diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
index f70fa7fd5..44dbd4c02 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.lock
@@ -1818,6 +1818,17 @@ dependencies = [
  "thiserror 1.0.69",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "json5"
+version = "0.4.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "96b0db21af676c1ce64250b5f40f3ce2cf27e4e47cb91ed91eb6fe9350b430c1"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_derive",
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "jsonptr"
 version = "0.6.3"
@@ -2370,8 +2381,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "openwork"
-version = "0.3.0"
+version = "0.3.2"
 dependencies = [
+ "json5",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "tauri",
@@ -2478,6 +2490,49 @@ version = "2.3.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "9b4f627cb1b25917193a259e49bdad08f671f8d9708acfd5fe0a8c1455d87220"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "pest"
+version = "2.8.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2c9eb05c21a464ea704b53158d358a31e6425db2f63a1a7312268b05fe2b75f7"
+dependencies = [
+ "memchr",
+ "ucd-trie",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_derive"
+version = "2.8.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "68f9dbced329c441fa79d80472764b1a2c7e57123553b8519b36663a2fb234ed"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_generator",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_generator"
+version = "2.8.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "3bb96d5051a78f44f43c8f712d8e810adb0ebf923fc9ed2655a7f66f63ba8ee5"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "pest_meta",
+ "proc-macro2",
+ "quote",
+ "syn 2.0.114",
+]
+
+[[package]]
+name = "pest_meta"
+version = "2.8.5"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "602113b5b5e8621770cfd490cfd90b9f84ab29bd2b0e49ad83eb6d186cef2365"
+dependencies = [
+ "pest",
+ "sha2",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "phf"
 version = "0.8.0"
@@ -4467,6 +4522,12 @@ version = "1.19.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "562d481066bde0658276a35467c4af00bdc6ee726305698a55b86e61d7ad82bb"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "ucd-trie"
+version = "0.1.7"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "2896d95c02a80c6d6a5d6e953d479f5ddf2dfdb6a244441010e373ac0fb88971"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "uds_windows"
 version = "1.1.0"
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
index 010c4f2ee..bbbf4ae97 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/Cargo.toml
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ edition = "2021"
 tauri-build = { version = "2", features = [] }
 
 [dependencies]
+json5 = "0.4"
 serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 serde_json = "1"
 tauri = { version = "2", features = [] }
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/config.rs b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/config.rs
index f0f99ee8f..c7cd238db 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/config.rs
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/config.rs
@@ -4,13 +4,14 @@ use std::path::PathBuf;
 
 use crate::types::{ExecResult, OpencodeConfigFile};
 
-pub fn resolve_opencode_config_path(scope: &str, project_dir: &str) -> Result<PathBuf, String> {
+fn opencode_config_candidates(scope: &str, project_dir: &str) -> Result<(PathBuf, PathBuf), String> {
   match scope {
     "project" => {
       if project_dir.trim().is_empty() {
         return Err("projectDir is required".to_string());
       }
-      Ok(PathBuf::from(project_dir).join("opencode.json"))
+      let root = PathBuf::from(project_dir);
+      Ok((root.join("opencode.jsonc"), root.join("opencode.json")))
     }
     "global" => {
       let base = if let Ok(dir) = env::var("XDG_CONFIG_HOME") {
@@ -21,12 +22,27 @@ pub fn resolve_opencode_config_path(scope: &str, project_dir: &str) -> Result<Pa
         return Err("Unable to resolve config directory".to_string());
       };
 
-      Ok(base.join("opencode").join("opencode.json"))
+      let root = base.join("opencode");
+      Ok((root.join("opencode.jsonc"), root.join("opencode.json")))
     }
     _ => Err("scope must be 'project' or 'global'".to_string()),
   }
 }
 
+pub fn resolve_opencode_config_path(scope: &str, project_dir: &str) -> Result<PathBuf, String> {
+  let (jsonc_path, json_path) = opencode_config_candidates(scope, project_dir)?;
+
+  if jsonc_path.exists() {
+    return Ok(jsonc_path);
+  }
+
+  if json_path.exists() {
+    return Ok(json_path);
+  }
+
+  Ok(jsonc_path)
+}
+
 pub fn read_opencode_config(scope: &str, project_dir: &str) -> Result<OpencodeConfigFile, String> {
   let path = resolve_opencode_config_path(scope.trim(), project_dir)?;
   let exists = path.exists();
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/engine/spawn.rs b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/engine/spawn.rs
index 0eace0552..503fc3eef 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/engine/spawn.rs
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/engine/spawn.rs
@@ -38,11 +38,20 @@ pub fn build_engine_command(program: &Path, hostname: &str, port: u16, project_d
     command.env("XDG_DATA_HOME", xdg_data_home);
   }
 
-  if let Some(xdg_config_home) = maybe_infer_xdg_home(
+  let xdg_config_home = maybe_infer_xdg_home(
     "XDG_CONFIG_HOME",
     candidate_xdg_config_dirs(),
-    Path::new("opencode/opencode.json"),
-  ) {
+    Path::new("opencode/opencode.jsonc"),
+  )
+  .or_else(|| {
+    maybe_infer_xdg_home(
+      "XDG_CONFIG_HOME",
+      candidate_xdg_config_dirs(),
+      Path::new("opencode/opencode.json"),
+    )
+  });
+
+  if let Some(xdg_config_home) = xdg_config_home {
     command.env("XDG_CONFIG_HOME", xdg_config_home);
   }
 
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/workspace/files.rs b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/workspace/files.rs
index d87144acb..75f5cdd95 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/workspace/files.rs
+++ b/packages/desktop/src-tauri/src/workspace/files.rs
@@ -158,11 +158,22 @@ pub fn ensure_workspace_files(workspace_path: &str, preset: &str) -> Result<(),
     .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to create .openwork/templates: {e}"))?;
   seed_templates(&templates_dir)?;
 
-  let config_path = root.join("opencode.json");
-  let mut config: serde_json::Value = if config_path.exists() {
+  let config_path_jsonc = root.join("opencode.jsonc");
+  let config_path_json = root.join("opencode.json");
+  let config_path = if config_path_jsonc.exists() {
+    config_path_jsonc
+  } else if config_path_json.exists() {
+    config_path_json
+  } else {
+    config_path_jsonc
+  };
+
+  let config_exists = config_path.exists();
+  let mut config_changed = !config_exists;
+  let mut config: serde_json::Value = if config_exists {
     let raw = fs::read_to_string(&config_path)
       .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to read {}: {e}", config_path.display()))?;
-    serde_json::from_str(&raw).unwrap_or_else(|_| serde_json::json!({}))
+    json5::from_str(&raw).unwrap_or_else(|_| serde_json::json!({}))
   } else {
     serde_json::json!({
       "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json"
@@ -173,6 +184,7 @@ pub fn ensure_workspace_files(workspace_path: &str, preset: &str) -> Result<(),
     config = serde_json::json!({
       "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json"
     });
+    config_changed = true;
   }
 
   let required_plugins: Vec<&str> = match preset {
@@ -196,7 +208,10 @@ pub fn ensure_workspace_files(workspace_path: &str, preset: &str) -> Result<(),
       _ => vec![],
     };
 
-    let merged = merge_plugins(existing_plugins, &required_plugins);
+    let merged = merge_plugins(existing_plugins.clone(), &required_plugins);
+    if merged != existing_plugins {
+      config_changed = true;
+    }
     if let Some(obj) = config.as_object_mut() {
       obj.insert(
         "plugin".to_string(),
@@ -205,8 +220,10 @@ pub fn ensure_workspace_files(workspace_path: &str, preset: &str) -> Result<(),
     }
   }
 
-  fs::write(&config_path, serde_json::to_string_pretty(&config).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?)
-    .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to write {}: {e}", config_path.display()))?;
+  if config_changed {
+    fs::write(&config_path, serde_json::to_string_pretty(&config).map_err(|e| e.to_string())?)
+      .map_err(|e| format!("Failed to write {}: {e}", config_path.display()))?;
+  }
 
   let openwork_path = root.join(".opencode").join("openwork.json");
   if !openwork_path.exists() {