCode. The plugin auto-installs via Bun, mirrors aegis skills into OpenCode's global ~/.config/opencode/skills/ discovery path, and injects the bootstrap context automatically. The plugin-backed path is the recommended complete install because it keeps the Aegis method-pack root available for project workspace support verification.

When ~/.config/aegis/config.toml already declares a method_pack_root, the OpenCode plugin treats that configured method-pack checkout as the canonical Aegis body and generates the OpenCode skills view from it. The OpenCode-facing ~/.config/opencode/skills/ tree is therefore a host compatibility view, not a second editable owner.

Verify by asking: "Tell me about your aegis"

Then run complete-install verification from the method-pack root:

cd <aegis-method-pack-root>
python scripts/aegis-doctor.py --write-config --json

Do not run the doctor command from the target project directory; it belongs to the installed Aegis method-pack root.

Treat the install as complete only if the JSON reports "ok": true, "workspaceSupport": "available", and "configStatus": "configured".

Activation Mode

Aegis defaults to automatic mode. To switch OpenCode to explicit mode, edit:

~/.config/aegis/config.toml

Windows:

%USERPROFILE%\.config\aegis\config.toml

If the file does not exist, create it manually. Add:

activation_mode = "explicit"

You can also write the same config from the installed Aegis method-pack root:

cd <aegis-method-pack-root>
python scripts/aegis-doctor.py activation-mode explicit

Switch back to automatic mode with:

cd <aegis-method-pack-root>
python scripts/aegis-doctor.py activation-mode auto

Then restart OpenCode or start a new session.

AEGIS_ACTIVATION_MODE is still available as an environment-variable override for one-off runs:

AEGIS_ACTIVATION_MODE=explicit opencode

PowerShell one-off run:

$env:AEGIS_ACTIVATION_MODE = "explicit"
opencode

It is not a field in opencode.json. Environment variables override the user-local config when both are set.

In explicit mode, the plugin still mirrors Aegis skills into OpenCode's skill discovery path, but it does not prepend the compact bootstrap. Use OpenCode's native skill tool or name an Aegis skill directly when you want Aegis.

Before running runtime checks or integration tests, verify the CLI itself is runnable:

opencode --version

If this command fails with a platform-package error, fix the local OpenCode CLI installation first. A binary that exists on PATH but cannot execute is not enough for the integration suite.

The current bash-based integration helper also supports Windows CLI bridging. On Windows + bash/WSL it can invoke cmd.exe /d /c opencode.cmd, so the next blocker is usually runtime model/auth readiness rather than CLI discovery.

If you previously installed aegis using git clone and symlinks, remove the old setup:

# Remove old symlinks
rm -f ~/.config/opencode/plugins/aegis.js
rm -rf ~/.config/opencode/skills/aegis

# Optionally remove the cloned repo
rm -rf ~/.config/opencode/aegis

# Remove skills.paths from opencode.json if you added one for aegis

Then follow the installation steps above.

Usage

Finding Skills

Use OpenCode's native skill tool to list all available skills:

use skill tool to list skills

Loading a Skill

use skill tool to load aegis/brainstorming

Goal Framing

Portable goal entry:

Aegis goal: Fix the auth refresh bug without rewriting the auth system.

Use this when you want goal-framing to set goal, success evidence, stop condition, and non-goals before routing onward. /aegis-goal <task> is an optional shortcut only when the current host/session supports slash-style aliases.

Notes:

  • In current OpenCode runtime, bare skill names are the most reliable way to load a skill the host has already discovered.
  • OpenCode's official skills docs require skill names to remain unique across locations.
  • Project-local skill discovery is based on the current working directory walking up to the git worktree root.
  • Do not assume aegis: or project: prefixes will override duplicate-name resolution. Treat explicit namespace forcing as host-defined unless verified on your exact OpenCode version.

Personal Skills

Create your own skills in ~/.config/opencode/skills/:

mkdir -p ~/.config/opencode/skills/my-skill

Create ~/.config/opencode/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md:

---
name: my-skill
description: Use when [condition] - [what it does]
---

# My Skill

[Your skill content here]

Project Skills

Create project-specific skills in .opencode/skills/ within your project.

Skill Priority: Project skills > Personal skills > Aegis skills

Updating

Aegis updates automatically when you restart OpenCode. The plugin is re-installed from the git repository on each launch.

If the user-local Aegis config already points to a canonical method_pack_root, restart OpenCode after updating that checkout so the plugin can refresh the generated OpenCode skills view from the same source.

To pin a specific version, use a branch or tag:

{
  "plugin": ["aegis@git+https://github.com/GanyuanRan/Aegis.git#v5.0.3"]
}

How It Works

The plugin does two things:

  1. Injects compact bootstrap context via the experimental.chat.messages.transform hook, adding aegis awareness to the first user message without repeating a system message every turn.
  2. Mirrors aegis skills into OpenCode's native global skills path (~/.config/opencode/skills/) so the host discovers them using its documented skill search rules.

When method_pack_root is configured in ~/.config/aegis/config.toml, that configured checkout becomes the canonical source for the mirrored skills view. Otherwise the plugin falls back to the bundled plugin checkout. In both cases, the OpenCode skills directory is a generated compatibility view rather than a second editable Aegis body.

The plugin still appends that mirrored path to config.skills.paths as a compatibility fallback, but the canonical discovery chain is now the host's documented skills directory rather than an undocumented config-only contract. Fallback retention and retirement are tracked in docs/current/AEGIS_KNOWN_LIMITATIONS.md, not in this host guide.

Tool Mapping

Skills written for Claude Code are automatically adapted for OpenCode:

  • TodoWrite → todowrite
  • Task with subagents → OpenCode's @mention system
  • Skill tool → OpenCode's native skill tool
  • File operations → Native OpenCode tools

Troubleshooting

CLI exists but is not runnable

If command -v opencode succeeds but opencode --version fails, the local OpenCode install is not usable for integration testing on this platform.

Reinstall the correct platform-specific OpenCode package first, then rerun:

opencode --version
opencode run --print-logs "hello"

The tests/opencode/run-tests.sh --integration suite treats this as an environment blocker and skips the integration assertions until the CLI is runnable.

CLI runs, but real sessions fail

If opencode --version works but opencode run ... fails with model-not-found, invalid-key, expired-token, or insufficient-credit errors, the CLI is present but the runtime is still not healthy enough for integration tests.

The integration suite now probes runtime readiness with:

OPENCODE_TEST_MODEL=opencode/glm-5 bash tests/opencode/run-tests.sh --integration

Override OPENCODE_TEST_MODEL to a model/provider pair that is valid on your machine before expecting the integration assertions to run.

Plugin not loading

  1. Check OpenCode logs: opencode run --print-logs "hello" 2>&1 | grep -i aegis
  2. Verify the plugin line in your opencode.json is correct
  3. Make sure you're running a recent version of OpenCode

Skills not found

  1. Use OpenCode's skill tool to list available skills
  2. Check that the plugin is loading (see above)
  3. Check that ~/.config/opencode/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md (or the test HOME equivalent) exists after startup
  4. Each skill needs a SKILL.md file with valid YAML frontmatter

Project workspace support not verified

Skill discovery and project workspace support are separate checks. If skills are visible but workspace support is not verified, confirm the plugin-backed method-pack checkout/cache is present, then run this from that method-pack root, not from the target project directory:

cd <aegis-method-pack-root>
python scripts/aegis-doctor.py --write-config --json

The JSON should include "workspaceSupport": "available" and "configStatus": "configured".

Bootstrap not appearing

  1. Check OpenCode version supports the experimental.chat.messages.transform hook
  2. Restart OpenCode after config changes
  3. Check whether AEGIS_ACTIVATION_MODE=explicit is set; explicit mode intentionally disables automatic bootstrap injection

Getting Help