03 · Connect the agent you already run

OpenDesign generates nothing by itself. The agent you point it at does the work. Get this wrong and every page after it is empty.

What an adapter is

An adapter is a thin shim that translates one agent's native message format into OpenDesign's skill protocol. Adding a new agent is a single file, not a fork.

The payoff is that switching agents costs nothing. The same SKILL.md and the same DESIGN.md run against Claude Code and Codex alike. Changing agents is a config line, not a redesign.

21 adapters — pick one

The full table lives in Reference / Agent adapters. Here's how to choose:

Your situation	Start with
Already paying for Claude	Claude Code — sign in with the subscription, no API key needed
Already paying for ChatGPT	Codex, same deal
Using Cursor	Cursor Agent, which uses the provider keys you've configured
Have GitHub Copilot	GitHub Copilot CLI
Want the cheapest way to try	Gemini CLI (Google AI Studio key) or Qwen Code (DashScope key)
Work only approved one vendor	Find that vendor in the adapter table

Choose by what you already pay for

Pick the subscription you're already funding before you optimise for model quality. Design work and coding work draw on the same pool — not buying a second subscription for "design" is the most concrete saving OpenDesign offers.

Two ways to connect

Point it at a local CLI (recommended)

If Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or OpenCode is installed and signed in, point OpenDesign at it. The desktop build scans your PATH and finds them.

This path has a property people keep singling out: no key ever leaves your machine. Generation runs on the credentials that CLI already holds.

Supply an API key (BYOK)

For a model with no CLI, or when you want exact control over which model runs, use a key. It goes in one of two places:

.od/media-config.json    project credential file
environment variables    your shell profile

Calls go from your machine straight to the provider. OpenDesign doesn't proxy them and has no server in that path. The bill lands on your account with that provider.

Don't commit .od/media-config.json

It holds credentials. Confirm it's in .gitignore before you start working.

Confirming it's connected

1. Your agent appears in the selector.
2. Pick any skill and generate something minimal — a landing page will do.
3. The left pane should be streaming progress rather than sitting on "waiting".

If the list is empty:

• Is the CLI on your PATH? Type its name in a terminal and see.
• Using a key? Check .od/media-config.json.
• Run pnpm tools-dev check — it names what's missing.

Does switching agents cost you work?

No, and that's the point of the design:

Thing	Bound to the agent?
Skills (SKILL.md)	No — plain Markdown
Design systems (DESIGN.md)	No
Generated artifacts	No — files in your repo
Credentials	Yes, one set per provider

Switching is one config line in the daemon. Everything you've accumulated still applies.

The reverse trick

Skills travel outward too. A SKILL.md is just a folder, so you can lift one out of OpenDesign and drop it into your own Claude Code or Codex session as context.

Handy in two cases: the capability you want has no button in the GUI, or you're scripting and don't want a UI at all.

Next

04 · The workspace — what a generation passes through, and what each step is waiting on.