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Home/Compare/toolhive vs agents

Comparison

toolhive vs agents

Verdict

Pick toolhive when toolhive is primarily Go; agents is Python; pick agents when agents is primarily Python; toolhive is Go.

Markdown twin · toolhive alternatives · agents alternatives

GraphCanon updated today

toolhive logo

toolhive

stacklok/toolhive

★ 1.9kpushed Jul 11, 2026
vs
agents logo

agents

wshobson/agents

★ 38kpushed Jul 8, 2026

Trust & integrity

Signaltoolhiveagents
Maintenance
Very active (0d since push)
As of today · github_public_v1
Very active (2d since push)
As of today · github_public_v1
Provenance
Not a fork · Organization account
As of today · github_public_v1
Not a fork · Personal account
As of today · github_public_v1
Security (OSV)
No MCP manifest
As of today · mcp_manifest
No MCP manifest
As of today · mcp_manifest
toolhive trust reportagents trust reportTrust methodology

Tagline

toolhive
ToolHive is an enterprise-grade platform for running and managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.
agents
Multi-harness agentic plugin marketplace for various AI agents

Stars

toolhive
1.9k
agents
38k

Forks

toolhive
247
agents
4.0k

Open issues

toolhive
273
agents
1

Language

toolhive
Go
agents
Python

Adopt for

toolhive
-
agents
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

toolhive
-
agents
-

Runtime

toolhive
-
agents
-

License

toolhive
Apache-2.0
agents
MIT

Last pushed

toolhive
Jul 11, 2026
agents
Jul 8, 2026

Categories

toolhive
Developer Tools
agents
AI Agents, Developer Tools

Trust and health

Days since push

toolhive
0d
agents
2d

Open issues (now)

toolhive
273
agents
1

Owner type

toolhive
Organization
agents
User

Full report

toolhive
Trust report
agents
Trust report

Choose toolhive if…

  • toolhive is primarily Go; agents is Python.
  • License: toolhive is Apache-2.0, agents is MIT.
  • Tags unique to toolhive: ai, ai-security, aicodeassistant, golang.

When NOT to use toolhive

  • Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model.
GitHubDetails

Choose agents if…

  • agents is primarily Python; toolhive is Go.
  • License: agents is MIT, toolhive is Apache-2.0.
  • Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, agentic-ai, automation, prompt-engineering.
  • Also covers AI Agents.
  • 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 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
GitHubDetails

Explore

toolhive trust report →agents trust report →Developer Tools category →AI Agents category →All comparisonsStack workflowsTrending tools

Sources

Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.

GitHub stars on cards: toolhive 1.9k · agents 38k (synced Jul 11, 2026).

Common questions

What is the difference between toolhive and agents?
toolhive: ToolHive is an enterprise-grade platform for running and managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers.. 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 toolhive over agents?
Choose toolhive over agents when toolhive is primarily Go; agents is Python; License: toolhive is Apache-2.0, agents is MIT; Tags unique to toolhive: ai, ai-security, aicodeassistant, golang.
When should I choose agents over toolhive?
Choose agents over toolhive when agents is primarily Python; toolhive is Go; License: agents is MIT, toolhive is Apache-2.0; Tags unique to agents: agent-skills, agentic-ai, automation, prompt-engineering; Also covers AI Agents; 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 toolhive?
Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model.
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 toolhive or agents more popular on GitHub?
agents has more GitHub stars (37,779 vs 1,936). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
Are toolhive and agents open source?
Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (toolhive: Apache-2.0, agents: MIT).
Where can I find alternatives to toolhive or agents?
GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at toolhive alternatives and agents alternatives (toolhive markdown twin, agents markdown twin), 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 mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
Which is better maintained, toolhive or agents?
toolhive: Very 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 toolhive and agents?
GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: toolhive trust report; agents trust report.