OpenCode Zen
Summary
Section titled “Summary”OpenCode Zen is an optional OpenCode AI gateway that exposes a curated model catalog through direct API endpoints, including Big Pickle as a free OpenAI-compatible chat-completions model.
Key Ideas
Section titled “Key Ideas”- Provider shape: Zen works like an OpenCode provider: users sign in, create or copy an API key, and select models from the Zen catalog.
- Curated routing: OpenCode says it tests model/provider combinations, works with providers, benchmarks the results, and recommends the combinations it is willing to serve.
- Model namespace: OpenCode config model ids use the
opencode/<model-id>form. For Big Pickle, the config-facing id isopencode/big-pickle. - Direct API endpoints: The catalog uses multiple endpoint families: Responses, Anthropic Messages, Google model routes, and OpenAI-compatible chat completions.
- Big Pickle route: Big Pickle has raw id
big-pickleand useshttps://opencode.ai/zen/v1/chat/completionswith the OpenAI-compatible AI SDK package. - Free with caveats: Big Pickle is listed as free for input, output, and cached reads. OpenCode also describes the free period as limited.
- Privacy caveat: OpenCode says Big Pickle data may be used to improve the model during the free period.
Claims & Evidence
Section titled “Claims & Evidence”Zen is a curated optional provider.
Section titled “Zen is a curated optional provider.”The Zen page describes it as a tested and verified model list provided by the OpenCode team, and says users do not need Zen in order to use OpenCode.
Confidence: high.
Big Pickle is present in the live model catalog.
Section titled “Big Pickle is present in the live model catalog.”GET https://opencode.ai/zen/v1/models returned a model list containing
big-pickle with owned_by: "opencode" on 2026-07-05.
Confidence: high for the capture date; the catalog is dynamic.
Big Pickle currently uses an OpenAI-compatible chat-completions route.
Section titled “Big Pickle currently uses an OpenAI-compatible chat-completions route.”The endpoint table maps Big Pickle to
https://opencode.ai/zen/v1/chat/completions and the OpenAI-compatible SDK
package.
Confidence: high for the current docs.
Big Pickle is a prominent free model in the catalog.
Section titled “Big Pickle is a prominent free model in the catalog.”The pricing table marks Big Pickle as free. The pricing notes describe it as a stealth model that is free for a limited time.
Confidence: high for current pricing.
Big Pickle has a different privacy caveat during the free period.
Section titled “Big Pickle has a different privacy caveat during the free period.”OpenCode says Big Pickle data may be used to improve the model during the free period.
Confidence: high for the stated policy.
Important Terms
Section titled “Important Terms”| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OpenCode Zen | OpenCode’s optional AI gateway for curated model/provider combinations. |
opencode/<model-id> |
OpenCode config model id namespace for Zen models. |
opencode/big-pickle |
Config-facing Big Pickle model id in OpenCode. |
big-pickle |
Raw model id used in direct Zen API requests. |
/zen/v1/chat/completions |
Zen endpoint family for Big Pickle and other OpenAI-compatible chat models. |
/zen/v1/models |
Model discovery endpoint for the current Zen catalog. |
| Limited free period | OpenCode’s wording for the free availability window. |
Questions for Review
Section titled “Questions for Review”- What is the config-facing model id for Big Pickle?
- Which Zen endpoint family does Big Pickle use?
- How does OpenCode describe Big Pickle’s free availability?
- What privacy caveat applies to Big Pickle during its free period?
- Which endpoint can verify whether Big Pickle remains in the catalog?
Connections
Section titled “Connections”- Related ideas: OpenAI-compatible provider adapters, dynamic model discovery, provider privacy labeling, pricing-aware model selection.
- Related sources: OpenCode Go provider notes, provider protocol mapping.
- Contradictions or tensions: Big Pickle is listed as free, while the docs also use “limited time” wording and apply a free-period data-use caveat.
- Useful applications: Zen’s model namespace, endpoint mapping, model discovery, and privacy/pricing caveats are enough to evaluate provider integration designs.
Open Questions
Section titled “Open Questions”- Does the same API key work for both OpenCode Go and general OpenCode Zen endpoints?
- What exact auth header format does Zen expect for direct API calls?
- Does Big Pickle support streaming tool calls in the same wire shape as upstream OpenAI-compatible chat completions?
- What error shape indicates that Big Pickle’s free period ended or that the model is unavailable to the workspace?
- How long has the limited-free notice been present, and does OpenCode publish any additional commitment about Big Pickle’s availability?
Takeaways
Section titled “Takeaways”- Big Pickle is the clearly documented free OpenCode Zen model in this capture.
- Big Pickle maps to raw model
big-pickleon/zen/v1/chat/completions. - Any use of Big Pickle should preserve the free-period pricing and privacy caveats from the source docs.