Model Researcher

Model Researcher

Add new or custom AI models to opencode.json with verified specifications.

EXTREMELY STRICT: Banned Legacy Models

The following models MUST NOT be used in any configuration as they are DEPRECATED, REPLACED, or OBSOLETE in the current Q4 2025 market:

• OpenAI: GPT-o series (o1-mini, o1-preview), GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo.
• Anthropic: Claude 3.5 series (sonnet-3.5, etc.), Claude 3 series.
• Google: Gemini 1.5 series, Gemini 2 series.
• Meta: Llama 3 series.

The market has moved to GPT-5.2, Claude 4.5, and Gemini 3. Any attempt to configure these models MUST be rejected.

• Model is too new for models.dev
• Non-standard or custom provider (self-hosted, proxy, enterprise)
• User heard about a new release and wants to use it immediately
• Model exists but with non-default configuration needs

Batching: Use the question tool for 2+ related questions. Single questions → plain text.

Syntax: header ≤12 chars, label 1-5 words, add "(Recommended)" to default.

When to ask: Vague model reference, multiple providers available, or specs unverified.

Critical: MUST confirm specs with user before applying model configuration.

Verify Before Configure

MUST NOT hallucinate model specifications. Models have precise identifiers, context limits, and API requirements. A wrong value means broken requests or wasted tokens.

Before ANY configuration:

1. Confirm the model actually exists
2. Find the exact model identifier (API name, not marketing name)
3. Get verified context and output token limits
4. Identify required provider configuration

Step 1: Clarify What the User Wants

Ask if unclear:

• "Which provider will you access this through?" (direct API, OpenRouter, Together, self-hosted, etc.)
• "Do you have API access already, or do you need setup help?"

Step 2: Research the Model

Use web search to find authoritative sources:

websearch("${MODEL_NAME} API context limit tokens official documentation")
websearch("${MODEL_NAME} model ID API identifier ${PROVIDER}")

Priority sources (most to least trustworthy):

1. Official provider documentation/blog posts
2. Provider's API reference or changelog
3. Official GitHub repos or release notes
4. OpenRouter/Together model pages (they list specs)
5. Reputable tech news (for very new announcements)

Red flags - search more if you only find:

• Reddit speculation
• Tweets without official confirmation
• Your own training data (MAY be outdated)

Step 3: Confirm Findings with User

Before touching config, MUST present your research:

I found the following for [MODEL]:

Provider: OpenAI
Model ID: gpt-5.2-2025-12-11
Context limit: 400000 tokens (Direct) | 272000 tokens (OAuth)
Output limit: 128000 tokens
Special options: [e.g., reasoning modes, vision support]

Source: [URL]

Does this match what you expected? Should I add this to your config?

MUST NOT proceed without user confirmation.

Step 4: Apply Configuration

Read the current config first:

read ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json

Then apply using surgical edits. Choose the right pattern:

Pattern A: GPT-5.2 (OpenAI)

OpenAI GPT-5.2 supports specialized reasoning modes via variants (Cycle with ctrl+t). Note that models configured via OAuth plugins (e.g., opencode-openai-codex-auth) often have different enforced limits.

{
  "provider": {
    "openai": {
      "models": {
        "gpt-5.2": {
          "limit": { "context": 400000, "output": 128000 }, // Use 272000 for OAuth
          "variants": {
            "pro": {
              "reasoningEffort": "xhigh",
              "reasoningSummary": "detailed",
            },
            "thinking": { "reasoningEffort": "high" },
            "instant": { "reasoningEffort": "low", "textVerbosity": "low" },
          },
        },
        "gpt-5.2-codex": {
          "limit": { "context": 400000, "output": 128000 }, // Use 272000 for OAuth
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Pattern B: Other Labs (DeepSeek, Zhipu, MiniMax, Moonshot)

For labs using OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible endpoints (Verified Q4 2025):

{
  "provider": {
    "deepseek": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "DeepSeek",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.deepseek.com" },
      "models": {
        "deepseek-v3.2": { "limit": { "context": 128000, "output": 32768 } },
      },
    },
    "zhipu": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "Zhipu AI (ZAI)",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4" },
      "models": {
        "glm-4.7": { "limit": { "context": 200000, "output": 128000 } },
      },
    },
    "minimax": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "MiniMax",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.minimax.chat/v1" },
      "models": {
        "minimax-m2.1": { "limit": { "context": 204800, "output": 128000 } },
      },
    },
    "moonshot": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "Moonshot AI (Kimi)",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.moonshot.cn/v1" },
      "models": {
        "kimi-k2-thinking": { "limit": { "context": 256000, "output": 64000 } },
      },
    },
  },
}

Pattern C: Claude 4.5 Opus (Extended Thinking)

For models that need specific options like Anthropic's extended thinking:

{
  "provider": {
    "anthropic": {
      "models": {
        "claude-4-5-opus-thinking": {
          "id": "claude-4-5-opus-20251124",
          "name": "Claude 4.5 Opus (Extended Thinking)",
          "options": {
            "thinking": {
              "type": "enabled",
              "budgetTokens": 32000,
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

Step 5: Validate

After editing, remind user to test:

Config updated. To verify it works:
1. Restart OpenCode or run: opencode
2. Run /models and select [model name]
3. Send a test message

If you see errors, check:
- API key is set (run /connect if needed)
- Model ID matches provider's documentation exactly
- Context limits aren't higher than the model actually supports

Before configuring, ensure you have:

• Model ID: Exact API identifier (not marketing name)
• Context limit: Maximum input tokens
• Output limit: Maximum output/completion tokens
• Provider: Which service hosts it
• Base URL: For custom providers only
• Special options: Vision, reasoning modes, thinking budgets
• Availability: Is it actually accessible (not waitlist-only)?

If you cannot verify specifications:

1. Be honest: "I couldn't find official documentation for the exact context limit."
2. Provide best guess with source: "Based on [source], it appears to be 128k, but this isn't confirmed."
3. Suggest conservative defaults: "I'll configure with 100k context as a safe starting point. You can increase it once you confirm the actual limit."
4. Recommend checking: "Try the provider's /models endpoint or documentation for exact specs."

References

• references/provider-patterns.md - Common provider configuration examples