#Get from zero to coding

Five minutes from now you'll be pair programming with AI in your terminal.

#Install

npm install -g crabcode  # npm
bun install -g crabcode  # or bun
cargo binstall crabcode  # or cargo-binstall (prebuilt binary, faster)
cargo install crabcode   # or cargo (build from source)
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Blankeos/crabcode/main/install.sh | sh # or linux/macos (via curl)

#First run

Launch crabcode:

crabcode

Run /connect to add your first provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.). That's it—you're ready.

🎉 That's it! If you know how to use OpenCode, you're pretty much good to go!

#Your first session

crabcode works best when you type naturally, like you're pair programming:

• Ask questions: "Explain the main function in src/lib.rs"
• Request changes: "Add error handling to this module"
• Plan first: /plan when you're not sure how to approach something
• Build directly: /build when you know what you want done

Custom slash commands can live in .opencode/commands/ or .crabcode/commands/. crabcode reads the OpenCode command format.

#Configure crabcode

crabcode uses JSONC (JSON with comments). Create a crabcode.jsonc in your project:

{
  "theme": "default",
  "model": "openai/gpt-5.2",
  "notifications": {
    "complete": {
      "terminal": "auto",
      "soundEnabled": true,
      "desktop": true,
    },
    "error": {
      "soundEnabled": true,
    },
  },
}

#How config merging works

crabcode reads up to four files (highest priority wins):

1. OpenCode global (~/.config/opencode/opencode.jsonc)
2. crabcode global (~/.config/crabcode/crabcode.jsonc)
3. OpenCode local (.opencode/opencode.jsonc in your project)
4. crabcode local (crabcode.jsonc in your project)

Set your defaults globally, override per-project when needed. See the full configuration reference.

#Common commands

Once you're in crabcode:

#Where your data lives