{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "cowagent", "name": "CowAgent", "vendor": "zhayujie", "vendorUrl": "https://cowagent.ai", "kind": "harness", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "CowAgent is an open-source AI assistant that its owner runs on a computer or server. It plans tasks, runs tools and skills, keeps long-term memory in local files and answers on a web console and messaging apps.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cowagent", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cowagent.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cowagent.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/cowagent.json", "repo": "https://github.com/zhayujie/CowAgent", "license": "MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "zhayujie/chatgpt-on-wechat" } ], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "No account. The web console listens on 127.0.0.1 with no password by default, and `web_password` adds a login whose session lasts 30 days. `external_api_token` is one Bearer token for the OpenAI-compatible endpoint, which stays off while the token is empty (https://docs.cowagent.ai/channels/web). Messaging channels use each platform's bot token or app secret in `config.json`. Model keys go in `config.json` or environment variables.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under the MIT licence, with nothing to buy to run it. The owner pays the configured model provider, or nothing with a local model behind an OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The README names LinkAI as a seller of managed hosting, and link-ai.tech did not answer on 12 October 2026, so its prices were not read.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 47400, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.cowagent.ai/intro/index", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.cowagent.ai/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "agent.mcp-client", "assistant.accounts" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "local", "free", "no-card", "llms-txt", "docker", "python", "openai-compatible" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-30", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 58.5, "grade": "C", "agentReady": false, "rank": 591, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 9, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 59, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 60, "reliability": 84, "schema": 67, "security": 43, "transparency": 45 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -5, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-07-31. Issue #2998 reports that a member of a Feishu group asked the bot for local files and it sent the owner's documents into the group. This is the reporter's account and we did not reproduce it. We confirmed in the master source on 12 October 2026 that group channels accept every group, that full-access is the default and that the proposed sender gating is absent. Open and unfixed, -3. https://github.com/zhayujie/CowAgent/issues/2998", "2026-07-29. Version 2.1.5 fixed a chain in which injected content led the agent to rewrite the MCP config, run arbitrary commands and take keys, and fixed the `edit` tool reaching `~/.cow/.env`. Both are described in the release notes with no advisory. Fixed and documented, -2. https://docs.cowagent.ai/releases/v2.1.5" ], "verdict": "MIT software with seven releases in 90 days, memory kept as plain files in the owner's workspace and three per-session permission modes. Source and Docker installs default to full-access, no action asks for approval, and an open report of 31 July 2026 says group members could reach the owner's files through the bot.", "bestFor": "One technical owner who wants an assistant on WeChat, Feishu, DingTalk, Telegram, Slack or Discord with memory in local files and a choice of Chinese and Western model providers.", "strengths": [ "Memory is plain Markdown under `~/cow` (`MEMORY.md`, `memory/YYYY-MM-DD.md`), readable and removable by the owner", "Three permission modes per session (read-only, workspace-write, full-access), with a global default in `agent_permission_mode`", "The web console binds to 127.0.0.1 by default, and the cloud client loads only when `use_linkai` and a deployment id are both set", "Seven tagged releases between 20 July and 30 September 2026, each with dated notes in the docs", "Tests run on Python 3.11 and 3.13 for every push to master, and the 15 newest master runs we saw passed on 12 October 2026" ], "weaknesses": [ "Source and Docker installs default to full-access, and no mode asks the owner before a shell command, a file send or an MCP call", "The permission checks read arguments and are not an OS sandbox, as the source says. The `bash` blocklist covers only root deletion, disk wiping and power commands", "Issue #2998, open since 31 July 2026, reports the bot sending the owner's local documents into a Feishu group. Its fix is not on master", "No setting limits which Telegram, Slack or Discord users may message the bot, and those channels reply in every group", "No SECURITY.md, security.txt, privacy policy or terms. Model keys sit in `config.json` and MCP keys in `mcp.json` as plain text" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set `agent_permission_mode` to `workspace-write` or `read-only` before connecting any channel. Source and Docker installs default to `full-access`", "Keep the bot out of group chats that include other people. Any member who mentions it reaches the same tools as the owner", "Set `web_password` before changing `web_host` to `0.0.0.0`. The password is empty by default", "Set `external_api_token` to enable `POST /v1/chat/completions`, and send `conversation_id` to keep one session. The `model` field does not select a model", "Run it in a container for a hard boundary. The docs and the source both say the permission modes are not isolation" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "C", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 58.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 59, "maintenance": 83, "payments": 60, "reliability": 84, "schema": 67, "security": 43, "transparency": 62 }, "provenanceScore": 27 }, "connect": { "install": "bash \u003c(curl -fsSL https://cdn.link-ai.tech/code/cow/run.sh) # or: curl -O https://cdn.link-ai.tech/code/cow/docker-compose.yml \u0026\u0026 docker compose up -d", "http": "curl http://localhost:9899/v1/chat/completions -H \"Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN\" -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" -d '{\"model\":\"cowagent\",\"conversation_id\":\"example-conversation\",\"messages\":[{\"role\":\"user\",\"content\":\"Hello\"}]}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/cowagent" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "cowagent.ai", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://docs.cowagent.ai/releases/overview", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "No company or legal entity is named for CowAgent. The licence names zhayujie, and the cowagent.ai footer reads Copyright 2026 CowAgent.", "The README lists sales@simple-future.tech and LinkAI (link-ai.tech) for enterprise services and managed hosting. link-ai.tech did not answer our robots.txt request on 12 October 2026, so none of its pages were read.", "cowagent.ai links no terms and no privacy policy. Its sitemap lists the home, download and blog pages only.", "cowagent.ai answers `/.well-known/security.txt` and `/llms.txt` with the home page, so neither file exists. docs.cowagent.ai serves an llms.txt.", "The registration date of cowagent.ai was not looked up." ], "score": 27 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cowagent.json" }, "answer": "CowAgent scores 58.5 (C) on agent readiness against Instinct's 11.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Instinct leads on transparency \u0026 trust.", "b": { "slug": "instinct", "name": "Instinct", "vendor": "Spear Street Technology, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://instinct.com", "kind": "platform", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "Hosted personal assistant from Spear Street Technology, Inc., trading as Instinct, that a person texts or calls. It acts in connected accounts such as Google Workspace and on websites, including purchases and bookings.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/instinct", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/instinct.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/instinct.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/instinct.json", "license": "Proprietary service under Instinct's Terms of Service, which grant personal use only", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "A person signs in at app.instinct.com with a phone number and a one-time passcode sent by text. The terms also allow an account linked to Apple, Facebook or Google. Google Workspace is connected through Google's APIs and can be revoked in settings or by asking the assistant. The owner may also give the assistant usernames and passwords for other sites. No API key, token or other credential for a program was found (https://instinct.com/legal/sms-terms.html; https://instinct.com/terms; https://instinct.com/privacy-policy).", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "No price is published. The terms say fees may apply to certain functions, are charged in US dollars to a card through a payment processor and are non-refundable. Whether any use is free was not established, and sign-up may put a person on a waiting list (https://instinct.com/terms, section 4; https://instinct.com/legal/sms-terms.html, checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "Paid", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 on the home page, terms or privacy policy, and no API was found (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.accounts", "assistant.memory" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "sms", "voice-call", "google-workspace", "computer-use", "waitlist", "no-public-pricing", "no-api", "security-txt", "trains-on-data-by-default" ], "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 11.4, "grade": "F", "agentReady": false, "rank": 984, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 20, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 5, "maintenance": 3, "payments": 0, "reliability": 5, "schema": 3, "security": 25, "transparency": 51 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "low", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "The terms and privacy policy are specific about connected accounts, model training and the risks of autonomous actions, and security.txt is valid. No price, documentation, status page, changelog or programmatic interface is published, and customer content trains AI models unless the owner opts out.", "bestFor": "A consumer assistant for one adult who wants errands done by text or phone call, such as bill disputes, gifts, groceries, appointments and travel, and who accepts that it acts and spends as their agent.", "strengths": [ "The privacy policy lists the Google Workspace products accessed and says that data is not used to train or improve AI models", "Training on customer content has an opt-out at app.instinct.com/settings, and material placed in the Vault is excluded from training", "Indexed data from connected services can be deleted at app.instinct.com/workspace, and Google access revoked in settings or by asking the assistant", "security.txt is valid until 18 February 2027 and names a contact address", "The privacy policy states the risks of unintended payments, unintended messages and misleading instructions from third parties" ], "weaknesses": [ "No price is published. The terms say fees may apply to certain functions, are charged in US dollars and are non-refundable", "No documentation, API, MCP server, status page or changelog was found on instinct.com", "Customer content trains the vendor's AI models by default, and content flagged for safety review may be used after an opt-out", "The terms appoint the assistant as the owner's agent to make purchases and accept third-party terms, and leave responsibility for every action with the owner", "The owner may hand over usernames, passwords and card details. Where they are stored is not stated", "The terms forbid bots, scrapers and benchmarking, and limit the service to personal use" ], "agentNotes": [ "Do not plan on calling Instinct from a program. No API, MCP server or key was found, and the terms forbid automation software and benchmarking", "A person signs in at app.instinct.com with a phone number and a one-time code by text, and may wait for a place when the service is at capacity", "Tell the owner to opt out of model training at app.instinct.com/settings before connecting mail or files, since training is on by default", "Disconnecting an account does not delete what was indexed from it. Delete that data at app.instinct.com/workspace", "Treat purchases and bookings as final. The terms say actions may not be reversible and that confirmation controls are not guaranteed" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "low", "grade": "F", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 11.4 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 5, "maintenance": 3, "payments": 0, "reliability": 5, "schema": 3, "security": 25, "transparency": 30 }, "provenanceScore": 72 }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/instinct" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Spear Street Technology, Inc. d/b/a Instinct", "domain": "instinct.com", "domainRegistered": "1997-05-20", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://instinct.com/terms", "privacy": "https://instinct.com/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, both last revised 26 August 2026, name Spear Street Technology, Inc. d/b/a Instinct. No postal address is given on the pages read. The terms are governed by California law with San Francisco courts.", "The terms cover the website, its subdomains and the apps, so they govern the assistant itself and are not website-only terms. An Acceptable Use Policy (20 August 2026), SMS/Text Messaging Terms (17 August 2026) and an SMS/Text Messaging Privacy Statement (6 July 2026) supplement them.", "instinct.com/.well-known/security.txt gives Contact support@instinct.com, Expires 2027-02-18 and a Canonical line. It has no Policy line.", "RDAP at Verisign gives a registration date of 1997-05-20 for instinct.com, NameCheap, Inc. as registrar and a last change on 2 September 2026. The domain is older than the product's 2026 legal documents, so its age says little about the vendor.", "No status page and no changelog are linked from the home page, the terms or the privacy policy.", "The sign-in and the web app are at app.instinct.com, on the vendor's domain. The home page gives comms[at]instinct[dot]com as a contact." ], "score": 72 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/instinct.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Platform", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "zhayujie", "b": "Spear Street Technology, Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Paid", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT", "b": "Proprietary service under Instinct's Terms of Service, which grant personal use only", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-09-30", "b": "none", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "2026-08-26", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "no document linked", "b": "2026-08-26", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "", "b": "yes, with an opt-out", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "47k stars", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "CowAgent scores 58.5 (C) on agent readiness against Instinct's 11.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Instinct leads on transparency \u0026 trust.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, CowAgent or Instinct?" }, { "answer": "CowAgent is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Instinct.", "question": "Are CowAgent and Instinct open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 84 against 5", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 67 against 3", "Agent ergonomics, 59 against 5", "Security \u0026 auth, 43 against 25", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 0", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 3" ], "also": [ "Free to start without a card", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "One technical owner who wants an assistant on WeChat, Feishu, DingTalk, Telegram, Slack or Discord with memory in local files and a choice of Chinese and Western model providers.", "slug": "cowagent", "watchFor": "Source and Docker installs default to full-access, and no mode asks the owner before a shell command, a file send or an MCP call" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Transparency \u0026 trust, 51 against 45" ], "also": [ "No incidents deducted, where CowAgent loses 5 points for them" ], "goodFor": "A consumer assistant for one adult who wants errands done by text or phone call, such as bill disputes, gifts, groceries, appointments and travel, and who accepts that it acts and spends as their agent.", "slug": "instinct", "watchFor": "No price is published. The terms say fees may apply to certain functions, are charged in US dollars and are non-refundable" } ], "job": { "capability": "assistant.proactive", "name": "Assistant proactive" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-cowagent.json", "title": "AstrBot vs CowAgent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-cowagent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-instinct.json", "title": "AstrBot vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia.json", "title": "CowAgent vs GAIA", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gemini-spark.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Gemini Spark", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gemini-spark" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-grok-bot.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Grok Bot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-grok-bot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-haven.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Haven", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-haven" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Hermes Agent", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-ironclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs IronClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-ironclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-leon.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Leon", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-leon" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-lindy.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Lindy", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-lindy" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanobot.json", "title": "CowAgent vs nanobot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanobot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-poke.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zo-computer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct.json", "title": "GAIA vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-instinct.json", "title": "Gemini Spark vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-instinct.json", "title": "Grok Bot vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-instinct.json", "title": "Haven vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs Instinct", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-ironclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs IronClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-ironclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-leon.json", "title": "Instinct vs Leon", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-leon" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-lindy.json", "title": "Instinct vs Lindy", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-lindy" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanobot.json", "title": "Instinct vs nanobot", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanobot" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Instinct vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-poke.json", "title": "Instinct vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "Instinct vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zo-computer" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 79, "cowagent": 84, "edge": "cowagent", "instinct": 5, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 64, "cowagent": 67, "edge": "cowagent", "instinct": 3, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 54, "cowagent": 59, "edge": "cowagent", "instinct": 5, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "by": 18, "cowagent": 43, "edge": "cowagent", "instinct": 25, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "by": 60, "cowagent": 60, "edge": "cowagent", "instinct": 0, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 80, "cowagent": 83, "edge": "cowagent", "instinct": 3, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "by": 6, "cowagent": 45, "edge": "instinct", "instinct": 51, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "CowAgent scores 58.5 (C) on agent readiness against Instinct's 11.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Instinct leads on transparency \u0026 trust. Both do assistant proactive.", "verdicts": { "cowagent": "MIT software with seven releases in 90 days, memory kept as plain files in the owner's workspace and three per-session permission modes. Source and Docker installs default to full-access, no action asks for approval, and an open report of 31 July 2026 says group members could reach the owner's files through the bot.", "instinct": "The terms and privacy policy are specific about connected accounts, model training and the risks of autonomous actions, and security.txt is valid. No price, documentation, status page, changelog or programmatic interface is published, and customer content trains AI models unless the owner opts out." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct.min.md" }, "markdown": "CowAgent scores 58.5 (C) on agent readiness against Instinct's 11.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Instinct leads on transparency \u0026 trust. Both do assistant proactive.\n\n- CowAgent: grade C, 58.5/100, rank #591 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/cowagent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/cowagent.json\n- Instinct: grade F, 11.4/100, rank #984 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/instinct.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/instinct.json\n- Best AI personal assistants that act for one person: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/personal-assistants/index.md\n- All 190 assistants comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/personal-assistants/index.md\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### CowAgent (C)\n\nGood for: One technical owner who wants an assistant on WeChat, Feishu, DingTalk, Telegram, Slack or Discord with memory in local files and a choice of Chinese and Western model providers.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 84 against 5\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 67 against 3\n- Agent ergonomics, 59 against 5\n- Security \u0026 auth, 43 against 25\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 0\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 83 against 3\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: Source and Docker installs default to full-access, and no mode asks the owner before a shell command, a file send or an MCP call\n\n### Instinct (F)\n\nGood for: A consumer assistant for one adult who wants errands done by text or phone call, such as bill disputes, gifts, groceries, appointments and travel, and who accepts that it acts and spends as their agent.\n\nAhead on:\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 51 against 45\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where CowAgent loses 5 points for them\n\nWatch for: No price is published. The terms say fees may apply to certain functions, are charged in US dollars and are non-refundable\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | CowAgent | Instinct | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 84 | 5 | CowAgent +79 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 67 | 3 | CowAgent +64 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 59 | 5 | CowAgent +54 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 43 | 25 | CowAgent +18 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 0 | CowAgent +60 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 83 | 3 | CowAgent +80 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 45 | 51 | Instinct +6 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **58.5 · C** | **11.4 · F** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | CowAgent | Instinct |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Platform |\n| Vendor | zhayujie | Spear Street Technology, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP | |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Free | Paid |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT | Proprietary service under Instinct's Terms of Service, which grant personal use only |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-09-30 | none |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | 2026-08-26 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | 2026-08-26 |\n| Customer content may train models | | yes, with an opt-out |\n| Terms restrict automated access | | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | | yes |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | | not found in the text |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | | yes |\n| Popularity | 47k stars | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**CowAgent.** MIT software with seven releases in 90 days, memory kept as plain files in the owner's workspace and three per-session permission modes. Source and Docker installs default to full-access, no action asks for approval, and an open report of 31 July 2026 says group members could reach the owner's files through the bot.\n\n**Instinct.** The terms and privacy policy are specific about connected accounts, model training and the risks of autonomous actions, and security.txt is valid. No price, documentation, status page, changelog or programmatic interface is published, and customer content trains AI models unless the owner opts out.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### CowAgent\n\n1. Set `agent_permission_mode` to `workspace-write` or `read-only` before connecting any channel. Source and Docker installs default to `full-access`\n2. Keep the bot out of group chats that include other people. Any member who mentions it reaches the same tools as the owner\n3. Set `web_password` before changing `web_host` to `0.0.0.0`. The password is empty by default\n4. Set `external_api_token` to enable `POST /v1/chat/completions`, and send `conversation_id` to keep one session. The `model` field does not select a model\n5. Run it in a container for a hard boundary. The docs and the source both say the permission modes are not isolation\n\n### Instinct\n\n1. Do not plan on calling Instinct from a program. No API, MCP server or key was found, and the terms forbid automation software and benchmarking\n2. A person signs in at app.instinct.com with a phone number and a one-time code by text, and may wait for a place when the service is at capacity\n3. Tell the owner to opt out of model training at app.instinct.com/settings before connecting mail or files, since training is on by default\n4. Disconnecting an account does not delete what was indexed from it. Delete that data at app.instinct.com/workspace\n5. Treat purchases and bookings as final. The terms say actions may not be reversible and that confirmation controls are not guaranteed\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, CowAgent or Instinct?\n\nCowAgent scores 58.5 (C) on agent readiness against Instinct's 11.4 (F), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Instinct leads on transparency \u0026 trust.\n\n### Are CowAgent and Instinct open source?\n\nCowAgent is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Instinct.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"cowagent\", \"b\": \"instinct\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare cowagent instinct`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/cowagent.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/instinct.json\n\n## Other comparisons with CowAgent or Instinct\n\n- [AstrBot vs CowAgent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-cowagent.md)\n- [AstrBot vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-instinct.md)\n- [CowAgent vs GAIA](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gaia.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Gemini Spark](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-gemini-spark.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Grok Bot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-grok-bot.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Haven](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-haven.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [CowAgent vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-ironclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-leon.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-lindy.md)\n- [CowAgent vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanobot.md)\n- [CowAgent vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [CowAgent vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-poke.md)\n- [CowAgent vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zo-computer.md)\n- [GAIA vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-instinct.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-instinct.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-instinct.md)\n- [Haven vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-instinct.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct.md)\n- [Instinct vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-ironclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-leon.md)\n- [Instinct vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-lindy.md)\n- [Instinct vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanobot.md)\n- [Instinct vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Instinct vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-poke.md)\n- [Instinct vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zo-computer.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-12", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "CowAgent vs Instinct", "url": "" } ], "description": "CowAgent scores 58.5 (C) to Instinct's 11.4 (F) for assistant proactive. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "CowAgent C 58.5", "Instinct F 11.4", "scores" ], "h1": "CowAgent vs Instinct", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-cowagent-vs-instinct.png", "path": "/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "CowAgent vs Instinct for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-instinct" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2650, "slim": 730 }, "version": 1 }