goose vs OpenCode

goose is a general-purpose open-source agent with a desktop app and a CLI, and it is not limited to code. OpenCode is a coding-focused terminal agent with a TUI. Both support MCP, subagents, headless runs and local models.

Where they differ

Licence and stewardship. goose is Apache-2.0 and part of the Agentic AI Foundation at the Linux Foundation, after moving from block/goose. OpenCode is MIT and moved from sst/opencode.
Providers. goose lists 15+ providers and can reuse Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini subscriptions through ACP. OpenCode lists 75+ providers and logins through GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT.
Focus. goose lists 70+ MCP extensions and recipes, but coding features such as a repo map or LSP are less central. OpenCode has read-only plan and build agents.
Safety. goose documents permission modes and prompt-injection detection. OpenCode documents allow, ask and deny permissions. Neither documents a built-in OS sandbox.

Which fits

Pick goose if you want one agent with a GUI and CLI for work beyond code.
Pick OpenCode if you want a coding-first TUI with many providers and accept two major version lines.

	goose	OpenCode
platforms	macOSWindowsLinux	macOSWindowsLinux
price	Freegoose is free (Apache-2.0, seen 2026-10-28). Model cost comes from the provider you plug in: your own API keys, existing Claude/ChatGPT/Gemini…	FreeThe tool is free and MIT-licensed (seen 2026-10-28). Model cost comes from whichever provider you connect: your own API keys/local models (no…
source	Open source	Open source
MCP	✓ yes	✓ yes
Multi-agent	✓ yes	✓ yes
Headless / CI	✓ yes	✓ yes
Sandbox	? not verified	? not verified
Local models	✓ yes	✓ yes
Your own API key	✓ yes	✓ yes
Git worktrees	? not verified	? not verified
SSH	? not verified	? not verified

goose

OpenCode

platforms

macOSWindowsLinux

price

Freegoose is free (Apache-2.0, seen 2026-10-28). Model cost comes from the provider you plug in: your own API keys, existing Claude/ChatGPT/Gemini…

FreeThe tool is free and MIT-licensed (seen 2026-10-28). Model cost comes from whichever provider you connect: your own API keys/local models (no…

source

Open source

MCP

✓ yes

Multi-agent

✓ yes

Headless / CI

✓ yes

Sandbox

? not verified

Local models

✓ yes

Your own API key

✓ yes

Git worktrees

? not verified

SSH

? not verified

OpenCode is stronger at

MIT-licensed with an actively pushed repo (last push 2026-10-27, v2.2.0 released the day before)

Provider-agnostic: 75+ providers, documented Ollama, LM Studio and llama.cpp setup, and logins via GitHub Copilot or ChatGPT Plus/Pro

Documented non-interactive run, headless serve, and attach commands, plus local and remote MCP servers

Built-in plan (read-only) and build agents, with a general subagent for parallel multistep work

goose is stronger at

Desktop app and CLI share the same agent; `goose run -t` and instruction files cover non-interactive use.

Extensions use the MCP standard (70+ listed) and a documented subagent feature allows delegated parallel work.

Permission modes and prompt-injection detection are documented.

Wide provider list, including local runners and subscription reuse through ACP.

which to pick

pick OpenCode if

Developers who want an open-source terminal agent they can point at any model provider, including local models.

pick goose if

Users who want an open-source agent with both a GUI and a CLI, MCP extensions and the freedom to choose any model, including local ones.

skip OpenCode if

Teams that need a documented OS-level sandbox or a single vendor-supported model stack.

skip goose if

Anyone who needs a hardened, sandboxed execution environment built in.

goose vs OpenCode: what differs

Where they differ

Which fits

More

OpenCode is stronger at

goose is stronger at

which to pick