{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "nanoclaw", "name": "NanoClaw", "vendor": "NanoCo, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://nanoclaw.dev", "kind": "harness", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "Open-source personal assistant that the owner runs on their own machine. It answers on messaging apps, runs each agent session in a Docker container, keeps Markdown memory on disk and runs scheduled tasks.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nanoclaw", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nanoclaw.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nanoclaw.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nanoclaw.json", "repo": "https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account is needed to run it. Owners and admins are rows in a local `user_roles` table, and strangers are handled by each chat's `unknown_sender_policy` (https://docs.nanoclaw.dev/concepts/security). Model and service credentials are registered with a credential gateway on the host, OneCLI Agent Vault by default, which adds them to outbound HTTPS requests. Containers receive placeholders such as `onecli-managed` (https://docs.nanoclaw.dev/operate/credentials). Channel tokens stay in the host's `.env`. An optional free NanoClaw account, used for a prebuilt agent image and a managed Slack app, keeps its token in `~/.config/nanoclaw/account.json` with mode 0600 (https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw/blob/main/README.md).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under the MIT licence, with nothing on sale. The optional NanoClaw account, the Echo image and the managed Slack app are free of charge per the terms of 31 July 2026 (https://nanoclaw.dev/terms). The owner pays the model provider through a Claude subscription, an API key or another provider, and any service a channel or tool uses, such as Dial. Since 2.4.0 Claude groups default to Opus 5.5 (checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 30929, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.nanoclaw.dev", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.nanoclaw.dev/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "agent.mcp-client", "assistant.accounts" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "local", "free", "no-card", "docker", "llms-txt" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-09", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 68.3, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 229, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 78, "payments": 60, "reliability": 78, "schema": 82, "security": 74, "transparency": 65 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -5, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-10-09. Release 2026.10.0 fixed four symlink flaws through which a manipulated agent could make the host read, write or delete files outside its folders, plus an admin-command bypass, a cross-group read through `ncl` and a command injection in Mattermost setup. Fixed and described in the changelog within the week, but the advisories it links (GHSA-frvf-5rf5-89fq and seven others) were not public on 12 October 2026. -5. https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md" ], "verdict": "Each session runs in an unprivileged Docker container and API keys stay in a credential gateway on the host, so a manipulated agent cannot read them. Inside the container the agent runs with permission prompts off, network egress is open by default, and it can message any chat it is wired to without approval.", "bestFor": "A technical owner who wants an assistant on their own machine, reachable from chat apps, with container isolation and scheduled tasks, and who is willing to keep a fork.", "strengths": [ "Each session runs in a non-root Docker container with all capabilities dropped, and the project root and `.env` are never mounted", "API keys sit in a credential gateway on the host, which adds them to outbound requests, so the container holds only placeholders", "Installing packages, adding an MCP server and admitting a new chat each wait for an admin's approval, and no reachable approver means denial", "Memory is plain Markdown under `groups/\u003cfolder\u003e/memory/`, which the owner can read, edit or delete on the host", "The security page states what the design does not stop, including messages to wired chats and spending through granted credentials" ], "weaknesses": [ "The Claude provider runs with `permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions'`, so shell, file and web tools run inside the container with no prompt", "Egress lockdown is off by default, so a container can reach the internet directly unless `NANOCLAW_EGRESS_LOCKDOWN=true` is set", "The 2026.10.0 changelog links eight advisories on the repository, and on 12 October 2026 the advisories page listed none and one linked advisory returned 404", "Setup sends events to PostHog unless `NANOCLAW_NO_DIAGNOSTICS=1` is set, and the privacy policy does not mention them", "The docs say trunk has no Gmail or Google Calendar integration, while the GitHub repository description still names Gmail", "294 open issues and 750 open pull requests on 12 October 2026, and 10 of the 12 newest open issues had no reply" ], "agentNotes": [ "Install with `git clone` and `bash nanoclaw.sh`. There is no registry package, and setup needs Docker, Node 22 or later and a Claude or Codex credential", "Set `NANOCLAW_EGRESS_LOCKDOWN=true` before giving an agent credentials or an audience of strangers. The default leaves egress open", "Put chats with different audiences in separate agent groups. Every session of a group shares one read-write workspace and memory tree", "Turn on per-request approval for a secret in the gateway when its use should wait for a person. It is off unless configured", "On OneCLI installs, move the gateway to 1.42.0 by the upgrade guide before updating to 2026.10.0. The updater stops until that is done" ], "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": 68.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 70, "maintenance": 78, "payments": 60, "reliability": 78, "schema": 82, "security": 74, "transparency": 77 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "git clone https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw.git nanoclaw-v2 \u0026\u0026 cd nanoclaw-v2 \u0026\u0026 bash nanoclaw.sh" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/nanoclaw" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "NanoCo, Inc.", "domain": "nanoclaw.dev", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The terms and privacy policy at nanoclaw.dev name NanoCo, Inc. and Delaware law. Both say they cover the website and the optional account, not the software, so neither is linked and the MIT licence stands in.", "nanoclaw.dev/.well-known/security.txt returned 404 on 12 October 2026. The repository's SECURITY.md points to GitHub private vulnerability reporting.", "There is no hosted endpoint. The assistant runs on the owner's machine, and the optional account service is at portal.nanoclaw.dev, which we did not open.", "The registration date of nanoclaw.dev was not checked." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nanoclaw.json" }, "answer": "NanoClaw scores 68.3 (B) on agent readiness against Dots's 28.3 (F), and leads in every scored category.", "b": { "slug": "openai-dots", "name": "Dots", "vendor": "OpenAI", "vendorUrl": "https://chatgpt.com", "kind": "platform", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "Dots is OpenAI's always-on agent inside ChatGPT, in beta. Each dot has a cloud computer and browser, keeps notes, works between conversations across connected apps, and answers in ChatGPT, by voice call, Slack and Teams.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-dots", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-dots.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-dots.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-dots.json", "license": "Proprietary hosted service. The governing terms were not read", "transports": [], "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "A person signs in to ChatGPT on an eligible plan and creates a dot in the mobile app, desktop app or a desktop browser. No API key or other credential for outside programs was found. Apps are reached through plugins connected to the ChatGPT account, each with its own connected account and allowed actions. Website logins go through a private form to the cloud browser outside the conversation, sessions last until sign-out or expiry, and reusing a saved login needs confirmation. A local computer is connected with Allow access and removed with Revoke access. Where tokens and saved passwords are stored is not stated (https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/dots/computers-and-apps; https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/dots/getting-started).", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "Included with ChatGPT Pro at $100, $200 or $500 a month, Business Premium (price not found on the pages read) and Enterprise through sales. Conversations with a dot do not count towards ChatGPT usage limits. Tasks it starts in ChatGPT Work or Codex count towards those limits. The plan includes an allowance for deeper work with no figure given, extended for the first month after launch. No free tier or trial for dots was found (https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/dots#access; https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/pricing, checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "$100 / mo", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the Dots docs, the admin guide or the pricing page (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/dots", "llmsTxt": "https://learn.chatgpt.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.accounts", "assistant.memory", "assistant.messaging" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "beta", "chatgpt", "slack", "teams", "voice", "cloud-browser", "approvals", "paid", "llms-txt" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-09", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 28.3, "grade": "F", "agentReady": false, "rank": 973, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 17, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 22, "maintenance": 38, "payments": 10, "reliability": 3, "schema": 41, "security": 58, "transparency": 31 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "low", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Actions that affect accounts or share information pass an automatic review, and custom rules can require approval or a hand-off. Dots is a beta on Pro plans from $100 a month, and no status page, terms, privacy policy or way to delete individual saved notes was found in the pages we could read.", "bestFor": "A ChatGPT Pro or Enterprise user who wants ongoing work tracked across mail, documents, code and Slack with approval before sends.", "strengths": [ "An automatic review checks each action that could affect accounts or share information against instructions, permissions and custom rules before it runs", "Custom rules have four settings, from acting without asking to handing the step to the owner, and app permissions can allow reading mail without sending", "Proactive research uses tools that cannot send messages, change app content or control a browser or computer, per the docs", "Website passwords are entered in a private form outside the conversation, and reusing a saved login needs the owner's confirmation", "Six docs pages with Markdown twins listed in llms.txt, and a dated release note for dots on 9 October 2026" ], "weaknesses": [ "Beta. The admin setting is labelled Use dots (Beta), access is rolling out gradually, and Teams access is an invite-only alpha", "No way to view or delete individual saved notes is documented. The admin guide's link to reset options lands on the section for deleting the whole dot", "Custom rules are described as instructions the dot tries to follow and can get wrong, and an authorised write can run without a prompt where policy allows", "Pro consumer accounts in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom and Switzerland are excluded, and the plan's allowance for deeper work has no published figure", "No status page, service terms or privacy policy is linked from the Dots docs, and openai.com and help.openai.com refused our reader", "No API, MCP endpoint or other documented way for an outside program to message a dot was found" ], "agentNotes": [ "Say what may be sent. Asking a dot to draft replies does not permit sending them, and an action outside a stated scope needs another decision", "Stop three things separately. Pause stops the main task only, delegated tasks stop in Activity and recurring tasks in Scheduled, and completed actions are not undone", "Connect each thing separately. A messaging channel grants no access to an inbox, an app or a computer", "Sign out of websites and disconnect apps yourself when removing access. Revoking dots access or disconnecting an app does not delete information already obtained", "Keep the connected computer online with the ChatGPT app open for local work. Only one personal computer can be connected at a time" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "low", "grade": "F", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 28.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 22, "maintenance": 38, "payments": 10, "reliability": 3, "schema": 41, "security": 58, "transparency": 26 }, "provenanceScore": 36 }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/openai-dots" }, "area": "frameworks", "unitPrices": [ { "item": "Pro 100", "unit": "month", "usd": 100, "note": "ChatGPT Pro plan, includes dots with an allowance for deeper work that has no published figure" }, { "item": "Pro 200", "unit": "month", "usd": 200, "note": "ChatGPT Pro plan" }, { "item": "Pro 500", "unit": "month", "usd": 500, "note": "ChatGPT Pro plan" } ], "provenance": { "legalEntity": "", "domain": "chatgpt.com", "domainRegistered": "2022-11-30", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/whats-new", "securityTxt": "unknown", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "No page we read names the legal entity or the documents that govern Dots. The docs footer links https://openai.com/policies, which answered 403 to our reader, so `terms` and `privacy` are left out. OpenAI's other listings here link https://openai.com/policies/services-agreement/ and https://openai.com/policies/privacy-policy/. Neither was read today, and whether the consumer Terms of Use govern Pro accounts was not established.", "No status page is linked from the Dots docs, the admin guide, the pricing page or the release notes we read.", "learn.chatgpt.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404. chatgpt.com is closed to Anthropic agents by its robots.txt and openai.com answered 403 on the one page requested, so neither host's security.txt was requested.", "The .com registry's RDAP record gives 30 November 2022 as the registration date of chatgpt.com, registrar MarkMonitor Inc.", "learn.chatgpt.com/robots.txt answered 200 and allows every path. help.openai.com/robots.txt allows the article paths, and four linked articles answered 403 with a JavaScript check. cdn.openai.com/robots.txt answered 404." ], "score": 36 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-dots.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Platform", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "NanoCo, Inc.", "b": "OpenAI", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "OAuth or key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Paid", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT", "b": "Proprietary hosted service. The governing terms were not read", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-09", "b": "2026-10-09", "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": "31k stars", "b": "none", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "NanoClaw scores 68.3 (B) on agent readiness against Dots's 28.3 (F), and leads in every scored category.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, NanoClaw or Dots?" }, { "answer": "NanoClaw is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Dots.", "question": "Are NanoClaw and Dots open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 78 against 3", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 82 against 41", "Agent ergonomics, 70 against 22", "Security \u0026 auth, 74 against 58", "Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 10", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 78 against 38", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 65 against 31" ], "also": [ "No key needed to call it", "Free to start without a card", "Open source" ], "goodFor": "A technical owner who wants an assistant on their own machine, reachable from chat apps, with container isolation and scheduled tasks, and who is willing to keep a fork.", "slug": "nanoclaw", "watchFor": "The Claude provider runs with `permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions'`, so shell, file and web tools run inside the container with no prompt" }, { "aheadOn": null, "also": [ "No incidents deducted, where NanoClaw loses 5 points for them" ], "goodFor": "A ChatGPT Pro or Enterprise user who wants ongoing work tracked across mail, documents, code and Slack with approval before sends.", "slug": "openai-dots", "watchFor": "Beta. The admin setting is labelled Use dots (Beta), access is rolling out gradually, and Teams access is an invite-only alpha" } ], "job": { "capability": "assistant.proactive", "name": "Assistant proactive" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "AstrBot vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "AstrBot vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "CowAgent vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "GAIA vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Gemini Spark vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Gemini Spark vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Grok Bot vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Grok Bot vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Haven vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Haven vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "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/instinct-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Instinct vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "IronClaw vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "IronClaw vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Leon vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Leon vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "Lindy vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "Lindy vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-nanoclaw.json", "title": "nanobot vs NanoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-nanoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "nanobot vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-openai-dots" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-poke.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zo-computer" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openclaw.json", "title": "Dots vs OpenClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "Dots vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-poke.json", "title": "Dots vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "Dots vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Dots vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "Dots vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zo-computer" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 75, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "nanoclaw": 78, "openai-dots": 3, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 41, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "nanoclaw": 82, "openai-dots": 41, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 48, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "nanoclaw": 70, "openai-dots": 22, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 16, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "nanoclaw": 74, "openai-dots": 58, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 50, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "nanoclaw": 60, "openai-dots": 10, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 40, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "nanoclaw": 78, "openai-dots": 38, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 34, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "nanoclaw": 65, "openai-dots": 31, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "NanoClaw scores 68.3 (B) on agent readiness against Dots's 28.3 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do assistant proactive.", "verdicts": { "nanoclaw": "Each session runs in an unprivileged Docker container and API keys stay in a credential gateway on the host, so a manipulated agent cannot read them. Inside the container the agent runs with permission prompts off, network egress is open by default, and it can message any chat it is wired to without approval.", "openai-dots": "Actions that affect accounts or share information pass an automatic review, and custom rules can require approval or a hand-off. Dots is a beta on Pro plans from $100 a month, and no status page, terms, privacy policy or way to delete individual saved notes was found in the pages we could read." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.min.md" }, "markdown": "NanoClaw scores 68.3 (B) on agent readiness against Dots's 28.3 (F), and leads in every scored category. Both do assistant proactive.\n\n- NanoClaw: grade B, 68.3/100, rank #229 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/nanoclaw.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nanoclaw.json\n- Dots: grade F, 28.3/100, rank #973 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openai-dots.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-dots.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### NanoClaw (B)\n\nGood for: A technical owner who wants an assistant on their own machine, reachable from chat apps, with container isolation and scheduled tasks, and who is willing to keep a fork.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 78 against 3\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 82 against 41\n- Agent ergonomics, 70 against 22\n- Security \u0026 auth, 74 against 58\n- Payments \u0026 pricing, 60 against 10\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 78 against 38\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 65 against 31\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No key needed to call it\n- Free to start without a card\n- Open source\n\nWatch for: The Claude provider runs with `permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions'`, so shell, file and web tools run inside the container with no prompt\n\n### Dots (F)\n\nGood for: A ChatGPT Pro or Enterprise user who wants ongoing work tracked across mail, documents, code and Slack with approval before sends.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- No incidents deducted, where NanoClaw loses 5 points for them\n\nWatch for: Beta. The admin setting is labelled Use dots (Beta), access is rolling out gradually, and Teams access is an invite-only alpha\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | NanoClaw | Dots | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 78 | 3 | NanoClaw +75 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 41 | NanoClaw +41 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 22 | NanoClaw +48 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 74 | 58 | NanoClaw +16 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 60 | 10 | NanoClaw +50 |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 78 | 38 | NanoClaw +40 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 31 | NanoClaw +34 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **68.3 · B** | **28.3 · F** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | NanoClaw | Dots |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Platform |\n| Vendor | NanoCo, Inc. | OpenAI |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | None | OAuth or key |\n| Pricing | Free | Paid |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT | Proprietary hosted service. The governing terms were not read |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-10-09 | 2026-10-09 |\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 | 31k stars | none |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**NanoClaw.** Each session runs in an unprivileged Docker container and API keys stay in a credential gateway on the host, so a manipulated agent cannot read them. Inside the container the agent runs with permission prompts off, network egress is open by default, and it can message any chat it is wired to without approval.\n\n**Dots.** Actions that affect accounts or share information pass an automatic review, and custom rules can require approval or a hand-off. Dots is a beta on Pro plans from $100 a month, and no status page, terms, privacy policy or way to delete individual saved notes was found in the pages we could read.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### NanoClaw\n\n1. Install with `git clone` and `bash nanoclaw.sh`. There is no registry package, and setup needs Docker, Node 22 or later and a Claude or Codex credential\n2. Set `NANOCLAW_EGRESS_LOCKDOWN=true` before giving an agent credentials or an audience of strangers. The default leaves egress open\n3. Put chats with different audiences in separate agent groups. Every session of a group shares one read-write workspace and memory tree\n4. Turn on per-request approval for a secret in the gateway when its use should wait for a person. It is off unless configured\n5. On OneCLI installs, move the gateway to 1.42.0 by the upgrade guide before updating to 2026.10.0. The updater stops until that is done\n\n### Dots\n\n1. Say what may be sent. Asking a dot to draft replies does not permit sending them, and an action outside a stated scope needs another decision\n2. Stop three things separately. Pause stops the main task only, delegated tasks stop in Activity and recurring tasks in Scheduled, and completed actions are not undone\n3. Connect each thing separately. A messaging channel grants no access to an inbox, an app or a computer\n4. Sign out of websites and disconnect apps yourself when removing access. Revoking dots access or disconnecting an app does not delete information already obtained\n5. Keep the connected computer online with the ChatGPT app open for local work. Only one personal computer can be connected at a time\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, NanoClaw or Dots?\n\nNanoClaw scores 68.3 (B) on agent readiness against Dots's 28.3 (F), and leads in every scored category.\n\n### Are NanoClaw and Dots open source?\n\nNanoClaw is open source (MIT). No open-source release is listed for Dots.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"nanoclaw\", \"b\": \"openai-dots\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare nanoclaw openai-dots`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nanoclaw.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openai-dots.json\n\n## Other comparisons with NanoClaw or Dots\n\n- [AstrBot vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [AstrBot vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [CowAgent vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [GAIA vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Haven vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Haven vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-openai-dots.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- [Instinct vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [IronClaw vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [IronClaw vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Leon vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Leon vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [Lindy vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Lindy vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [nanobot vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [nanobot vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-openai-dots.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-poke.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zo-computer.md)\n- [Dots vs OpenClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-openclaw.md)\n- [Dots vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Dots vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-poke.md)\n- [Dots vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [Dots vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Dots vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zo-computer.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-12", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "NanoClaw vs Dots", "url": "" } ], "description": "NanoClaw scores 68.3 (B) to Dots's 28.3 (F) for assistant proactive. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "NanoClaw B 68.3", "Dots F 28.3", "scores" ], "h1": "NanoClaw vs Dots", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.png", "path": "/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "NanoClaw vs Dots for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2600, "slim": 530 }, "version": 1 }