OpenCode Desktop plugin runtime makes cwd-based project detection and shell-env-only plugins unreliable #34553

Description

Summary

I observed that a plugin which works in OpenCode CLI can fail or behave differently in OpenCode Desktop.

During investigation, I found that in Desktop:

1. a plugin bundle using import.meta.require failed to load
2. a plugin that reads its API key only from shell environment variables could not access that key
3. a plugin that derives project identity from git commands and process.cwd() resolved a different project identity than expected

The same repositories behaved correctly in CLI mode.

I am reporting this here because the behavior appears specifically related to OpenCode Desktop runtime and Desktop instance/project context.

Environment

• OS: Linux (Ubuntu GNOME / Wayland)
• OpenCode CLI: works as expected
• OpenCode Desktop: different behavior observed

Example repositories:

• /home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms
• /home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms_analysis_go

Observed behavior in Desktop

Desktop logs show that OpenCode creates a user-level/global instance such as:

creating instance directory=/home/zhusinian
fromDirectory directory=/home/zhusinian
bootstrapping directory=/home/zhusinian

Desktop also creates project instances, for example:

creating instance directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms
fromDirectory directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms
bootstrapping directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms

and:

creating instance directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms_analysis_go
fromDirectory directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms_analysis_go
bootstrapping directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms_analysis_go

Observed difference 1: bundle loading

A published plugin bundle failed to load in Desktop with:

failed to load plugin
error=__require is not a function

The bundle contained:

var __require = import.meta.require;

Observed difference 2: environment variable access

A plugin that reads its API key from:

process.env.MEM0_API_KEY

worked in CLI but did not obtain that value in Desktop.

Desktop logs showed:

MEM0_API_KEY environment variable not set. Get one at https://app.mem0.ai/dashboard/api-keys

Observed difference 3: project identity resolution

A plugin computed project identity once during initialization using logic like:

async function getProjectId($) {
  if (process.env.MEM0_APP_ID) return process.env.MEM0_APP_ID;
  try {
    const r = await $`git remote get-url origin`.quiet();
    const project = parseProjectFromRemote(r.stdout.toString());
    if (project) return project;
  } catch {}
  try {
    const r = await $`git rev-parse --show-toplevel`.quiet();
    const top = r.stdout.toString().trim();
    if (top) return basename(top);
  } catch {}
  return basename(process.cwd());
}

In CLI, this resolved the expected project identity.

In Desktop, the resolved project identity differed from the active repository context.

Why I am reporting this to OpenCode

The same plugin logic behaves differently between CLI and Desktop.

From observation, Desktop includes:

• a user-level/global instance
• project instances
• a runtime context that differs from a shell-launched CLI process

Because of this, behavior based on:

• process.cwd()
• shell environment variables
• runtime-specific module loading assumptions

can differ between CLI and Desktop.

Minimal evidence

Desktop user-level/global instance

creating instance directory=/home/zhusinian
fromDirectory directory=/home/zhusinian
bootstrapping directory=/home/zhusinian

Desktop project instance

creating instance directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms_analysis_go
fromDirectory directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms_analysis_go
bootstrapping directory=/home/zhusinian/Code/yishu_projects/soms_analysis_go

Desktop bundle load failure

failed to load plugin
error=__require is not a function

Desktop environment variable access failure

MEM0_API_KEY environment variable not set. Get one at https://app.mem0.ai/dashboard/api-keys

Expected outcome

I am sharing these observations so the Desktop plugin runtime behavior and plugin author expectations can be clarified.

The main point is that the same plugin logic behaves differently in CLI and Desktop with respect to:

• module loading
• environment variable access
• project identity resolution

Plugins

mem0

OpenCode version

OpenCode Desktop v1.17.11

Steps to reproduce

No response

Screenshot and/or share link

No response

Operating System

No response

Terminal

No response