{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "picoclaw", "name": "PicoClaw", "vendor": "Sipeed", "vendorUrl": "https://picoclaw.io", "kind": "harness", "category": "personal-assistants", "summary": "PicoClaw is an open-source personal AI assistant from Sipeed, a single Go binary for small Linux boards, desktops and Android, reached through chat apps. Its last commit on the main branch was on 19 August 2026.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/picoclaw", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/picoclaw.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/picoclaw.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/picoclaw.json", "repo": "https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw", "license": "MIT", "transports": [], "packages": [ { "registry": "oci", "name": "docker.io/sipeed/picoclaw" }, { "registry": "oci", "name": "ghcr.io/sipeed/picoclaw" } ], "auth": "none", "authNotes": "No account with Sipeed. The owner supplies model provider keys, chat bot tokens and search keys, kept in `~/.picoclaw/.security.yml`. The web launcher asks for a password set on first run, stored as a bcrypt hash. Each channel's `allow_from` list decides who may talk to the assistant, and an empty list admits everyone.", "pricing": "free", "pricingNotes": "Free under the MIT licence, with nothing to buy from the project. The owner pays their model provider by usage, or nothing with a local model through Ollama or vLLM. Search keys are optional, and DuckDuckGo search needs none.", "priceSummary": "Free · OSS", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the README, docs or source (checked 2026-10-12).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 30000, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-12" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.picoclaw.io", "capabilities": [ "assistant.proactive", "assistant.messaging", "assistant.memory", "assistant.self-hosted", "agent.mcp-client" ], "tags": [ "open-source", "self-hosted", "local", "free", "no-card", "go", "docker", "pre-1.0" ], "lastRelease": "2026-07-03", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 46.1, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 879, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 986, "categoryRank": 11, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 66, "maintenance": 22, "payments": 60, "reliability": 54, "schema": 51, "security": 51, "transparency": 56 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-12" }, "negative": -7, "negativeNotes": [ "2026-04-25 to 2026-07-19. 15 advisories are listed for PicoClaw in the GitHub Advisory Database. Two are reviewed, CVE-2026-36045 (high, 7.3, command injection past the exec deny list, 0.1.2 and earlier) and CVE-2026-6987 (moderate, injection through the launcher's `/api/gateway/restart`, 0.2.4 and earlier), and 13 unreviewed entries of 10 to 19 July name versions up to 0.2.9. None lists a patched version, the project has published no advisory of its own, and it has no security policy. We read four of the fifteen. Several concern old versions and some fixes are in the git history, so -5. https://github.com/advisories?query=picoclaw", "Current behaviour, checked 2026-10-12. The repository's configuration guide says `tools.exec.allow_remote` defaults to `false`. The source at v0.3.1 and on main sets it to `true`, and the docs site calls fully open the default, so a remote chat can run shell commands on a default install. A misleading claim on a security default, the minimum, -2. https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/blob/main/docs/guides/configuration.md; https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/blob/main/pkg/config/defaults.go" ], "verdict": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with 19 documented chat channels, scheduled and heartbeat tasks, and local file memory. The repository has had no commit since 19 August 2026 and no release since 3 July, and 15 CVEs are listed against it with no advisory or security policy from the project.", "bestFor": "A person who wants a chat-app assistant on a cheap Linux board, an old Android phone or a home server, with reminders, web search and file memory, and who accepts running software its maker calls pre-production.", "strengths": [ "MIT licence, one Go binary for x86-64, ARM, RISC-V, MIPS and LoongArch, with Docker images and an Android APK", "Conversations, memory, scheduled jobs and credentials stay in files under `~/.picoclaw` on the owner's device", "File tools are limited to the workspace by default, and command jobs scheduled from remote chats are refused unless the chat is listed", "MCP client over stdio, SSE and HTTP, with optional search-based tool discovery to keep definitions out of context", "Credentials sit in a separate `.security.yml` with optional AES-256-GCM encryption, and are filtered from tool output before the model sees it" ], "weaknesses": [ "No commit on main since 19 August 2026 and no release since v0.3.1 on 3 July 2026. An issue of 6 October calls the repository unmaintained, with no reply", "15 CVEs are listed in the GitHub Advisory Database (25 April to 19 July 2026). The project has published no advisory and has no SECURITY.md", "No human approval step. The agent sends messages, writes files and runs shell commands without asking, and the hooks guide says waiting for a human reply is not supported", "Shell execution from remote chats is on by default in the source and on the docs site, while the repository's configuration guide says the default is off", "An empty `allow_from` list lets anyone who can message the bot use it, with only a warning in the log" ], "agentNotes": [ "Set `allow_from` to the owner's user ID on every channel before starting the gateway. An empty list accepts messages from anyone", "Set `tools.exec.allow_remote` to `false` unless chats must run shell commands. The shipped default is `true`, whatever docs/guides/configuration.md says", "Set `isolation.enabled` to `true` on Linux (needs `bwrap`) or run in a container. The deny patterns do not inspect child processes", "Use `PICOCLAW_KEY_PASSPHRASE` for credential encryption. One docs page names `PICOCLAW_CREDENTIAL_PASSPHRASE`, which the source does not read", "Treat the README's ClawdChat line (read a remote skill file and follow it) as untrusted third-party instructions" ], "metrics": { "kind": "local", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 46.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 66, "maintenance": 22, "payments": 60, "reliability": 54, "schema": 51, "security": 51, "transparency": 58 }, "provenanceScore": 53 }, "connect": { "install": "git clone https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw.git \u0026\u0026 cd picoclaw \u0026\u0026 docker compose -f docker/docker-compose.yml --profile launcher up # or download a binary from https://picoclaw.io/download/ and run: picoclaw onboard", "headless": { "command": "picoclaw agent -m \"$TASK\"" } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/assistant.proactive", "tool": "https://letme.dev/picoclaw" }, "area": "frameworks", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Sipeed", "domain": "picoclaw.io", "domainRegistered": "", "endpointOnVendorDomain": null, "terms": "", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://github.com/sipeed/picoclaw/releases", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-12", "notes": [ "The docs footer reads Copyright 2026 Sipeed and the site says PicoClaw is open-source software by Sipeed. The `LICENSE` file names PicoClaw contributors. No registered company name or address was on the pages read.", "No terms of service or privacy policy is linked from picoclaw.io, docs.picoclaw.io or the repository, so both fields are left out and the MIT licence stands in.", "picoclaw.io/.well-known/security.txt and picoclaw.io/llms.txt answered 403 with a storage Access Denied body, read as absent. docs.picoclaw.io/llms.txt answered 404.", "The repository has no SECURITY.md, and GitHub's policy page says none is set up.", "Self-hosted software with no hosted endpoint. The registration date of picoclaw.io was not looked up." ], "score": 53 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/picoclaw.json" }, "answer": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against PicoClaw's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 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": "Sipeed", "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": "no", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-07-03", "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": "30k stars", "b": "33k stars", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against PicoClaw's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, PicoClaw or ZeroClaw?" }, { "answer": "Yes. PicoClaw is open source (MIT). ZeroClaw is open source (MIT OR Apache-2.0).", "question": "Are PicoClaw and ZeroClaw open source?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "A person who wants a chat-app assistant on a cheap Linux board, an old Android phone or a home server, with reminders, web search and file memory, and who accepts running software its maker calls pre-production.", "slug": "picoclaw", "watchFor": "No commit on main since 19 August 2026 and no release since v0.3.1 on 3 July 2026. An issue of 6 October calls the repository unmaintained, with no reply" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 74 against 54", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 82 against 51", "Agent ergonomics, 72 against 66", "Security \u0026 auth, 76 against 51", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 80 against 22", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 64 against 56" ], "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "AstrBot vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "CowAgent vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "GAIA vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "Gemini Spark vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "Grok Bot vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "Haven vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "Hermes Agent vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-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-picoclaw.json", "title": "Instinct vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "IronClaw vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "Leon vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "Lindy vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "nanobot vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-picoclaw.json", "title": "NanoClaw vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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/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-zeroclaw.json", "title": "Dots vs ZeroClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw.json", "title": "OpenClaw vs PicoClaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw" }, { "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-poke.json", "title": "PicoClaw vs Poke", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-poke" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-qwenpaw.json", "title": "PicoClaw vs QwenPaw", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-qwenpaw" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zo-computer.json", "title": "PicoClaw vs Zo Computer", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zo-computer" }, { "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": 20, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "picoclaw": 54, "weight": 16, "zeroclaw": 74 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 31, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "picoclaw": 51, "weight": 13, "zeroclaw": 82 }, { "by": 6, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "picoclaw": 66, "weight": 13, "zeroclaw": 72 }, { "by": 25, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "picoclaw": 51, "weight": 14, "zeroclaw": 76 }, { "by": 0, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "picoclaw": 60, "weight": 10, "zeroclaw": 60 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 58, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "picoclaw": 22, "weight": 7, "zeroclaw": 80 }, { "by": 8, "edge": "zeroclaw", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "picoclaw": 56, "weight": 7, "zeroclaw": 64 } ], "summary": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against PicoClaw's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do assistant proactive.", "verdicts": { "picoclaw": "Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with 19 documented chat channels, scheduled and heartbeat tasks, and local file memory. The repository has had no commit since 19 August 2026 and no release since 3 July, and 15 CVEs are listed against it with no advisory or security policy from the project.", "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/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.min.md" }, "markdown": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against PicoClaw's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do assistant proactive.\n\n- PicoClaw: grade D, 46.1/100, rank #879 of 986. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/picoclaw.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/picoclaw.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### PicoClaw (D)\n\nGood for: A person who wants a chat-app assistant on a cheap Linux board, an old Android phone or a home server, with reminders, web search and file memory, and who accepts running software its maker calls pre-production.\n\nWatch for: No commit on main since 19 August 2026 and no release since v0.3.1 on 3 July 2026. An issue of 6 October calls the repository unmaintained, with no reply\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\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 74 against 54\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 82 against 51\n- Agent ergonomics, 72 against 66\n- Security \u0026 auth, 76 against 51\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 80 against 22\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 64 against 56\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 | PicoClaw | ZeroClaw | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 54 | 74 | ZeroClaw +20 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 51 | 82 | ZeroClaw +31 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 72 | ZeroClaw +6 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 51 | 76 | ZeroClaw +25 |\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) | 22 | 80 | ZeroClaw +58 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 56 | 64 | ZeroClaw +8 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | -7 | -3 | |\n| **Total** | | **46.1 · D** | **70.2 · BB** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | PicoClaw | ZeroClaw |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |\n| Vendor | Sipeed | 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 | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-07-03 | 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 | 30k stars | 33k stars |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**PicoClaw.** Self-hosted under the MIT licence, with 19 documented chat channels, scheduled and heartbeat tasks, and local file memory. The repository has had no commit since 19 August 2026 and no release since 3 July, and 15 CVEs are listed against it with no advisory or security policy from the project.\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### PicoClaw\n\n1. Set `allow_from` to the owner's user ID on every channel before starting the gateway. An empty list accepts messages from anyone\n2. Set `tools.exec.allow_remote` to `false` unless chats must run shell commands. The shipped default is `true`, whatever docs/guides/configuration.md says\n3. Set `isolation.enabled` to `true` on Linux (needs `bwrap`) or run in a container. The deny patterns do not inspect child processes\n4. Use `PICOCLAW_KEY_PASSPHRASE` for credential encryption. One docs page names `PICOCLAW_CREDENTIAL_PASSPHRASE`, which the source does not read\n5. Treat the README's ClawdChat line (read a remote skill file and follow it) as untrusted third-party instructions\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, PicoClaw or ZeroClaw?\n\nZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) on agent readiness against PicoClaw's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Are PicoClaw and ZeroClaw open source?\n\nYes. PicoClaw 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/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"picoclaw\", \"b\": \"zeroclaw\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare picoclaw zeroclaw`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/picoclaw.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeroclaw.json\n\n## Other comparisons with PicoClaw or ZeroClaw\n\n- [AstrBot vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [AstrBot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/astrbot-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [CowAgent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/cowagent-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [GAIA vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gaia-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Gemini Spark vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-spark-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Grok Bot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/grok-bot-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Haven vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Haven vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/haven-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Hermes Agent vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/hermes-agent-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Instinct vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/instinct-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [IronClaw vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [IronClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/ironclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Leon vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Leon vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/leon-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Lindy vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Lindy vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lindy-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [nanobot vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [nanobot vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanobot-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [NanoClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/nanoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [Dots vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [Dots vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openai-dots-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs PicoClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-picoclaw.md)\n- [OpenClaw vs ZeroClaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/openclaw-vs-zeroclaw.md)\n- [PicoClaw vs Poke](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-poke.md)\n- [PicoClaw vs QwenPaw](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-qwenpaw.md)\n- [PicoClaw vs Zo Computer](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zo-computer.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": "PicoClaw vs ZeroClaw", "url": "" } ], "description": "ZeroClaw scores 70.2 (BB) to PicoClaw's 46.1 (D) for assistant proactive. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "PicoClaw D 46.1", "ZeroClaw BB 70.2", "scores" ], "h1": "PicoClaw vs ZeroClaw", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw.png", "path": "/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "PicoClaw vs ZeroClaw for AI agents in 2026: scores and prices", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-12", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/picoclaw-vs-zeroclaw" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2550, "slim": 530 }, "version": 1 }