Ask — Code Q&A for OpenCode

Ask is a read-only Q&A agent for OpenCode. It answers questions about your codebase — explains how things work, finds relevant code, explores architecture, and provides deep insights — without ever editing your files.

Powered by your existing OpenCode model. No extra API keys. No subscriptions.

Quick Start

Install

1. Clone this repo or download ask.js
2. Copy or symlink ask.js to your OpenCode config plugins:

   mkdir -p ~/.config/opencode/plugins
   cp ask.js ~/.config/opencode/plugins/ask.js

3. Add to ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json:

   {
     "plugin": ["./plugins/ask.js"]
   }

4. Restart OpenCode.

Use

Ask is available both as a general agent (selectable in OpenCode's agent picker) and via @ask in any conversation:

• General mode — Select "Ask" from the agent list for a dedicated Q&A session
• Subagent mode — Type @ask how does collision work? mid-conversation

Ask will explore the codebase, gather context, and give you a thorough answer — complete with file paths, line numbers, and architectural context.

How It Works

Ask is an OpenCode plugin that registers a subagent named ask. When invoked, the agent:

1. Explores — searches your codebase with grep, glob, and targeted file reads
2. Analyzes — traces code paths, understands architecture, identifies patterns
3. Answers — provides a clear, structured response with source citations
4. Never edits — the agent has edit: deny and write: deny baked in

vs. GitHub Copilot /ask

| | GitHub Copilot /ask | OpenCode Ask | |---|---|---| | Scope | Current file + editor selection | Full workspace exploration | | Search tools | None (inline context only) | grep, glob, read, bash, web | | Architecture awareness | Limited to visible code | Deep — traces across files and layers | | Permission model | Read-only by convention | Enforced: edit: deny, write: deny | | Invocation | In-editor chat panel | @ask in any OpenCode conversation | | Model | Copilot's model | Your configured OpenCode model | | Subagent dispatch | No | Yes — can delegate parallel searches via task | | Custom prompt | Fixed | Open source — fork and customize | | Offline | No (cloud only) | Depends on your model provider |

When to use which

Use Copilot /ask when you need a quick answer about the file or selection you're actively editing — minimal context switching.

Use OpenCode Ask when you need deep understanding — tracing logic across many files, understanding architecture, investigating bugs, or orienting yourself in an unfamiliar codebase.

Permissions

| Tool | Access | |------|--------| | read | allow | | grep | allow | | glob | allow | | bash | git *: allow, *: ask | | webfetch | allow | | websearch | allow | | task | allow | | edit | deny | | write | deny |

License

MIT