--- title: "refly vs agents" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/refly-ai-refly-vs-wshobson-agents" tools: ["refly-ai-refly", "wshobson-agents"] --- # refly vs agents *GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026* ## Verdict Pick refly if refly is an open-source agent skills builder ecosystem targeting automation through platforms like Slack and Lark/Feishu with capabilities for running on Claude Code, Cursor, Codex among others; 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. [refly](https://refly.ai) reports 7.5k GitHub stars, 725 forks, and 104 open issues, last pushed Jul 29, 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 [refly's repository](https://github.com/refly-ai/refly) and [agents's repository](https://github.com/wshobson/agents). | | [refly](/tools/refly-ai-refly.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | The first open-source agent skills builder for creating bots and workflows | Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents | | Stars | 7,517 | 39,823 | | Forks | 725 | 4,246 | | Open issues | 104 | 12 | | Language | TypeScript | Python | | Adopt for | refly is an open-source agent skills builder ecosystem targeting automation through platforms like Slack and Lark/Feishu with capabilities for running on Claude Code, Cursor, Codex among others. | 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 | AI Agents, Developer Tools | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [refly](/tools/refly-ai-refly.md) | [agents](/tools/wshobson-agents.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Steady (60%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 48d | 1d | | Open issues (now) | 104 | 12 | | Stars delta | +44 (30d) | +895 (30d) | | Open issues delta | +9 (30d) | +7 (30d) | | Owner type | Organization | User | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/refly-ai-refly/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: refly - **Adopt for:** refly is an open-source agent skills builder ecosystem targeting automation through platforms like Slack and Lark/Feishu with capabilities for running on Claude Code, Cursor, Codex among others. ## 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 refly if… - refly is primarily TypeScript; agents is Python. - License: refly is Other, agents is MIT. - Tags unique to refly: claude, codex, cursor, lark-bot. - When you want to define and automate skills across multiple platforms including Slack and Lark/Feishu using an open-source platform. ### Choose agents if… - agents is primarily Python; refly is TypeScript. - License: agents is MIT, refly is Other. - Tags unique to agents: agentic-ai, prompt-engineering, workflows. - Also covers Developer Tools. - 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 refly - Avoid if project requirements do not align with the limitations set forth by the ReflyAI Open Source License, distinguishing it from more permissive licenses found in competitors. - Not ideal if direct integration and optimization with other AI frameworks outside of the supported range like Claude Code or Cursor are mission-critical. ## 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 refly and agents? refly: The first open-source agent skills builder for creating bots and workflows. 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 refly over agents? Choose refly over agents when refly is primarily TypeScript; agents is Python; License: refly is Other, agents is MIT; Tags unique to refly: claude, codex, cursor, lark-bot; When you want to define and automate skills across multiple platforms including Slack and Lark/Feishu using an open-source platform. ### When should I choose agents over refly? Choose agents over refly when agents is primarily Python; refly is TypeScript; License: agents is MIT, refly is Other; Tags unique to agents: agentic-ai, prompt-engineering, workflows; Also covers Developer Tools; 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 refly? Avoid if project requirements do not align with the limitations set forth by the ReflyAI Open Source License, distinguishing it from more permissive licenses found in competitors. Not ideal if direct integration and optimization with other AI frameworks outside of the supported range like Claude Code or Cursor are mission-critical. ### 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 refly or agents more popular on GitHub? agents has more GitHub stars (39,823 vs 7,517). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are refly and agents open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (refly: Other, agents: MIT). ### Where can I find alternatives to refly or agents? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [refly alternatives](/tools/refly-ai-refly/alternatives) and [agents alternatives](/tools/wshobson-agents/alternatives) ([refly markdown twin](/tools/refly-ai-refly/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/refly-ai-refly-vs-wshobson-agents.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, refly or agents? refly: Steady. 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 refly and agents? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [refly trust report](/tools/refly-ai-refly/trust); [agents trust report](/tools/wshobson-agents/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=refly-ai-refly`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=refly-ai-refly) - 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/_