--- title: "lmql vs late-cli" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/eth-sri-lmql-vs-mlhher-late-cli" tools: ["eth-sri-lmql", "mlhher-late-cli"] --- # lmql vs late-cli *GraphCanon updated Aug 16, 2026* ## Verdict Pick lmql if facilitates LLM programming with constraints for efficiency, Python-based; pick late-cli if orchestrate multiple AI agents for dev tasks without config within 5GB VRAM limit. [lmql](https://lmql.ai) reports 4.2k GitHub stars, 221 forks, and 120 open issues, last pushed May 22, 2025. [late-cli](https://github.com/mlhher/late-cli) has 402 stars, 40 forks, and 5 open issues, last pushed Aug 10, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [lmql's repository](https://github.com/eth-sri/lmql) and [late-cli's repository](https://github.com/mlhher/late-cli). | | [lmql](/tools/eth-sri-lmql.md) | [late-cli](/tools/mlhher-late-cli.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A language for constraint-guided and efficient LLM programming. | Orchestrate an entire AI dev team on 5GB VRAM with zero config. | | Stars | 4,203 | 402 | | Forks | 221 | 40 | | Open issues | 120 | 5 | | Language | Python | Go | | Adopt for | Facilitates LLM programming with constraints for efficiency, Python-based. | Orchestrate multiple AI agents for dev tasks without config within 5GB VRAM limit | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Other | | Categories | LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [lmql](/tools/eth-sri-lmql.md) | [late-cli](/tools/mlhher-late-cli.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Dormant (18%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 450d | 2d | | Open issues (now) | 120 | 5 | | Stars delta | +1 (30d) | Unknown | | Open issues delta | 0 (30d) | Unknown | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/eth-sri-lmql/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/mlhher-late-cli/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: lmql - **Adopt for:** Facilitates LLM programming with constraints for efficiency, Python-based. ## Decision facts: late-cli - **Adopt for:** Orchestrate multiple AI agents for dev tasks without config within 5GB VRAM limit ## Choose when ### Choose lmql if… - lmql is primarily Python; late-cli is Go. - License: lmql is Apache-2.0, late-cli is Other. - Tags unique to lmql: chatgpt, huggingface, language-model, programming-language. - When needing precise control over language model output through programmable constraints ### Choose late-cli if… - late-cli is primarily Go; lmql is Python. - License: late-cli is Other, lmql is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to late-cli: ai-agents, auto-config, ephemeral-agents, llm-support. - Also covers AI Agents. - Projects needing coordination among various AI models like Claude, Gemini, Qwen without heavy setup ## When NOT to use lmql - For general-purpose coding without leveraging specific LLM functionalities - If the project does not benefit from constraint-guided interactions with language models ## When NOT to use late-cli - Situations requiring configuration customization to adapt to different project requirements - Workflows that need more than 5GB of VRAM for AI model operations and management ## Common questions ### What is the difference between lmql and late-cli? lmql: A language for constraint-guided and efficient LLM programming.. late-cli: Orchestrate an entire AI dev team on 5GB VRAM with zero config.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose lmql over late-cli? Choose lmql over late-cli when lmql is primarily Python; late-cli is Go; License: lmql is Apache-2.0, late-cli is Other; Tags unique to lmql: chatgpt, huggingface, language-model, programming-language; When needing precise control over language model output through programmable constraints. ### When should I choose late-cli over lmql? Choose late-cli over lmql when late-cli is primarily Go; lmql is Python; License: late-cli is Other, lmql is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to late-cli: ai-agents, auto-config, ephemeral-agents, llm-support; Also covers AI Agents; Projects needing coordination among various AI models like Claude, Gemini, Qwen without heavy setup. ### When should I avoid lmql? For general-purpose coding without leveraging specific LLM functionalities If the project does not benefit from constraint-guided interactions with language models ### When should I avoid late-cli? Situations requiring configuration customization to adapt to different project requirements Workflows that need more than 5GB of VRAM for AI model operations and management ### Is lmql or late-cli more popular on GitHub? lmql has more GitHub stars (4,203 vs 402). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are lmql and late-cli open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (lmql: Apache-2.0, late-cli: Other). ### Where can I find alternatives to lmql or late-cli? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [lmql alternatives](/tools/eth-sri-lmql/alternatives) and [late-cli alternatives](/tools/mlhher-late-cli/alternatives) ([lmql markdown twin](/tools/eth-sri-lmql/alternatives.md), [late-cli markdown twin](/tools/mlhher-late-cli/alternatives.md)), 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](/compare/eth-sri-lmql-vs-mlhher-late-cli.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, lmql or late-cli? lmql: Dormant. late-cli: Very active. 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 lmql and late-cli? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [lmql trust report](/tools/eth-sri-lmql/trust); [late-cli trust report](/tools/mlhher-late-cli/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=eth-sri-lmql`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=eth-sri-lmql) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_