--- title: "core vs agents" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/redplanethq-core-vs-wshobson-agents" tools: ["redplanethq-core", "wshobson-agents"] --- # core vs agents *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick core if redPlanetHQ/core offers an AI framework for personalized assistants focusing on ai-agent capabilities, ai-memory, and automation. It is self-hosted and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license; pick agents if the agents tool is a marketplace for plugins that enhances multiple AI agents, offering integration and management capabilities across several platforms, including Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub. [core](https://getcore.me) reports 2.0k GitHub stars, 194 forks, and 211 open issues, last pushed Sep 7, 2026. [agents](https://sethhobson.com) has 40k stars, 4.2k forks, and 12 open issues, last pushed Sep 19, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [core's repository](https://github.com/RedPlanetHQ/core) and [agents's repository](https://github.com/wshobson/agents). | | [core](/tools/redplanethq-core.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Your Personal AI OS | Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents | | Stars | 1,985 | 39,823 | | Forks | 194 | 4,246 | | Open issues | 211 | 12 | | Language | TypeScript | Python | | Adopt for | RedPlanetHQ/core offers an AI framework for personalized assistants focusing on ai-agent capabilities, ai-memory, and automation. It is self-hosted and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license. | The agents tool is a marketplace for plugins that enhances multiple AI agents, offering integration and management capabilities across several platforms, including Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Other | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, Developer Tools | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [core](/tools/redplanethq-core.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 12d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 211 | 12 | | Stars delta | +38 (30d) | +895 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +3 (30d) | +7 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/redplanethq-core/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: core - **Adopt for:** RedPlanetHQ/core offers an AI framework for personalized assistants focusing on ai-agent capabilities, ai-memory, and automation. It is self-hosted and open-source under the AGPL 3.0 license. ## Decision facts: agents - **Adopt for:** The agents tool is a marketplace for plugins that enhances multiple AI agents, offering integration and management capabilities across several platforms, including Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot ## Choose when ### Choose core if… - core is primarily TypeScript; agents is Python. - License: core is Other, agents is MIT. - Tags unique to core: ai-agent, ai-memory, automations, developer-tools. - When you require a personalized AI assistant that can integrate with multiple services you use daily. ### Choose agents if… - agents is primarily Python; core is TypeScript. - License: agents is MIT, core is Other. - Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, agentic-ai, prompt-engineering, workflows. - You are working specifically within the ecosystems of Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, or Gemini CLI, as it provides tailored plugins for these environments ## When NOT to use core - If you prefer cloud-based solutions over self-hosted options as RedPlanetHQ/core requires local hosting to ensure data privacy and control. - When looking for a chatbot that operates on-demand instead of an AI assistant that is constantly active in the background. ## When NOT to use agents - You are working solely within a niche environment that isn't one of the supported platforms (like Claude Code, Codex CLI, etc.) because it may not offer compatible plugins or extensive support - Your project requirements do not include interoperability between multiple AI agents and you only need to leverage functionalities from a single AI agent with a robust in-built plugin ecosystem ## Common questions ### What is the difference between core and agents? core: Your Personal AI OS. agents: Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose core over agents? Choose core over agents when core is primarily TypeScript; agents is Python; License: core is Other, agents is MIT; Tags unique to core: ai-agent, ai-memory, automations, developer-tools; When you require a personalized AI assistant that can integrate with multiple services you use daily. ### When should I choose agents over core? Choose agents over core when agents is primarily Python; core is TypeScript; License: agents is MIT, core is Other; Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, agentic-ai, prompt-engineering, workflows; You are working specifically within the ecosystems of Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, OpenCode, GitHub Copilot, or Gemini CLI, as it provides tailored plugins for these environments. ### When should I avoid core? If you prefer cloud-based solutions over self-hosted options as RedPlanetHQ/core requires local hosting to ensure data privacy and control. When looking for a chatbot that operates on-demand instead of an AI assistant that is constantly active in the background. ### When should I avoid agents? You are working solely within a niche environment that isn't one of the supported platforms (like Claude Code, Codex CLI, etc.) because it may not offer compatible plugins or extensive support Your project requirements do not include interoperability between multiple AI agents and you only need to leverage functionalities from a single AI agent with a robust in-built plugin ecosystem ### Is core or agents more popular on GitHub? agents has more GitHub stars (39,823 vs 1,985). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are core and agents open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (core: Other, agents: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to core or agents? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [core alternatives](/tools/redplanethq-core/alternatives) and [agents alternatives](/tools/wshobson-agents/alternatives) ([core markdown twin](/tools/redplanethq-core/alternatives.md), [agents markdown twin](/tools/wshobson-agents/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/redplanethq-core-vs-wshobson-agents.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, core or agents? core: Active. agents: 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 core and agents? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [core trust report](/tools/redplanethq-core/trust); [agents trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=redplanethq-core`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=redplanethq-core) - 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/_