--- title: "agent-framework vs planning-with-files" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-othmanadi-planning-with-files" tools: ["microsoft-agent-framework", "othmanadi-planning-with-files"] --- # agent-framework vs planning-with-files *GraphCanon updated Aug 19, 2026* ## Verdict Pick agent-framework if the agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments; pick planning-with-files if a tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks. [agent-framework](https://aka.ms/agent-framework) reports 13k GitHub stars, 2.1k forks, and 685 open issues, last pushed Aug 10, 2026. [planning-with-files](https://www.skills.sh/othmanadi/planning-with-files/planning-with-files) has 26k stars, 2.2k forks, and 9 open issues, last pushed Aug 19, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [agent-framework's repository](https://github.com/microsoft/agent-framework) and [planning-with-files's repository](https://github.com/OthmanAdi/planning-with-files). | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [planning-with-files](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows | Persistent file-based planning for AI coding agents | | Stars | 12,718 | 26,250 | | Forks | 2,143 | 2,199 | | Open issues | 685 | 9 | | Language | Python | Shell | | Adopt for | The agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments. | A tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [agent-framework](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework.md) | [planning-with-files](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Open issues (now) | 685 | 9 | | Stars delta | Unknown | +691 (30d) | | Open issues delta | Unknown | +4 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: agent-framework - **Requirements:** Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages. - **Adopt for:** The agent-framework provides tools for developers to build and deploy AI agents and multi-agent workflows in Python and .NET environments. ## Decision facts: planning-with-files - **Pricing:** freemium - Freely available under MIT License; community-supported. - **Adopt for:** A tool designed for providing persistent file-based planning in long-running AI coding tasks. ## Choose when ### Choose agent-framework if… - agent-framework is primarily Python; planning-with-files is Shell. - Requirements: Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages.. - Tags unique to agent-framework: agent-framework, agentic-ai, agents, multi-agent. - Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### Choose planning-with-files if… - planning-with-files is primarily Shell; agent-framework is Python. - Pricing: Freely available under MIT License; community-supported.. - Tags unique to planning-with-files: agent-skills, ai-agents, claude-code, codex. - - When your coding agent needs to retain plans across sessions without context loss. ## When NOT to use agent-framework - Avoid using the agent-framework if your team does not have proficiency in either Python or.NET, as this may cause difficulties in leveraging its features effectively. - Do not opt for agent-framework if you only need lightweight support for AI agents without a comprehensive orchestration and deployment framework. ## When NOT to use planning-with-files - - When you do not need persistent storage for plans, such as short tasks where context is unlikely to be lost. - - For projects that strictly prohibit the use of external file storage for tracking progress due to security concerns. - - If your workflow heavily relies on in-memory planning strategies that are more suitable than disk-based solutions. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between agent-framework and planning-with-files? agent-framework: Framework for building and deploying AI agents and multi-agent workflows. planning-with-files: Persistent file-based planning for AI coding agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose agent-framework over planning-with-files? Choose agent-framework over planning-with-files when agent-framework is primarily Python; planning-with-files is Shell; Requirements: Python version 3.6 or newer is required for Python installations.; The .NET Core SDK must be installed for utilizing the .NET packages.; Tags unique to agent-framework: agent-framework, agentic-ai, agents, multi-agent; Choose agent-framework if your project requires support for both Python and .NET, allowing you to develop across different ecosystems. ### When should I choose planning-with-files over agent-framework? Choose planning-with-files over agent-framework when planning-with-files is primarily Shell; agent-framework is Python; Pricing: Freely available under MIT License; community-supported.; Tags unique to planning-with-files: agent-skills, ai-agents, claude-code, codex; - When your coding agent needs to retain plans across sessions without context loss. ### When should I avoid agent-framework? Avoid using the agent-framework if your team does not have proficiency in either Python or.NET, as this may cause difficulties in leveraging its features effectively. Do not opt for agent-framework if you only need lightweight support for AI agents without a comprehensive orchestration and deployment framework. ### When should I avoid planning-with-files? - When you do not need persistent storage for plans, such as short tasks where context is unlikely to be lost. - For projects that strictly prohibit the use of external file storage for tracking progress due to security concerns. - If your workflow heavily relies on in-memory planning strategies that are more suitable than disk-based solutions. ### Is agent-framework or planning-with-files more popular on GitHub? planning-with-files has more GitHub stars (26,250 vs 12,718). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are agent-framework and planning-with-files open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (agent-framework: MIT, planning-with-files: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to agent-framework or planning-with-files? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [agent-framework alternatives](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives) and [planning-with-files alternatives](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/alternatives) ([agent-framework markdown twin](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/alternatives.md), [planning-with-files markdown twin](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/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/microsoft-agent-framework-vs-othmanadi-planning-with-files.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, agent-framework or planning-with-files? agent-framework: Very active. planning-with-files: 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 agent-framework and planning-with-files? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [agent-framework trust report](/tools/microsoft-agent-framework/trust); [planning-with-files trust report](/tools/othmanadi-planning-with-files/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=microsoft-agent-framework`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=microsoft-agent-framework) - 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/_