--- title: "cc-switch vs lean-ctx" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/farion1231-cc-switch-vs-yvgude-lean-ctx" tools: ["farion1231-cc-switch", "yvgude-lean-ctx"] --- # cc-switch vs lean-ctx *GraphCanon updated Jul 11, 2026* ## Verdict Pick cc-switch when license: cc-switch is MIT, lean-ctx is Apache-2.0; pick lean-ctx when license: lean-ctx is Apache-2.0, cc-switch is MIT. [cc-switch](https://ccswitch.io) reports 116k GitHub stars, 7.8k forks, and 1.9k open issues, last pushed Jul 11, 2026. [lean-ctx](https://leanctx.com) has 3.2k stars, 295 forks, and 4 open issues, last pushed Jul 11, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [cc-switch's repository](https://github.com/farion1231/cc-switch) and [lean-ctx's repository](https://github.com/yvgude/lean-ctx). | | [cc-switch](/tools/farion1231-cc-switch.md) | [lean-ctx](/tools/yvgude-lean-ctx.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A cross-platform desktop All-in-One assistant for Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, OpenClaw, Gemini CLI & Hermes Agent. Only official website: ccswitch.io | Control what your AI can see. LeanCTX (Lean Context) is the context intelligence layer for AI agents — one local Rust binary that decides what they read, remembers what they learn, guards what they to | | Stars | 115,863 | 3,221 | | Forks | 7,759 | 295 | | Open issues | 1,863 | 4 | | Language | Rust | Rust | | Adopt for | - | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [cc-switch](/tools/farion1231-cc-switch.md) | [lean-ctx](/tools/yvgude-lean-ctx.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 1.9k | 4 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/farion1231-cc-switch/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/yvgude-lean-ctx/trust.md) | ## Choose when ### Choose cc-switch if… - License: cc-switch is MIT, lean-ctx is Apache-2.0. - Tags unique to cc-switch: ai-tools, codex, desktop-app, hermes. - More GitHub stars (116k vs 3.2k) - visibility, not fit. ### Choose lean-ctx if… - License: lean-ctx is Apache-2.0, cc-switch is MIT. - Tags unique to lean-ctx: agentic-coding, ai, ai-agents, ai-coding. - Also covers LLM Frameworks. ## When NOT to use cc-switch - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ## When NOT to use lean-ctx - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. - LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between cc-switch and lean-ctx? cc-switch: A cross-platform desktop All-in-One assistant for Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, OpenClaw, Gemini CLI & Hermes Agent. Only official website: ccswitch.io. lean-ctx: Control what your AI can see. LeanCTX (Lean Context) is the context intelligence layer for AI agents — one local Rust binary that decides what they read, remembers what they learn, guards what they to. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose cc-switch over lean-ctx? Choose cc-switch over lean-ctx when License: cc-switch is MIT, lean-ctx is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to cc-switch: ai-tools, codex, desktop-app, hermes; More GitHub stars (116k vs 3.2k) - visibility, not fit. ### When should I choose lean-ctx over cc-switch? Choose lean-ctx over cc-switch when License: lean-ctx is Apache-2.0, cc-switch is MIT; Tags unique to lean-ctx: agentic-coding, ai, ai-agents, ai-coding; Also covers LLM Frameworks. ### When should I avoid cc-switch? AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. ### When should I avoid lean-ctx? AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. LLM Frameworks: Avoid a framework for a single prompt-and-retrieve call; the abstraction can cost more than it saves. ### Is cc-switch or lean-ctx more popular on GitHub? cc-switch has more GitHub stars (115,863 vs 3,221). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are cc-switch and lean-ctx open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (cc-switch: MIT, lean-ctx: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to cc-switch or lean-ctx? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [cc-switch alternatives](/tools/farion1231-cc-switch/alternatives) and [lean-ctx alternatives](/tools/yvgude-lean-ctx/alternatives) ([cc-switch markdown twin](/tools/farion1231-cc-switch/alternatives.md), [lean-ctx markdown twin](/tools/yvgude-lean-ctx/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/farion1231-cc-switch-vs-yvgude-lean-ctx.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, cc-switch or lean-ctx? cc-switch: Very active. lean-ctx: 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 cc-switch and lean-ctx? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [cc-switch trust report](/tools/farion1231-cc-switch/trust); [lean-ctx trust report](/tools/yvgude-lean-ctx/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=farion1231-cc-switch`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=farion1231-cc-switch) - 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/_