{ "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": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against NanoClaw's 68.3 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "zeroclaw", "name": "ZeroClaw", "vendor": "ZeroClaw Labs", "vendorUrl": "https://www.zeroclaw.com", "kind": "harness", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "Open-source personal AI assistant from ZeroClaw Labs, shipped as one Rust binary the owner runs. It answers on chat, email and voice channels, calls tools and MCP servers, and keeps memory in local SQLite.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeroclaw", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeroclaw.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeroclaw.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeroclaw.json", "repo": "https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw", "license": "MIT OR Apache-2.0", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "ghcr.io/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account with the vendor. Model keys, bot tokens and mail passwords go in `~/.zeroclaw/config.toml` as encrypted secret fields, set through `zeroclaw config set`, the dashboard or the terminal UI. OpenAI Codex and Claude subscription tokens are accepted in place of API keys. Gateway clients pair first and then send `Authorization: Bearer \u003ctoken\u003e`, with token hashes kept in config (https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/blob/master/docs/book/src/security/authentication.md).", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under MIT or Apache-2.0, with no subscription and no hosted seat (https://www.zeroclaw.com/). The owner pays the model provider, or nothing with a local model. ZeroRouter, the vendor's hosted beta model gateway, is optional and its prices were not read (checked 2026-10-12).", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs or the source at commit 6c0b1f9 (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 32965, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.zeroclaw.com/master/en/introduction.html", "llmsTxt": "https://www.zeroclaw.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "assistant.accounts", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "local", "free", "no-card", "rust", "mit", "apache-2.0", "pre-1.0", "no-telemetry", "mcp-client", "approvals", "acp", "docker", "llms-txt" ], "lastRelease": "2026-09-05", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 70.2, "grade": "BB", "agentReady": true, "rank": 161, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 1, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 80, "payments": 60, "reliability": 74, "schema": 82, "security": 76, "transparency": 64 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -3, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-09-05. GHSA-93f6-34w8-5g98 (high), an unvalidated `wasm_path` let `zeroclaw plugin install` write an attacker-controlled file outside the plugins directory in 0.8.4 and earlier. Fixed in 0.8.5 and published the same day, inside six months, -2. https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/security/advisories/GHSA-93f6-34w8-5g98", "2026-04-01. The project lead wrote that a maintainer's AI automation merged pull requests that should not have gone through and that GitHub took enforcement action on the organisation. Disclosed, the maintainer removed and merge access tightened, over six months old, -1. https://www.zeroclaw.com/blog/community-and-stability" ], "verdict": "Supervised autonomy is the default, so tools outside a short read-only list wait for the owner's approval, and secrets are encrypted in the config file. The docs state that command execution is not written to an audit log, and the project publishes no privacy policy or terms.", "bestFor": "One person who wants an assistant on their own hardware that answers on Telegram, Discord, Matrix or email, asks before it writes or runs commands, and works with a local model.", "strengths": [ "Supervised mode is the default. Tools outside an eleven-item read-only and fetch list prompt the owner, and an unanswered prompt is a denial after 120 seconds", "Approval prompts arrive on the channel in use, and `approval_route` can send them to a separate approver channel that denies when unreachable", "Channel secrets and provider keys are encrypted with ChaCha20-Poly1305 in `config.toml`, with the key in `.secret_key` at mode 0600", "An empty peer set denies every inbound sender, and the gateway binds 127.0.0.1 with pairing required by default", "Three tagged releases in the 90 days to 12 October 2026, each with a Breaking Changes section, and CI passing on master on 11 October" ], "weaknesses": [ "The docs state that command execution is not audited. `[security.audit]` records certificate events only, and tool receipts are opt-in and not durable", "No privacy policy, terms or security.txt on zeroclaw.com, and the home page links none", "`web_fetch`, `web_search_tool` and `browser_open` run without approval by default, and sandboxed tools keep full network egress", "GHSA-93f6-34w8-5g98 (high) let a plugin install write outside the plugins directory in 0.8.4 and earlier, fixed in 0.8.5 on 5 September 2026", "Version 0.8.5 is pre-1.0, patch releases carry breaking changes, and 576 issues and 384 pull requests were open on 12 October 2026" ], "agentNotes": [ "Keep `[risk_profiles.\u003calias\u003e] level = \"supervised\"`. `full` runs every tool not listed in `always_ask`, and the YOLO preset removes the sandbox and path rules too", "Add sending and account tools such as `send_via`, `google_workspace` and `http_request` to `always_ask` so a session-level Always grant cannot skip the prompt", "List senders in `[peer_groups.\u003cname\u003e] external_peers`. `[\"*\"]` accepts anyone on that channel", "Set `[web_fetch].allowed_domains` and `[http_request].allowed_domains`. Fetches run unprompted and the OS sandbox does not block egress", "Run one-shot tasks with `zeroclaw agent -a \u003calias\u003e -m \"\u003ctask\u003e\"`. A cron or webhook turn has no prompt, so shell calls fall to the command policy" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "BB", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 70.2 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 72, "maintenance": 80, "payments": 60, "reliability": 74, "schema": 82, "security": 76, "transparency": 74 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/master/install.sh | sh # or: brew install zeroclaw", "headless": { "command": "zeroclaw agent -a \u003calias\u003e -m \"$TASK\"", "setup": "zeroclaw quickstart" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/zeroclaw" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "ZeroClaw Labs", "domain": "zeroclaw.com", "domainRegistered": "2026-03-02", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/zeroclaw-labs/zeroclaw/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The NOTICE file reads Copyright 2025 ZeroClaw Labs and the blog signs posts as CEO, ZeroClaw Labs. No company form, registration or address was found on the site or in the repository.", "The home page of www.zeroclaw.com links no terms and no privacy policy, so both fields are empty and the MIT or Apache-2.0 licence stands in.", "www.zeroclaw.com/.well-known/security.txt answered 404 on 12 October 2026. SECURITY.md asks for GitHub private vulnerability reporting and the README gives security@zeroclaw.dev.", "RDAP gives zeroclaw.com a registration date of 2026-03-02, registrar Atom.com Domains LLC. The repository was created on 13 February 2026.", "There is no hosted endpoint for the assistant. A gateway answers on its owner's own host." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeroclaw.json" }, "facts": [ { "a": "Agent harness", "b": "Agent harness", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "NanoCo, Inc.", "b": "ZeroClaw Labs", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "no (local only)", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "", "b": "", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "None", "b": "None", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Free", "b": "Free", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "MIT", "b": "MIT OR Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-09", "b": "2026-09-05", "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": "33k stars", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against NanoClaw's 68.3 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, NanoClaw or ZeroClaw?" }, { "answer": "Yes. NanoClaw is open source (MIT). ZeroClaw is open source (MIT OR Apache-2.0).", "question": "Are NanoClaw and ZeroClaw open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "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": [ "Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better" ], "goodFor": "One person who wants an assistant on their own hardware that answers on Telegram, Discord, Matrix or email, asks before it writes or runs commands, and works with a local model.", "slug": "zeroclaw", "watchFor": "The docs state that command execution is not audited. `[security.audit]` records certificate events only, and tool receipts are opt-in and not durable" } ], "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "AstrBot vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Gemini Spark vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Grok Bot vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Haven vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "IronClaw vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Leon vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Lindy vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "nanobot vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-openai-dots.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs Dots", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-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-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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Dots vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "OpenClaw vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "PicoClaw vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Poke vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zeroclaw.json", "title": "QwenPaw vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zeroclaw-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "ZeroClaw vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zeroclaw-vs-zo-computer" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 4, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "nanoclaw": 78, "weight": 16, "zeroclaw": 74 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "nanoclaw": 82, "weight": 13, "zeroclaw": 82 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "nanoclaw": 70, "weight": 13, "zeroclaw": 72 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "nanoclaw": 74, "weight": 14, "zeroclaw": 76 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "nanoclaw": 60, "weight": 10, "zeroclaw": 60 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 2, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "nanoclaw": 78, "weight": 7, "zeroclaw": 80 }, { "by": 1, "edge": "nanoclaw", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "nanoclaw": 65, "weight": 7, "zeroclaw": 64 } ], "summary": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against NanoClaw's 68.3 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. 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.", "zeroclaw": "Supervised autonomy is the default, so tools outside a short read-only list wait for the owner's approval, and secrets are encrypted in the config file. The docs state that command execution is not written to an audit log, and the project publishes no privacy policy or terms." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.min.md" }, "markdown": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against NanoClaw's 68.3 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories. 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- ZeroClaw: grade BB, 70.2/100, rank #161 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeroclaw.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeroclaw.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\nWatch for: The Claude provider runs with `permissionMode: 'bypassPermissions'`, so shell, file and web tools run inside the container with no prompt\n\n### ZeroClaw (BB)\n\nGood for: One person who wants an assistant on their own hardware that answers on Telegram, Discord, Matrix or email, asks before it writes or runs commands, and works with a local model.\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- Agent-ready, a grade of BB or better\n\nWatch for: The docs state that command execution is not audited. `[security.audit]` records certificate events only, and tool receipts are opt-in and not durable\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | NanoClaw | ZeroClaw | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 78 | 74 | NanoClaw +4 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 82 | 82 | even |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 70 | 72 | ZeroClaw +2 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 74 | 76 | ZeroClaw +2 |\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) | 78 | 80 | ZeroClaw +2 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 65 | 64 | NanoClaw +1 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **68.3 · B** | **70.2 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | NanoClaw | ZeroClaw |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | NanoCo, Inc. | ZeroClaw Labs |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |\n| Transports | | |\n| Auth | None | None |\n| Pricing | Free | Free |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | MIT | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | yes |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-10-09 | 2026-09-05 |\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 | 33k stars |\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**ZeroClaw.** Supervised autonomy is the default, so tools outside a short read-only list wait for the owner's approval, and secrets are encrypted in the config file. The docs state that command execution is not written to an audit log, and the project publishes no privacy policy or terms.\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### ZeroClaw\n\n1. Keep `[risk_profiles.\u003calias\u003e] level = \"supervised\"`. `full` runs every tool not listed in `always_ask`, and the YOLO preset removes the sandbox and path rules too\n2. Add sending and account tools such as `send_via`, `google_workspace` and `http_request` to `always_ask` so a session-level Always grant cannot skip the prompt\n3. List senders in `[peer_groups.\u003cname\u003e] external_peers`. `[\"*\"]` accepts anyone on that channel\n4. Set `[web_fetch].allowed_domains` and `[http_request].allowed_domains`. Fetches run unprompted and the OS sandbox does not block egress\n5. Run one-shot tasks with `zeroclaw agent -a \u003calias\u003e -m \"\u003ctask\u003e\"`. A cron or webhook turn has no prompt, so shell calls fall to the command policy\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, NanoClaw or ZeroClaw?\n\nZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against NanoClaw's 68.3 (B), and leads in 3 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Are NanoClaw and ZeroClaw open source?\n\nYes. NanoClaw is open source (MIT). ZeroClaw is open source (MIT OR Apache-2.0).\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"nanoclaw\", \"b\": \"zeroclaw\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare nanoclaw zeroclaw`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/nanoclaw.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeroclaw.json\n\n## Other comparisons with NanoClaw or ZeroClaw\n\n- [AstrBot vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [AstrBot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Haven vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Haven vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [IronClaw vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [IronClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Leon vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Leon vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Lindy vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [Lindy vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [nanobot vs NanoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-nanoclaw.md)\n- [nanobot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs Dots](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-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 Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zo-computer.md)\n- [Dots vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [PicoClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Poke vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/poke-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [QwenPaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/qwenpaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [ZeroClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/zeroclaw-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 ZeroClaw", "url": "" } ], "description": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) to NanoClaw's 68.3 (B) for assistant proactive. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "NanoClaw B 68.3", "ZeroClaw BB 70.2", "scores" ], "h1": "NanoClaw vs ZeroClaw", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.png", "path": "/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "NanoClaw vs ZeroClaw for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2500, "slim": 480 }, "version": 1 }