What you'll learn

Run OpenCode entirely free using Zen models, or configure a paid provider in three minutes — provider-agnostic across 75+ models

Master built-in slash commands and build your own custom commands for repeatable, shareable workflows

Write and test a project-aware AGENTS md file so OpenCode understands your codebase, conventions, and constraints

Understand MCP (Model Context Protocol) from first principles — and connect OpenCode to GitHub, databases, and Context7

Configure OpenCode's allow, ask, and deny permission model to control exactly what your agents can touch

Build production Skills with YAML front-matter and Markdown — including a Data Cleaning Skill and a Dashboard Creation Skill

Design custom sub-agents including a working Code Reviewer, and know exactly when to use a Skill vs a sub-agent

Requirements

No paid AI subscription required — every lesson runs on free models

No prior experience with AI coding agents, OpenCode, or MCP is required - we start from the fundamentals

A computer (Windows, macOS, or Linux) with internet access

Description

Stop paying for AI coding subscriptions. Start running autonomous agents for free.OpenCode is the open-source AI coding agent built for the terminal — provider-agnostic, MIT-licensed, and able to run entirely on free AI models. This crash course takes you from installation to a packaged, shareable agent toolkit in under four hours.This is not a course about typing prompts and hoping for the best. You will build a complete, reproducible automation system: custom slash commands, a project-aware AGENTS md file, MCP connections to GitHub and your database, two production Skills, a custom sub-agent, and your own distributable OpenCode plugin.What you will buildEvery hands-on lesson runs against one real case study — a messy retail sales dataset with duplicate orders, inconsistent date formats, currency-formatted text, and missing regions. You will clean it, analyse it, and dashboard it using agents you build yourself.A Data Cleaning Skill that handles real-world data defects through rules you writeA Dashboard Creation Skill that turns clean data into visual reportingA Code Reviewer sub-agent that audits your work automaticallyA shareable plugin bundling your skill, agent, and command into one installable packageWhat you will learnHow the OpenCode agentic loop works internally: read, reason, act, verifyFree setup using Zen models, plus paid configuration in three minutes if you want itPlan mode vs Build mode, and why separating reasoning from execution reduces errorsContext windows, auto-compaction, and how to keep agents on track in long sessionsWriting and testing an AGENTS md file so your agent understands your projectMCP from first principles: GitHub, database servers, Context7, and the allow/ask/deny trust modelSkills architecture: YAML front-matter and Markdown body, plus installing from the marketplaceSub-agents vs Skills, and exactly when to reach for eachPackaging and distributing your work as an OpenCode pluginWho this course is forDevelopers, data analysts, and engineers who want agentic coding without a paid subscription. Anyone curious about terminal-based AI agents who wants a practical workflow rather than a feature tour. Students, freelancers, and indie builders automating repetitive coding and data work.

Developers who want agentic coding in the terminal without paying for a subscription — OpenCode runs free on open models,Claude Code, Cursor, or Copilot users who want a provider-agnostic, open-source alternative they fully control,Data analysts and engineers who want to automate cleaning, analysis, and reporting workflows with agents they build themselves