Head to head · Agent harnesses · October 2026 research run
Droid CLI vs Sculptor
Droid CLI scores 57.2 (C) on agent readiness against Sculptor's 53.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Sculptor leads on payments & pricing. Both do agent harnesses.
Best agent harnesses and coding agents · All 1500 harnesses comparisons
Which one, for what
Best for Teams that want a terminal coding agent with tiered autonomy, command rules and an optional sandbox, and that will pay for a Factory plan.
Ahead on
- Reliability, 54 against 43
- Schema & documentation, 79 against 45
- Agent ergonomics, 72 against 50
- Security & auth, 63 against 57
- Transparency & trust, 65 against 57
Watch for
No free tier or trial was found. Plans start at $20 a month and included usage is stated only as rolling rate limits without numbers
Sculptor D
Best for Developers who want parallel coding agents in isolated workspaces and are fine with a research preview.
Ahead on
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 10
Also in its favour
- No key needed to call it
- Open source
- No incidents deducted, where Droid CLI loses 3 points for them
Watch for
Labelled an experimental research preview that may change drastically
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.
Payments & pricing Sculptor +50
Droid CLI 10
Harness reading of the published rubric. This is paid, closed software tied to a subscription, so the self-hosted rule does not apply. No payment protocol (0). Plan prices are public, $20, $100 and $200 a month for individuals and $60 a team plus $40 a seat for Teams, but included usage is given only as rolling rate limits and multiples of Pro (10). No free tier or trial was found on the pricing pages. Using your own model key is free up to an allowance, but only on a paid plan (0). A person signs in through a browser to subscribe and to create the API key. The Service Accounts API can issue keys only inside an existing organisation (0).
Sculptor 60
Free self-hosted software with nothing to buy, so 0 for a protocol and 20 each for public pricing, a free tier and onboarding with no sign-up, 60.
Schema & documentation Droid CLI +34
Droid CLI 79
Framework reading. The docs index links an OpenAPI file for the Factory public API, which we did not open, and the headless mode has a documented JSON-RPC surface with named methods. droid exec --list-tools --output-format json and droid rules check --json give machine-readable output. We found no published schema for the settings file (15). docs.factory.com/llms.txt lists a Markdown copy of every page (10). The overview says when to use the CLI, and the autonomy table says what each level allows, blocks and suits (16). Autonomy levels, output formats, sandbox modes and MCP server fields are enumerated with types and defaults (12). Examples on every page read, exit codes 0, 1 and 2, and a JSON result with is_error and subtype, with no error catalogue (11). A changelog by CLI version with dates and an RSS feed, 236 entries back to 30 September 2025 (15).
Sculptor 45
Harness reading. A README, specs and agent docs in the repository; no API reference (45).
Agent ergonomics Droid CLI +22
Droid CLI 72
Harness reading of the framework line. --restrict-tools, --disabled-tools, --additional-tools and --list-tools control built-in tools per run, and disabledTools in mcp.json keeps named MCP tools out of context. We found nothing on deferred tool loading (18). Output is text, json, stream-json or stream-jsonrpc, and the JSON result carries turns and duration. The droid exec help lists no flag for a turn or spend limit (10). Exit codes 0, 1 and 2 are documented, and a run that exceeds its autonomy level stops with a non-zero code and no partial changes, per the docs (15). --session-id continues a session, --fork branches one, and --worktree isolates parallel runs (16). Headless runs are read-only without flags, and TypeScript and Python SDKs wrap the CLI. A run needs a paid Factory account and an API key (13).
Sculptor 50
Harness reading. Workspaces as isolated copies, review and merge back, and built-in skills (50).
Reliability Droid CLI +11
Droid CLI 54
Local-package reading, as for the other closed-source harnesses. An install script that verifies a SHA-256 checksum, a PowerShell installer, a Homebrew cask and the droid npm package (Node 20 or later) with prebuilt binaries for Linux, macOS and Windows on x64 and arm64, per the 9 October check (20). The source is not published. The public repository holds documentation only, so there is no public CI or test suite for the CLI (0). Bugs are tracked in the open at Factory-AI/factory. On 9 October 2026 it had 33 open issues that are not pull requests, most with no reply, and three closed in the previous week with replies. Issues were not re-read on 4 November because GitHub's API refused our requests (10). Every release has a dated, versioned changelog entry and deprecations get their own section. The line moved from 0.251.0 to 1.0.0 on 29 October, with three minors since, so the version number has signalled breaking changes for only six days (9). CLI v1.0.0 was released on 29 October 2026 and v1.3.0 on 4 November (15). The 99 per cent availability target on factory.com/sla is not scored on this reading.
Sculptor 43
Local software. Desktop downloads for Mac (Apple Silicon), Linux and Linux ARM64 (20). checks.yml and a PR gate run on the repository; pass state not read (15). GitHub issues and pull requests weren't read (GitHub's pages refuse these sessions), so that line is scored absent (0). sculptor-v tags up to v0.49.0, no changelog file (8). 0.x and labelled a research preview (0). 20 + 15 + 0 + 8 + 0 = 43.
Transparency & trust Droid CLI +8
Droid CLI 65
Closed source under terms from The San Francisco AI Factory, Inc., last updated 14 July 2026. The npm package is marked UNLICENSED and the Python SDK is Apache-2.0 (15). The Data Flows page says where code, prompts and telemetry go in each deployment pattern, and the privacy policy (20 August 2026) lists service providers with the place of processing and keeps personal data up to 10 years after last use. Retention of Factory's operational logs is left to the trust centre, which we could not read, and whether session transcripts are stored in Factory's cloud on individual plans was not established (17). The terms promise commercially reasonable efforts to give 60 days' notice of major changes, the changelog has Deprecations sections, and the old command lists are deprecated but still honoured. A model retirement appeared in the changelog on the day it took effect, 11 August 2026 (12). The telemetry reference documents each metric and what reaches Factory, and telemetry.granularity can strip user identity. Metrics to Factory are on by default, with no opt-out found outside an airgapped deployment (11).
Sculptor 57
MIT (30). Consent-based telemetry documented in the repository (18 of 30). The README warns of drastic changes during the research preview, with no deprecation policy (5). Opt-in telemetry (20). 30 + 18 + 5 + 20 = 73.
Security & auth Droid CLI +6
Droid CLI 63
Harness reading of the framework checklist, as for the other 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. The agent loop runs locally and the docs say no copy of the repository is uploaded or indexed. Prompts and context go to the model endpoints. Usage metrics go to Factory's collector by default, with no opt-out in the pages read outside an airgapped deployment, and message content is never sent to it. The security page says code is not used as training data. Zero data retention is listed as a Business plan item. Headless runs use a long-lived fk- key (17). droid exec is read-only by default, autonomy has four levels, permission rules allow, ask or block commands, and an OS sandbox confines commands with Seatbelt or bubblewrap and a network proxy. The sandbox is off by default and --skip-permissions-unsafe skips every prompt (16). The sandbox page names prompt injection and states what the sandbox does not stop, MCP approvals are bound to the server's command or URL, and Droid Shield scans commits for secrets. The Agent Safety page was not read (9). An organisation audit log, OpenTelemetry export and session tags exist, with audit logging listed from the Business plan up (10). A disclosure address (security@factory.com), SOC 2 and ISO 42001 named on the security page, per the 9 October check, and Security sections in the changelog. No security.txt (404 on 4 November), no bug bounty and no published advisories were found, OSV holds nothing for droid, and the trust centre was not readable (11).
Sculptor 57
Harness reading. Product analytics, error reporting and session recording default to off in the user config, and the app asks for a telemetry level and privacy consent at first run; PostHog runs on the front end only for now (25 of 30). Each workspace is an isolated copy of the code (14 of 20). No prompt-injection guidance (5). No audit log (5). SECURITY.md (8). 25 + 14 + 5 + 5 + 8 = 57.
Score by category
| Category | Weight this run | Droid CLI | Sculptor | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | 16%20 | 54 | 43 | Droid CLI +11 |
| Performance | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13%16.2 | 79 | 45 | Droid CLI +34 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13%16.2 | 72 | 50 | Droid CLI +22 |
| Security & auth | 14%17.5 | 63 | 57 | Droid CLI +6 |
| Payments & pricing | 10%12.5 | 10 | 60 | Sculptor +50 |
| Task success | 10%pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7%8.8 | 79 | 75 | Droid CLI +4 |
| Transparency & trust | 7%8.8 | 65 | 57 | Droid CLI +8 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | 0 | |
| Total | C 57.2/100 | D 53.1/100 |
Facts side by side
| Fact | Droid CLI | Sculptor |
|---|---|---|
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Factory | Imbue, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | ||
| Auth | OAuth or key | None |
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Proprietary, under Factory's Terms and Conditions. The droid npm package is marked UNLICENSED and the public repository holds documentation only. The Python SDK is Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |
| llms.txt | yes | no |
| Last release | 2026-11-04 | 2026-11-06 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-07-14 | no document linked |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-08-20 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not read yet |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | not read yet |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | not read yet |
| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | not read yet |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not read yet |
| Popularity | 49 stars, 7.8k npm/wk | none |
How the scores have moved
Sculptor
No score change since it was listed.
Verdicts
Droid CLI
droid exec is read-only unless --auto raises the autonomy level, with command rules, an optional kernel-enforced sandbox, JSON output and documented exit codes. No free tier, status page or security.txt was found, the source is closed, usage metrics go to Factory by default, and security fixes ship in release notes without advisories.
Sculptor
Imbue's open-source app for parallel coding agents in isolated workspaces, with telemetry off until you choose otherwise. It's an experimental research preview that warns of bugs and drastic changes, Mac and Linux only, with no changelog.
Before you call either
Droid CLI
- Set
FACTORY_API_KEY(startsfk-) from the API keys page in Factory settings for headless runs. Interactive use signs in through a browser - Start with
droid execand no flags for analysis. Add--auto lowfor edits and--auto mediumfor installs, tests and local commits - Use
--output-format jsonand readis_error,num_turnsandsession_id. Treat a non-zero exit code as failure - Set
sandbox.enabledto true before running on untrusted code. Indroid execa sandbox violation is denied without a prompt - Pin the version in CI with
npm install -g droid@<version>, or setFACTORY_DROID_AUTO_UPDATE_ENABLED=falseon standalone installs, which update themselves. Read each release's Security section before upgrading
Sculptor
- Download from the README's links, connect a repository and create a workspace before prompting
- Review the diff before merging a workspace back to main
Questions
Which is better for AI agents, Droid CLI or Sculptor?
Droid CLI scores 57.2 (C) on agent readiness against Sculptor's 53.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Sculptor leads on payments & pricing.
Are Droid CLI and Sculptor open source?
No open-source release is listed for Droid CLI. Sculptor is open source (MIT).
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Machine-readable
- This page as Markdown
/compare/droid-cli-vs-sculptor.md· slim.min.md· JSON.json(or sendAccept: text/markdown) - Each listing in full
/api/v1/tools/droid-cli.json·/api/v1/tools/sculptor.json - From a terminal
anchor compare droid-cli sculptor(the CLI) - Over MCP
compare_tools {"a": "droid-cli", "b": "sculptor"}at/mcp, no key