Comparison
agent-protocol vs core
Verdict
Pick agent-protocol if agent-protocol provides a standardized interface for interacting with various AI agents regardless of their underlying tech stack, aiming to ease development, deployment, and benchmarking; pick core if cheshire Cat AI, an AI agent microservice, is built in Python and supports function-calling and vector search, making it suitable for projects that require conversational AI capabilities with these features.
Markdown twin · agent-protocol alternatives · core alternatives
GraphCanon updated Oct 8, 2026
10views this month
Trust & integrity
| Signal | agent-protocol | core |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Dormant (547d since push) As of Oct 8, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Steady (50d since push) As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Organization account As of Oct 8, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 18, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | Published findings As of Jul 11, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Sep 20, 2026 · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- agent-protocol
- Common interface for AI agents
- core
- AI agent microservice
Stars
- agent-protocol
- 1.5k
- core
- 3.1k
Forks
- agent-protocol
- 189
- core
- 409
Open issues
- agent-protocol
- 50
- core
- 11
Language
- agent-protocol
- Python
- core
- Python
Adopt for
- agent-protocol
- agent-protocol provides a standardized interface for interacting with various AI agents regardless of their underlying tech stack, aiming to ease development, deployment, and benchmarking.
- core
- Cheshire Cat AI, an AI agent microservice, is built in Python and supports function-calling and vector search, making it suitable for projects that require conversational AI capabilities with these features.
Persona
- agent-protocol
- -
- core
- -
Runtime
- agent-protocol
- -
- core
- -
License
- agent-protocol
- MIT
- core
- GPL-3.0, which is a copyleft license requiring that any derivative works be released under the same license.
Last pushed
- agent-protocol
- Apr 8, 2025
- core
- Jul 29, 2026
Categories
- agent-protocol
- AI Agents
- core
- AI Agents
Trust and health
Maintenance
- agent-protocol
- Dormant (18%)
- core
- Steady (60%)
Days since push
- agent-protocol
- 547d
- core
- 50d
Open issues (now)
- agent-protocol
- 50
- core
- 11
Stars delta
- agent-protocol
- +4 (30d)
- core
- +5 (30d)
Open issues delta
- agent-protocol
- +1 (30d)
- core
- +3 (30d)
OSV dependency advisories
- agent-protocol
- Published findings
- core
- No lockfile (source not queried)
Full report
- agent-protocol
- Trust report
- core
- Trust report
Choose agent-protocol if…
- License: agent-protocol is MIT, core is GPL-3.0.
- Tags unique to agent-protocol: agents, ai-agent, api, auto-gpt.
- When you want to ensure interoperability between different AI agents irrespective of the frameworks used by them.
When NOT to use agent-protocol
- If you are developing an isolated system with no intention to communicate or integrate with other AI agents outside this scope.
- When working in environments where specific, proprietary interfaces provide significantly better performance or features than adhering to a generic protocol could offer.
Choose core if…
- License: core is GPL-3.0, agent-protocol is MIT.
- Pricing: The code is free and open-source under GPL-3.0, but any derivative works must also be open-source..
- Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires Docker for deployment..
- Tags unique to core: ag-ui-protocol, agent, ai, assistant.
- Use Cheshire Cat AI when you need a microservice that supports function-calling and vector search, as it is specifically designed with these features.
When NOT to use core
- Avoid using Cheshire Cat AI if your project requires proprietary licensing, as it is licensed under GPL-3.0, which may not be compatible with proprietary software.
- Do not use it if your project does not require or benefit from function-calling or vector search capabilities, as these are core features of Cheshire Cat AI.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (agi-inc/agent-protocol) · observed Oct 8, 2026
- GitHub forks (agi-inc/agent-protocol) · observed Oct 8, 2026
- Last push (agi-inc/agent-protocol) · observed Apr 8, 2025
- License file (MIT) · observed Oct 8, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 16, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
- GitHub stars (cheshire-cat-ai/core) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (cheshire-cat-ai/core) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (cheshire-cat-ai/core) · observed Jul 29, 2026
- License file (GPL-3.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Sep 18, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Sep 20, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: agent-protocol 1.5k · core 3.1k (synced Oct 8, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between agent-protocol and core?
- agent-protocol: Common interface for AI agents. core: AI agent microservice. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose agent-protocol over core?
- Choose agent-protocol over core when License: agent-protocol is MIT, core is GPL-3.0; Tags unique to agent-protocol: agents, ai-agent, api, auto-gpt; When you want to ensure interoperability between different AI agents irrespective of the frameworks used by them.
- When should I choose core over agent-protocol?
- Choose core over agent-protocol when License: core is GPL-3.0, agent-protocol is MIT; Pricing: The code is free and open-source under GPL-3.0, but any derivative works must also be open-source.; Requirements: Min 2 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires Docker for deployment.; Tags unique to core: ag-ui-protocol, agent, ai, assistant; Use Cheshire Cat AI when you need a microservice that supports function-calling and vector search, as it is specifically designed with these features.
- When should I avoid agent-protocol?
- If you are developing an isolated system with no intention to communicate or integrate with other AI agents outside this scope. When working in environments where specific, proprietary interfaces provide significantly better performance or features than adhering to a generic protocol could offer.
- When should I avoid core?
- Avoid using Cheshire Cat AI if your project requires proprietary licensing, as it is licensed under GPL-3.0, which may not be compatible with proprietary software. Do not use it if your project does not require or benefit from function-calling or vector search capabilities, as these are core features of Cheshire Cat AI.
- Is agent-protocol or core more popular on GitHub?
- core has more GitHub stars (3,086 vs 1,458). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are agent-protocol and core open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agent-protocol: MIT, core: GPL-3.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to agent-protocol or core?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at agent-protocol alternatives and core alternatives (agent-protocol markdown twin, core markdown twin), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.
- Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?
- Yes. The markdown twin at this comparison mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, agent-protocol or core?
- agent-protocol: Dormant. core: Steady. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.
- Where are the full trust reports for agent-protocol and core?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: agent-protocol trust report; core trust report.