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docs: Document VISUAL environment variable precedence over EDITOR #15254

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Document VISUAL environment variable precedence over EDITOR
askmanu[bot] Feb 25, 2026
29516fc
Merge branch 'dev' into askmanu/visual-editor-docs
onel Feb 26, 2026
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36 changes: 20 additions & 16 deletions packages/web/src/content/docs/tui.mdx
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Expand Up @@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ Toggle tool execution details.

### editor

Open external editor for composing messages. Uses the editor set in your `EDITOR` environment variable. [Learn more](#editor-setup).
Open external editor for composing messages. Uses the editor set in your `VISUAL` or `EDITOR` environment variable, with `VISUAL` taking precedence. [Learn more](#editor-setup).

```bash frame="none"
/editor
Expand All @@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ Exit OpenCode. _Aliases_: `/quit`, `/q`

### export

Export current conversation to Markdown and open in your default editor. Uses the editor set in your `EDITOR` environment variable. [Learn more](#editor-setup).
Export current conversation to Markdown and open in your default editor. Uses the editor set in your `VISUAL` or `EDITOR` environment variable, with `VISUAL` taking precedence. [Learn more](#editor-setup).

```bash frame="none"
/export
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -287,18 +287,26 @@ Unshare current session. [Learn more](/docs/share#un-sharing).

## Editor setup

Both the `/editor` and `/export` commands use the editor specified in your `EDITOR` environment variable.
Both the `/editor` and `/export` commands use an external editor to compose or export messages. OpenCode checks for editors in this order:

1. `VISUAL` environment variable (intended for GUI editors)
2. `EDITOR` environment variable (intended for terminal editors)

If you have both variables set, `VISUAL` takes precedence.

<Tabs>
<TabItem label="Linux/macOS">
```bash
# Example for nano or vim
# For terminal editors
export EDITOR=nano
export EDITOR=vim

# For GUI editors, VS Code, Cursor, VSCodium, Windsurf, Zed, etc.
# include --wait
export EDITOR="code --wait"
# For GUI editors, use VISUAL with --wait flag
export VISUAL="code --wait"
export VISUAL="cursor --wait"

# If you only want terminal editors, set EDITOR
export EDITOR=nvim
```

To make it permanent, add this to your shell profile;
Expand All @@ -310,9 +318,8 @@ Both the `/editor` and `/export` commands use the editor specified in your `EDIT
```bash
set EDITOR=notepad

# For GUI editors, VS Code, Cursor, VSCodium, Windsurf, Zed, etc.
# include --wait
set EDITOR=code --wait
# For GUI editors, use VISUAL with --wait flag
set VISUAL=code --wait
```

To make it permanent, use **System Properties** > **Environment
Expand All @@ -324,9 +331,8 @@ Both the `/editor` and `/export` commands use the editor specified in your `EDIT
```powershell
$env:EDITOR = "notepad"

# For GUI editors, VS Code, Cursor, VSCodium, Windsurf, Zed, etc.
# include --wait
$env:EDITOR = "code --wait"
# For GUI editors, use VISUAL with --wait flag
$env:VISUAL = "code --wait"
```

To make it permanent, add this to your PowerShell profile.
Expand All @@ -346,11 +352,9 @@ Popular editor options include:
- `subl` - Sublime Text

:::note
Some editors like VS Code need to be started with the `--wait` flag.
GUI editors like VS Code, Cursor, and Windsurf need the `--wait` flag to block until the editor is closed. Use `VISUAL` for GUI editors and `EDITOR` for terminal-based editors.
:::

Some editors need command-line arguments to run in blocking mode. The `--wait` flag makes the editor process block until closed.

---

## Configure
Expand Down
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