model-researcher

name	model-researcher
description	Research and configure new/custom AI models not yet in models.dev. Use when user mentions a new model release, asks to add a model from a non-standard provider, or wants to configure a custom/self-hosted model. Triggers: "new model", "just released", "configure [model name]", "add [provider] model", "set up [model]", custom endpoints, self-hosted models, bleeding-edge releases.

Model Researcher

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

<critical_prohibition>

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. </critical_prohibition>

<when_to_use>

• 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

</when_to_use>

<critical_rule>

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

</critical_rule>

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",   
          
        
         
                 
        
      
    
  

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)",
          
       
                 
      
    
     
       
       
          
       
                 
      
    
     
       
       
          
       
                 
      
    
  

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

<research_queries>

Scenario	Search Query
New OpenAI model	"gpt-5.2" site:openai.com OR site:platform.openai.com
New Anthropic model	"claude-4.5" site:anthropic.com API
New Google model	"gemini 3" site:ai.google.dev context window
OpenRouter availability	"${MODEL}" site:openrouter.ai
Together AI availability	"${MODEL}" site:together.ai
Self-hosted specs	"${MODEL}" context length output tokens huggingface

</research_queries>

<spec_checklist>

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)?

</spec_checklist>

<handling_uncertainty>

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."

</handling_uncertainty>

References

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