Bolt vs OpenCodeUpdated 2026-03-16

SUMMARY

Bolt (Platform) uses text configuration while OpenCode (CLI) uses markdown. They differ on 5 of 11 compared features. Both tools provide AI-assisted development but take different approaches to project configuration.

FEATURE COMPARISON

FeatureBoltOpenCode
Config formattextmarkdown
Hierarchy support
Global config
Project config
Subdirectory scoping
File inclusion / imports
Ignore file
IDE integrationPlatformCLI
Schema / structureFree-form (Markdown)Free-form (Markdown)
Git committed
EncodingUTF-8UTF-8

FILE MAPPING

PurposeBoltOpenCode
Project instructions.bolt/promptAGENTS.md
Project instructionsAGENTS.mdCLAUDE.md

SIDE-BY-SIDE CODE SAMPLES

Bolt
.bolt/prompt
text
You are building a SaaS dashboard application.

Stack: Remix with TypeScript, Prisma ORM, PostgreSQL, TailwindCSS.

Key rules:
- Use server loaders for data fetching, not client-side fetch
- All forms use Remix Form with progressive enhancement
- Use Prisma for all database operations
- Style with TailwindCSS utility classes, no custom CSS
- Components go in app/components/, routes in app/routes/
- Use zod for form validation on both client and server

OpenCode
AGENTS.md
markdown
# Project Instructions

## Overview
This is a TypeScript monorepo using pnpm workspaces.

## Code Style
- Use strict TypeScript with no implicit any
- Prefer functional components with hooks
- All exports should be named (no default exports)

## Architecture
- /packages/core — shared business logic
- /packages/ui — React component library
- /apps/web — Next.js frontend

## Build & Test
Run tests with: pnpm test
Build all packages: pnpm build
All PRs must have >80% coverage on changed files.

## Conventions
- Use conventional commits (feat:, fix:, chore:)
- Prefer composition over inheritance
- See @docs/api-guidelines.md for API design patterns

KEY DIFFERENCES

1. Config format

Bolt: text. OpenCode: markdown.

2. Hierarchy support

Bolt: Not supported. OpenCode: Supported.

3. Global config

Bolt: Not supported. OpenCode: Supported.

4. Subdirectory scoping

Bolt: Not supported. OpenCode: Supported.

5. IDE integration

Bolt: Platform. OpenCode: CLI.

WHICH SHOULD I USE?

Recommendation

Choose based on your IDE/CLI preference. If you use Bolt, configure .bolt/prompt. If you use OpenCode, configure AGENTS.md. Many projects include config files for multiple tools so each team member can use their preferred editor.

PORTABILITY TIP

sync-instructions.sh
bash
# Maintain a single source of truth:
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md CLAUDE.md
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md .cursorrules
cp AI-INSTRUCTIONS.md AGENTS.md

SEE ALSO

agentconfig.ing2026-03-16COMPARE(1)