configure-tools

name	configure/tools
description	Configuration for OpenCode tools - managing tool permissions and built-in tools like bash, edit, write, read, etc.
author	Tim Sonner
license	MIT
compatibility	opencode
metadata	{"audience":"developers","workflow":"configuration","language":"markdown"}

OpenCode Tools Configuration

Manage the tools an LLM can use in OpenCode.

Overview

Tools allow the LLM to perform actions in your codebase. OpenCode comes with a set of built-in tools, but you can extend it with custom tools or MCP servers.

By default, all tools are enabled and don't need permission to run. You can control tool behavior through permissions.

Configuring Tool Permissions

Use the permission field in your opencode.json file to control tool behavior. You can allow, deny, or require approval for each tool.

Basic Permission Configuration

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "deny",
    "bash": "ask",
    "webfetch": "allow"
  }
}

Using Wildcards

You can use wildcards to control multiple tools at once. For example, to require approval for all tools from an MCP server:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "mymcp_*": "ask"
  }
}

Learn more about configuring permissions.

Built-in Tools

Here are all the built-in tools available in OpenCode:

bash

Execute shell commands in your project environment.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "bash": "allow"
  }
}

edit

Modify existing files using exact string replacements.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "allow"
  }
}

write

Create new files or overwrite existing ones.

Note: The write tool is controlled by the edit permission.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "allow"
  }
}

read

Read file contents from your codebase.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "read": "allow"
  }
}

grep

Search file contents using regular expressions.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "grep": "allow"
  }
}

glob

Find files by pattern matching.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "glob": "allow"
  }
}

list

List files and directories in a given path.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "list": "allow"
  }
}

lsp (experimental)

Interact with your configured LSP servers to get code intelligence features.

Note: This tool is only available when OPENCODE_EXPERIMENTAL_LSP_TOOL=true.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "lsp": "allow"
  }
}

patch

Apply patches to files.

Note: The patch tool is controlled by the edit permission.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "edit": "allow"
  }
}

skill

Load a skill (a SKILL.md file) and return its content in the conversation.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "skill": "allow"
  }
}

todowrite

Manage todo lists during coding sessions.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "todowrite": "allow"
  }
}

Note: This tool is disabled for subagents by default.

webfetch

Fetch web content.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "webfetch": "allow"
  }
}

websearch

Search the web for information.

Note: This tool is only available when using the OpenCode provider or when OPENCODE_ENABLE_EXA is set.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "websearch": "allow"
  }
}

question

Ask the user questions during execution.

Configuration:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "permission": {
    "question": "allow"
  }
}

Custom Tools and MCP Servers

In addition to built-in tools, you can extend OpenCode with:

• Custom tools: Define your own functions that the LLM can call
• MCP servers: Integrate external tools and services

Internals

Internally, tools like grep, glob, and list use ripgrep under the hood. By default, ripgrep respects .gitignore patterns.

Ignore Patterns

To include files that would normally be ignored, create a .ignore file in your project root:

!node_modules/
!dist/
!build/

This allows ripgrep to search within those directories even if they're listed in .gitignore.