opencode-shell-strategy

OpenCode instructions for non-interactive shell commands - prevents hangs from TTY-dependent operations.

Problem

OpenCode's shell environment is strictly non-interactive. It lacks a TTY/PTY, meaning any command that waits for user input, confirmation, or launches a UI (editor/pager) will hang indefinitely and timeout.

Standard AI models often assume a human is watching the terminal or that they can use interactive tools like nano, vim, or answer "y/n" prompts. In OpenCode's headless environment, these actions cause the agent to hang.

Solution

This plugin provides instructions that teach the LLM to:

• Always use non-interactive flags (e.g., -y, --no-edit)
• Bypass prompts using yes | or heredocs
• Avoid TTY-dependent tools (editors, pagers)
• Prefer OpenCode's native tools (Read/Write/Edit) over shell manipulation

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/JRedeker/opencode-shell-strategy.git ~/.config/opencode/plugin/shell-strategy

2. Add to OpenCode config

Add the instruction file to your ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

{
  "instructions": [
    "~/.config/opencode/plugin/shell-strategy/shell_strategy.md"
  ]
}

3. Restart OpenCode

The rules will be automatically loaded at the start of every session.

What It Covers

Package Managers

| Tool | Bad (hangs) | Good | |------|-------------|------| | npm | npm init | npm init -y | | apt | apt-get install pkg | apt-get install -y pkg | | pip | pip install pkg | pip install --no-input pkg | | bun | bun init | bun init -y | | bunx | bunx tool | bunx --yes | | uv | uv install | uv install --no-input | | uvx | uvx tool | uvx --no-input | | brew | brew install pkg | HOMEBREW_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1 brew install pkg |

Git Operations

| Action | Bad (hangs) | Good | |--------|-------------|------| | Commit | git commit | git commit -m "msg" | | Merge | git merge branch | git merge --no-edit branch | | Add | git add -p | git add . |

System Commands

| Tool | Bad (hangs) | Good | |------|-------------|------| | rm | rm file (prompts) | rm -f file | | ssh | ssh host | ssh -o BatchMode=yes host | | unzip | unzip file.zip | unzip -o file.zip |

Banned Commands

These will always hang - never use them:

• vim, nano, vi (editors)
• less, more, man (pagers)
• git add -p, git rebase -i (interactive modes)
• python without -c flag (REPL)

License

MIT