---
title: Agents
description: Configure and use specialized agents in opencode.
---

agents allow opencode to operate different for specific tasks
you can cycle them with tab, or @ to delegate a subtask to them
explain built in build/plan agent
explain how to make your own agent
examples

Agents are specialized AI assistants that can be configured for specific tasks and workflows. They allow you to create focused tools with custom prompts, models, and tool access.

:::tip
Use the plan agent to analyze code and review suggestions without making any code changes.
:::

You can switch between agents during a session or invoke them with the `@` mention.

---

## Types

There are two types of agents in opencode; primary agents and subagents.

---

### Primary agents

Primary agents are the main assistants you interact with directly. You can cycle through them using the **Tab** key, or your configured `switch_agent` keybind. These agents handle your main conversation and can access all configured tools.

:::tip
You can use the **Tab** key to switch between primary agents during a session.
:::

opencode comes with two built-in primary agents, **Build** and **Plan**. We'll
look at these below.

---

### Subagents

Subagents are specialized assistants that primary agents can invoke for specific tasks. You can also manually invoke them by **@ mentioning** them in your messages.

opencode comes with one built-in subagent, **General**. We'll look at this below.

---

## Built-in

opencode comes with two built-in primary agents and one built-in subagent.

---

### Build

_Mode_: `primary`

Build is the **default** primary agent with all tools enabled. This is the standard agent for development work where you need full access to file operations and system commands.

---

### Plan

_Mode_: `primary`

A restricted agent designed for planning and analysis. In the plan agent, the following tools are disabled by default:

- `write` - Cannot create new files
- `edit` - Cannot modify existing files
- `patch` - Cannot apply patches
- `bash` - Cannot execute shell commands

This agent is useful when you want the LLM to analyze code, suggest changes, or create plans without making any actual modifications to your codebase.

---

### General

_Mode_: `subagent`

A general-purpose agent for researching complex questions, searching for code, and executing multi-step tasks. Use when searching for keywords or files and you're not confident you'll find the right match in the first few tries.

---

## Usage

1. For primary agents, use the **Tab** key to cycle through them during a session. You can also use your configured `switch_agent` keybind.

2. Subagents can be invoked:

   - **Automatically** by primary agents for specialized tasks based on their descriptions.
   - Manually by **@ mentioning** a subagent in your message. For example.

     ```txt frame="none"
     @general help me search for this function
     ```

---

## Configure

You can customize the built-in agents or create your own through configuration. Agents can be configured in two ways:

---

### JSON

Configure agents in your `opencode.json` config file:

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "agent": {
    "build": {
      "mode": "primary",
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
      "prompt": "{file:./prompts/build.txt}",
      "tools": {
        "write": true,
        "edit": true,
        "bash": true
      }
    },
    "plan": {
      "mode": "primary",
      "model": "anthropic/claude-haiku-4-20250514",
      "tools": {
        "write": false,
        "edit": false,
        "bash": false
      }
    },
    "code-reviewer": {
      "description": "Reviews code for best practices and potential issues",
      "mode": "subagent",
      "model": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
      "prompt": "You are a code reviewer. Focus on security, performance, and maintainability.",
      "tools": {
        "write": false,
        "edit": false
      }
    }
  }
}
```

---

### Markdown

You can also define agents using markdown files. Place them in:

- Global: `~/.config/opencode/agent/`
- Per-project: `.opencode/agent/`

```markdown title="~/.config/opencode/agent/review.md"
---
description: Reviews code for quality and best practices
mode: subagent
model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514
temperature: 0.1
tools:
  write: false
  edit: false
  bash: false
---

You are in code review mode. Focus on:

- Code quality and best practices
- Potential bugs and edge cases
- Performance implications
- Security considerations

Provide constructive feedback without making direct changes.
```

The markdown file name becomes the agent name. For example, `review.md` creates a `review` agent.

Let's look at these configuration options in detail.

---

## Options

Let's look at these configuration options in detail.

---

### Description

Use the `description` option to provide a brief description of what the agent does and when to use it.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "review": {
      "description": "Reviews code for best practices and potential issues"
    }
  }
}
```

This is a **required** config option.

---

### Temperature

Control the randomness and creativity of the LLM's responses with the `temperature` config.

Lower values make responses more focused and deterministic, while higher values increase creativity and variability.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "plan": {
      "temperature": 0.1
    },
    "creative": {
      "temperature": 0.8
    }
  }
}
```

Temperature values typically range from 0.0 to 1.0:

- **0.0-0.2**: Very focused and deterministic responses, ideal for code analysis and planning
- **0.3-0.5**: Balanced responses with some creativity, good for general development tasks
- **0.6-1.0**: More creative and varied responses, useful for brainstorming and exploration

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "analyze": {
      "temperature": 0.1,
      "prompt": "{file:./prompts/analysis.txt}"
    },
    "build": {
      "temperature": 0.3
    },
    "brainstorm": {
      "temperature": 0.7,
      "prompt": "{file:./prompts/creative.txt}"
    }
  }
}
```

If no temperature is specified, opencode uses model-specific defaults; typically 0 for most models, 0.55 for Qwen models.

---

### Disable

Set to `true` to disable the agent.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "review": {
      "disable": true
    }
  }
}
```

---

### Prompt

Specify a custom system prompt file for this agent with the `prompt` config. The prompt file should contain instructions specific to the agent's purpose.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "review": {
      "prompt": "{file:./prompts/code-review.txt}"
    }
  }
}
```

This path is relative to where the config file is located. So this works for both the global opencode config and the project specific config.

---

### Model

Use the `model` config to override the default model for this agent. Useful for using different models optimized for different tasks. For example, a faster model for planning, a more capable model for implementation.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "plan": {
      "model": "anthropic/claude-haiku-4-20250514"
    }
  }
}
```

---

### Tools

Control which tools are available in this agent with the `tools` config. You can enable or disable specific tools by setting them to `true` or `false`.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "readonly": {
      "tools": {
        "write": false,
        "edit": false,
        "bash": false,
        "read": true,
        "grep": true,
        "glob": true
      }
    }
  }
}
```

If no tools are specified, all tools are enabled by default.

---

#### Available tools

Here are all the tools can be controlled through the agent config.

| Tool        | Description             |
| ----------- | ----------------------- |
| `bash`      | Execute shell commands  |
| `edit`      | Modify existing files   |
| `write`     | Create new files        |
| `read`      | Read file contents      |
| `grep`      | Search file contents    |
| `glob`      | Find files by pattern   |
| `list`      | List directory contents |
| `patch`     | Apply patches to files  |
| `todowrite` | Manage todo lists       |
| `todoread`  | Read todo lists         |
| `webfetch`  | Fetch web content       |

---

### Mode

Control the agent's mode with the `mode` config. The `mode` option is used to determine how the agent can be used.

```json title="opencode.json"
{
  "agent": {
    "review": {
      "mode": "subagent"
    }
  }
}
```

The `mode` option can be set to `primary`, `subagent`, or `all`. If no `mode` is specified, it defaults to `all`.

---

## Create agents

You can create new agents using the following command:

```bash
opencode agent create
```

This interactive command will:

1. Ask where to save the agent; global or project-specific.
2. Description of what the agent should do.
3. Generate an appropriate system prompt and identifier.
4. Let you select which tools the agent can access.
5. Finally, create a markdown file with the agent configuration.

---

## Use cases

Here are some common use cases for different agents.

- **Build agent**: Full development work with all tools enabled
- **Plan agent**: Analysis and planning without making changes
- **Review agent**: Code review with read-only access plus documentation tools
- **Debug agent**: Focused on investigation with bash and read tools enabled
- **Docs agent**: Documentation writing with file operations but no system commands

---

## Examples

Here are some examples agents you might find useful.

:::tip
Do you have an agent you'd like to share? [Submit a PR](https://github.com/sst/opencode).
:::

---

### Documentation agent

```markdown title="~/.config/opencode/agent/docs-writer.md"
---
description: Writes and maintains project documentation
mode: subagent
tools:
  bash: false
---

You are a technical writer. Create clear, comprehensive documentation.

Focus on:

- Clear explanations
- Proper structure
- Code examples
- User-friendly language
```

---

### Security auditor

```markdown title="~/.config/opencode/agent/security-auditor.md"
---
description: Performs security audits and identifies vulnerabilities
mode: subagent
tools:
  write: false
  edit: false
---

You are a security expert. Focus on identifying potential security issues.

Look for:

- Input validation vulnerabilities
- Authentication and authorization flaws
- Data exposure risks
- Dependency vulnerabilities
- Configuration security issues
```
