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DIY harness

Your own loop over a model API with an agent SDK, the build-it-yourself reference point.

toolweight.com/compare/coding-agents
Overall in coding agents
12of 17 · score 60.4
Data coverage
77%
20 of 26 fields sourced

Best for

  • •One repeated task with a known shape and a tight tool surface
  • •Environments where no third-party harness can be installed
  • •Understanding what the commercial harnesses are actually doing for you

Strong on

  • +Model breadth any provider / router 1/17

Weak on

  • −Permissions applies everything 17/17
    Better: Claude Code: allowlist + OS sandbox
  • −Plan mode No 17/17
    Better: Claude Code: Yes
  • −Checkpoint & undo No 14/16
    Better: Claude Code: Yes
  • −Skills / commands No 17/17
    Better: Claude Code: Yes

vs Codex CLI

  • •Ahead on Subagents: Partial vs No
  • •Ahead on Model breadth: any provider / router vs one vendor + custom endpoint
  • •Behind on Permissions: applies everything vs allowlist + OS sandbox
  • •Behind on Plan mode: No vs Partial

How DIY harness scores among 17 coding agents20 of 26 fields known

Features8

Surface
CLI
13/17
Leader: GitHub Copilot (Agent HQ) · GitHub-native, IDE extension, CLI, web, cloud delegate
Default model
Whichever you wire up
Model breadth1st
any provider / router
1/17
Repo indexing
manual context only
16/16
Leader: Devin · hybrid index + agentic
Plan mode
No
17/17
Leader: Claude Code · Yes
Checkpoint & undo
No
14/16
Leader: Claude Code · Yes
Headless / CI1st
Yes
1/17
Local models1st
Yes
1/17

Agentic7

Where it stops
—
MCP
Partial
16/17
Leader: Claude Code · Yes
Subagents
Partial
8/16
Leader: Claude Code · Yes
Hooks1st
Yes
1/14
Skills / commands
No
17/17
Leader: Claude Code · Yes
Background agents
Partial
6/16
Leader: Claude Code · Yes
Opens PRs
Partial
7/16
Leader: Claude Code · Yes

Governance & control3

Permissions
applies everything
17/17
Leader: Claude Code · allowlist + OS sandbox
BYOK1st
Yes
1/17
Licence
—

Pricing3

Pricing model1st
BYOK tokens only
1/16
Entry price1st
$0/seat/mo
1/16
Token markup
No
5/16
Leader: Windsurf · Yes

Traction3

GitHub stars
—
Terminal-Bench
—
Bench model
—

Positioning1

Positioning
The reference point: what you get for a few hundred lines and an API key.

Timeline1

First release
—

Alternatives8

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Sources0