From Coding to Building: How OpenCode and Claude Opus 4.5 Changed My Workflow

Alternatively titled: ‘Let there be features, and there were features.’

Hello fellow datanistas!

I used to obsess over code—syntax, edge cases, the nitty-gritty details. But something shifted. Now, I just describe what I want, and it materializes. It feels a little like magic, but it’s really just OpenCode and Claude Opus 4.5 doing their thing.

This post is about my journey from being a hands-on coder to becoming a builder who directs AI to create. I’ll share what changed, how I adapted, and what I learned after ten days of deliberate practice with OpenCode and Claude Opus 4.5.

The transition didn’t happen overnight. At first, I was skeptical—could an AI really handle the architectural decisions, the documentation, the refactoring, and the edge cases? But as I spent more time with Claude Opus 4.5 (accessed through OpenCode + Github Copilot Pro), I found myself letting go of the urge to micro-manage. I’d ask for a feature, and it would appear. I’d request a refactor, and it would just happen. The gap between what I imagined and what got built shrank to almost nothing.

Over ten days, I put this new workflow to the test. I shipped over 150 commits across six repositories: a ski trip coordination website, a teaching clock app for my kids, infrastructure work for pyjanitor, a new conda-forge package, a custom tmux status bar, and a visual chat interface. The variety was key—this wasn’t just luck on one type of project. The AI handled infrastructure, greenfield apps, documentation, and even languages I’d avoided for years (hello, JavaScript!).

What surprised me most was how my review process changed. Instead of scrutinizing every line of code, I started by reading the model’s reasoning traces. If the logic made sense, the code usually did too. When I needed a fresh perspective, I’d start a new session—like getting a second pair of eyes, but instantly.

I also had to unlearn old habits. My decade-old “no JavaScript” rule? Out the window. The model writes JavaScript just fine. The real challenge became keeping my assumptions up to date with what the tools can actually do. I still need enough technical vocabulary to direct the AI and spot when something’s off, but I spend far less time on the mechanics and more on the creative direction.

The upshot: I’m spending less time worrying about how things are built and more time focusing on what gets built and why. The creative work is still mine—the heavy lifting is handled by the AI.

The shift from ‘I code’ to ‘I build’ is real—and it’s powered by tools like OpenCode and Claude Opus 4.5. The more I trust the process, the more I can focus on creativity and impact.

Have you tried letting AI take the lead in your coding projects? What surprised you—or held you back—from making the leap?

If you’re curious about the details, check out the full story (with examples and lessons learned) on my blog: You can just make stuff with OpenCode and Claude Opus 4.5. If you found this helpful, feel free to share or subscribe for more reflections.

Happy coding!
Eric