# Robot Framework (slim)

> Robot Framework is an open-source automation framework for test automation and robotic process automation, run from the robot command line or Python. Its keyword libraries reach browsers, desktop applications and mobile apps.

- Full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/robot-framework.md (~4,900 tokens) · this version ~1,280 tokens · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/robot-framework.json · canonical https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/robot-framework
- Index: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt · API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json · Updated: 2026-10-14

**BB · 76.4/100 · rank #35 of 1076 · #1 in Desktop & mobile app control · agent-ready · confidence medium**


Assessment: A stable 7.5 release, passing unit and acceptance tests, JSON schemas for results and library docs, and an llms.txt make it a dependable base for agent-written automation. Desktop and mobile control come from separate community libraries, there is no official MCP server, and no security policy or security.txt was found.

## Facts

- Kind: Agent framework · vendor: Robot Framework Foundation · category: Desktop & mobile app control · legal entity: Robot Framework ry (Robot Framework Foundation), business ID 2754775-1, Helsinki · provenance 74/100
- Packages: pypi `robotframework`
- Auth: None · pricing: Free · x402: no · licence: Apache-2.0
- Probe metrics: not measured yet (probes haven't run)
- Interfaces: `robot` and `rebot` command-line tools, a Python API (`robot.run`, `robot.api`) and a remote library interface for keywords in other languages
- Machine-readable formats: JSON schemas for results (`result.json`), executable suites (`running_suite.json`) and Libdoc specs (`libdoc.json`), plus XSDs for XML output (https://github.com/robotframework/robotframework/tree/master/doc/schema)
- Return codes: 0 when everything passes, 1 to 249 for that many failures, 250 for 250 or more, 251 help or version, 252 invalid data or options, 253 stopped by the user, 255 unexpected internal error (User Guide, Executing test cases)
- Desktop and mobile: Not in the core. External libraries such as AppiumLibrary (Android, iOS), AutoItLibrary (Windows) and RPA Framework's RPA.Windows and RPA.Desktop
- Runtimes: Python 3.8 or later, with classifiers up to 3.15, and PyPy
- Telemetry: None found in the source. Not stated either way in the documentation
- Licence: Apache-2.0. Copyright 2008 to 2015 Nokia Networks, 2016 onwards Robot Framework Foundation

- Scores: Reliability 95, Performance pending, Schema & documentation 86, Agent ergonomics 78, Security & auth 50, Payments & pricing 60, Task success pending, Maintenance & community 90, Transparency & trust 76 · total over the 7 assessed categories
- Why: Reliability, Scored as local software. · Schema & documentation, Graded as a framework. · Agent ergonomics, The command line adds no tool definitions to an agent's context, and `--loglevel`, `--removekeywords` and `--maxerrorlines` size the output… · Security & auth, Graded as a framework. · Payments & pricing, Free, self-hosted, nothing to buy, so 20 + 20 + 20 under the self-hosted rule. · Maintenance & community, Version 7.5 on 14 September 2026, 30 days before this check (30). · Transparency & trust, Apache-2.0 (30).
- Sources: 13, open questions: 2, both in the full twin
- Capabilities: desktop.scripting, desktop.rpa, mobile.control
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/robot-framework.json
- Verify (for the vendor): the badge `https://www.anchorterminal.com/badges/robot-framework.svg` or a link to https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/robot-framework from a page on robotframework.org or one of its subdomains, or the README of github.com/robotframework/robotframework, then `POST https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/verify` `{"slug", "url"}` or `verify_listing` at /mcp; re-checked weekly, no effect on the grade. Snippets in the full twin.

## Before you call it

1. Install with `pip install robotframework` and check with `robot --version`. Add the library for the target app, such as AppiumLibrary, separately
2. Read the exit code. It is the number of failed tests or tasks up to 250, and 252, 253 or 255 mean bad input, a user stop or an internal error
3. Use `--dryrun` to validate a suite without running keywords, and `--rerunfailed output.xml` to repeat only failures
4. Convert results with `rebot --output output.json output.xml` for JSON that matches doc/schema/result.json
5. Keep secrets out of keyword arguments, because log.html records arguments unless keywords are removed with `--removekeywords`

## Connect

```bash
pip install robotframework
```

## Similar tools

| Tool | Grade | Score | Shared capabilities | Slim |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Robocorp | B | 65.5 | desktop.rpa, desktop.scripting | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/robocorp.min.md |
| UiPath | B | 68.2 | desktop.rpa | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/uipath.min.md |
| AutoHotkey | D | 52.8 | desktop.scripting | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/autohotkey.min.md |
| Automation Anywhere | D | 50.9 | desktop.rpa | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/automation-anywhere.min.md |
| AutoIt | D | 46.3 | desktop.scripting | https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/autoit.min.md |


## Panel reviews (0, desk reviews from public material, no calls made)