The Tool Desk
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Identify which OpenCode connection you are troubleshooting
There is no single OpenCode server path. The correct fix depends on where the server process runs and what address the client is using. OpenCode’s official troubleshooting guide states that Desktop can start its own local server by default or connect to a server URL you configured: OpenCode troubleshooting documentation.
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| Setup | Where the server runs | Typical client address | Network exposure | Authentication consideration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop built-in server | Started by OpenCode Desktop on the same computer | Managed by Desktop; a saved server selection or local port can override the default | Normally local to the computer | Usually no network password is needed when it remains local |
| Separate server, including WSL | A terminal process, WSL distribution, or another machine | A configured URL such as http://localhost:4096 or a WSL IP address |
Depends on the hostname and port used when the server starts | Set OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD when the server is reachable beyond localhost |
Browser-based opencode web |
The process started by the opencode web command |
The URL printed in the terminal; by default it uses 127.0.0.1 and a random available port |
Local by default; broader when you bind to a reachable hostname | Use a password if you expose it beyond the local computer |
Before changing anything, decide which row describes your setup. A Desktop configuration problem is not fixed by changing browser CORS settings, and a provider authentication error is not evidence that the OpenCode server is unreachable.
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Desktop shows “Connection Failed” or never leaves the splash screen
1. Open the Server picker and clear the default selection
- Open the OpenCode Desktop Home screen.
- Click the server name and its status dot. This opens the Server picker.
- In the Default server section, click Clear.
- Restart Desktop and let it try its built-in local server again.
A saved URL can continue pointing Desktop at a server that was moved, stopped, or assigned a different port. Clearing the default selection is the fastest way to test whether the stored destination, rather than the application itself, is the problem. The official instructions describe this as a diagnostic step; clearing it does not prove that the URL was the cause.
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2. Temporarily remove the server section from configuration
If clearing the picker does not help, close Desktop and inspect the project or user configuration file named opencode.json or opencode.jsonc. Temporarily remove the entire server section, including any server.port and server.hostname entries, then save the file and relaunch Desktop.
Removing the whole section is useful because a hostname can be valid while its port is occupied, or a port can be free while the hostname is not reachable from the client. Keep a copy of the original file so you can restore intentional settings after the test. If Desktop connects with the section absent, add settings back one at a time and restart after each change; the setting that reintroduces the failure is the one to investigate.
3. Check the OPENCODE_PORT environment variable
Desktop uses OPENCODE_PORT for its local server. An unsuitable value can force the application toward a port that is already occupied or otherwise inappropriate for the current launch. Inspect the environment used to start Desktop, including shell, terminal, launcher, or system-level variables. Unset OPENCODE_PORT for a test launch, or replace it with a free port, and then relaunch Desktop.
Do not assume that changing server.port alone changes the environment variable. Test one source of configuration at a time: first launch without OPENCODE_PORT, then test a known-free value if you need a fixed port. If the application works only after the variable is removed, locate where it is being set so it does not return on the next launch.
4. Check whether the failure is actually a Desktop UI problem
A blank or non-starting Desktop window can look like a connection failure even when the local server is not the issue. On Windows, the official guide lists the WebView2 Runtime as a requirement. If the window itself is blank, install or repair that runtime using Microsoft’s supported installer, then reopen Desktop. On macOS, the troubleshooting guide suggests using Reload Webview for a blank or frozen interface.
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The same guide lists plugins and cache among broader Desktop issue sources. Treat those as follow-up diagnostics after checking the server picker, configuration, and port. Clearing a cache or disabling a plugin will not correct a Desktop URL that still points at the wrong server.
Browser page does not open after starting OpenCode Web
1. Use the exact URL printed by OpenCode
- Open a terminal in the environment where OpenCode is installed.
- Run
opencode web. - Wait for the command to print its listening URL.
- Copy that complete URL into the browser instead of guessing a port.
By default, OpenCode Web binds to 127.0.0.1 and selects a random available port. That means a URL from an earlier launch may no longer work after the process restarts. The current terminal output is authoritative for that running process. The Web documentation describes this behavior at docs.opencode.ai/docs/web/.
2. Choose a predictable port when you need one
To make the address stable for local troubleshooting, start Web with an explicit port:
opencode web --port 4096
Then open the URL printed for that process, normally using the selected port. A fixed port helps when you are configuring a bookmark, a Desktop server URL, or a WSL connection, but it does not guarantee that the port is free. If startup reports a conflict, choose another free port and use the newly printed address.
3. Confirm that the process is still running
The browser cannot connect after the terminal process has exited. Keep the terminal open while testing, and read any startup error before trying another browser tab. If the command starts successfully but the page still fails, compare the browser address with the printed hostname and port character for character. localhost, 127.0.0.1, a machine name, and a network IP can refer to different interfaces in virtualized or multi-network environments.
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When another device must reach OpenCode
Localhost binding intentionally limits access to the same computer. If a browser or client on another device must connect, bind the server to a reachable hostname such as 0.0.0.0 when starting it. The Web documentation notes that this changes who can reach the service, so configure a password as well: OpenCode Web documentation.
Binding to 0.0.0.0 is an address-listening choice, not a security boundary. It can make the service reachable on network interfaces that were previously excluded. Set the environment variable OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD before starting the server, and avoid exposing the service beyond the network you intend to use. If you only need same-computer access, keep the default localhost binding instead.
Desktop connected to a server running in WSL
Start the WSL server with an explicit interface and port
Open the WSL terminal and run the documented example:
opencode serve --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port 4096
This tells the server to listen on port 4096 and on an interface that can accept connections beyond the WSL process’s loopback interface. Because the command uses a non-localhost binding, set OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD as recommended by the Windows/WSL guide: OpenCode Windows and WSL documentation.
Connect Desktop to localhost first
- In Desktop, open the server picker by clicking the server name and status dot.
- Choose the option to add or use a server URL, then enter
http://localhost:4096. - Save or select that server and wait for the status to change.
- Keep the WSL terminal running while Desktop connects.
Windows commonly forwards WSL services to localhost, so this is the first address to test. The port in the URL must match the port in the opencode serve command.
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Use the WSL IP if localhost forwarding does not work
If http://localhost:4096 fails in your environment, obtain the WSL address from the WSL terminal:
hostname -I
Use the returned address in a URL such as http://<wsl-ip>:4096, replacing the angle-bracketed text with the actual IP. Enter that URL in Desktop’s server picker. WSL IP addresses can change when the distribution restarts, so a URL that worked yesterday may need to be updated after a new WSL session.
For browser use, run Web inside WSL
The WSL guide recommends running opencode web from the WSL terminal when the browser client is part of the workflow. Use the URL printed by that command. If you intentionally bind Web beyond localhost, apply the password requirement described above and make sure the browser is using the interface where the process is listening.
When to use CORS—and when not to
CORS matters when a custom frontend hosted on one web origin calls an OpenCode server on another origin. In that case, the server may need the requesting origin allowed with the documented --cors option. The server reference explains this behavior at OpenCode server documentation.
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Do not start with CORS for a Desktop app that has a stale server URL, a wrong port, or an unset local server. CORS errors normally appear after a browser has reached the server and the server has rejected the web origin; they do not repair a process that is not listening or an address that cannot be routed. First verify the printed URL, hostname, port, and running process. Add the appropriate CORS setting only when the client is genuinely a separate web origin and the browser reports an origin-policy failure.
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Distinguish server reachability from provider and account failures
The OpenCode server is reachable, but a model request fails
If Desktop loads, the web page opens, or the client reports a connected server but a request to a provider fails, troubleshoot the provider path instead of changing the server URL. OpenCode’s troubleshooting guidance recommends inspecting logs with --print-logs, updating with opencode upgrade, and verifying provider authentication and API credentials. Use /connect to authenticate again when required: official troubleshooting guidance.
These symptoms indicate a later stage of the connection chain. A server can be healthy while a provider token is expired, missing, or rejected. Record the exact error and inspect logs before changing ports or hostnames.
The Desktop window is blank before any status appears
A blank or frozen window points toward WebView2 on Windows or the macOS Reload Webview action, not necessarily a server outage. Check those UI prerequisites first, then return to the server picker and port checks if the interface becomes usable but still reports a connection failure.
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Use this order so each test isolates one layer and does not hide the original cause:
- Classify the setup. Decide whether Desktop should start its own server, whether it should reach a separate or WSL server, or whether you are opening
opencode webin a browser. - Check the process. For Web or a separate server, confirm the terminal command is still running and note the exact URL, hostname, and port it prints or uses.
- Reset Desktop’s saved destination. Open the Home screen’s server picker and click Clear under Default server.
- Remove temporary server configuration. Close Desktop, remove the
serversection fromopencode.jsonoropencode.jsonc, and relaunch. - Inspect the environment. Check
OPENCODE_PORT; unset it for a test or choose a free value, then relaunch. - Test the simplest address. For a local Web process, use the printed
127.0.0.1URL. For WSL, tryhttp://localhost:4096before obtaining the WSL IP. - Only then broaden access. If another device must connect, use a reachable hostname, set
OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD, and understand that the service is no longer local-only. - Apply CORS only for a real cross-origin frontend. Use the documented
--corsmechanism after basic reachability works. - Separate later-stage failures. Once the server loads, use
--print-logs,opencode upgrade, provider credential checks, or/connectfor request and authentication errors.
Quick symptom-to-action checklist
| Symptom | Most useful first action | What the result tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop says “Connection Failed” immediately | Clear Default server in the Server picker | Tests whether a stale saved URL is being selected |
| Desktop remains on the splash screen | Check WebView2 on Windows or use Reload Webview on macOS, then inspect server settings | Separates a UI launch problem from a server-address problem |
| Web command starts but browser cannot open it | Use the exact URL printed by opencode web |
Accounts for localhost binding and random ports |
| A fixed Web port is needed | Run opencode web --port 4096 |
Provides a predictable port if 4096 is available |
| Desktop should reach WSL | Run the documented opencode serve --hostname 0.0.0.0 --port 4096, then try http://localhost:4096 |
Tests the normal Windows-to-WSL forwarding path |
| WSL localhost fails | Run hostname -I and use the WSL IP with port 4096 |
Bypasses localhost forwarding when the environment requires it |
| Custom frontend reports an origin error | Review the server’s --cors configuration |
Addresses a cross-origin policy issue after the server is reachable |
| Server loads but provider requests fail | Use --print-logs, verify credentials, run opencode upgrade, and try /connect |
Moves diagnosis to provider, authentication, or version problems |
What not to change first
- Do not buy a router, replacement cable, or new computer based only on this symptom; the documented fixes concern software configuration, addresses, ports, WSL, WebView2, and authentication.
- Do not expose a localhost service to the network merely to make Desktop connect. First clear the saved URL and test the local path.
- Do not add CORS settings to solve a Desktop server-picker error. CORS is for a browser frontend calling across origins.
- Do not treat a provider API error as proof that OpenCode itself is offline. Confirm that the client can load the server before changing server networking.
Keep the working configuration reproducible
After a successful test, write down which process is the server, the hostname and port it uses, and whether the client relies on a saved Desktop URL. If you removed the server section or OPENCODE_PORT only for diagnosis, restore settings deliberately rather than copying every old value back at once. For WSL, remember that the distribution’s IP may change between sessions. For Web, rely on the current printed URL unless you intentionally choose a fixed port.
Finally, keep OPENCODE_SERVER_PASSWORD configured whenever the server listens on a non-localhost interface. Local-only operation is the safer default; broaden the binding only when the second device or frontend genuinely requires it.
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