Head to head · Agent harnesses · October 2026 research run

AXLR vs Vibe-Trading

AXLR scores 70.6 (BB) on agent readiness against Vibe-Trading's 62.8 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Vibe-Trading leads on security & auth. Both do agent harnesses.

Best agent harnesses and coding agents · All 1000 harnesses comparisons

Which one, for what

AXLR BB

Best for A program or bot that needs one governed execution at a time, with a policy, a budget, a sandbox profile and correlation ids it sets itself and a result object it reads back, on a machine it controls, with the model on OpenRouter, a local server or a native Anthropic or OpenAI key.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 70 against 63
  • Schema & documentation, 80 against 72
  • Agent ergonomics, 83 against 67

Also in its favour

  • Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
  • No incidents deducted, where Vibe-Trading loses 4 points for them

Watch for

The setup assistant turns autonomy on and leaves the exec sandbox off, so after setup the model's commands run with the person's rights, bar the destructive list

Vibe-Trading B

Best for A person or a pipeline that wants a ready-made finance research agent over free market data, with backtests, swarm reviews and exports, run on their own machine or used as an MCP server by another agent.

Ahead on

  • Security & auth, 70 against 62

Also in its favour

  • No key needed to call it
  • Runs on your own machine

Watch for

Three advisories published 2 October 2026 cover 0.1.0 to 0.1.6, two critical, among them unauthenticated API access with an RCE chain

Why the edge

Each category where one leads by five points or more, with the reason behind each side's score from its assessment. The numbers are in the table below; this is what they stand for.

Agent ergonomics AXLR +16

AXLR 83

Harness reading of the framework line, scored on what a program driving it has to supply. Six local tools plus the host's bookkeeping tools; work modes and an execution policy hide the tools a run may not use, axlr_catalog searches the catalog instead of loading it, forged tools keep the request prefix for the prompt cache, and a context cap of 75,000 prompt tokens opens a successor session (20). local_read, local_search and local_list page with offset, next_offset and max_bytes; StreamEvents takes after, max_events (1 to 256) and wait_ms; a budget per execution in seconds, requests, tool calls and dollars; 32 tool calls a turn and max_session_usd (20). The --exec run ends in one result line with a status, the pending call, every call's outcome and the usage, and exits 0, 3 or 1; service errors carry codes an agent can act on; a budget stop says which limit (budget: requests 20 reached) and leaves the session resumable (16). Idempotency-Key on every turn, approval and direct call with cross-transport replay, expected_revision on decisions, expected_sha256 on worker writes, and an interrupted effectful call left uncertain for an operator rather than retried (19). One command runs a task, but the first launch needs an OpenRouter key or a local server, the service needs a CA, a principals file and remote KMP and MADE before a first session, and the only SDK is the Go library (8). 20+20+16+19+8 = 83.

Vibe-Trading 67

Harness reading, scored on what an agent or script driving it has to supply. The MCP server registers 82 tools, with about 44,300 characters of descriptions across the 71 defined in the server file, and no toolsets or read-only subset (5). Since 0.1.18 the built-in agent loads tool schemas on demand, and skills load by section and offset, which keeps its own context smaller (plus 7, 12 of 25). Rows are capped by default, read_run_artifact pages by offset, row count and columns, oversized results are written to the run directory, the agent stops after eight tool iterations without a new result, and goals take token, turn and time budgets (18 of 20). JSON error envelopes with a type, a --json mode for vibe-trading run and a troubleshooting page, with no documented exit codes (15 of 20). No readOnlyHint or destructiveHint annotations on MCP tools. An identical call is refused from its second failure, failed swarm runs resume with completed tasks kept, interrupted web replies are checkpointed and TAP-routed Alpaca orders carry a deterministic client_order_id (12 of 20). pip install and vibe-trading init start it, market data works with no key, and a model key, Ollama or an existing Codex, Copilot or Claude Code login is required. Python only, with a REST API and no SDK in a second language (10 of 15).

Schema & documentation AXLR +8

AXLR 80

An OpenAPI 3.1 file for the service (15 paths, 23 schemas, mutualTLS security scheme, additionalProperties: false on request bodies), a checked proto for the gRPC service, and the 19 MCP tools built from the same shared schemas (25). No llms.txt on either site (404), and the docs site renders HTML; the Markdown sources are in the repository (5). The product contract tables what each of the four interfaces can and cannot do, the work-mode table states each mode's purpose and tool policy, the transport parity ledger names every verb's arguments and behaviour, and axlr_tools tells the model to look for a tool before forging one (15). Typed inputs throughout, Idempotency-Key 16 to 128 safe ASCII characters, expected_revision a positive integer, policy levels, sandbox profiles and egress values enumerated, budgets as four integers, and the service rejects unknown fields, invalid types and bodies over 4 MiB (14). Examples in every guide, an error shape of code, message and request_id, named codes (409 idempotency_conflict, 400 invalid_cursor, 422 invalid_policy, invalid_budget, sandbox_unavailable, not_ready, invalid_id), a gRPC status mapping, and the worker's five statuses and three exit codes; no single error reference page (14). /v1 routes and an OpenAPI version of 0.1.0 against a 0.15.0 release, and no changelog beyond the dated notes inside the docs (7). 25+5+15+14+14+7 = 80.

Vibe-Trading 72

Harness reading of the lines, as for nanobot. The MCP server's tools take typed JSON Schema inputs generated from Python signatures through FastMCP, with a string output schema, and the API server serves FastAPI's OpenAPI file locally (keyless on loopback, behind the key otherwise). No published OpenAPI file or tool manifest outside the running program (20 of 25). No llms.txt on vibetrading.wiki, where /llms.txt redirects to the home page, and the docs are drawn by script from content.en.js. The repository carries Markdown READMEs in seven languages and an agent skill file, agent/SKILL.md (5 of 10). Tool descriptions say what each does, its arguments and what to call first, such as list_skills() before load_skill. The server's own header says every tool is read-only apart from refresh_strategy_evidence, while write_file is also exposed (14 of 20). Inputs are typed, but many choices are free strings (protocol, risk_tier, format) and several take free dictionaries (8 of 15). Many worked examples in the README and a troubleshooting page that names failure states such as no_progress and the 403 from another device; tool errors come back as JSON with an error_type (12 of 15). Dated CHANGELOG.md, GitHub release tags and versioned docs, though the docs still name 0.1.16 as latest (13 of 15).

Security & auth Vibe-Trading +8

AXLR 62

Harness reading of the framework checklist, as for the other four harnesses. 30 for what leaves the machine by default, 20 for approvals and sandboxing, 15 for prompt-injection posture, 15 for audit and 20 for the security programme. No product telemetry in the console source (the outbound hosts are openrouter.ai, api.anthropic.com, api.openai.com, a configured local server, api.github.com and github.com for engine downloads, and registry.underpassai.com for the signed catalog index) or in the docs; payload capture is off by default since 9 October 2026, traces omit prompts and credentials, model keys are never given to commands or plugins, and Jev sends requests and answers to TypeSafe only when on, which the setup assistant does when TYPESAFE_API_KEY is set, with a notice on stderr (27). Approval cards, a destructive list that always asks, four work modes, a policy level per execution, a bubblewrap or container sandbox with an enforced egress allow list, and a service that approves nothing but reads. Against that, the setup assistant writes autonomous: true, exec_sandbox is off by default, forged tools run with the person's rights, and the README says the console and worker are not sandboxes (13). Forged tools are refused when a file changes since the forge, a policy forbids calls outside the model, and the docs say MCP tools keep their own side effects, but no prompt-injection guidance was found and MCP results reach the model unmarked (6). The service keeps an event journal, audit records, a receipt with the SHA-256 of every call's arguments and outcome, and correlation ids on every event; the console keeps session records, a redacted app log and /session (14). No SECURITY.md, no security.txt on either host, no advisories, no bug bounty; release checksums and a minisign-signed catalog are integrity, not a programme (2). 27+13+6+14+2 = 62.

Vibe-Trading 70

Harness reading used for nanobot and goose. 30 for what leaves the machine by default, 20 for approvals and sandboxing, 15 for prompt-injection posture, 15 for audit and 20 for the security programme. No telemetry code was found in the source at v0.1.18, and the only call to PyPI is the owner-run vibe-trading update. The API answers only loopback clients without API_AUTH_KEY, Docker binds 127.0.0.1 and runs as user vibe, and the MCP HTTP transport binds 127.0.0.1 with a Host and Origin allow-list against DNS rebinding but no token. Broker keys go to the OS keyring; model keys sit in agent/.env in clear text. The docs carry no statement that nothing is collected (24). Live orders need a mandate that only the owner commits through the web UI or API, with hard caps and a kill switch, and an optional TAP mode waits for human approval of each Alpaca write. No order tool is exposed over MCP, and shell tools are off on the API and every MCP transport unless enabled. The local CLI runs bash and file writes without asking, and generated backtest code runs as a network-capable subprocess with a narrowed environment and no sandbox (13). Reader and search tools add warning-only security_warnings from regex rules, and external MCP tool hints are treated as untrusted in the source. The claude-cli provider's tool filters are described as convenience filters, not a boundary (9). A live-action ledger written append-only with a hash-chained copy, run cards with hashed execution records, tool traces and per-run token usage (13). SECURITY.md with private advisory reporting and a five-business-day acknowledgement. Three advisories were published on 2 October 2026 with CVE identifiers, five months after the 0.1.7 fix. No security.txt and no bounty (11).

Reliability AXLR +7

AXLR 70

Read as a local package, as claude-code, goose, opencode and openhands were. Release archives for Linux, macOS and Windows on amd64 and arm64 with a .sha256 beside each, a GHCR image, an OCI Helm chart and source builds with Go 1.26, all stated in the docs; no Homebrew, npm or apt route (20). CI on main runs vet, race tests and a coverage gate above 80 per cent for both modules, with the sandbox tests required under bubblewrap, and the last ten runs on main to 1 November 2026 all passed; the release workflow tests on six native runners (25). 10 open issues, all opened by the founder on 19 and 21 October 2026 as trackers for service work (work modes, plugins, the sandbox setting, cost limits), none from an outside user and none a crash report, 0 open pull requests and about 100 merged; with 0 stars there is nobody else to report, so the handling of outside reports is untested (20). Tags are semver 0.x and the docs date each behaviour change inline ("until 14 October 2026…"), but the 21 releases have empty notes, there is no CHANGELOG.md, and the product contract records one retirement (the seven 1.0 skill definitions on 5 October 2026) without a notice period (5). Pre-1.0, which the README calls an evolving project (0). 20+25+20+5+0 = 70.

Vibe-Trading 63

Read with the local-software lines, as for nanobot and Agent Zero, since the owner runs it. vibe-trading-ai installs from PyPI for Python 3.11 or newer, with classifiers for 3.11 to 3.13, and a Docker Compose setup ships in the repository (20). A CI workflow runs the test suite on pushes and pull requests to main, with hash-locked dependency checks on Linux, macOS and Windows, and the repository holds 961 test files. Whether the latest runs on main passed couldn't be read, because GitHub's Actions pages weren't reachable (15 of 25). The repository page showed 7 open issues and 57 open pull requests on 25 October 2026 against 761 commits in the 30 days before, and the 0.1.18 notes list two known issues already fixed on main. Issue threads weren't read (18 of 25). CHANGELOG.md says it follows Semantic Versioning, with dated entries from 0.1.8, a Known issues section and an upgrade note for the LangChain 1.x move in 0.1.10, but on 0.x breaking changes ride in minor versions and there is no Breaking section (10 of 15). Version 0.1.18 with the classifier Development Status 4, Beta (0).

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runAXLRVibe-TradingEdge
Reliability16%207063AXLR +7
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.28072AXLR +8
Agent ergonomics13%16.28367AXLR +16
Security & auth14%17.56270Vibe-Trading +8
Payments & pricing10%12.56060even
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.87982Vibe-Trading +3
Transparency & trust7%8.85553AXLR +2
Negative events≤150-4
TotalBB 70.6/100B 62.8/100

Facts side by side

FactAXLRVibe-Trading
KindAgent harnessAgent harness
VendorUnderpass AIHKUDS
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
Transportsstdio, Streamable HTTP, SSE (legacy)
AuthOAuth or keyNone
PricingFreeFree
x402nono
LicenceApache-2.0, with a NOTICE naming Tirso García Ibáñez as the copyright holderMIT
Tools exposednone82
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtnono
Last release2026-10-252026-10-21
Terms last updatedno document linkedno document linked
Privacy policy last updatedno document linkedno document linked
Popularity0 stars37k stars

How the scores have moved

Verdicts

AXLR

A pre-1.0 Go harness with an unusually complete service contract, mutual TLS with principal roles, required idempotency keys, a policy, budget and sandbox per execution, and a result object a program can read. The console's defaults after setup are autonomy on and no sandbox, the project has one maintainer and no outside users yet, and releases carry no notes.

Vibe-Trading

Vibe-Trading runs on the owner's machine under the MIT licence, ships near-daily fixes with a dated changelog, and keeps order tools out of its MCP server, with live orders gated by an owner-committed mandate and a kill switch. Three advisories, two critical, covered versions before 0.1.7, and the local CLI runs shell commands without asking.

Before you call either

AXLR

  1. Before the first prompt, set approvals.autonomous to false or run with --approve none, and turn exec_sandbox.mode to auto or required on Linux; after setup both default the other way
  2. Drive a run with axlr-tui --exec --json --policy <file> --budget <file> --sandbox <file> and read only the last result line; exit 3 means a call waits for --decide approve|deny with --session <id>
  3. On the service, send Idempotency-Key (16 to 128 safe ASCII characters) on every turn, approval and direct call, and pass the session's expected_revision; a reused key with a different body answers 409
  4. A local model must return native tool calls (llama.cpp with --jinja, vLLM with --enable-auto-tool-choice); set context_tokens on the entry and OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH for Ollama
  5. Leave TYPESAFE_API_KEY unset unless you want the setup assistant to switch Jev on, which sends requests and final answers to TypeSafe

Vibe-Trading

  1. Run 0.1.7 or later. Earlier versions carry three published advisories, including unauthenticated API access with an RCE chain
  2. Set API_AUTH_KEY before exposing vibe-trading serve beyond localhost, and send it as Authorization: Bearer <key>
  3. Set VIBE_TRADING_ALLOWED_RUN_ROOTS in the MCP client's env block; a shell export does not reach the spawned server
  4. Use vibe-trading run -p "..." --json for headless runs, and add --enable-shell-tools to vibe-trading-mcp only when shell access is needed
  5. Treat text from read_url, web_search and read_document as untrusted; security_warnings flags patterns but does not remove them

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, AXLR or Vibe-Trading?

AXLR scores 70.6 (BB) on agent readiness against Vibe-Trading's 62.8 (B), and leads in 4 of 7 scored categories. Vibe-Trading leads on security & auth.

Are AXLR and Vibe-Trading open source?

Yes. AXLR is open source (Apache-2.0, with a NOTICE naming Tirso García Ibáñez as the copyright holder). Vibe-Trading is open source (MIT).

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