diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 9703823..3fb4ed4 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -147,6 +147,8 @@ UPDATED=""
 # for plain .json when node is unavailable (jq cannot parse JSONC comments).
 if command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1; then
 	# shellcheck disable=SC2016  # single-quoted block is JS source, not shell
+	# NOTE: scan() and removeTrailingCommas() below are plain-JS copies of the
+	# functions in src/jsonc.ts. Keep the two in sync when making changes.
 	UPDATED="$(node -e '
     const fs = require("fs");
     const [p, spec, name] = [process.argv[1], process.argv[2], process.argv[3]];
@@ -200,9 +202,32 @@ if command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1; then
       return ind;
     }
 
+    // Remove trailing commas from comment-stripped JSONC so JSON.parse accepts it.
+    // Tracks string context to avoid touching commas inside string values.
+    function removeTrailingCommas(s) {
+      let result = "", inStr = false, i = 0;
+      while (i < s.length) {
+        const ch = s[i];
+        if (inStr) {
+          result += ch;
+          if (ch === "\\") { result += (s[i + 1] || ""); i += 2; continue; }
+          if (ch === "\"") inStr = false;
+          i++; continue;
+        }
+        if (ch === "\"") { inStr = true; result += ch; i++; continue; }
+        if (ch === ",") {
+          let j = i + 1;
+          while (j < s.length && (s[j] === " " || s[j] === "\t" || s[j] === "\n" || s[j] === "\r")) j++;
+          if (j < s.length && (s[j] === "}" || s[j] === "]")) { i++; continue; }
+        }
+        result += ch; i++;
+      }
+      return result;
+    }
+
     const { out: stripped, map } = scan(raw);
     let parsed;
-    try { parsed = JSON.parse(stripped); }
+    try { parsed = JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(stripped)); }
     catch (e) { console.error("Failed to parse " + p + ": " + e.message); process.exit(1); }
     if (parsed === null || typeof parsed !== "object" || Array.isArray(parsed)) {
       console.error("Expected a JSON object in " + p); process.exit(1);
diff --git a/src/jsonc.ts b/src/jsonc.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c83d21
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/jsonc.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+/**
+ * JSONC (JSON with Comments) helpers.
+ *
+ * These functions are also inlined verbatim (as plain JS) into install.sh so
+ * that the installer remains a self-contained bash script with no runtime
+ * dependencies beyond Node. Keep the two copies in sync when changing this
+ * file.
+ *
+ * Tests live in test/jsonc.test.ts.
+ */
+
+/** Result of scanning a JSONC string: comment-stripped text plus index map. */
+export interface ScanResult {
+  /** Comment-stripped output (string literals preserved, comments removed). */
+  out: string;
+  /** map[i] is the index in the original raw string that produced out[i]. */
+  map: number[];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Strip line comments and block comments from a JSONC string while preserving
+ * string literals verbatim. Returns the stripped text and a map from
+ * stripped-index back to raw-index so callers can locate and edit the original
+ * text in place.
+ */
+export function scan(s: string): ScanResult {
+  let out = "",
+    map: number[] = [],
+    inStr = false,
+    i = 0;
+  while (i < s.length) {
+    const ch = s[i],
+      nx = s[i + 1];
+    if (inStr) {
+      out += ch;
+      map.push(i);
+      if (ch === "\\") {
+        out += s[i + 1] || "";
+        map.push(i + 1);
+        i += 2;
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (ch === '"') inStr = false;
+      i++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (ch === '"') {
+      inStr = true;
+      out += ch;
+      map.push(i);
+      i++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (ch === "/" && nx === "/") {
+      while (i < s.length && s[i] !== "\n") i++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (ch === "/" && nx === "*") {
+      i += 2;
+      while (i < s.length && !(s[i] === "*" && s[i + 1] === "/")) i++;
+      i += 2;
+      continue;
+    }
+    out += ch;
+    map.push(i);
+    i++;
+  }
+  return { out, map };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Remove trailing commas from a comment-stripped JSONC string so that
+ * `JSON.parse` accepts it. Tracks string context to avoid removing commas
+ * that are part of a string value.
+ *
+ * A trailing comma is a `,` whose next non-whitespace character is `}` or `]`.
+ */
+export function removeTrailingCommas(s: string): string {
+  let result = "",
+    inStr = false,
+    i = 0;
+  while (i < s.length) {
+    const ch = s[i];
+    if (inStr) {
+      result += ch;
+      if (ch === "\\") {
+        result += s[i + 1] || "";
+        i += 2;
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (ch === '"') inStr = false;
+      i++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (ch === '"') {
+      inStr = true;
+      result += ch;
+      i++;
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (ch === ",") {
+      let j = i + 1;
+      while (
+        j < s.length &&
+        (s[j] === " " || s[j] === "\t" || s[j] === "\n" || s[j] === "\r")
+      )
+        j++;
+      if (j < s.length && (s[j] === "}" || s[j] === "]")) {
+        i++;
+        continue;
+      }
+    }
+    result += ch;
+    i++;
+  }
+  return result;
+}
diff --git a/test/jsonc.test.ts b/test/jsonc.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b6ea4ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/jsonc.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,232 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { removeTrailingCommas, scan } from "../src/jsonc.js";
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// removeTrailingCommas
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+describe("removeTrailingCommas", () => {
+  // --- basic cases -----------------------------------------------------------
+
+  it("removes a trailing comma from a flat array", () => {
+    const result = removeTrailingCommas('["a", "b", "c",]');
+    expect(JSON.parse(result)).toEqual(["a", "b", "c"]);
+  });
+
+  it("removes a trailing comma from a flat object", () => {
+    const result = removeTrailingCommas('{"x": 1, "y": 2,}');
+    expect(JSON.parse(result)).toEqual({ x: 1, y: 2 });
+  });
+
+  it("removes trailing commas from both arrays and objects in one pass", () => {
+    const input = '{"arr": [1, 2, 3,], "obj": {"a": true,},}';
+    const result = removeTrailingCommas(input);
+    expect(JSON.parse(result)).toEqual({ arr: [1, 2, 3], obj: { a: true } });
+  });
+
+  it("handles trailing comma with spaces before the closing bracket", () => {
+    expect(JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas('["a", "b",  ]'))).toEqual([
+      "a",
+      "b",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("handles trailing comma with a newline before the closing bracket", () => {
+    const input = `{
+  "key": "value",
+}`;
+    expect(JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(input))).toEqual({ key: "value" });
+  });
+
+  it("handles trailing comma with mixed whitespace before the closing bracket", () => {
+    const input = '["x",\t\n  ]';
+    expect(JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(input))).toEqual(["x"]);
+  });
+
+  // --- already-valid JSON must pass through unchanged -----------------------
+
+  it("leaves already-valid JSON untouched", () => {
+    const valid = '{"plugin": ["@stablekernel/opencode-cursor@latest"]}';
+    expect(removeTrailingCommas(valid)).toBe(valid);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves an empty array untouched", () => {
+    expect(removeTrailingCommas("[]")).toBe("[]");
+  });
+
+  it("leaves an empty object untouched", () => {
+    expect(removeTrailingCommas("{}")).toBe("{}");
+  });
+
+  it("leaves a nested structure with no trailing commas untouched", () => {
+    const valid = '{"a": [1, 2], "b": {"c": null}}';
+    expect(removeTrailingCommas(valid)).toBe(valid);
+  });
+
+  // --- string values that contain comma + bracket must NOT be changed -------
+
+  it("does not remove a comma that is inside a string value", () => {
+    // The comma here is part of the string literal, not a trailing comma.
+    const input = '{"key": "trailing,"}';
+    expect(JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(input))).toEqual({
+      key: "trailing,",
+    });
+    // The raw text must be identical — nothing was removed.
+    expect(removeTrailingCommas(input)).toBe(input);
+  });
+
+  it("does not remove a comma followed by ] that is inside a string", () => {
+    // ",]" appears inside the string — must be preserved.
+    const input = '{"key": ",]"}';
+    expect(JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(input))).toEqual({ key: ",]" });
+    expect(removeTrailingCommas(input)).toBe(input);
+  });
+
+  it("does not remove a comma followed by } that is inside a string", () => {
+    const input = '{"key": ",}"}';
+    expect(JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(input))).toEqual({ key: ",}" });
+    expect(removeTrailingCommas(input)).toBe(input);
+  });
+
+  it("handles an escaped quote inside a string without confusing string-context tracking", () => {
+    // The \" inside the string must not end string context prematurely.
+    const input = '{"msg": "say \\"hi,\\"",}';
+    const result = removeTrailingCommas(input);
+    expect(JSON.parse(result)).toEqual({ msg: 'say "hi,"' });
+  });
+
+  // --- deeply nested --------------------------------------------------------
+
+  it("removes trailing commas at every nesting level", () => {
+    const input = `{
+  "models": [
+    "cursor/gpt-4o",
+    "cursor/claude-3-5-sonnet",
+  ],
+  "settings": {
+    "theme": "dark",
+    "fontSize": 14,
+  },
+}`;
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(input));
+    expect(parsed).toEqual({
+      models: ["cursor/gpt-4o", "cursor/claude-3-5-sonnet"],
+      settings: { theme: "dark", fontSize: 14 },
+    });
+  });
+});
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// scan
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+describe("scan", () => {
+  it("passes plain JSON through unchanged", () => {
+    const s = '{"a": 1}';
+    expect(scan(s).out).toBe(s);
+  });
+
+  it("removes a single-line comment", () => {
+    const s = '{"a": 1} // comment';
+    expect(scan(s).out).toBe('{"a": 1} ');
+  });
+
+  it("removes a single-line comment on its own line", () => {
+    const s = '// top-level comment\n{"a": 1}';
+    expect(scan(s).out).toBe('\n{"a": 1}');
+  });
+
+  it("removes a block comment", () => {
+    const s = '{"a": /* inline */ 1}';
+    expect(scan(s).out).toBe('{"a":  1}');
+  });
+
+  it("preserves // inside a string literal", () => {
+    const s = '{"url": "https://example.com"}';
+    expect(scan(s).out).toBe(s);
+  });
+
+  it("preserves /* */ inside a string literal", () => {
+    const s = '{"k": "/* not a comment */"}';
+    expect(scan(s).out).toBe(s);
+  });
+
+  it("strips a multi-line block comment spanning multiple lines", () => {
+    const s = `{
+  /* this is a
+     block comment */
+  "a": 1
+}`;
+    const stripped = scan(s).out;
+    expect(JSON.parse(stripped)).toEqual({ a: 1 });
+  });
+
+  it("produces a map with the same length as the output", () => {
+    const s = '{"a": 1} // tail';
+    const { out, map } = scan(s);
+    expect(map).toHaveLength(out.length);
+  });
+
+  it("map entries point to the correct raw indices", () => {
+    // After stripping "// tail", the last non-whitespace output char is '}'.
+    // In the raw string that's index 7.
+    const s = '{"a": 1} // tail';
+    const { out, map } = scan(s);
+    const closingBrace = out.indexOf("}");
+    const rawIdx = map[closingBrace]!;
+    expect(s[rawIdx]).toBe("}");
+  });
+});
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Full pipeline: scan → removeTrailingCommas → JSON.parse
+// This mirrors what install.sh does when processing a real opencode.jsonc.
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+describe("scan + removeTrailingCommas pipeline", () => {
+  it("parses a realistic opencode.jsonc with comments and trailing commas", () => {
+    const jsonc = `{
+  // opencode configuration
+  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
+  "plugin": [
+    // cursor provider plugin
+    "@stablekernel/opencode-cursor@latest",
+  ],
+  "model": "cursor/claude-3-5-sonnet", /* default model */
+}`;
+    const { out } = scan(jsonc);
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(out));
+    expect(parsed).toEqual({
+      $schema: "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
+      plugin: ["@stablekernel/opencode-cursor@latest"],
+      model: "cursor/claude-3-5-sonnet",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("parses JSONC where a string value contains comment-like text", () => {
+    const jsonc = `{
+  "note": "see https://example.com/docs /* not a comment */",
+  "value": 42, // trailing comma here
+}`;
+    const { out } = scan(jsonc);
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(out));
+    expect(parsed).toEqual({
+      note: "see https://example.com/docs /* not a comment */",
+      value: 42,
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("reproduces the exact error case from the bug report: trailing comma after last array element", () => {
+    // Simulates the auto-generated opencode.jsonc that caused the install failure.
+    const jsonc = `{
+  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
+  "plugin": [
+    "atest",
+  ],
+  "agen": {}
+}`;
+    const { out } = scan(jsonc);
+    const parsed = JSON.parse(removeTrailingCommas(out));
+    expect(parsed.plugin).toEqual(["atest"]);
+  });
+});