CowAgent vs Zo Computer

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.

Zo Computer

Zo publishes an OpenAPI file, Markdown docs, plan prices and a named list of the providers that receive user content. One access token grants full access to the workspace, no approval step before sending or buying was found in the reviewed docs, and no status page, rate limit or SLA is published.

CowAgent

1. Set agent_permission_mode to workspace-write or read-only before connecting any channel. Source and Docker installs default to full-access
2. Keep the bot out of group chats that include other people. Any member who mentions it reaches the same tools as the owner
3. Set web_password before changing web_host to 0.0.0.0. The password is empty by default
4. 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
5. Run it in a container for a hard boundary. The docs and the source both say the permission modes are not isolation

Zo Computer

1. Send POST https://api.zo.computer/zo/ask with Authorization: Bearer zo_sk_... and an input string. The owner creates the token under Settings > Advanced
2. Pass persona_id for a persona with a narrow tool set. The token itself carries every permission the owner has
3. Set memory_mode to off to keep workspace memory out of a request. The field is in the OpenAPI file and absent from the API guide
4. Do not retry /zo/ask blindly after a timeout. No idempotency key is documented and the request may already have sent a message
5. Append .md to any guide or reference URL for Markdown