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OpenCode Sign in with ChatGPT: setup, caps and AI Pass

Connect ChatGPT plans in OpenCode and Kilo, check which limits and payment routes apply, and compare AI Pass wallet funding across providers, including the developer earnings difference.

EiliyaSeptember 30, 20267 min read

OpenCode Sign in with ChatGPT lets you spend an existing plan without configuring a provider API key. It doesn't give you a fresh allowance. Kilo Code now has a dashboard subscription connection alongside its local provider login; OpenAI's partner directory lists OpenCode as an open-source integration and Kilo as an app with plan usage.

The money works differently: a ChatGPT connection spends an eligible OpenAI allowance, while AI Pass charges a pay-as-you-go wallet across providers. For app developers, that also separates saving an inference cost from earning on usage. As of September 30, 2026, the right choice depends on the coding work you need to fund.

OpenCode Sign in with ChatGPT setup

Follow OpenCode's provider documentation:

Open the OpenCode terminal interface and run /connect.
Select OpenAI.
Choose ChatGPT Plus/Pro as the authentication method.
Complete the browser sign-in and authorization.
Run /models and select an available OpenAI model.

The menu also offers a manual API-key option. Pick it only if you want provider API billing: a ChatGPT subscription and OpenAI API account are billed separately.

OpenCode's docs describe available OpenAI models broadly, but a menu entry doesn't guarantee every model or speed tier. The OpenAI integration guide says choices should come from the signed-in account's catalog. A completed request verifies access for that request.

Try a small coding question with the selected provider first. Check the model and funding route before you send a long task with repeated tool calls.

Kilo's dashboard connection covers Gateway plan usage

Your Kilo login and ChatGPT subscription authorization are separate, as Kilo's current subscription guide explains. Keep your existing Kilo login and connect the plan alongside it.

To connect through the dashboard:

Sign in to Kilo and select the personal account or organization you will use.
Open Bring Your Own Key, or BYOK.
Find OpenAI (ChatGPT subscription) and choose Sign in with ChatGPT.
Authorize the intended OpenAI account's subscription permissions.
Confirm Connected and the expected account beside Connected as.
In your Kilo client, use Kilo Gateway and select a supported model marked BYOK.

Here, BYOK includes subscription authorization; it isn't an instruction to paste an API key. Kilo's separate OpenAI API-key route uses Platform billing.

The new connection reaches beyond the local editor. Anaconda's launch announcement says plan-funded inference works across Kilo's coding surfaces, including Cloud Agents, unlike the earlier local-only subscription connection. Keep that change in mind when an older Kilo page says subscriptions can't fund cloud work.

Kilo's local login is a different connection

For direct local access through Kilo's OpenAI provider, follow its local workflow documentation: run kilo, enter /connect, select OpenAI ChatGPT Plus/Pro, and authorize in the browser. Then select a Codex model.

In VS Code, open the Kilo panel's settings, go to Providers, and use OpenAI subscription sign-in. That serves the local session; it doesn't establish the dashboard connection for cloud work.

Choose based on where your task runs. Local OAuth and a gateway-held subscription connection use different credential and request paths. Kilo's current docs say the gateway route sends code context through Kilo Gateway before OpenAI, so check which path fits your working environment.

Use your account's model catalog, not a launch screenshot

OpenAI's model-discovery flow fetches an account-specific catalog and uses the selected model's slug for inference. Your eligible models depend on the account and connection; a list copied from a launch screenshot won't settle that.

GPT-6.1 Sol appears in OpenAI's current request example. That doesn't grant every third-party connection access to it. Check the tool's picker and account availability, then complete a request.

The preview contract excludes hosted image generation, Code Interpreter, native computer use, and hosted connectors. Your subscription doesn't carry those API features into the coding tool. Local shell or MCP execution is a separate client capability.

Judge the model on your code: does it find the right files, make a useful change, and explain failures clearly? A product name or assumed maximum tier won't answer those questions.

Weekly caps divide access to one shared allowance

In ChatGPT usage settings, each app's weekly limit is a percentage of the account's overall weekly plan usage. That ceiling reserves no capacity. Connecting both OpenCode and Kilo gives you access to the same allowance.

If the shared allowance runs out, switching tools won't replenish it. If one app hits its lower cap, another may still work within the remaining overall allowance. Check which limit you reached before you change settings.

The account documentation says Plus also has a shared five-hour usage limit across apps. Pro users don't have that five-hour limit, but that doesn't remove every other limit.

OpenAI's Help Center describes separately enabled credit use after included usage. Check that setting if you're trying to avoid further inference purchases.

Kilo's current guide says an allowance-limit error stops eligible subscription requests. Some token-renewal failures or unsupported requests can instead use ordinary Gateway billing. Cloud compute and other paid services are separate, so check saved payment routes before assuming every request is included.

Connect AI Pass and pay from your wallet

Use the commands in the AI Pass agent-tools documentation:

For OpenCode:

opencode auth login https://aipass.one

Approve the connection in your browser, then select an AI Pass model with /models.

For Kilo CLI:

kilo auth login https://aipass.one

Approve in the browser and choose an AI Pass model. You're connecting AI Pass, without authorizing ChatGPT plan usage. Kilo's CLI reference documents the auth login [url] command form.

Each AI Pass request charges your balance, and the wallet works across participating apps without a required subscription. Text models include Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, and GLM, with current examples such as claude-sonnet-4-6 and gpt-6-sol. GPT-6.1 Sol isn't listed on AI Pass yet, so don't connect expecting that exact model.

The OpenCode instructions say the login creates an AI Pass API key. You don't paste a provider key, but you still need to protect the credential the tool receives. AI Pass is independent of OpenAI.

For developers adding AI to an app, the earnings difference matters. Sign in with ChatGPT makes included AI effectively free to the user because their plan pays, and the host app earns nothing on that usage. AI Pass users pay from their wallet; you can add a markup and earn on eligible paid usage under the current AI Pass terms.

Try it today: ask your agent

To add AI Pass to your own app, open the docs, pick your tool, and paste the one brief into Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Lovable, Replit, or another capable coding agent. Your agent inspects the project, chooses a working path, and sets it up with your browser approval.

There's no application form, waitlist, provider-key handoff, or manual OAuth client setup. You sign in to AI Pass to approve it. Commercial or hosted Sign in with ChatGPT apps need OpenAI's interest form and partner selection.

Choose by the models and work you need to fund

Your priority	Better starting point	Reason
Spend included usage in an existing eligible ChatGPT plan	ChatGPT connection	No wallet top-up for eligible work within that allowance
Use Claude or Gemini alongside GPT	AI Pass or another supported provider route	ChatGPT plan authorization covers OpenAI models
Use models occasionally without a subscription	AI Pass	Pay for actual usage from a balance
Run Kilo cloud tasks with your ChatGPT allowance	Kilo's dashboard subscription connection	The new connection supports eligible cloud inference

OpenAI reports 1.2 billion weekly ChatGPT users and has established launch partners. If you're already paying, familiar account authorization, included usage without a wallet top-up, and per-app controls are strong reasons to start there.

AI Pass fits provider choice and pay-as-you-go funding. It supports images, speech, and video alongside text, though your coding tool may not expose every modality. You also take on another balance and gateway relationship to manage.

I'd start with included ChatGPT capacity when it covers the model and work I need. For coding across providers, I'd compare a wallet with the tools' other funding options on the same task. Changing the bill alone doesn't promise better code.

FAQ

Can I use ChatGPT Plus in OpenCode without an API key?

Yes. OpenCode documents /connect, OpenAI, and the ChatGPT Plus/Pro authorization option. Eligible requests use the connected plan.

Does signing in to Kilo automatically connect my plan?

No. Kilo's account login and subscription permission are separate. Complete the dashboard BYOK connection for Gateway plan usage.

Will switching coding tools reset my ChatGPT allowance?

No. App connections use the existing plan. Check your shared allowance and each app's cap.

Does AI Pass include GPT-6.1 Sol today?

No, it isn't listed yet. Choose a model available through AI Pass instead of assuming launch-day parity with OpenAI.