Daily Use & Modes

OpenCode Multi-Agent provides a lean default @lite mode, three orchestrator modes (@code, @build, @plan), and direct access to specialized domain agents.

---

Lite mode (default)

@lite is the default entry point — lean, capable, and ready for anything: quick fixes, lookups, Q&A, small edits, drafting, analysis. It is the only mode with measured near-zero prompt overhead: 0 L1 tokens, 0 resident skills/MCP definitions, and L0 stripped at runtime. Where a full-config agent carries 13k+ tokens of prompt overhead per step, @lite's entire system prompt measures ~2k tokens.

> @lite what does this function do?
> @lite rename this variable and fix the call sites

@lite handles 80% of daily work. When a task exceeds its scope, it suggests escalating to @code (deep single-domain), @build (multi-domain orchestration), @code-review-fast (ordinary review), @code-review (sensitive/final review), or @advisor. Dispatch policy: assists fire only on explicit user request — sole exception is @vision, which auto-dispatches for images lite cannot see.

---

Code mode (direct development)

Switch to @code for direct development — writes, modifies, tests, and verifies code itself without unsolicited delegation:

> @code Fix off-by-one error in pagination logic
> @code Add input validation to registration form

You can still manually delegate auxiliary subagents (@advisor, @explore, @code-review-fast, @code-review, @vision) when needed. If a task is cross-cutting, @code will recommend switching to @build.

---

Build mode (orchestration)

Switch to @build for cross-cutting tasks — it routes work to the right specialist:

> Add a Spring Boot user registration endpoint with JPA and BCrypt
  → @build routes to @java-dev

> Review my recent commits with focus on security
  → @build applies tiered routing: @code-review-fast by default; qualifying L3 scopes use one compact capability-selected graph Scout, otherwise @code-review directly (adds @security when needed)

> Design the architecture for a new payment service
  → @build routes to @architect (presents multi-step plan first)

You don't need to specify which agent — just describe the task. For cross-cutting tasks, @build presents an execution plan before starting.

---

Plan mode (read-only)

Switch to @plan for analysis-only tasks (no code modifications):

> @plan Audit the codebase for technical debt and security vulnerabilities
  → @plan dispatches @architect, @security, @code-review-fast, @qa in parallel; deep review is added for L3/final gates
  → Aggregates findings into a prioritized report

Switch between modes via Tab or @lite / @code / @build / @plan.

---

Calling specialists directly

You can bypass the orchestrator and call any specialist directly:

> @dba Optimize the indexes on the orders table
> @frontend-dev Create a reusable Button component with design tokens
> @code-review Review PR #42

---

Multi-step workflow example

For complex features, @build creates and executes a plan:

## Execution Plan

1. [@architect] — Design event sourcing architecture → ADR + design doc
2. [@dba] — Design event store schema → DDL + migration scripts
3. [@java-dev] — Implement producer and consumer → code + tests
4. [@qa] — Write integration tests → test suite
5. [@security] — Security review → report
6. [@code-review] — Code review → findings
7. [@tech-writer] — Documentation → README + API docs

Proceed?