# OpenMausBot vs Paperclip

> OpenMausBot scores 65.4 (B) to Paperclip's 59 (C) for multi-agent orchestration. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-paperclip
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-paperclip.md (~3,700 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-paperclip.min.md (~630 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-paperclip.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- 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: 2026-10-30

OpenMausBot scores 65.4 (B) on agent readiness against Paperclip's 59 (C), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. Paperclip leads on reliability, security & auth, payments & pricing and transparency & trust. Both do multi-agent orchestration.

- OpenMausBot: grade B, 65.4/100, rank #368 of 1239. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/openmausbot.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/openmausbot.json
- Paperclip: grade C, 59/100, rank #662 of 1239. 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 875 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md

## Which one, for what

### OpenMausBot (B)

Good for: A person or an outside agent who wants several CLI agents (Claude Code, Codex, Grok, ACP CLIs) organised as named bots with their own computers, routines and approvals, driven by MCP or a CLI.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 90 against 81
- Agent ergonomics, 77 against 70

Also in its favour:
- Runs on your own machine

Watch for: New bots start at Full access, which approves provider permission requests without a card

### 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:
- Reliability, 66 against 60
- Security & auth, 64 against 59
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 50
- Transparency & trust, 66 against 59

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 | OpenMausBot | Paperclip | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 60 | 66 | Paperclip +6 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 90 | 81 | OpenMausBot +9 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 77 | 70 | OpenMausBot +7 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 59 | 64 | Paperclip +5 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 50 | 60 | Paperclip +10 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 74 | 78 | Paperclip +4 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 59 | 66 | Paperclip +7 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -2 | -10 | |
| **Total** | | **65.4 · B** | **59 · C** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | OpenMausBot | Paperclip |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Supamaus Software Private Limited | Paperclip Labs, Inc. |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports | stdio |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Freemium | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Tools exposed | 20 | none |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-30 | 2026-10-05 |
| Terms last updated | 2026-10-10 | 2026-07-23 |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-18 | 2026-07-23 |
| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | yes, with an opt-out |
| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | 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 | not found in the text | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |
| Popularity | 8.2k stars, 3.5k npm/wk | 99k stars, 60k npm/wk |

## Verdicts

**OpenMausBot.** A bounded 20-tool MCP server with typed schemas, annotations and idempotent sends, and a headless CLI with JSON output and exit codes, let another agent hand work to a bot team and wait on it. New bots start at Full access, so provider permission requests pass without a card, and usage analytics stay on until switched off.

**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

### OpenMausBot

1. Ask the owner for a pairing code from Settings > Phone, exchange it at `POST /api/auth/pair`, and set `OPENMAUSBOT_TOKEN` with an explicit `OMB_PORT`
2. Pass a `send_id` with every `send_bot_message` and `send_channel_message`, so a retry returns the first receipt
3. Use `wait_for_conversation` instead of polling, and on `needs-user` stop and tell the owner a card is waiting
4. Check a bot's access level with the owner before sending work. New bots run at Full access unless defaults were changed
5. Ask the owner to switch off Settings > General > Usage analytics if nothing beyond model calls should leave the machine

### 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, OpenMausBot or Paperclip?

OpenMausBot scores 65.4 (B) on agent readiness against Paperclip's 59 (C), and leads in 2 of 7 scored categories. Paperclip leads on reliability, security & auth, payments & pricing and transparency & trust.

### Are OpenMausBot and Paperclip open source?

Yes. OpenMausBot is open source (Apache-2.0). Paperclip is open source (MIT).


## For agents

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

## Other comparisons with OpenMausBot or Paperclip

- [Agent Zero vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-zero-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Aider vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/aider-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Amp vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Antigravity CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Auggie CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/auggie-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Claude Code vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Cline vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Crush vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crush-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Cursor CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cursor-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [DeepSeek Harness (dsh) vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-harness-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Devin vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Droid CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Pi vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/earendil-pi-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Gemini CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [GitHub Copilot CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [goose vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Harness² vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/harness2-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [HarnessRouter vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/harnessrouter-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Jules vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jules-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Junie CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/junie-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Kilo Code CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kilo-code-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Kimi Code CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kimi-code-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Kiro CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [mini-swe-agent vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mini-swe-agent-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [MiniMax Code vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-code-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Mistral Vibe CLI vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-vibe-cli-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Muse Code vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/muse-code-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [OpenAI Codex vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-codex-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [OpenCode vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opencode-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [OpenHands vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openhands-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Amp vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/amp-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Antigravity CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/antigravity-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Auggie CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/auggie-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Claude Code vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/claude-code-vs-paperclip.md)
- [CLI Manager vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cli-manager-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [CLI Manager vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cli-manager-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Cline vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cline-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Crush vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/crush-vs-paperclip.md)
- [DeepSeek Harness (dsh) vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/deepseek-harness-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Devin vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/devin-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Droid CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/droid-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Gemini CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [GitHub Copilot CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/github-copilot-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [goose vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/goose-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Harness vs OpenMausBot](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/harness-autonomous-vs-openmausbot.md)
- [Harness vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/harness-autonomous-vs-paperclip.md)
- [HarnessRouter vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/harnessrouter-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Jules vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/jules-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Junie CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/junie-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Kilo Code CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kilo-code-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Kimi Code CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kimi-code-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Kiro CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/kiro-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [MiniMax Code vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/minimax-code-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Mistral Vibe CLI vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/mistral-vibe-cli-vs-paperclip.md)
- [Muse Code vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/muse-code-vs-paperclip.md)
- [OpenCode vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/opencode-vs-paperclip.md)
- [OpenHands vs Paperclip](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openhands-vs-paperclip.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Parallax](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-parallax-agents.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-prime-agent.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Qoder CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-qoder-cli.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-qwen-code.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Mirror CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-reflection-mirror.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-rovo-dev-cli.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Unstoppable](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-unstoppable.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Vibe-Trading](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-vibe-trading.md)
- [OpenMausBot vs Warp (Warp Agent CLI and the Oz Agent API)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openmausbot-vs-warp.md)
- [Paperclip vs Parallax](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-parallax-agents.md)
- [Paperclip vs Prime Agent](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-prime-agent.md)
- [Paperclip vs Qoder CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-qoder-cli.md)
- [Paperclip vs Qwen Code](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-qwen-code.md)
- [Paperclip vs Mirror CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-reflection-mirror.md)
- [Paperclip vs Rovo Dev CLI](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-rovo-dev-cli.md)
- [Paperclip vs Unstoppable](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-unstoppable.md)
- [Paperclip vs Vibe-Trading](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-vibe-trading.md)
- [Paperclip vs Warp (Warp Agent CLI and the Oz Agent API)](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paperclip-vs-warp.md)

---

Query this catalogue directly over MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key). How: https://www.anchorterminal.com/agents/#mcp