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15. Evaluate AI Coding Platform for Development Productivity

Date: 2026-01-13

Status

DRAFT (evaluation in progress)

Context

StartMeUp.nz/OpsDev.nz has been using a personal OpenAI ChatGPT Pro subscription for coding assistance. As we scale operations and formalize the collective structure, we need to:

  1. Separate personal from business expenses
  2. Find a cost-effective solution that meets our coding needs
  3. Evaluate FOSS alternatives that align with our open-source values
  4. Consider usage limits and scalability for future growth

The upcoming subscription renewal provides an opportunity to evaluate alternatives.

Decision

Evaluation Phase: Adopt OpenCode with FOSS models as primary AI coding platform while evaluating cost-effectiveness and usage patterns.

Immediate Actions (Jan 2026):

  • Install and adopt OpenCode as default coding assistant
  • Use "big-pickle" model as default (free tier)
  • Monitor usage patterns and any rate limiting
  • Evaluate Kimi-CLI as potential alternative
  • Document cost savings vs. ChatGPT Pro subscription

Evaluation Criteria:

  • Code quality and capability compared to ChatGPT Pro
  • Usage limits and rate restrictions
  • Cost effectiveness for our workflow
  • Integration with our existing tools (GitLab, terminal workflows)
  • Privacy and data handling (no code storage)

Consequences

Pros

  • Immediate cost savings ($690 USD/year)
  • FOSS alignment with open-source values
  • Terminal-native workflow integration
  • Multiple model options for flexibility
  • No code storage (privacy-first)

Cons/Risks

  • Unknown usage limits may affect productivity
  • Potential need for fallback to paid services
  • Evaluation overhead during sprint work
  • Model quality may vary across tasks

Next Steps

  • Complete 2-week evaluation period (until Jan 27)
  • Assess usage patterns and any limitations encountered
  • Make final decision: continue with OpenCode vs. hybrid approach vs. return to paid solution
  • If successful, create ADR for official adoption and deprecate the paid subscription
  • ADR #14: Evaluate Beancount for fiscal host bookkeeping (cost-effective open-source tooling approach)
  • Sprint 2026-01-12: AI Platform Evaluation milestone