# Best agent harnesses and coding agents (slim)

> Kilo Code CLI (BB), goose (BB) and OpenAI Codex (BB) lead the 19 ranked agent harnesses and coding agents. Picks by need, strengths, weaknesses and prices from the Anchor benchmark.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md (~5,900 tokens) · this version ~1,480 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-09

The 10 highest-scoring of 19 agent harnesses and coding agents on the Anchor benchmark, with a pick for each need and where each one falls short. Scores come from public evidence, re-checked as vendors change.

- Ranked: 19 · agent-ready (BB or better): 6 · accept x402: 0 · hosted endpoints: 1
- Full ranked table: https://www.anchorterminal.com/categories/agent-harnesses.md
- Head-to-head comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md (167)
- Methodology: https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/index.md

## The shortlist

| # | Tool | Grade | Score | Best for | Price | Where |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | [Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kilo-code-cli.md) | BB | 75.4 | Developers who want an open-source terminal agent with per-tool permission rules, an optional sandbox and a choice of provider, and the same engine in VS Code and JetBrains. | $19 / mo | local |
| 2 | [goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/goose.md) | BB | 73.9 | People and pipelines that want one agent across many model providers or local models, with recipes for repeatable jobs and a desktop app for non-engineers. | Free · OSS | local |
| 3 | [OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-codex.md) | BB | 73 | Teams that want an open-source harness with safe defaults for unattended runs and an optional hosted agent. | $20 / mo | local |
| 4 | [Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwen-code.md) | BB | 72.4 | Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness tied to no single model vendor, with run budgets and SDKs. | Free · OSS | local |
| 5 | [Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.md) | BB | 72 | Developers and CI jobs that want an open-source harness with a free tier and documented headless output. | Freemium | local |
| 6 | [OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openhands.md) | BB | 70.8 | Teams that want to self-host a coding agent with a web UI, per-conversation Docker sandboxes and scheduled or webhook automations, or embed the agent through a Python SDK and REST API. | Freemium | local |
| 7 | [Pi](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/earendil-pi.md) | B | 68.4 | Developers and pipelines that want a small, scriptable coding agent they can extend in TypeScript and drive over JSONL or RPC, inside their own container. | Free · OSS | local |
| 8 | [OpenCode](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/opencode.md) | B | 67.7 | Agents and pipelines that need a scriptable coding agent with a JSON event stream, an HTTP server and any model, including keyless free ones. | $10 / mo | local |
| 9 | [Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-code.md) | C | 61.9 | A developer or a pipeline that wants Claude doing repository work with fine-grained, centrally managed permissions and an SDK for the same loop. | $20 / mo | local |
| 10 | [Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/prime-agent.md) | C | 60.5 | Long-running research and coding work where one model drives subagents, schedules and goals from code, and where the owner can isolate the machine. | Free · OSS | local |

## Picks by need

- Highest score overall: [Kilo Code CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kilo-code-cli.md), BB, 75.4/100 on the benchmark. Also [goose](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/goose.md), BB, 73.9/100.
- Schema & documentation: [Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.md), 93/100 on schema & documentation, against 90 for the overall leader.
- Agent ergonomics: [Claude Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/claude-code.md), 87/100 on agent ergonomics, against 72 for the overall leader.
- Security & auth: [OpenAI Codex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-codex.md), 82/100 on security & auth, against 66 for the overall leader.
- Maintenance & community: [Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwen-code.md), 88/100 on maintenance & community, against 87 for the overall leader.
- Transparency & trust: [Gemini CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.md), 87/100 on transparency & trust, against 76 for the overall leader.
- Self-hosting under an open licence: [OpenHands](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openhands.md), self-hosted, MIT licence. Also [Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paperclip.md), self-hosted, MIT licence.

## How to choose

- Approval defaults and rules: Check which actions ask for approval by default and whether command rules can pre-approve some, since an unattended run depends on those rules being right.
- Sandbox and network defaults: Check what the sandbox blocks and whether network access is off by default, since a harness that can reach the internet can send repository contents off the machine.
- Clean stop in headless runs: Check whether a headless run stops by itself when the task is done, since a loop that keeps going spends money and edits files after the work is finished.
- Telemetry and data leaving the machine: List what telemetry and prompts are sent to the vendor, since code from a private repository may leave the machine with each model call.

- How the benchmark tests this category: The same small repository task run headless in each harness with one MCP server attached, first fixing a failing test, then a task that needs the network. We check what it asks before acting, what the sandbox blocks, whether the run stops on its own, what it costs and what leaves the machine.

Each listing's verdict, strengths and weaknesses: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md