Overview
OpenWork communicates with OpenCode via three mechanisms:
-
CLI invocation: Spawn opencode with prompts and get JSON responses.
-
Database access: Read OpenCode's SQLite database for sessions and messages.
-
MCP bridge: Real-time bidirectional communication for streaming and permissions.
CLI Invocation
Non-interactive mode
opencode -p "your prompt" -f json -q
Returns JSON with the response content.
Flags
Flag Description
-p
Prompt to execute
-f
Output format (text , json )
-q
Quiet mode (no spinner)
-c
Working directory
-d
Debug mode
Example response
{ "content": "Here is the result...", "session_id": "abc123" }
Database Access
Location
~/.opencode/opencode.db
Or project-local:
.opencode/opencode.db
Schema (key tables)
sessions
CREATE TABLE sessions ( id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, parent_session_id TEXT, title TEXT, message_count INTEGER, prompt_tokens INTEGER, completion_tokens INTEGER, summary_message_id TEXT, cost REAL, created_at INTEGER, updated_at INTEGER );
messages
CREATE TABLE messages ( id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, session_id TEXT, role TEXT, -- 'user', 'assistant', 'tool' parts TEXT, -- JSON array of content parts model TEXT, created_at INTEGER, updated_at INTEGER );
Querying from Rust (Tauri)
use tauri_plugin_sql::{Migration, MigrationKind};
#[tauri::command] async fn list_sessions(db: tauri::State<', Database>) -> Result<Vec<Session>, String> { let sessions = sqlx::query_as::<, Session>( "SELECT * FROM sessions ORDER BY updated_at DESC" ) .fetch_all(&db.pool) .await .map_err(|e| e.to_string())?;
Ok(sessions)
}
Querying from SolidJS
import Database from "@tauri-apps/plugin-sql";
const db = await Database.load("sqlite:~/.opencode/opencode.db"); const sessions = await db.select<Session[]>( "SELECT * FROM sessions ORDER BY updated_at DESC" );
MCP Bridge (Advanced)
OpenWork can register as an MCP server that OpenCode connects to.
Configuration (opencode.json)
{ "mcpServers": { "openwork": { "type": "stdio", "command": "openwork-mcp-bridge" } } }
Use cases
-
Real-time permission prompts surfaced in OpenWork UI.
-
Streaming progress updates.
-
Custom tools exposed from OpenWork (e.g., native file picker).
Message Content Parts
Messages contain a parts JSON array with different content types:
TextContent
{ "type": "text", "text": "Hello world" }
ToolCall
{ "type": "tool_call", "id": "call_123", "name": "bash", "input": "{"command": "ls"}" }
ToolResult
{ "type": "tool_result", "tool_call_id": "call_123", "content": "file1.txt\nfile2.txt", "is_error": false }
Finish
{ "type": "finish", "reason": "end_turn", "time": 1704067200 }
Common Gotchas
-
Database is SQLite; use read-only access to avoid conflicts with running OpenCode.
-
Message parts are JSON-encoded strings; parse them in the UI.
-
Session IDs are UUIDs; tool call IDs are also UUIDs.
-
Cost is in USD; tokens are raw counts.
First-Time Setup
Verify OpenCode is installed
which opencode opencode --version
Verify database exists
ls ~/.opencode/opencode.db
Test CLI invocation
opencode -p "Hello" -f json -q