[Bug]: Title: pnpm dev fails to connect to OpenCode CLI on Linux/WSL due to "Sidecar Missing" loop, even when CLI is installed and opencode serve works.

[eren726290]

Summary

Description:
I am trying to run OpenWork (dev branch) on Ubuntu WSL. The application refuses to connect to the installed opencode CLI.
The app throws a "Sidecar Missing" error, tries to download/prepare the binary (which fails or is skipped on Linux), and then reports "OpenCode CLI is unavailable."

When I run opencode serve --port 8081 manually, the server starts successfully on 127.0.0.1:8081. However, there is no UI in OpenWork to simply input this URL to connect. It seems hardcoded to only look for the Sidecar binary, ignoring the OPENCODE_BIN_PATH environment variable.

Steps to reproduce

1. Install OpenCode CLI (curl -fsSL https://opencode.ai/install | bash).
2. Verify CLI works: opencode 1.1 . and opencode serve --port 8081 (starts successfully).
3. Set environment variable: export OPENCODE_BIN_PATH=/home/eren7/.opencode/bin/opencode.
   4.Clone and run OpenWork:
   git clone https://github.com/different-ai/openwork.git my-openwork
   cd my-openwork
   git checkout dev
   pnpm install
   pnpm dev
   5.App starts, but status bar shows "OpenCode Engine Not Connected."
   6.Error message in App/Console: "Sidecar missing. Install the binary or set the *_BIN_PATH env var

Expected behavior

OpenWork should recognize the installed opencode CLI (via OPENCODE_BIN_PATH or system PATH) and connect to it, OR provide a manual "Connect to Server" input field in the UI so I can point it to http://127.0.0.1:8081.
Environment:

OS: Ubuntu (via WSL2) on Windows 11
Node.js: v22.x.x
OpenCode Version: 1.1.32 (Latest via curl script)
OpenWork Branch: dev

Actual behavior

Additional Context:
I tried to fix this by renaming prepare-sidecar.mjs to .bak to bypass the download script, but then the app errors saying it "Cannot find module" because it expects the file to exist. The system seems locked into expecting the Sidecar binary and does not gracefully fallback to a user-provided CLI server.

[benjaminshafii]

thank you for reporting @eren726290 looks like a serious bug will need to test on linux on windows and i'm not very familiar so will take at least 24 h until i can tackle it

[benjaminshafii]

Automated message: I opened PR #342 to honor OPENCODE_BIN_PATH even when sidecar is preferred and added a unit test to cover the override. #342

[sameerthawait]

Hi, I’d like to work on this issue. Please assign it to me.

[eren726290]

Hey Ben 👋. Sorry if I wasting your time. Could help me how to install openwork in ubuntu WSL system. I have spent the last three days trying to install OpenWork on both Windows 11 and Ubuntu WSL. On Windows, the" pnpm tauri " build fails with "OpenCode sidecar missing" even after downloading the binary or setting OPENCODE_BIN_PATH. On Ubuntu WSL, I can run " pnpm dev, " but the app cannot connect to the opencode CLI (Engine) due to sidecar/configuration conflicts. I have installed all required dependencies: Node.js v22, Rust/Cargo, Bun, pnpm, Python, Git, and Visual Studio Build Tools. I am currently stuck at the build/engine connection step. Help me to step up openwork, thanks for your time 🙏

…

On Sat, 31 Jan, 2026, 9:24 am ben, ***@***.***> wrote: *benjaminshafii* left a comment (different-ai/openwork#341) <#341 (comment)> thank you for reporting @eren726290 <https://github.com/eren726290> looks like a serious bug will need to test on linux so will take at least 24 h until i can tackle it — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#341 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/B5C3C6XN3XTBVGOKGF7TTVT4JQRQPAVCNFSM6AAAAACTQFIENGVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTQMRXGM4TIMBSGE> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[benjaminshafii]

Thanks for the detailed write-up — I’m a bot. A few clarifications will help: are you running  ERR_PNPM_NO_IMPORTER_MANIFEST_FOUND  No package.json (or package.yaml, or package.json5) was found in "/Users/benjaminshafii/openwork-enterprise". (Tauri) or  ERR_PNPM_NO_IMPORTER_MANIFEST_FOUND  No package.json (or package.yaml, or package.json5) was found in "/Users/benjaminshafii/openwork-enterprise". (web-only)? Please paste the OpenWork diagnostics logs, , and output from the same shell that launches the app. Also confirm that is set in that same environment.

[benjaminshafii]

(bot follow-up) For clarity, are you running pnpm dev (Tauri) or pnpm dev:ui (web-only)? Please paste OpenWork diagnostics logs plus the output of: opencode --version and opencode serve --help from the same shell that launches the app. Also confirm OPENCODE_BIN_PATH is set in that same environment.

[eren726290]

Command: pnpm dev (Tauri) - trying to build/run desktop app. Platform: Windows 11. Attempted Ubuntu WSL build as fallback. Dependencies Installed: OS: Windows 11 (Native), Ubuntu (WSL2). Build Tools: Visual Studio Build Tools 2022 (with C++ Desktop Development workload), Rust (via rustup), Cargo. Runtimes: Node.js v22.20.0, Python 3.12.3, Bun (latest). Package Managers: npm, pnpm (v10.27.0). CLI: OpenCode CLI installed globally (opencode). Problem on Windows: Running pnpm tauri build fails during the "prepare:sidecar" phase. The log shows: compile ... openwork-server-bun-windows-x64.exe (success). However, it immediately follows with: warning: OpenCode sidecar missing at ... \sidecars\opencode.exe (set OPENCODE_BIN_PATH or install OpenCode) error: failed to run custom build command. Manual Fixes Attempted (Failed): 1. Created a "dummy" prepare-sidecar.mjs (causes "module not found"). 2. Copied the built openwork-server-bun-windows-x64.exe to \sidecars\opencode.exe. 3. Renamed it to opencode-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe (as required by resource path). 4. Checked OPENCODE_BIN_PATH using where.exe opencode. Result: The build process still insists on using its internal script and fails, ignoring the manual binary. Problem on Ubuntu WSL: Running pnpm dev successfully launches the UI and compiles the app window. However, the app status bar shows: "OpenCode Engine Not Connected." The error message in the app logs is: "OpenCode CLI is installed, but opencode serve is unavailable. Update OpenCode and retry. Serve output: Sidecar missing. Install binary or set *_BIN_PATH env var." Logs for Ubuntu WSL: 1. opencode --version -> 1.1.32 (CLI works). 2. opencode serve --port 8080 -> Failed to start server on port 8080. (Unexpected error, log check suggested). 3. opencode serve --port 8081 -> opencode server listening on http://127.0.0.1:8081. 4. OpenWork app (pnpm dev) -> Cannot connect to the running server on 8081. There is no "Connect to Server" input field in the GUI to point it to the local URL. Summary: On Windows, the Tauri build script is broken regarding OpenCode sidecar detection. On WSL, the OpenWork GUI fails to handshake with the OpenCode CLI server, and lacks a manual connection option. I would appreciate specific guidance to fix the build on Windows or a way to force the WSL GUI to connect to http://127.0.0.1:8081. Summary: On Windows, the Tauri build script is broken regarding OpenCode sidecar detection. On WSL, the OpenWork GUI fails to handshake with the OpenCode CLI server, and lacks a manual connection option. I would appreciate specific guidance to fix the build on Windows or a way to force the WSL GUI to connect to http://127.0.0.1:8081

…

On Tue, 3 Feb, 2026, 7:34 pm ben, ***@***.***> wrote: *benjaminshafii* left a comment (different-ai/openwork#341) <#341 (comment)> (bot follow-up) For clarity, are you running pnpm dev (Tauri) or pnpm dev:ui (web-only)? Please paste OpenWork diagnostics logs plus the output of: opencode --version and opencode serve --help from the same shell that launches the app. Also confirm OPENCODE_BIN_PATH is set in that same environment. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#341 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/B5C3C6SQM5JHZW42WUV3LE34KCTG5AVCNFSM6AAAAACTQFIENGVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43OSLTON2WKQ3PNVWWK3TUHMZTQNBRGUZDMMBRGU> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[benjaminshafii]

Thanks for the report — I am a bot. To move this forward, can you share: 1) OpenWork version, 2) OS + architecture, 3) exact steps and expected vs actual, and 4) any logs or screenshots? If possible, include the last 100 lines of app logs.

[benjaminshafii]

Thanks — I'm the OpenWork enterprise bot. Can you share the OpenWork logs around the 'Sidecar missing' error and confirm whether OpenWork is launched from the same shell where is exported?

[benjaminshafii]

Thanks — I am the OpenWork enterprise bot. Can you share the OpenWork logs around the “Sidecar missing” error and confirm whether OpenWork is launched from the same shell where OPENCODE_BIN_PATH is exported?