[Bug]: XDG Base Directory Spec violation — node_modules installed in ~/.config instead of ~/.local/share

[ilyachch]

Description

When running opencode, the application installs runtime dependencies (node_modules, package.json, and package-lock.json) into ~/.config/opencode.

This is a violation of the XDG Base Directory Specification. The ~/.config directory ($XDG_CONFIG_HOME) is strictly reserved for user-specific configuration files. Runtime data, dependencies, and state files should be stored in ~/.local/share ($XDG_DATA_HOME).

Why this is a problem

• Many users back up their ~/.config directory using tools like git (dotfiles), stow, or chezmoi. Placing node_modules in this directory causes massive repository bloat, sync issues, and forces users to manually add workarounds to their .gitignore files.
• Broken File Watchers: Applications, background daemons, or text editors that monitor ~/.config for configuration changes get overwhelmed or stuck in infinite reload loops due to the massive number of files and rapid I/O operations within node_modules.
• Loss of Configuration Portability: Mixing mutable runtime dependencies with immutable configuration files breaks portability across different environments (Linux, macOS). It prevents users from symlinking their configs using tools like stow, as the application attempts to write heavy runtime data directly into the clean config structure.

Plugins

None

OpenCode version

1.15.0

Steps to reproduce

1. Launch opencode.
2. Check the contents of the config directory: ls ~/.config/opencode.
3. Notice that node_modules, package.json, and package-lock.json are created there.

Expected behavior

• Configuration files stay in ~/.config/opencode/ (or $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/opencode/).
• Runtime dependencies, packages, and downloaded data should be placed in ~/.local/share/opencode/ (or $XDG_DATA_HOME/opencode/).

Actual behavior

Runtime dependencies and package tracking files are placed in ~/.config/opencode/.

Operating System

Arch Linux

Terminal

Ghostty

[github-actions]

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

• Opencode writes user-specific non-essential data to XDG_CONFIG_HOME #21966: Same issue — opencode writes node_modules, package.json, and package-lock.json to ~/.config/opencode in violation of XDG spec (closed)
• Opencode does not follow XDG Base Directory Specification (state files) #18633: Related XDG Base Directory Specification violation — state files placed in wrong XDG directory (open)

[ilyachch]

The #21966 is closed, but the problem still exists