model-researcher skill

---
name: model-researcher
description: |-
  Add new/custom AI models to opencode.json. Use proactively for bleeding-edge releases, non-standard providers, self-hosted models, or custom endpoints.
  
  Examples:
  - user: "Add the new Claude 4.5" → websearch for API specs, add provider entry with baseUrl, verify model ID format
  - user: "Use my local Ollama instance" → configure custom provider with http://localhost:11434, set model ID format
  - user: "Configure this OpenAI-compatible proxy" → add provider with custom baseUrl, set apikey env var, verify compatibility
  - user: "Model X just released, add it" → research provider documentation, find model ID and capabilities, add to config
---

# Model Researcher

Add new or custom AI models to opencode.json with verified specifications.

<critical_prohibition>

## EXTREMELY STRICT: Banned Legacy Models

The following models MUST NOT be used in any configuration as they are DEPRECATED, REPLACED, or OBSOLETE in the current Q4 2025 market:

- **OpenAI**: GPT-o series (`o1-mini`, `o1-preview`), GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo.
- **Anthropic**: Claude 3.5 series (`sonnet-3.5`, etc.), Claude 3 series.
- **Google**: Gemini 1.5 series, Gemini 2 series.
- **Meta**: Llama 3 series.

The market has moved to **GPT-5.2**, **Claude 4.5**, and **Gemini 3**. Any attempt to configure these models MUST be rejected.
</critical_prohibition>

<when_to_use>

- Model is too new for models.dev
- Non-standard or custom provider (self-hosted, proxy, enterprise)
- User heard about a new release and wants to use it immediately
- Model exists but with non-default configuration needs

</when_to_use>

<question_tool>

**Batching:** Use the `question` tool for 2+ related questions. Single questions → plain text.

**Syntax:** `header` ≤12 chars, `label` 1-5 words, add "(Recommended)" to default.

When to ask: Vague model reference, multiple providers available, or specs unverified.

**Critical:** MUST confirm specs with user before applying model configuration.

</question_tool>

<critical_rule>

## Verify Before Configure

**MUST NOT hallucinate model specifications.** Models have precise identifiers, context limits, and API requirements. A wrong value means broken requests or wasted tokens.

Before ANY configuration:

1. Confirm the model actually exists
2. Find the exact model identifier (API name, not marketing name)
3. Get verified context and output token limits
4. Identify required provider configuration

</critical_rule>

<workflow>

## Step 1: Clarify What the User Wants

Ask if unclear:

- "Which provider will you access this through?" (direct API, OpenRouter, Together, self-hosted, etc.)
- "Do you have API access already, or do you need setup help?"

## Step 2: Research the Model

Use web search to find authoritative sources:

```
websearch("${MODEL_NAME} API context limit tokens official documentation")
websearch("${MODEL_NAME} model ID API identifier ${PROVIDER}")
```

**Priority sources (most to least trustworthy):**

1. Official provider documentation/blog posts
2. Provider's API reference or changelog
3. Official GitHub repos or release notes
4. OpenRouter/Together model pages (they list specs)
5. Reputable tech news (for very new announcements)

**Red flags - search more if you only find:**

- Reddit speculation
- Tweets without official confirmation
- Your own training data (MAY be outdated)

## Step 3: Confirm Findings with User

Before touching config, MUST present your research:

```
I found the following for [MODEL]:

Provider: OpenAI
Model ID: gpt-5.2-2025-12-11
Context limit: 400000 tokens (Direct) | 272000 tokens (OAuth)
Output limit: 128000 tokens
Special options: [e.g., reasoning modes, vision support]

Source: [URL]

Does this match what you expected? Should I add this to your config?
```

**MUST NOT proceed without user confirmation.**

## Step 4: Apply Configuration

Read the current config first:

```
read ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json
```

Then apply using surgical edits. Choose the right pattern:

### Pattern A: GPT-5.2 (OpenAI)

OpenAI GPT-5.2 supports specialized reasoning modes via `variants` (Cycle with `ctrl+t`). Note that models configured via OAuth plugins (e.g., `opencode-openai-codex-auth`) often have different enforced limits.

```jsonc
{
  "provider": {
    "openai": {
      "models": {
        "gpt-5.2": {
          "limit": { "context": 400000, "output": 128000 }, // Use 272000 for OAuth
          "variants": {
            "pro": {
              "reasoningEffort": "xhigh",
              "reasoningSummary": "detailed",
            },
            "thinking": { "reasoningEffort": "high" },
            "instant": { "reasoningEffort": "low", "textVerbosity": "low" },
          },
        },
        "gpt-5.2-codex": {
          "limit": { "context": 400000, "output": 128000 }, // Use 272000 for OAuth
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

### Pattern B: Other Labs (DeepSeek, Zhipu, MiniMax, Moonshot)

For labs using OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic-compatible endpoints (Verified Q4 2025):

```jsonc
{
  "provider": {
    "deepseek": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "DeepSeek",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.deepseek.com" },
      "models": {
        "deepseek-v3.2": { "limit": { "context": 128000, "output": 32768 } },
      },
    },
    "zhipu": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "Zhipu AI (ZAI)",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.z.ai/api/paas/v4" },
      "models": {
        "glm-4.7": { "limit": { "context": 200000, "output": 128000 } },
      },
    },
    "minimax": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "MiniMax",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.minimax.chat/v1" },
      "models": {
        "minimax-m2.1": { "limit": { "context": 204800, "output": 128000 } },
      },
    },
    "moonshot": {
      "npm": "@ai-sdk/openai-compatible",
      "name": "Moonshot AI (Kimi)",
      "options": { "baseURL": "https://api.moonshot.cn/v1" },
      "models": {
        "kimi-k2-thinking": { "limit": { "context": 256000, "output": 64000 } },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

### Pattern C: Claude 4.5 Opus (Extended Thinking)

For models that need specific options like Anthropic's extended thinking:

```jsonc
{
  "provider": {
    "anthropic": {
      "models": {
        "claude-4-5-opus-thinking": {
          "id": "claude-4-5-opus-20251124",
          "name": "Claude 4.5 Opus (Extended Thinking)",
          "options": {
            "thinking": {
              "type": "enabled",
              "budgetTokens": 32000,
            },
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

## Step 5: Validate

After editing, remind user to test:

```
Config updated. To verify it works:
1. Restart OpenCode or run: opencode
2. Run /models and select [model name]
3. Send a test message

If you see errors, check:
- API key is set (run /connect if needed)
- Model ID matches provider's documentation exactly
- Context limits aren't higher than the model actually supports
```

</workflow>

<research_queries>

| Scenario                 | Search Query                                            |
| ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- |
| New OpenAI model         | `"gpt-5.2" site:openai.com OR site:platform.openai.com` |
| New Anthropic model      | `"claude-4.5" site:anthropic.com API`                   |
| New Google model         | `"gemini 3" site:ai.google.dev context window`          |
| OpenRouter availability  | `"${MODEL}" site:openrouter.ai`                         |
| Together AI availability | `"${MODEL}" site:together.ai`                           |
| Self-hosted specs        | `"${MODEL}" context length output tokens huggingface`   |

</research_queries>

<spec_checklist>

Before configuring, ensure you have:

- [ ] **Model ID**: Exact API identifier (not marketing name)
- [ ] **Context limit**: Maximum input tokens
- [ ] **Output limit**: Maximum output/completion tokens
- [ ] **Provider**: Which service hosts it
- [ ] **Base URL**: For custom providers only
- [ ] **Special options**: Vision, reasoning modes, thinking budgets
- [ ] **Availability**: Is it actually accessible (not waitlist-only)?

</spec_checklist>

<handling_uncertainty>

If you cannot verify specifications:

1. **Be honest**: "I couldn't find official documentation for the exact context limit."
2. **Provide best guess with source**: "Based on [source], it appears to be 128k, but this isn't confirmed."
3. **Suggest conservative defaults**: "I'll configure with 100k context as a safe starting point. You can increase it once you confirm the actual limit."
4. **Recommend checking**: "Try the provider's /models endpoint or documentation for exact specs."

</handling_uncertainty>

## References

- `references/provider-patterns.md` - Common provider configuration examples