xcb vs OpenCode
OpenCode is an open-source coding agent for 75+ providers and local models, and its docs say Anthropic prohibits using a Claude Pro or Max plan through OpenCode plugins. xcb uses your Claude subscription through the unmodified Claude Code binary, along with Codex and the Devin CLI, but it is a router, not an agent you configure.
Which one to pick
Pick OpenCode when
- You want one open-source agent across 75+ providers or local models.
- You use a ChatGPT Plus, GitHub Copilot, or GitLab Duo subscription, which OpenCode supports with no extra setup.
- You want to define your own agents and subagents, with their own prompts, models, and tools.
- You want plugins, MCP servers, and language server support in your agent.
Pick xcb when
- You want to use a Claude Pro or Max plan through Claude Code, alongside Codex and Devin.
- You hold several accounts and want each task sent to one that is idle and not at a known limit.
- You want every provider run sandboxed, with file changes going through xcb.
Side by side
| Aspect | OpenCode | xcb |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | An open-source coding agent for the terminal, IDE, and desktop | A router and terminal around Claude Code, Codex, and the Devin CLI |
| Model access | 75+ providers through API keys, plus local models | Your Claude, Codex, and Devin subscriptions, through each provider’s own tool |
| Subscriptions | ChatGPT Plus, GitHub Copilot, and GitLab Duo; Claude Pro/Max plugins no longer bundled | Claude through the unmodified Claude Code binary, ChatGPT through Codex, and Devin plans |
| Customization | Custom agents and subagents, plugins, MCP servers, and language servers | Panes, hooks, and reflex programs; workers get only xcb’s tools, with no MCP servers or plugins |
| Permissions | Rules that allow, ask about, or deny edits, shell commands, and web fetches | Every provider run is sandboxed; commands run in an offline Linux VM on macOS ARM64 |
| For your own code | An SDK and a server mode | xcb --json route takes one task and returns the result, the account and model used, and how the run ended |
| Platforms | macOS, Linux, and Windows | macOS ARM64 and Linux x86_64, with no Windows build; Codex and Devin need macOS, and Claude on Linux isn’t confirmed |
| License | MIT | MIT |
Using a Claude subscription
OpenCode’s provider docs ↗ say plugins exist that let you use Claude Pro/Max models with OpenCode, that “Anthropic explicitly prohibits this”, and that OpenCode stopped bundling them in 1.3.0. The same page lists ChatGPT Plus, GitHub Copilot, and GitLab Duo as subscriptions you can use with zero setup.
xcb runs the unmodified Claude Code binary, signed in through Claude Code’s own claude setup-token flow. Anthropic’s Claude Code legal page ↗ says its credential rules don’t “prevent an end user from signing in to the unmodified Claude Code binary with their own Claude subscription”. Provider terms and usage limits still apply, and xcb doesn’t raise or pool them.
Sources
- OpenCode home page ↗Checked
- OpenCode providers ↗Checked
- OpenCode agents ↗Checked
- OpenCode permissions ↗Checked
- Anthropic: Claude Code legal and compliance ↗Checked
- xcb: Make it yoursChecked