{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "hermes-agent",
      "name": "Hermes Agent",
      "vendor": "Nous Research",
      "vendorUrl": "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com",
      "kind": "harness",
      "category": "personal-assistants",
      "summary": "Open-source personal agent from Nous Research that the owner runs on a computer or server. It answers on messaging apps, keeps memory between sessions, runs scheduled jobs and connects to accounts, models and MCP servers the owner configures.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent",
      "license": "MIT",
      "transports": [],
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "oci",
          "name": "nousresearch/hermes-agent"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "none",
      "authNotes": "No account of its own. Model and channel keys go in `~/.hermes/.env` or come from Bitwarden, 1Password or a command helper at start-up. Google Workspace, MCP servers and Nous Portal sign in by OAuth, with tokens stored under `~/.hermes/`. The optional API server takes a bearer key set in `API_SERVER_KEY`.",
      "pricing": "free",
      "pricingNotes": "Free under the MIT licence. The owner pays the model provider chosen, or nothing with a local model. Nous Portal plans ($0, $20, $100 and $200 a month in credits) and Hermes Cloud hosting ($0.51 a day running on the Standard size, plus inference) are optional and sold separately.",
      "priceSummary": "Free · OSS",
      "where": "local",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 on Hermes Agent's own interfaces. An optional skill lets the agent pay other services over MPP, which is a client and not a way to pay for Hermes (checked 2026-10-12).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 253000,
        "npmWeekly": null,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-12"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/",
      "llmsTxt": "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/llms.txt",
      "capabilities": [
        "assistant.proactive",
        "assistant.messaging",
        "assistant.accounts",
        "assistant.memory",
        "assistant.self-hosted",
        "agent.mcp-client"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "open-source",
        "self-hosted",
        "local",
        "free",
        "no-card",
        "python",
        "docker",
        "llms-txt",
        "pre-1.0"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-10-11",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 67.9,
        "grade": "B",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 244,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 986,
        "categoryRank": 3,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 80,
          "maintenance": 84,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 57,
          "schema": 80,
          "security": 75,
          "transparency": 63
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-12"
        },
        "negative": -3,
        "negativeNotes": [
          "2026-10-08. The v0.21.6 release notes list six security fixes, among them a native sign-in flaw that could send login codes to a non-loopback redirect and a quoted display name in the `From` header that affected the email gateway's sender check. SECURITY.md counts unauthorised access to an external surface as in scope, yet the repository shows no published advisory, so owners on older versions have no advisory to act on. Fixed and described in the notes, -3. https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases/tag/v0.21.6; https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/security/advisories"
        ],
        "verdict": "Card payments always ask first and are refused in unattended sessions, and the messaging gateway denies every sender until an allowlist is set. Shell commands run on the host by default with a model judging risk, and sending mail through the Google Workspace skill is held back only by an instruction to the model.",
        "bestFor": "A technical owner who wants one always-on agent across chat apps with memory and scheduled jobs, on their own machine or a small server, with any model.",
        "strengths": [
          "Every saved-card fill asks for approval, and cron, webhook and API sessions are refused because nobody can confirm",
          "The messaging gateway denies all senders until an allowlist or a pairing code approved on the CLI is in place",
          "The docs say no telemetry, usage data or analytics is collected, and conversations, memory and skills stay in `~/.hermes/`",
          "SECURITY.md states that in-process checks are not a boundary and names OS-level isolation as the only one",
          "Ten releases between 19 August and 11 October 2026, the latest v0.21.7 on 11 October"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "The default terminal backend runs commands on the host, and the default `smart` mode lets an auxiliary model approve commands it rates low-risk",
          "The Google Workspace skill requests full Gmail, Calendar and Drive scopes, and its confirm-before-sending rule is an instruction in SKILL.md, not enforced in code",
          "Memory writes are saved without approval by default (`memory.write_approval: false`), including from a background review after each turn",
          "Release v0.21.6 of 8 October 2026 lists six security fixes and the repository has no published security advisory",
          "15,102 open issues and more than 5,000 open pull requests on 12 October 2026",
          "The Nous Portal terms grant Nous a licence to train models on customer data when the Portal is the model provider"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Set `approvals.mode: manual` before giving it real accounts. The default `smart` lets an auxiliary model approve commands",
          "Run the gateway with `terminal.backend: docker` or the project's Docker image when it reads mail, web pages or group chats",
          "Set `memory.write_approval: true` and `skills.write_approval: true` to review what it saves about the owner",
          "Leave `approvals.cron_mode` and `approvals.unattended_mode` at `deny` for scheduled and webhook runs",
          "Set `TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS` or the matching allowlist per channel. Never set `GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true`"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "local",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "B",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 67.9
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 80,
          "maintenance": 84,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 57,
          "schema": 80,
          "security": 75,
          "transparency": 73
        },
        "provenanceScore": 53
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash   # then: hermes setup",
        "headless": {
          "command": "hermes chat -q \"$TASK\" --format stream-json --max-turns 30"
        }
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/hermes-agent"
      },
      "area": "frameworks",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Nous Research, Inc.",
        "domain": "nousresearch.com",
        "domainRegistered": "",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": null,
        "terms": "",
        "privacy": "",
        "statusPage": "",
        "changelog": "https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-12",
        "notes": [
          "The site footer reads Nous Research, Inc., and the Nous Portal terms name it as a Delaware corporation.",
          "No terms or privacy link is given. The Nous Portal terms and privacy policy (both dated 28 September 2026) govern the optional Portal and Hermes Cloud services, not the software the owner runs under the MIT licence, so the licence stands in.",
          "hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404. SECURITY.md in the repository gives security@nousresearch.com and GitHub private reporting.",
          "No status page applies to software the owner runs. None was looked for on the Portal.",
          "The domain registration date was not looked up."
        ],
        "score": 53
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.json"
    },
    "answer": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against QwenPaw's 62.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. QwenPaw leads on reliability.",
    "b": {
      "slug": "qwenpaw",
      "name": "QwenPaw",
      "vendor": "AgentScope",
      "vendorUrl": "https://qwenpaw.agentscope.io",
      "kind": "harness",
      "category": "personal-assistants",
      "summary": "Open-source personal assistant from the AgentScope team that the owner runs on their own machine or server. It answers on chat apps, runs scheduled and proactive tasks, manages a mailbox over IMAP and SMTP, and keeps memory as Markdown files.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwenpaw",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwenpaw.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwenpaw.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qwenpaw.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/agentscope-ai/QwenPaw",
      "license": "Apache-2.0",
      "transports": [
        "http",
        "stdio"
      ],
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "qwenpaw"
        },
        {
          "registry": "oci",
          "name": "agentscope/qwenpaw"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "none",
      "authNotes": "No account. The Console and API bind to 127.0.0.1:8088 with login off by default. `QWENPAW_AUTH_ENABLED=true` adds one admin account with a salted SHA-256 password hash and a signed token valid for seven days, and requests from localhost skip it. Each channel takes its own bot credentials, and the mailbox takes an IMAP and SMTP authorisation code or app password.",
      "pricing": "free",
      "pricingNotes": "Free under Apache-2.0 with nothing to buy. Model usage is billed by whichever provider the owner configures, and local models through llama.cpp, Ollama or LM Studio need no key. The README describes a hosted deployment on AgentScope Platform as free. That platform's pages are script-drawn and its terms and limits were not read (checked 2026-10-12).",
      "priceSummary": "Free · OSS",
      "where": "local",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the README, the docs source or the dependency list (checked 2026-10-12).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 35621,
        "npmWeekly": null,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-12"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://qwenpaw.agentscope.io/docs",
      "capabilities": [
        "assistant.proactive",
        "assistant.messaging",
        "assistant.accounts",
        "assistant.memory",
        "assistant.self-hosted",
        "agent.mcp-client"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "open-source",
        "self-hosted",
        "local",
        "free",
        "python",
        "docker",
        "desktop-app",
        "mcp",
        "telemetry-default-on"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-09-11",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 62.2,
        "grade": "B",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 454,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 986,
        "categoryRank": 7,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 67,
          "maintenance": 73,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 70,
          "schema": 68,
          "security": 60,
          "transparency": 56
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-12"
        },
        "negative": -3,
        "negativeNotes": [
          "2026-09-11. Version 2.2.1 began enforcing each MCP server's tool allowlist on the agent runtime path (commit f2a292d of 4 September, #7504). Before it, a tool the owner had disabled on an MCP client could still be invoked by the agent. Fixed and listed in the release notes, with no security advisory, -2. https://github.com/agentscope-ai/QwenPaw/pull/7504",
          "2026-09-03. Version 2.2.0 blocked shell line-continuation variants that bypassed sensitive-path protections (#7472). Fixed and listed in the release notes, with no security advisory, -1. https://github.com/agentscope-ai/QwenPaw/blob/main/website/public/release-notes/v2.2.0.md"
        ],
        "verdict": "Mail tools ask for approval by default, automatic mail handling may not delete permanently, and the security docs list what each sandbox backend fails to enforce. Usage data is sent by default, the default approval level passes every tool call no rule flags, and no privacy policy or security advisory is published.",
        "bestFor": "One person who wants an assistant on Chinese and Western chat apps with scheduled digests, a consumer mailbox and file-based memory, on their own machine and with a model of their choice.",
        "strengths": [
          "New mail driver cards default to the `ask` policy, and automatic mail handling may not call `delete_message` or write to unknown recipients",
          "Kernel sandbox on macOS, Linux and Windows, with a documented list of constraints each backend does not enforce",
          "Model keys, mail credentials and environment secrets are encrypted with a master key held in the OS keychain or a 0600 file",
          "Memory is plain Markdown in the agent workspace that the owner can read, edit and remove",
          "Four stable releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026, each with dated release notes"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "Usage data is on by default, `qwenpaw init --defaults` accepts it without a prompt, and the opt-out variable is absent from the README and docs",
          "The default approval level AUTO asks only for tool calls a guard rule flags, and `/proactive` skips approval prompts entirely",
          "Channel direct-message and group policies default to `open`, and Console login is off by default",
          "No privacy policy, terms of service or security.txt on qwenpaw.agentscope.io, and no published GitHub security advisory",
          "Inside containers the sandbox falls back to `mode=none`, which the docs say enforces no isolation",
          "671 open issues and 381 open pull requests on 12 October 2026, and the Tests workflow on main had not completed a run since 30 September"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Set `QWENPAW_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=true` before `qwenpaw init --defaults` or `qwenpaw app`. Both send usage data without asking",
          "Set `approval_level` to `STRICT` or `SMART` in `agent.json`. The default `AUTO` runs every tool call no guard rule flags",
          "Set `dm_policy` and `group_policy` to `allowlist` with `allow_from` on each channel. Both default to `open`",
          "Set `QWENPAW_AUTH_ENABLED=true` before binding beyond 127.0.0.1. Requests from localhost skip login even then",
          "Keep mail tools on `ask` for `send_message`, `delete_message` and `delete_thread`, and turn on Mail Access Control with automatic handling"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "local",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "B",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 62.2
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 67,
          "maintenance": 73,
          "payments": 60,
          "reliability": 70,
          "schema": 68,
          "security": 60,
          "transparency": 58
        },
        "provenanceScore": 53
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "pip install qwenpaw \u0026\u0026 qwenpaw init --defaults \u0026\u0026 qwenpaw app   # Python 3.11 to 3.13; or: docker pull agentscope/qwenpaw:latest",
        "http": "curl -X POST http://localhost:8088/api/console/chat -H \"Content-Type: application/json\" -H \"X-Agent-Id: default\" -d '{\"input\": [...]}'"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/qwenpaw"
      },
      "area": "frameworks",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Qwenpaw PRIVATE LIMITED",
        "domain": "agentscope.io",
        "domainRegistered": "",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": null,
        "terms": "",
        "privacy": "",
        "statusPage": "",
        "changelog": "https://qwenpaw.agentscope.io/release-notes",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-12",
        "notes": [
          "The site footer in the repository's website source reads © 2026 Qwenpaw PRIVATE LIMITED. The LICENSE file names The QwenPaw Authors, and the README credits the AgentScope team.",
          "SECURITY.md sends vulnerability reports to the Alibaba Security Response Centre. We found no other first-hand statement of ownership by Alibaba.",
          "The site links a Usage Policy dated 26 August 2026 and no terms of service or privacy policy, so both links are left out and the Apache-2.0 licence stands in.",
          "qwenpaw.agentscope.io answered 404 for robots.txt, llms.txt and /.well-known/security.txt on 12 October 2026.",
          "No hosted endpoint is graded. A self-hosted instance answers on its owner's own host. We did not look up the domain's registration date."
        ],
        "score": 53
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwenpaw.json"
    },
    "facts": [
      {
        "a": "Agent harness",
        "b": "Agent harness",
        "name": "Kind"
      },
      {
        "a": "Nous Research",
        "b": "AgentScope",
        "name": "Vendor"
      },
      {
        "a": "no (local only)",
        "b": "no (local only)",
        "name": "Hosted endpoint"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "HTTP, stdio",
        "name": "Transports"
      },
      {
        "a": "None",
        "b": "None",
        "name": "Auth"
      },
      {
        "a": "Free",
        "b": "Free",
        "name": "Pricing"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "x402"
      },
      {
        "a": "MIT",
        "b": "Apache-2.0",
        "name": "Licence"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "Read-only variant documented"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "llms.txt"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-10-11",
        "b": "2026-09-11",
        "name": "Last release"
      },
      {
        "a": "no document linked",
        "b": "no document linked",
        "name": "Terms last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "no document linked",
        "b": "no document linked",
        "name": "Privacy policy last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Customer content may train models"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Terms restrict automated access"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Terms or service can change without notice"
      },
      {
        "a": "",
        "b": "",
        "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver"
      },
      {
        "a": "253k stars",
        "b": "36k stars",
        "name": "Popularity"
      }
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "answer": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against QwenPaw's 62.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. QwenPaw leads on reliability.",
        "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Hermes Agent or QwenPaw?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "Yes. Hermes Agent is open source (MIT). QwenPaw is open source (Apache-2.0).",
        "question": "Are Hermes Agent and QwenPaw open source?"
      }
    ],
    "goodFor": [
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 68",
          "Agent ergonomics, 80 against 67",
          "Security \u0026 auth, 75 against 60",
          "Maintenance \u0026 community, 84 against 73",
          "Transparency \u0026 trust, 63 against 56"
        ],
        "also": [
          "Free to start without a card"
        ],
        "goodFor": "A technical owner who wants one always-on agent across chat apps with memory and scheduled jobs, on their own machine or a small server, with any model.",
        "slug": "hermes-agent",
        "watchFor": "The default terminal backend runs commands on the host, and the default `smart` mode lets an auxiliary model approve commands it rates low-risk"
      },
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Reliability, 70 against 57"
        ],
        "also": [
          "Runs on your own machine"
        ],
        "goodFor": "One person who wants an assistant on Chinese and Western chat apps with scheduled digests, a consumer mailbox and file-based memory, on their own machine and with a model of their choice.",
        "slug": "qwenpaw",
        "watchFor": "Usage data is on by default, `qwenpaw init --defaults` accepts it without a prompt, and the opt-out variable is absent from the README and docs"
      }
    ],
    "job": {
      "capability": "assistant.proactive",
      "name": "Assistant proactive"
    },
    "others": [
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hermes-agent.json",
        "title": "AstrBot vs Hermes Agent",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hermes-agent"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "AstrBot vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "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-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "CowAgent vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.json",
        "title": "GAIA vs Hermes Agent",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "GAIA vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hermes-agent.json",
        "title": "Gemini Spark vs Hermes Agent",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hermes-agent"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "Gemini Spark vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hermes-agent.json",
        "title": "Grok Bot vs Hermes Agent",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hermes-agent"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "Grok Bot vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hermes-agent.json",
        "title": "Haven vs Hermes Agent",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hermes-agent"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "Haven vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "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/hermes-agent-vs-ironclaw.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs IronClaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-ironclaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-leon.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs Leon",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-leon"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-lindy.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs Lindy",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-lindy"
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanobot.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs nanobot",
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      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs Dots",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs PicoClaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-poke.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs Poke",
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.json",
        "title": "Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw"
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zo-computer.json",
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "Instinct vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-qwenpaw"
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "IronClaw vs QwenPaw",
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      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "Leon vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "Lindy vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "nanobot vs QwenPaw",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-qwenpaw"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "NanoClaw vs QwenPaw",
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-qwenpaw.json",
        "title": "Dots vs QwenPaw",
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        "title": "OpenClaw vs QwenPaw",
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        "title": "Poke vs QwenPaw",
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zeroclaw.json",
        "title": "QwenPaw vs ZeroClaw",
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zo-computer.json",
        "title": "QwenPaw vs Zo Computer",
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    "scores": [
      {
        "by": 13,
        "edge": "qwenpaw",
        "hermes-agent": 57,
        "key": "reliability",
        "name": "Reliability",
        "qwenpaw": 70,
        "weight": 16
      },
      {
        "key": "performance",
        "name": "Performance",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 12,
        "edge": "hermes-agent",
        "hermes-agent": 80,
        "key": "schema",
        "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation",
        "qwenpaw": 68,
        "weight": 13
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      {
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        "edge": "hermes-agent",
        "hermes-agent": 80,
        "key": "ergonomics",
        "name": "Agent ergonomics",
        "qwenpaw": 67,
        "weight": 13
      },
      {
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        "edge": "hermes-agent",
        "hermes-agent": 75,
        "key": "security",
        "name": "Security \u0026 auth",
        "qwenpaw": 60,
        "weight": 14
      },
      {
        "by": 0,
        "edge": "",
        "hermes-agent": 60,
        "key": "payments",
        "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing",
        "qwenpaw": 60,
        "weight": 10
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        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
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        "edge": "hermes-agent",
        "hermes-agent": 84,
        "key": "maintenance",
        "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community",
        "qwenpaw": 73,
        "weight": 7
      },
      {
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        "edge": "hermes-agent",
        "hermes-agent": 63,
        "key": "transparency",
        "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust",
        "qwenpaw": 56,
        "weight": 7
      }
    ],
    "summary": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against QwenPaw's 62.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. QwenPaw leads on reliability. Both do assistant proactive.",
    "verdicts": {
      "hermes-agent": "Card payments always ask first and are refused in unattended sessions, and the messaging gateway denies every sender until an allowlist is set. Shell commands run on the host by default with a model judging risk, and sending mail through the Google Workspace skill is held back only by an instruction to the model.",
      "qwenpaw": "Mail tools ask for approval by default, automatic mail handling may not delete permanently, and the security docs list what each sandbox backend fails to enforce. Usage data is sent by default, the default approval level passes every tool call no rule flags, and no privacy policy or security advisory is published."
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  "markdown": "Hermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against QwenPaw's 62.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. QwenPaw leads on reliability. Both do assistant proactive.\n\n- Hermes Agent: grade B, 67.9/100, rank #244 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/hermes-agent.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json\n- QwenPaw: grade B, 62.2/100, rank #454 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/qwenpaw.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qwenpaw.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### Hermes Agent (B)\n\nGood for: A technical owner who wants one always-on agent across chat apps with memory and scheduled jobs, on their own machine or a small server, with any model.\n\nAhead on:\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 80 against 68\n- Agent ergonomics, 80 against 67\n- Security \u0026 auth, 75 against 60\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 84 against 73\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 63 against 56\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Free to start without a card\n\nWatch for: The default terminal backend runs commands on the host, and the default `smart` mode lets an auxiliary model approve commands it rates low-risk\n\n### QwenPaw (B)\n\nGood for: One person who wants an assistant on Chinese and Western chat apps with scheduled digests, a consumer mailbox and file-based memory, on their own machine and with a model of their choice.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 70 against 57\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Runs on your own machine\n\nWatch for: Usage data is on by default, `qwenpaw init --defaults` accepts it without a prompt, and the opt-out variable is absent from the README and docs\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Hermes Agent | QwenPaw | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 57 | 70 | QwenPaw +13 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 68 | Hermes Agent +12 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 80 | 67 | Hermes Agent +13 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 75 | 60 | Hermes Agent +15 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 60 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 84 | 73 | Hermes Agent +11 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 63 | 56 | Hermes Agent +7 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -3 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **67.9 · B** | **62.2 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Hermes Agent | QwenPaw |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Nous Research | AgentScope |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports |  | HTTP, stdio |\n| Auth | None | None |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT | Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | no |\n| Last release | 2026-10-11 | 2026-09-11 |\n| Terms last updated | no document linked | no document linked |\n| Privacy policy last updated | no document linked | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models |  |  |\n| Terms restrict automated access |  |  |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking |  |  |\n| Terms or service can change without notice |  |  |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  |  |\n| Popularity | 253k stars | 36k stars |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Hermes Agent.** Card payments always ask first and are refused in unattended sessions, and the messaging gateway denies every sender until an allowlist is set. Shell commands run on the host by default with a model judging risk, and sending mail through the Google Workspace skill is held back only by an instruction to the model.\n\n**QwenPaw.** Mail tools ask for approval by default, automatic mail handling may not delete permanently, and the security docs list what each sandbox backend fails to enforce. Usage data is sent by default, the default approval level passes every tool call no rule flags, and no privacy policy or security advisory is published.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Hermes Agent\n\n1. Set `approvals.mode: manual` before giving it real accounts. The default `smart` lets an auxiliary model approve commands\n2. Run the gateway with `terminal.backend: docker` or the project's Docker image when it reads mail, web pages or group chats\n3. Set `memory.write_approval: true` and `skills.write_approval: true` to review what it saves about the owner\n4. Leave `approvals.cron_mode` and `approvals.unattended_mode` at `deny` for scheduled and webhook runs\n5. Set `TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS` or the matching allowlist per channel. Never set `GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true`\n\n### QwenPaw\n\n1. Set `QWENPAW_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=true` before `qwenpaw init --defaults` or `qwenpaw app`. Both send usage data without asking\n2. Set `approval_level` to `STRICT` or `SMART` in `agent.json`. The default `AUTO` runs every tool call no guard rule flags\n3. Set `dm_policy` and `group_policy` to `allowlist` with `allow_from` on each channel. Both default to `open`\n4. Set `QWENPAW_AUTH_ENABLED=true` before binding beyond 127.0.0.1. Requests from localhost skip login even then\n5. Keep mail tools on `ask` for `send_message`, `delete_message` and `delete_thread`, and turn on Mail Access Control with automatic handling\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Hermes Agent or QwenPaw?\n\nHermes Agent scores 67.9 (B) on agent readiness against QwenPaw's 62.2 (B), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. QwenPaw leads on reliability.\n\n### Are Hermes Agent and QwenPaw open source?\n\nYes. Hermes Agent is open source (MIT). QwenPaw is open source (Apache-2.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-qwenpaw.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-qwenpaw.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"hermes-agent\", \"b\": \"qwenpaw\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare hermes-agent qwenpaw`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/hermes-agent.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/qwenpaw.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Hermes Agent or QwenPaw\n\n- [AstrBot vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [AstrBot vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [CowAgent vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [GAIA vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Haven vs Hermes Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-hermes-agent.md)\n- [Haven vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Instinct](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-instinct.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs IronClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-ironclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Leon](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-leon.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Lindy](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-lindy.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs nanobot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanobot.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-poke.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zo-computer.md)\n- [Instinct vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [IronClaw vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Leon vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Lindy vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [nanobot vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Dots vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [PicoClaw vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Poke vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [QwenPaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [QwenPaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zo-computer.md)\n",
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