# MiniMax Code vs Paperclip

> MiniMax Code scores 67.5 (B) to Paperclip's 59 (C) for multi-agent orchestration. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- 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
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
- Licence: CC BY 4.0, credit Anchor Terminal and link this page (https://www.anchorterminal.com/terms/#data)
- Updated: 2026-10-19

MiniMax Code scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Paperclip's 59 (C), and leads in 1 of 7 scored categories. Paperclip leads on security & auth. Both do multi-agent orchestration.

- MiniMax Code: grade B, 67.5/100, rank #277 of 1175. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/minimax-code.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/minimax-code.json
- Paperclip: grade C, 59/100, rank #630 of 1175. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paperclip.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/paperclip.json
- Best agent harnesses and coding agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md
- All 752 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md

## Which one, for what

### MiniMax Code (B)

Good for: Scripted coding runs on MiniMax's models or any compatible model, driven by JSON output and exit codes.

Ahead on:
- Agent ergonomics, 75 against 70

Also in its favour:
- No incidents deducted, where Paperclip loses 10 points for them

Watch for: Pre-1.0 and labelled a source preview, with npm at 0.6.12 and the public source at 0.6.5

### Paperclip (C)

Good for: Someone running several coding or operations agents who wants one place for tasks, budgets, approvals and history across harnesses.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 64 against 57

Watch for: `claude_local` defaults `dangerouslySkipPermissions` to true and `codex_local` defaults to bypassing approvals and the sandbox, with agents running on the host


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | MiniMax Code | Paperclip | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 63 | 66 | Paperclip +3 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 81 | 81 | even |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 75 | 70 | MiniMax Code +5 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 57 | 64 | Paperclip +7 |
| 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) | 77 | 78 | Paperclip +1 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 61 | 65 | Paperclip +4 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | -10 | |
| **Total** | | **67.5 · B** | **59 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | MiniMax Code | Paperclip |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | MiniMax | Paperclip Labs, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | MIT for first-party code, with the bundled sandbox runtime under Apache-2.0. The desktop app's source isn't published | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-15 | 2026-10-05 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-01-19 | 2026-07-23 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-01-19 | 2026-07-23 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes, with an opt-out |
| Terms restrict automated access | yes | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Terms or service can change without notice | yes | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | yes |
| Popularity | 2k stars, 6.8k npm/wk | 99k stars, 60k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (4) | none |

## Verdicts

**MiniMax Code.** An MIT-licensed terminal coding agent with a headless mode that returns versioned JSON, documented exit codes and an ACP server, and telemetry off by default. It's pre-1.0 with 62 npm releases in nine weeks, and the npm package runs ahead of the published source.

**Paperclip.** Board approvals, budgets with a hard stop and an activity log sit above whichever harnesses do the work, and eleven stable versions shipped in 90 days. The Claude Code and Codex adapters skip permission prompts and the sandbox by default, and twelve security advisories, five of them critical, have been published since April 2026.

## Before you call either

### MiniMax Code

1. Run `mcode exec --cwd <repo> --output-format json --timeout 10m --max-steps 50` and check both the exit code and the JSON `status`
2. Keep `--permission full` and `off` for a container or throwaway workspace. The default `smart` fails when it would need a person
3. Set `MCODE_PROVIDER_API_KEY` and add a provider for BYOK. M Plan models need a browser sign-in with `mcode login --region global`
4. Set `MINIMAX_DATA_DIR` per CI runner. Keys and sessions live in `~/.minimax` by default
5. Pin a version. npm published 62 releases in nine weeks and the public source trails it

### Paperclip

1. Set `PAPERCLIP_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=1` or `DO_NOT_TRACK=1` before the first start. Telemetry is on by default
2. Set `dangerouslySkipPermissions` and `dangerouslyBypassApprovalsAndSandbox` to false on agents that read untrusted input, or run them in a sandbox provider
3. Install with Node.js 24.11 or newer, and install and sign in to each harness CLI on the host first. Paperclip assumes they are there
4. Use `--bind lan` or `--bind tailnet` at onboarding for anything beyond one machine. The default `local_trusted` mode treats every request as the board admin
5. Treat 409 on task checkout as owned by another agent and pick different work. The API docs say not to retry

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, MiniMax Code or Paperclip?

MiniMax Code scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Paperclip's 59 (C), and leads in 1 of 7 scored categories. Paperclip leads on security & auth.

### Are MiniMax Code and Paperclip open source?

Yes. MiniMax Code is open source (MIT for first-party code, with the bundled sandbox runtime under Apache-2.0. The desktop app's source isn't published). Paperclip is open source (MIT).


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with MiniMax Code or Paperclip

- [Agent Zero vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Aider vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Amp vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Antigravity CLI vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Auggie CLI vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/auggie-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Claude Code vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Cline vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Crush vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crush-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Cursor CLI vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-minimax-code.md)
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- [Devin vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Droid CLI vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Pi vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [Gemini CLI vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [GitHub Copilot CLI vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-minimax-code.md)
- [goose vs MiniMax Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-minimax-code.md)
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- [MiniMax Code vs Mirror CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-code-vs-reflection-mirror.md)
- [MiniMax Code vs Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-code-vs-rovo-dev-cli.md)
- [MiniMax Code vs Warp (Warp Agent CLI and the Oz Agent API)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-code-vs-warp.md)
- [Amp vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-paperclip.md)
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Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp