OpenCode LLM Benchmarks: IndexNow & Migration Mapping
This document provides a technical comparison of various Large Language Models (LLMs) evaluated using OpenCode. Testing focused on agentic workflow performance across two distinct domains: Model Context Protocol (MCP) implementation and structured data transformation.
Executive Summary
The following table summarises model performance across both test tasks.
Metric Definitions:
- MCP Dev (Py/TS): A 'Pass' indicates the model produced a functional MCP server in either Python or TypeScript, adhering to the Model Context Protocol specification, including correct tool/resource definitions and transport handling.
- Migration Map (% errors): The error rate calculated as
(failed sources ÷ 80 expected), capped at 100%. A lower percentage indicates higher reliability. - Dash (—): Indicates the model was not tested for that specific task.
| Model | MCP Dev (Py/TS) | Migration Map (% errors) |
|---|---|---|
| Qwen 3.5 27b Q3_XXS | Pass | 5.0% |
| Gemma 4 26B IQ4_XS | Pass | 6.3% |
| Nemotron 3 Super 120B IQ3_XXS (llama.cpp) | Pass | 6.3% |
| minimax-m2.5-free (OpenCode Zen) | Pass | 6.3% |
| Gemma 4 31B IQ3_XXS | Pass | 7.5% |
| Qwen3-Coder-Next UD-IQ4_XS (llama.cpp) | Pass | 8.8% |
| Nemotron 3 (OpenCode Zen) | Pass | 8.8% |
| Qwen 3.5 27b Q3_M | Pass | 10.0% |
| Bigpicle (OpenCode Zen) | Pass | 12.5% |
| Qwen 3.6-plus-free (OpenCode Zen) | Pass | 16.3% |
| Qwen 3.6 UD-IQ4_XS (llama.cpp) | Pass | 45.0% |
| mimo-v2-flash-free (OpenCode Zen) | Pass | 53.8% |
| Qwen 3.5 35b IQ3_S | Pass | 65.0% |
| Qwen 3.5 122B IQ3_S | Pass | 80.0% |
| Qwen 3.5 122B IQ3_XXS | Pass | 90.0% |
| Qwen 3.5 35b IQ4_XS | Pass | 98.8% |
| Qwen 3.6 35b UD-IQ3_XXS | Pass | 98.8% |
| GLM-4.7 Flash IQ4_XS | Pass | 100% |
| GLM-4.7 Flash REAP 23B IQ4_XS | Pass | 100% |
| Qwen3.5 27B IQ3_XXS Bart. | Pass | 100% |
| GPT-OSS 20b (high thinking) | Pass | — |
| Nemotron Cascade 2 30B IQ4_XS | Fail | 96.3% |
| devstral-small-2:24b | Fail | — |
| GPT-OSS 20b (default) | Fail | — |
| Qwen 3 14b | Fail | — |
| qwen3-coder:30b | Fail | — |
| qwen3.5:9b | Fail | — |
| qwen3.5:9b-q8_0 | Fail | — |
Methodology
Task 1: MCP Service Development (Python & TypeScript)
Models were prompted to architect and implement a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. The task required creating a functional service in either Python or TypeScript capable of exposing specific tools and resources to an MCP client. Success was measured by protocol compliance, correct dependency management (e.g., package.json or requirements.txt), and passing unit tests for tool execution.
Task 2: Website Migration Mapping
Models were tasked with generating a mapping from legacy blog URL formats (e.g., /post/2024/10/slug/) to new topic cluster formats.
Constraints:
- The slug (final path segment) must remain identical.
- Target URLs must use the new cluster path, not the old
/post/structure. - All 80 expected source URLs must be accounted for.
Infrastructure & Resources
- Local Hosting: Most models were run via Ollama or llama.cpp.
- Cloud/Zen: Large models (e.g., Bigpicle) were accessed via OpenCode Zen.
- Hardware Context: Benchmarks were performed on a 16GB VRAM setup. For raw throughput data, see 16 GB VRAM LLM benchmarks.
High-Level Recommendations
✅ Recommended for Local Use
- Qwen 3.5 27b (Q3_XXS) on llama.cpp: The primary choice for local OpenCode sessions. Delivered a complete, functional MCP service with 8/8 passing tests and 34 tokens/sec on 16GB VRAM.
- Gemma 4 26B (IQ4_XS): Strong performer; includes helpful implementation of configuration schemas.
⚠️ Use with Caution (Validation Required)
- Qwen 3.5 35b (llama.cpp): Excellent for agentic coding, but failed significantly on structured migration tasks (slug errors and path collapses).
- GPT-OSS 20b (High Thinking Mode): Only viable when 'High Thinking' is enabled; default mode fails to progress past dead-end web fetches.
- Bigpicle (OpenCode Zen): Extremely fast and demonstrates superior research capabilities (using Exa Code Search) to understand protocol specifications.
❌ Avoid for Agentic Coding
- GPT-OSS 20b (Default), Qwen 3 14b, Devstral-small-2: These models exhibit high hallucination rates or stall during tool-calling/web-fetching tasks.
Detailed Model Analysis
MCP Development Task: Detailed Analysis
Qwen Series
- Qwen 3.5 27b (IQ3_XXS): Top Performer. Highly efficient; produced full documentation and tests for the MCP service.
- Qwen 3.5 27b (Bartowsky Quant): Shows significant variance compared to Unsloth quants; failed migration tasks due to category-path collapse.
- Qwen 3.6 (35b variants): Performance varies wildly by quantization.
IQ4_XSis good for coding;IQ3_XXSsuffers from massive category-path collapse in structured tasks. - Qwen3-Coder-Next: Very fast (53s) and produces clean code on the first attempt, though lacks automated README/test generation.
Gemma Series
- Gemma 4 26B: Solid MCP service generation with built-in configuration support.
- Gemma 4 31B: Functional, but lacks the advanced features/documentation of the 26B variant.
Nemotron Series
- NVIDIA-Nemotron-3-Super-120B: Capable of high-quality output but requires manual intervention to write files/compile. Extremely resource-intensive.
- Nemotron Cascade 2 30B: Generally fails to produce functional code without multiple corrective prompts.
GLM Series
- GLM-4.7 Flash: Highly efficient and fast (sub-60s), but requires a second prompt to complete the build/compilation.
- GLM-4.7 Flash REAP 23B: The most comprehensive default output (includes unit tests, config files, and multiple documentation files).
Other Notable Results
- GPT-OSS 20b (High Thinking): A meaningfully different story from the default mode. With high thinking enabled, the model recovered from dead-end fetches and managed to build a complete, working MCP server with proper tool and resource definitions.
- Bigpicle (big-pickle): The standout performer. It used Exa Code Search to research the MCP specification before coding, ensuring correct tool implementation on the first try.
- qwen3.5:9b: Complete failure. It went through the thinking process but never actually implemented the MCP server logic or called any tools.
- Qwen 3 14b: Classic hallucination. Fabricated incorrect API/Protocol details rather than admitting it couldn't find the specification.
Migration Mapping: Statistical Deep-Dive
The migration task exposed a critical failure mode in many models: Slug Drift and Category Collapse.
Key Failure Modes Identified:
- 2022 Prefix Stripping: Almost all models failed to preserve numeric prefixes in older slugs (e.g., converting
/06-git-cheatsheet/to/git-cheatsheet/). - Category-Path Collapse: Large models (Qwen 3.5 35b/122b and Bartowsky quants) frequently collapsed individual page URLs into their parent category URLs.
- SEO Rewriting: Some models (Qwen 3.6 35b) prioritised generating "clean" SEO slugs over preserving the required source slugs.
Migration Error Table (Detailed)
| Model | Lines | Mismatches | Error Rate | Primary Failure Mode |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Qwen 3.5 27b Q3 XXS | 80 | 4 | 5.0% | 2022 Prefix Stripping |
| Gemma 4 26B it | 81 | 5 | 6.3% | 2022 Prefix Stripping / Layout Error |
| Nemotron 3 Super 120B | 81 | 5 | 6.3% | 2022 Prefix Stripping |
| Qwen3-Coder-Next | 81 | 7 | 8.8% | Minor Slug Renaming |
| Qwen 3.6 35B UD-IQ4_XS | 81 | 36 | 45.0% | SEO Title Rewriting |
| Qwen 3.5 35b IQ4_XS | 80 | 79 | 98.8% | Category-Path Collapse |
| Qwen 3.6 35B UD-IQ3_XXS | 67 | 79 | 98.8% | Uniform Category-Path Collapse |
Generated using AI hosted in the NREE by NCIA.