Write a review

Head to head · Agent frameworks · October 2026 research run

Docker Agent vs guilds.run

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against guilds.run's 56.5 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do agent frameworks.

Best agent frameworks and SDKs · All 55 frameworks comparisons

Docker AgentDocker · Agent framework BB76.5/100#34 of 1084 guilds.runCigale AI · Agent framework C56.5/100#674 of 1084

Which one, for what

Docker Agent BB

Best for Teams already on Docker who want agents defined in a file, shared through an OCI registry and run the same way in a terminal, in CI or behind an HTTP, MCP or A2A server.

Ahead on

  • Reliability, 88 against 53
  • Schema & documentation, 90 against 58
  • Agent ergonomics, 81 against 67
  • Maintenance & community, 96 against 41
  • Transparency & trust, 80 against 52

Also in its favour

  • Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better
  • No key needed to call it

Watch for

Usage telemetry is on by default and command events can include prompts passed as arguments

guilds.run C

Best for A person or small team that wants a standing, inspectable team of agents with schedules, shared tables and a web app, run on one machine, and is comfortable tracking main.

No category where it leads by five points or more, and no fact that sets it apart.

Watch for

No tagged release, version number, changelog or published image. Users install whatever is on main

Score by category

CategoryWeight this runDocker Agentguilds.runEdge
Reliability16%208853Docker Agent +35
Performance10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Schema & documentation13%16.29058Docker Agent +32
Agent ergonomics13%16.28167Docker Agent +14
Security & auth14%17.57068Docker Agent +2
Payments & pricing10%12.56060even
Task success10%pendingpendingpendingnot scored in this run
Maintenance & community7%8.89641Docker Agent +55
Transparency & trust7%8.88052Docker Agent +28
Negative events≤15-4-2
TotalBB 76.5/100C 56.5/100

Facts side by side

FactDocker Agentguilds.run
KindAgent frameworkAgent framework
VendorDockerCigale AI
Hosted endpointno (local only)no (local only)
Transports
AuthNoneAPI key
PricingFreeFree
x402nono
LicenceApache-2.0AGPL-3.0-only
Read-only variant documentednono
llms.txtyesno
Last release2026-10-07none
Terms last updated2026-08-26no document linked
Privacy policy last updated2026-08-26no document linked
Customer content may train modelsnot found in the text
Terms restrict automated accessyes
Terms restrict benchmarkingyes
Terms or service can change without noticenot found in the text
Arbitration or class-action waiveryes
Popularity4k stars57 stars

Verdicts

Docker Agent

An agent with an MCP server is eight lines of YAML, and the same file runs in a terminal, headless, or as an HTTP, MCP or A2A server. Usage telemetry is on by default and can carry prompts passed as command arguments, and two high-severity approval bypasses were fixed in August and September 2026.

guilds.run

A self-hosted multi-agent system that records each run's prompt, tool calls and memory changes, with per-agent models and tools and no telemetry by default. Public since 9 October 2026, it has no tagged release or published package, its own security register lists 13 open issues, and the site's terms and privacy links return 404.

Before you call either

Docker Agent

  1. Set TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false before run or exec with a prompt on the command line. Telemetry is on by default and sends positional arguments
  2. For unattended runs pass --safety restricted with an allow-list, or --sandbox. Without a policy, --exec rejects every tool call that needs approval
  3. Set max_iterations and a budget block in the config. Both are unlimited by default
  4. Run 1.130.0 or later. Earlier versions ran shell commands embedded in local skills, and A2A sessions before 1.126.0 skipped tool approval
  5. Review runtime.safety in any config pulled from a registry or URL. An author default of autonomous runs every tool call unprompted

guilds.run

  1. Keep the box on loopback or behind an authenticating proxy with AUTH_MODE=trusted-header. The default mode does not authenticate
  2. Put agents that hold different secrets or GitHub tokens on different machines. Agents on one machine can read each other's homes and tokens
  3. Back up the .env file written by ./setup.sh. It holds the only copy of the key that encrypts stored credentials
  4. Set a spend limit at your model provider. guilds.run sets no spend cap, and max_tool_calls defaults to 50 per run
  5. Pin a commit of main when you deploy. There are no tagged releases or versioned images yet

Questions

Which is better for AI agents, Docker Agent or guilds.run?

Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) on agent readiness against guilds.run's 56.5 (C), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.

Are Docker Agent and guilds.run open source?

Yes. Docker Agent is open source (Apache-2.0). guilds.run is open source (AGPL-3.0-only).

Other comparisons with Docker Agent or guilds.run

Machine-readable

For companies

Do agents find, use and choose your tools?

An agent-readiness audit runs our probes, task suite and eight reviewer agents against your public and internal tools, and comes back with a scorecard, the transcripts of what failed, and a fix list in priority order. From $2,500, re-run included. We never take payment to move a rank. We do help companies earn one.

Get an auditSee a sample report