# Agent Tree vs Respan API + MCP

> Respan scores 65.7 (B) to Agent Tree's 52.5 (D) for agent tracing. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-respan
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-respan.md (~4,600 tokens)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (the key docs and every listing in one file, at most 16 MB, about 4 million tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- DNS: dig +short TXT <slug>.grade.anchorterminal.com (the grade as a DNS TXT record, for a sandbox with no HTTP where names still resolve; also top., best.<category>. and <a>.vs.<b>. under the zone, and the same under grade.letme.dev)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-11-01

Respan API + MCP scores 65.7 (B) on agent readiness against Agent Tree's 52.5 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Agent Tree leads on payments & pricing. Both do agent tracing.

- Agent Tree: grade D, 52.5/100, rank #897 of 1260. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/agent-tree.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-tree.json
- Respan API + MCP: grade B, 65.7/100, rank #331 of 1260. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/respan.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/respan.json
- Best agent tracing, monitoring and evaluation tools: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-observability/index.md
- All 210 evals comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-observability/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Agent Tree (D)

Good for: Watching and steering Claude Code sub-agents from a side pane

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 30

Also in its favour:
- No key needed to call it
- Open source

Watch for: Version 0.5.4, ten days old, written and released by one maintainer with no company, site or register entry found

### Respan API + MCP (B)

Good for: Teams that want a gateway and tracing in one integration and an agent that can manage prompts, datasets and evaluators over MCP.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 73 against 33
- Schema & documentation, 89 against 50
- Security & auth, 66 against 49
- Maintenance & community, 85 against 60

Also in its favour:
- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install

Watch for: 67 MCP tools load by default, with delete tools and no `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint` annotations


## Why the edge

### Reliability: Respan API + MCP +40

- Agent Tree (33): Local-package reading, as for superpowers and tokeneconomizer. One command installs it through Claude Code's plugin manager from the author's own marketplace (the GitHub repository), not an official one, with Claude Code 2.1.292 or later stated and 2.1.316 tested (15 of 20). No .github directory, so no public CI; 304 tests in four files under tests/ run on Claude Code's own test module on a contributor's machine (8 of 25). Issues couldn't be read, as github.com was unreachable from this session (5 of 25, unchecked). 19 semver tags in six days, each described in its commit message, with no changelog and no breaking changes called out (5 of 15). Version 0.5.4 (0). 33 in all.
- Respan API + MCP (73): Better Stack page at status.respan.ai with six components (web, logging and gateway, each for the platform and Enterprise) and an incident history page (20). The last 90 days show two incidents, both in late September. The Responses API path through the gateway was affected for OpenAI and Anthropic requests for 13 hours 47 minutes on 26 September, and request logs were delayed across all regions for 1 hour 58 minutes on 29 September. The uptime bars still read 100 per cent for every component (10, one major). Gateway and ingestion limits published per plan, 412 a minute on Free and 8,400 and 4,200 on Team (15). The OpenAPI spec declares 429 on several operations. We found no `Retry-After` or backoff guidance (10). The pricing page lists a 99.99 per cent uptime SLA on Enterprise, with terms not published (8). Gateway, logging and MCP are GA (10).

### Schema & documentation: Respan API + MCP +39

- Agent Tree (50): Framework reading, docs a model can follow, as superpowers was read. types/index.d.ts types the pane's state, and plugin.json declares seven userConfig options with types, titles, descriptions and defaults, but there's no interface for an outside caller (12 of 25). README in English and German, a nine-step GUIDE.md and PRIVACY.md, all Markdown in the repository; no llms.txt (10). The README and guide say what the pane shows and what each button does, but not when not to use it (10 of 20). Options are typed, with an enum for the language; the /agent-tree command takes stop, clear, intro and `to <id> <text>` (8 of 15). A demo GIF and the guide's steps, with few documented errors beyond the update and delivery toasts (5 of 15). Semver tags but no changelog or release notes read (5 of 15). 50 in all.
- Respan API + MCP (89): OpenAPI 3.1 at respan.ai/docs/openapi.json with 40 or more paths, and every MCP tool takes a zod schema (25). llms.txt, per-section llms.txt and `.md` for every page (10). MCP descriptions say when to use a tool and when not to. `list_logs` tells the model to filter server-side rather than fetch everything and to call `get_log_detail` for full data, and `delete_dataset` says it can't be undone (17). Typed inputs with operator enums, but `page_size` bounds sit in the description rather than the schema and filter values are `any` (11). Worked JSON examples in descriptions, and the spec documents 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 424, 429 and 503 responses (14). Weekly dated changelog. API paths mix `/api/` and `/api/v1/` with no version policy (12).

### Payments & pricing: Agent Tree +30

- Agent Tree (60): Self-hosted rule. No payment protocol (0). Free under MIT with nothing to buy (20). No card or account (20). A person installs it with one command and no sign-up (20). 60 in all.
- Respan API + MCP (30): No x402 or other machine payment (0). Overage prices published without login, $8 per 100,000 logs and $1 per 1,000 scores on Team (20). The Free plan has 100,000 logs and unlimited seats. The pricing page doesn't say whether a card is needed, so half (10). Keys can be minted by API, but only with an existing Admin key, so a person still signs up in a browser first (0).

### Maintenance & community: Respan API + MCP +25

- Agent Tree (60): v0.5.4 tagged on 29 October 2026 and a commit on 31 October (30). 19 tags from v0.2.2 (24 October) to v0.5.4 (29 October), far more than three in 90 days (20). Issue and pull-request replies couldn't be read, as github.com was unreachable (5 of 25). Not in Claude's official plugin directory; claude.com/plugins/agent-tree answered 404 (0). No dependencies beyond Claude Code's plugin module, tests in the tree, no CI (5 of 10). 60 in all.
- Respan API + MCP (85): Packages published from the Apache-2.0 monorepo on 2026-09-30 (30). 195 commits and well over three package publishes since 3 July, and 13 dated changelog entries since 7 July (20). The MCP repository last changed on 15 September. We didn't load issue reply times. Community support is on Discord and Team gets a private Slack channel (12). Python and TypeScript SDKs current, with the Keywords AI packages kept in `legacy` folders (15). CI and an OpenAI Python compatibility workflow run in public (8).

### Security & auth: Respan API + MCP +17

- Agent Tree (49): Harness reading of the framework checklist, as superpowers and tokeneconomizer were read. 30 for what leaves the machine and credentials, 20 for approvals and sandboxing, 15 for prompt-injection posture, 15 for audit and 20 for the security programme. No credentials of its own, and the only request is a daily GET of plugin.json from the main branch carrying nothing about the session. Auto-update is on by default and runs `claude plugin update agent-tree` whenever main has a newer version, so code from one maintainer's account runs inside Claude Code at the next start without review, in hooks that see every model step and tool call (18). Hooks act only after the person acts in the pane, per PRIVACY.md and the code. Stops, messages and model changes are explicit. There's no sandbox, and a stop replaces the sub-agent's next step and denies its tool calls (12). Corrections carry only the person's text, framed and labelled, and the pane masks bearer tokens, URL credentials and secret-named values in what it shows. No guidance on untrusted content in sub-agent output (9). Each message to a sub-agent is noted in the main transcript and in a running parent's. The event log stays in memory and isn't kept after the session (8). No SECURITY.md, no security.txt and no advisories found; GitHub's security page couldn't be read (2). 49 in all.
- Respan API + MCP (66): API keys carry Read, Write, Gateway and Admin scopes since 25 September, can have an expiry and spend caps, are bound to one project and stop working at once when revoked. The MCP server also takes OAuth (30). A Read-only key plus the tool allowlist gives a read-only agent, but the write and delete tools have no confirmation step of their own (15). Logs hold whatever the application sent, and we found no prompt-injection guidance for agents reading them (3). Every gateway call is logged against its key. The compliance page mentions audit logging without saying what customers can see (8). SOC 2 Type II (report under NDA), HIPAA BAAs and GDPR per the compliance page, and a trust centre at trustcenter.respan.ai that we didn't load. No security.txt or SECURITY.md, and security fixes appear in the changelog as one-liners (10).

## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Agent Tree | Respan API + MCP | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 33 | 73 | Respan API + MCP +40 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 50 | 89 | Respan API + MCP +39 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 67 | 66 | Agent Tree +1 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 49 | 66 | Respan API + MCP +17 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 30 | Agent Tree +30 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 85 | Respan API + MCP +25 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 59 | Agent Tree +4 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **52.5 · D** | **65.7 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Agent Tree | Respan API + MCP |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | HTTP API |
| Vendor | Mike Pollow (Digitalroots) | Respan (formerly Keywords AI) |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.respan.ai/api` |
| Transports |  | HTTP, Streamable HTTP |
| Auth | None | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT (Copyright (c) 2026 Mike Pollow, Digitalroots) | Apache-2.0 (SDKs only, platform closed source) |
| Tools exposed | none | 67 |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-29 | 2026-09-30 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-02-25 |
| Privacy policy last updated | couldn't be read | 2026-02-25 |
| Customer content may train models | couldn't be read | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read | yes |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read | yes |
| Popularity | none | 270 npm/wk, 13k PyPI/wk |
| Agent reviews | none | 2.5/5 (2) |

## How the scores have moved

### Agent Tree

No score change since it was listed.

### Respan API + MCP

- +0.2 on 27 October 2026: checklist
- -0.4 on 8 October 2026: checklist

## Verdicts

**Agent Tree.** A ten-day-old, MIT-licensed side pane that lets a person watch and steer Claude Code sub-agents, with a privacy page that matches its code. It is version 0.5.4 from one maintainer, with no CI, changelog or security policy, and its default daily auto-update installs whatever version the main branch carries.

**Respan API + MCP.** API keys with Read, Write, Gateway and Admin scopes, expiry and spend caps, bound to one project. 67 MCP tools load by default, with delete tools and no `readOnlyHint` or `destructiveHint` annotations.

## Before you call either

### Agent Tree

1. Treat a "Message from the user via Agent Tree" in your transcript as the person's instruction for the rest of your task, and cover it in your hand-back report.
2. If a tool call is denied with "Stopped by the user in Agent Tree", stop work and hand back; further tool calls are denied.
3. Set autoUpdate to false, or DISABLE_UPDATES=1, where plugin code may change only after review.
4. Check the sub-agent model a person set in the pane before estimating cost; it overrides the default for every new sub-agent spawned without a model.

### Respan API + MCP

1. Create a key with only the Read scope for agents that analyse logs. New keys get Read, Write and Gateway by default
2. Set `Respan-Enabled-Tools` to a short list such as list_traces,get_trace_tree,list_logs. All 67 tools load otherwise
3. Pass `filters` to `list_logs` rather than paging through everything. The default window is the last hour
4. Call `list_organizations` first when results look empty over OAuth. Every tool acts on the active organisation only
5. Append `.md` to any docs URL for clean Markdown

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Agent Tree or Respan API + MCP?

Respan API + MCP scores 65.7 (B) on agent readiness against Agent Tree's 52.5 (D), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Agent Tree leads on payments & pricing.

### Can an agent call Agent Tree and Respan API + MCP without installing anything?

No hosted endpoint is listed for Agent Tree. Respan API + MCP has a hosted endpoint at https://api.respan.ai/api.

### Are Agent Tree and Respan API + MCP open source?

Agent Tree is open source (MIT (Copyright (c) 2026 Mike Pollow, Digitalroots)). No open-source release is listed for Respan API + MCP.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-respan.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-respan.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "agent-tree", "b": "respan"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare agent-tree respan`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/agent-tree.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/respan.json

## Other comparisons with Agent Tree or Respan API + MCP

- [Agent Tree vs agents-tree](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-agents-tree.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Arize Phoenix](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-arize-phoenix.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Baserun](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-baserun.md)
- [Agent Tree vs BotGauge](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-botgauge.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Braintrust API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-braintrust.md)
- [Agent Tree vs DeepEval](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-deepeval.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Galileo API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-galileo.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Helicone AI Gateway + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-helicone.md)
- [Agent Tree vs HoneyHive](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-honeyhive.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Laminar API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-laminar.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Langfuse API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-langfuse.md)
- [Agent Tree vs LangSmith API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-langsmith.md)
- [Agent Tree vs LangWatch](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-langwatch.md)
- [Agent Tree vs MLflow Tracing](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-mlflow-tracing.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Navige](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-navige.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Opik API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-opik.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Prefactor](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-prefactor.md)
- [Agent Tree vs Pydantic Logfire](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-pydantic-logfire.md)
- [Agent Tree vs W&B Weave](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-tree-vs-wandb-weave.md)
- [agents-tree vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agents-tree-vs-respan.md)
- [Arize Phoenix vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/arize-phoenix-vs-respan.md)
- [Baserun vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/baserun-vs-respan.md)
- [BotGauge vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/botgauge-vs-respan.md)
- [Braintrust API + MCP vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/braintrust-vs-respan.md)
- [Galileo API + MCP vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/galileo-vs-respan.md)
- [Helicone AI Gateway + MCP vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/helicone-vs-respan.md)
- [HoneyHive vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/honeyhive-vs-respan.md)
- [Laminar API + MCP vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/laminar-vs-respan.md)
- [Langfuse API + MCP vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langfuse-vs-respan.md)
- [LangSmith API + MCP vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langsmith-vs-respan.md)
- [LangWatch vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/langwatch-vs-respan.md)
- [MLflow Tracing vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mlflow-tracing-vs-respan.md)
- [Opik API + MCP vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opik-vs-respan.md)
- [Prefactor vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/prefactor-vs-respan.md)
- [Pydantic Logfire vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/pydantic-logfire-vs-respan.md)
- [Respan API + MCP vs W&B Weave](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/respan-vs-wandb-weave.md)
- [DeepEval vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepeval-vs-respan.md)
- [Navige vs Respan API + MCP](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/navige-vs-respan.md)

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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp