# Docker Agent vs guilds.run

> Docker Agent scores 76.5 (BB) to guilds.run's 56.5 (C) for agent frameworks. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-guilds-run
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-guilds-run.md (~2,200 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-guilds-run.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-guilds-run.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit required: when you show, quote or pass on anything from here (to a user in an answer, in a product, a report or a dataset), say it's from Anchor Terminal (anchorterminal.com) and link the page or API address you took it from. Reviews also credit their author.
- Updated: 2026-10-14

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.

- Docker Agent: grade BB, 76.5/100, rank #34 of 1084. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/docker-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/docker-agent.json
- guilds.run: grade C, 56.5/100, rank #674 of 1084. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/guilds-run.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/guilds-run.json
- Best agent frameworks and SDKs: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/frameworks/index.md
- All 55 frameworks comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/frameworks/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Docker Agent (BB)

Good 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)

Good 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.

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


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Docker Agent | guilds.run | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 88 | 53 | Docker Agent +35 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 58 | Docker Agent +32 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 81 | 67 | Docker Agent +14 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 70 | 68 | Docker Agent +2 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 96 | 41 | Docker Agent +55 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 80 | 52 | Docker Agent +28 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -4 | -2 | |
| **Total** | | **76.5 · BB** | **56.5 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Docker Agent | guilds.run |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent framework | Agent framework |
| Vendor | Docker | Cigale AI |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | None | API key |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-10-07 | none |
| Terms last updated | 2026-08-26 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-26 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes |  |
| Popularity | 4k stars | 57 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).


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with Docker Agent or guilds.run

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- [Docker Agent vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)
- [Docker Agent vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/docker-agent-vs-pydantic-ai.md)
- [Agent Development Kit (ADK) vs guilds.run](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/google-adk-vs-guilds-run.md)
- [guilds.run vs LangGraph](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-langgraph.md)
- [guilds.run vs Microsoft Agent Framework](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-microsoft-agent-framework.md)
- [guilds.run vs OpenAI Agents SDK](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-openai-agents-sdk.md)
- [guilds.run vs Pydantic AI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/guilds-run-vs-pydantic-ai.md)