diff --git a/.opencode-version b/.opencode-version
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9866d34564
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.opencode-version
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+v1.14.33
diff --git a/script/upstream/README.md b/script/upstream/README.md
index ed37cd2342..2024a11ad6 100644
--- a/script/upstream/README.md
+++ b/script/upstream/README.md
@@ -243,7 +243,9 @@ Options:
   --dry-run              Show what would change without writing the file
 ```
 
-The command finds the newest upstream tag already merged into `HEAD`, reads that upstream version of the file, applies the same branding transforms used by upstream merge automation, strips existing `kilocode_change` markers from the current file, and adds fresh markers around the remaining lines that differ from upstream.
+The command finds the newest upstream tag already merged into `HEAD` (read from `.opencode-version` at the repo root, falling back to an `ls-remote` + `merge-base --is-ancestor` walk), reads that upstream version of the file, applies the same branding transforms used by upstream merge automation, strips existing `kilocode_change` markers from the current file, and adds fresh markers around the remaining lines that differ from upstream.
+
+The `.opencode-version` file is a single-line tag (e.g. `v1.14.33`) recorded by `merge.ts` after every successful upstream merge. Editing it by hand pins the "last merged" tag for the per-file commands above; delete it to fall back to the slower automatic discovery.
 
 ### reset-to-upstream.ts
 
diff --git a/script/upstream/merge.ts b/script/upstream/merge.ts
index 24587c9ece..bca7a4b497 100644
--- a/script/upstream/merge.ts
+++ b/script/upstream/merge.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import { transformConflictedScripts, transformAllScripts } from "./transforms/tr
 import { transformConflictedExtensions, transformAllExtensions } from "./transforms/transform-extensions"
 import { transformConflictedWeb, transformAllWeb } from "./transforms/transform-web"
 import { resolveLockFileConflicts, regenerateLockFiles } from "./transforms/lock-files"
+import { writeVersion } from "./utils/upstream"
 
 interface MergeOptions {
   version?: string
@@ -508,6 +509,11 @@ async function main() {
   const keepOursResults = await resetToOurs(config.keepOurs, { dryRun: false, verbose: options.verbose })
   logger.success(`Reset ${keepOursResults.length} files to Kilo's version`)
 
+  // 6k. Record the last merged upstream tag so future automation can find it
+  // without walking ls-remote + isAncestor for every tag.
+  const versionFile = await writeVersion(targetVersion.tag)
+  logger.success(`Recorded ${targetVersion.tag} in ${versionFile.split("/").pop()}`)
+
   // Clean untracked build artifacts from Kilo-specific directories.
   // These packages don't exist in upstream, so their .gitignore files are absent
   // on the opencode branch. Artifacts like bin/, out/, .next/ etc. would otherwise
diff --git a/script/upstream/utils/upstream.ts b/script/upstream/utils/upstream.ts
index 2ab0c1b353..c63425eed4 100644
--- a/script/upstream/utils/upstream.ts
+++ b/script/upstream/utils/upstream.ts
@@ -15,6 +15,12 @@ import { isAncestor } from "./git"
 const url = "https://github.com/anomalyco/opencode.git"
 const workflows = [".github/workflows/publish.yml", ".github/workflows/beta.yml"]
 
+/**
+ * Repo-relative path of the file that records the last merged upstream tag.
+ * Single line containing the upstream tag (e.g. `v1.14.33`).
+ */
+export const versionFile = ".opencode-version"
+
 export async function root() {
   return (await $`git rev-parse --show-toplevel`.text()).trim()
 }
@@ -39,6 +45,9 @@ export async function remote() {
 }
 
 export async function last(): Promise<VersionInfo> {
+  const recorded = await readVersionFile()
+  if (recorded) return recorded
+
   const source = await remote()
 
   info(`Fetching upstream tags from ${source}...`)
@@ -53,6 +62,59 @@ export async function last(): Promise<VersionInfo> {
   throw new Error("Could not find a merged upstream tag in HEAD")
 }
 
+/**
+ * Read the recorded last-merged upstream tag from `.opencode-version`. Returns
+ * null if the file is missing/empty, or if the recorded tag cannot be resolved
+ * to a commit (e.g. tags have not been fetched yet). Falls back to the
+ * isAncestor-based discovery in `last()`.
+ */
+async function readVersionFile(): Promise<VersionInfo | null> {
+  const repo = await root()
+  const file = Bun.file(`${repo}/${versionFile}`)
+  if (!(await file.exists())) return null
+
+  const tag = (await file.text()).trim()
+  if (!tag) return null
+
+  const version = parseVersion(tag)
+  if (!version) {
+    warn(`${versionFile} contains '${tag}' which is not a valid version tag; ignoring`)
+    return null
+  }
+
+  const commit = await resolveTag(tag)
+  if (!commit) return null
+
+  return { version, tag, commit }
+}
+
+async function resolveTag(tag: string): Promise<string | null> {
+  const local = await $`git rev-parse --verify --quiet ${tag}^{commit}`.quiet().nothrow()
+  if (local.exitCode === 0) return local.stdout.toString().trim()
+
+  const source = await remote()
+  info(`Tag ${tag} not present locally; fetching from ${source}...`)
+  const fetch = await $`git fetch ${source} tag ${tag} --no-tags`.quiet().nothrow()
+  if (fetch.exitCode !== 0) {
+    warn(`Failed to fetch tag ${tag}: ${fetch.stderr.toString()}`)
+    return null
+  }
+
+  const after = await $`git rev-parse --verify --quiet ${tag}^{commit}`.quiet().nothrow()
+  return after.exitCode === 0 ? after.stdout.toString().trim() : null
+}
+
+/**
+ * Record the merged upstream tag in `.opencode-version` so subsequent runs of
+ * `last()` resolve instantly without an `ls-remote` walk.
+ */
+export async function writeVersion(tag: string): Promise<string> {
+  const repo = await root()
+  const path = `${repo}/${versionFile}`
+  await Bun.write(path, `${tag}\n`)
+  return path
+}
+
 export async function versions(source: string): Promise<VersionInfo[]> {
   const result = await $`git ls-remote --tags ${source}`.quiet().nothrow()
   if (result.exitCode !== 0) throw new Error(`Failed to list upstream tags: ${result.stderr.toString()}`)