Drift

A focused Windows desktop for coding with AI agents.
Open your projects, keep long-running threads close, and let Drift manage the engine.

Install  |  Features  |  Development  |  Documentation

Drift packages the OpenCode agent engine as a
managed sidecar and gives it a native-feeling desktop home. One app handles the engine
lifecycle, project navigation, persistent thread metadata, updates, and Windows
integration while remaining compatible with OpenCode providers, agents, MCP servers,
plugins, and configuration.

One installer. No separate Node runtime. No CLI bootstrap. No local server to manage.

[!IMPORTANT]
Drift is an agent, not a sandbox. It can read files, modify code, and run commands with
your user account's permissions. Open trusted workspaces and review permission requests.

Features

Drift and the OpenCode CLI can use the same projects and canonical engine storage at the
same time. Drift-specific workspace names, icons, archive state, preferences, and MCP
decisions stay in Drift's own SQLite database.

Install

1. Download the latest Windows x64 installer from
   GitHub Releases.
2. Launch Drift and add a workspace directory.
3. Open Settings > Providers and connect a model provider.
4. Start a thread and send a prompt.

Drift does not include paid model access. Provider accounts, terms, and usage charges
still apply. Installed copies check the signed update manifest on startup; automatic
checks can be disabled under Settings > General.

How it works

SolidJS interface
     | REST + server-sent events
     v
Bundled OpenCode sidecar  -------->  model providers, MCP servers, project tools
     ^
     | lifecycle + random loopback credentials
     |
Tauri shell  --------------------->  SQLite, updates, native Windows APIs

The sidecar listens only on 127.0.0.1 and receives a random Basic-auth credential on
each launch. Model requests and relevant context are sent to whichever provider you
configure. OpenCode and Drift plugins execute code in the engine process, so install
third-party plugins only when you trust their source. See the
architecture, MCP trust boundary, and
security policy for details.

Development

Drift's native target is Windows x64. Development requires:

• Bun
• A stable Rust toolchain with the MSVC target
• Visual Studio Build Tools
  with Desktop development with C++
• Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime

Clone the repository and bootstrap the app plus the vendored engine:

git clone https://github.com/kylepelham/Drift.git
cd Drift
bun install
bun install --ignore-scripts --cwd engine/upstream
bun install --cwd engine/opencode
bun run build:engine

Start the engine and browser UI:

bun run dev

The UI is served at http://localhost:5180 against the engine on port 4096. To use the
native shell during development, leave that command running and start bunx tauri dev
in a second terminal.

Quality checks

bun run typecheck
bun run test
cargo test --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml

Use bun run test:engine after changing engine overlays or extensions.

Build targets

bun run build:native  # release executable, no installer
bun run package       # Windows NSIS installer

Project layout

Read CONTRIBUTING.md before changing the vendored engine or opening a
substantial pull request.

Documentation

Contributing

Bug reports, focused fixes, and well-scoped improvements are welcome. Start with the
contribution guide, use the repository's issue forms, and review the
Code of Conduct.

Report vulnerabilities through GitHub's
private vulnerability reporting,
not a public issue. General support guidance is in SUPPORT.md.

OpenCode

Drift is an independent desktop client built around OpenCode. It bundles a compiled copy
of OpenCode under its MIT license and ships that license with the app at
licenses/opencode-LICENSE.txt.

License

Drift is available under the MIT License. Copyright (c) 2026 Kyle Pelham.