---
title: Config
description: Using the OpenCode JSON config.
---

You can configure OpenCode using a JSON config file.

---

## Format

OpenCode supports both **JSON** and **JSONC** (JSON with Comments) formats.

```jsonc title="opencode.jsonc"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  // Theme configuration
  "theme": "opencode",
  "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "autoupdate": true,
}
```

---

## Locations

You can place your config in a couple of different locations and they have a
different order of precedence.

:::note[Config Merging]
Configuration files are **merged together**, not replaced. Settings from all config locations are combined using a deep merge strategy, where later configs override earlier ones only for conflicting keys. Non-conflicting settings from all configs are preserved.

For example, if your global config sets `theme: "opencode"` and `autoupdate: true`, and your project config sets `model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5"`, the final configuration will include all three settings.
:::

---

### Global

Place your global OpenCode config in `~/.config/opencode/opencode.json`. You'll want to use the global config for things like themes, providers, or keybinds.

---

### Per project

You can also add a `opencode.json` in your project. Settings from this config are merged with and can override the global config. This is useful for configuring providers or modes specific to your project.

:::tip
Place project specific config in the root of your project.
:::

When OpenCode starts up, it looks for a config file in the current directory or traverse up to the nearest Git directory.

This is also safe to be checked into Git and uses the same schema as the global one.

---

### Custom path

You can also specify a custom config file path using the `OPENCODE_CONFIG` environment variable. Settings from this config are merged with and can override the global and project configs.

```bash
export OPENCODE_CONFIG=/path/to/my/custom-config.json
opencode run "Hello world"
```

---

### Custom directory

You can specify a custom config directory using the `OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR`
environment variable. This directory will be searched for agents, commands,
modes, and plugins just like the standard `.opencode` directory, and should
follow the same structure.

```bash
export OPENCODE_CONFIG_DIR=/path/to/my/config-directory
opencode run "Hello world"
```

Note: The custom directory is loaded after the global config and `.opencode` directories, so it can override their settings.

---

## Schema

The config file has a schema that's defined in [**`opencode.ai/config.json`**](https://opencode.ai/config.json).

Your editor should be able to validate and autocomplete based on the schema.

---

### TUI

You can configure TUI-specific settings through the `tui` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "tui": {
    "scroll_speed": 3,
    "scroll_acceleration": {
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

Available options:

- `scroll_acceleration.enabled` - Enable macOS-style scroll acceleration. **Takes precedence over `scroll_speed`.**
- `scroll_speed` - Custom scroll speed multiplier (default: `1`, minimum: `1`). Ignored if `scroll_acceleration.enabled` is `true`.

[Learn more about using the TUI here](/docs/tui).

---

### Tools

You can manage the tools an LLM can use through the `tools` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "tools": {
    "write": false,
    "bash": false
  }
}
```

[Learn more about tools here](/docs/tools).

---

### Models

You can configure the providers and models you want to use in your OpenCode config through the `provider`, `model` and `small_model` options.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "provider": {},
  "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
  "small_model": "anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5"
}
```

The `small_model` option configures a separate model for lightweight tasks like title generation. By default, OpenCode tries to use a cheaper model if one is available from your provider, otherwise it falls back to your main model.

You can also configure [local models](/docs/models#local). [Learn more](/docs/models).

---

### Themes

You can configure the theme you want to use in your OpenCode config through the `theme` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "theme": ""
}
```

[Learn more here](/docs/themes).

---

### Agents

You can configure specialized agents for specific tasks through the `agent` option.

```jsonc title="opencode.jsonc"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "agent": {
    "code-reviewer": {
      "description": "Reviews code for best practices and potential issues",
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
      "prompt": "You are a code reviewer. Focus on security, performance, and maintainability.",
      "tools": {
        // Disable file modification tools for review-only agent
        "write": false,
        "edit": false,
      },
    },
  },
}
```

You can also define agents using markdown files in `~/.config/opencode/agent/` or `.opencode/agent/`. [Learn more here](/docs/agents).

---

### Sharing

You can configure the [share](/docs/share) feature through the `share` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "share": "manual"
}
```

This takes:

- `"manual"` - Allow manual sharing via commands (default)
- `"auto"` - Automatically share new conversations
- `"disabled"` - Disable sharing entirely

By default, sharing is set to manual mode where you need to explicitly share conversations using the `/share` command.

---

### Commands

You can configure custom commands for repetitive tasks through the `command` option.

```jsonc title="opencode.jsonc"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "command": {
    "test": {
      "template": "Run the full test suite with coverage report and show any failures.\nFocus on the failing tests and suggest fixes.",
      "description": "Run tests with coverage",
      "agent": "build",
      "model": "anthropic/claude-haiku-4-5",
    },
    "component": {
      "template": "Create a new React component named $ARGUMENTS with TypeScript support.\nInclude proper typing and basic structure.",
      "description": "Create a new component",
    },
  },
}
```

You can also define commands using markdown files in `~/.config/opencode/command/` or `.opencode/command/`. [Learn more here](/docs/commands).

---

### Keybinds

You can customize your keybinds through the `keybinds` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "keybinds": {}
}
```

[Learn more here](/docs/keybinds).

---

### Autoupdate

OpenCode will automatically download any new updates when it starts up. You can disable this with the `autoupdate` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "autoupdate": false
}
```

---

### Formatters

You can configure code formatters through the `formatter` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "formatter": {
    "prettier": {
      "disabled": true
    },
    "custom-prettier": {
      "command": ["npx", "prettier", "--write", "$FILE"],
      "environment": {
        "NODE_ENV": "development"
      },
      "extensions": [".js", ".ts", ".jsx", ".tsx"]
    }
  }
}
```

[Learn more about formatters here](/docs/formatters).

---

### Permissions

By default, opencode **allows all operations** without requiring explicit approval. You can change this using the `permission` option.

For example, to ensure that the `edit` and `bash` tools require user approval:

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "ask",
    "bash": "ask"
  }
}
```

[Learn more about permissions here](/docs/permissions).

---

### MCP servers

You can configure MCP servers you want to use through the `mcp` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {}
}
```

[Learn more here](/docs/mcp-servers).

---

### Instructions

You can configure the instructions for the model you're using through the `instructions` option.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "instructions": ["CONTRIBUTING.md", "docs/guidelines.md", ".cursor/rules/*.md"]
}
```

This takes an array of paths and glob patterns to instruction files. [Learn more
about rules here](/docs/rules).

---

### Disabled providers

You can disable providers that are loaded automatically through the `disabled_providers` option. This is useful when you want to prevent certain providers from being loaded even if their credentials are available.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "disabled_providers": ["openai", "gemini"]
}
```

The `disabled_providers` option accepts an array of provider IDs. When a provider is disabled:

- It won't be loaded even if environment variables are set.
- It won't be loaded even if API keys are configured through `opencode auth login`.
- The provider's models won't appear in the model selection list.

---

## Variables

You can use variable substitution in your config files to reference environment variables and file contents.

---

### Env vars

Use `{env:VARIABLE_NAME}` to substitute environment variables:

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "model": "{env:OPENCODE_MODEL}",
  "provider": {
    "anthropic": {
      "models": {},
      "options": {
        "apiKey": "{env:ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

If the environment variable is not set, it will be replaced with an empty string.

---

### Files

Use `{file:path/to/file}` to substitute the contents of a file:

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "instructions": ["./custom-instructions.md"],
  "provider": {
    "openai": {
      "options": {
        "apiKey": "{file:~/.secrets/openai-key}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

File paths can be:

- Relative to the config file directory
- Or absolute paths starting with `/` or `~`

These are useful for:

- Keeping sensitive data like API keys in separate files.
- Including large instruction files without cluttering your config.
- Sharing common configuration snippets across multiple config files.
