[FEATURE]: Allow API clients and agents to open existing sessions as Desktop tabs #53529

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1. github-actions

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   Brendonovich

   on Oct 6, 2026
2. github-actions commented on Oct 6, 2026

   

   github-actionsBot

   on Oct 6, 2026 – with GitHub Actions

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   This issue might be a duplicate of existing issues. Please check:

   • #44167: Requests a deep link to open a specific existing session in OpenCode Desktop, overlapping with opening existing sessions as Desktop tabs.

   For keybind-related issues, please also check our pinned keybinds documentation: #4997
3. leetdavid commented on Oct 8, 2026

   

   leetdavid

   on Oct 8, 2026

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   Adding one concrete use case here:

   I use Linear and Opencode for my work, and Linear supports a custom script to create session. Nothing will open it in Desktop currently, so I need to open it by hand.

   What already exists:

   • The main process accepts opencode:// URLs and forwards them to the focused window.
   • The renderer bootstrap stores them in window.__OPENCODE__.deepLinks and dispatches an opencode:deep-link event.
   • The bundled UI has the session route /server/:serverKey/session/:id, where serverKey is the base64url of the server URL.

   Nothing in the bundled UI listens for opencode:deep-link or reads window.__OPENCODE__. So opencode:// links have no effect on sessions (the one special case is opencode://console/authorized). This comes from searching the app bundle.

   If a consumer for opencode:deep-link gets added, it could cover the tab-opening action here as well as #44167
4. opencodejr commented on Oct 27, 2026

   

   opencodejrBot

   on Oct 27, 2026

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   Thanks for the detailed request! In short: you'd like a supported way for API clients or agents to open one or more existing sessions as Desktop tabs. Each tab would open either in the background or as the active tab, reuse a tab that is already open, and never prompt or run the session. Maintainers will consider it.

   Right now Desktop tab state lives only in the client, and Desktop's deep-link handling doesn't cover opening sessions, so there's no way to do this from outside today. It also can't be done as a plugin, because plugins run on the server and can't tell a connected Desktop client which tabs to show.

   Related issues:

   • Add a deep link to open a specific Desktop session #44167: deep link to open a specific Desktop session. This is the narrowest piece of what you're asking for.
   • [FEATURE]: Generic UI Intent Channel for cross-client plugin-driven UX #6330: a generic UI intent channel, which could carry an open-session intent.
   • feat(desktop): reopen closed tabs and background tab open #35010: manual background opening with Ctrl+click, the behaviour you want to trigger from code.
5. ryanmeador commented on Nov 1, 2026

   

   ryanmeador

   on Nov 1, 2026

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   I’d welcome this for both Desktop and web clients. The team plugin provides one example: an agent creates independent sessions, optionally in separate worktrees, and the user then has to find and open them manually.

   The GUI SDK now provides ctx.tabs.open, so a GUI companion could implement this for a plugin. A first-class API would still be useful for scripts, API clients, and server plugins that shouldn’t need to ship GUI code just to request a session tab.

   Ideally, OpenCode would handle window targeting, duplicate tabs, and background versus foreground opening consistently. Opening should remain a client-controlled UI action—not prompt, resume, or otherwise execute the session.