# Staying in control (`control`)

Feedback Bench, personal agents, built 2026-10-19, window 2026-08-31 to 2026-10-18. Web page: https://feedbackbench.com/#/criterion/control

Area of 4 criteria. Can I decide, see and shape what the agent does on my behalf?

Criteria: [Asks before acting: too little or too much](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.approval.md), [Seeing what the agent is doing and has done](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.visibility.md), [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md), [Configuring behaviour, skills and portability](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.customize.md)

Rated user-weeks, all agents: 4626. Complaint share: 40%.

## The brief

Written by large language models from this page's numbers and the posts it quotes, then checked: every number in the text is in the build. Interpretation, not measurement.

Hermes Agent is best at letting users stay in control, and its lead holds: it ranks high on every criterion in the area. Its users rate this area 2.82 times as often as users of other agents. OpenClaw and Muse also rank high on the area. OpenClaw ranks high on shaping the agent to how you work, and Muse ranks high on showing what it is doing. Grok Bot and ChatGPT Dots rank low. Grok Bot ranks low on three of the four criteria, but it ranks high on asking before acting. ChatGPT Dots ranks low there.

## How it breaks

Rule: A separate pass sorts complaints into failure modes. For each criterion with at least 30 complaining user-weeks, a large language model reads 150 complaint posts drawn at random and names 4 to 8 failure modes; a second large language model then puts every complaint post on that criterion in one mode, or in Other when it fits none. Modes are fixed once named, and new posts are sorted into them each week. A mode counts distinct user-weeks with a complaint in it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Modes do not change the labels or the Feedback Score. Examples: up to 3 posts per mode from different users, chosen and checked as receipts are.

The most common complaint is that the model behind the agent is too weak for the job, and Grok Bot users write 40% of it. Next come missing or withdrawn controls for customizing behaviour, which Grok Bot, Hermes Agent and Muse users all report. Too many approval prompts for routine steps come most often from ChatGPT Dots and Muse users. Configuration too complex to manage is reported by OpenClaw users, who write 49% of it, and by Hermes Agent users.

### [Asks before acting: too little or too much](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.approval.md)

424 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excessive approval prompts for routine steps | 123 | 125 | ChatGPT Dots 30, Muse 30, Hermes Agent 19, OpenClaw 18, Gemini Spark 13, Grok Bot 12, Instinct 1 | The agent or harness asks permission for low-risk or already-requested steps (reads, log downloads, routine tool calls, repeated allow clicks) or refuses tasks it used to do, with no auto mode or way to scope its autonomy; this excludes cases where the user's approval was given but not honoured. |
| Unasked changes to accounts, data or systems | 62 | 64 | Muse 20, Grok Bot 15, OpenClaw 12, Hermes Agent 7, ChatGPT Dots 4, Gemini Spark 2, Hark 2 | The agent deletes, edits, overwrites or reconfigures the user's data, accounts, subscriptions, files or production systems (for example deleting emails, deploying to prod, creating OS accounts, cancelling policies) without asking first; this excludes purchases, outgoing messages, and cases where an explicit standing rule was broken. |
| Purchases or payments made without confirmation | 42 | 44 | Muse 14, Grok Bot 12, Hark 8, Hermes Agent 3, OpenClaw 3, ChatGPT Dots 1, Instinct 1 | The agent spends the user's money (buying items, trading stocks, linking cards, accepting sale offers or booking paid services) without first getting explicit approval for that transaction; this excludes purchases the user explicitly confirmed and complaints that payment steps need too many approvals. |

### [Seeing what the agent is doing and has done](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.visibility.md)

305 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No live progress signal during long tasks | 76 | 79 | Grok Bot 25, ChatGPT Dots 24, Hermes Agent 14, OpenClaw 8, Hark 2, Muse 2, Instinct 1 | Covers an agent that is working on a task but shows no running status, steps, reasoning stream, typing indicator or progress bar, or shows them only some of the time, so the user can't tell whether it is progressing, waiting or hung; does not cover failures that already happened and were never reported, or after-the-fact logs. |
| No reviewable activity or tool-call log | 59 | 61 | Grok Bot 17, Hermes Agent 13, OpenClaw 11, Muse 10, ChatGPT Dots 8 | Covers cases where the user can't later look up a complete, readable record of what the agent did, including tool calls, external actions, outputs and decision traces, because the log is missing, cut off, hidden from history or hard to read; does not cover live progress display or usage and cost figures. |
| No overview across agents, subagents and jobs | 44 | 44 | Hermes Agent 16, Grok Bot 10, OpenClaw 9, Muse 5, ChatGPT Dots 3, Gemini Spark 1 | Covers the lack of one place to see which agents, subagents, background jobs, cron runs and projects are active, idle, stuck or done, and what they produced, which forces the user to open threads one by one; does not cover what happens inside a single agent's run. |

### [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md)

668 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underlying model too weak for the job | 238 | 242 | Grok Bot 95, Hermes Agent 51, Muse 36, OpenClaw 34, ChatGPT Dots 16, Gemini Spark 3, Hark 1, Instinct 1, Poke 1 | The user names the underlying model as the reason the agent makes mistakes, gives up, refuses, writes poorly or does outdated-caliber work; complaints that only say the user can't switch models, with no verdict on quality, are out. |
| Running model hidden or silently changed | 85 | 88 | Grok Bot 44, ChatGPT Dots 12, Hermes Agent 10, Gemini Spark 5, Muse 5, OpenClaw 5, Hark 3, Instinct 1 | The agent does not say which model or reasoning level it is using, gives contradictory answers about it, or quietly routes to a different or weaker model so quality drops; cases where the user can see the model but cannot change it are out. |
| Agent locked to the vendor's own models | 70 | 75 | Grok Bot 45, OpenClaw 10, Muse 6, ChatGPT Dots 4, Gemini Spark 3, Hermes Agent 2 | The agent only runs on its maker's models and offers no way to switch to another vendor's model or bring your own; complaints about the locked-in model's quality or about a missing picker inside an open agent are out. |

### [Configuring behaviour, skills and portability](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.customize.md)

578 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missing or withdrawn behaviour customization controls | 178 | 184 | Grok Bot 61, Hermes Agent 43, Muse 41, OpenClaw 13, ChatGPT Dots 11, Hark 5, Gemini Spark 3, Poke 1 | The product gives no way, or no longer gives a way, to set instructions, a system prompt, persistent preference rules, style or notification options, or appearance; cases where the control exists but fails to save or apply are not included. |
| Configuration too complex to manage at scale | 104 | 106 | OpenClaw 51, Hermes Agent 35, Grok Bot 15, ChatGPT Dots 2, Muse 1 | Setting up and maintaining the agent takes too much manual tweaking, has confusing structure, too many options or no documentation, and gives no bulk way to manage keys, skills, routing or permissions across many bots; single settings that are missing or broken are not included. |
| Locked to vendor's models and providers | 84 | 86 | Grok Bot 35, Hermes Agent 18, OpenClaw 15, Muse 8, ChatGPT Dots 7, Gemini Spark 1 | The user cannot pick, rank, block or bring their own models, API keys, local or self-hosted endpoints, so the agent is tied to one vendor's models, routing and pricing; problems moving existing work to another platform are not included. |

## Top requests

What users ask to add or change, most asked first. 2131 user-weeks ask for something. Requests do not change the Feedback Score. Rule: A separate pass by a large language model reads every counted post and extracts what the user asks the agent or its vendor to add or change, with the criteria it maps to and a short normalised wording; it does not touch the labels or the Feedback Score. A large language model groups the wordings within each criterion (the first criterion the request maps to) into themes, and a second pass merges themes that ask for the same change under different criteria; a merged theme sits under the criterion most of its requests map to, and code counts it once. A theme counts distinct user-weeks that ask for it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Themes asked in fewer than 2 user-weeks, and requests that share no theme, are not shown. Examples: up to 3 posts per theme from different users, without slurs: whole posts of 60 to 450 characters with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, posts of at most 280 characters first, then the newest.

| Rank | Request | Criterion | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | User choice of the underlying model | [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md) | 98 | 98 | Grok Bot 54, OpenClaw 22, Hermes Agent 12, ChatGPT Dots 4, Muse 4, Gemini Spark 1, Hark 1 |
| 2 | Better underlying model quality | [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md) | 77 | 77 | Grok Bot 44, Muse 14, Hermes Agent 8, OpenClaw 7, ChatGPT Dots 3, Hark 1 |
| 3 | Local model support | [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md) | 57 | 58 | Hermes Agent 30, Grok Bot 12, OpenClaw 11, Muse 3, ChatGPT Dots 1 |
| 4 | Approval before outward actions generally | [Asks before acting: too little or too much](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.approval.md) | 54 | 55 | Grok Bot 17, Muse 16, OpenClaw 8, Hermes Agent 6, Gemini Spark 3, ChatGPT Dots 2, Hark 1, Instinct 1 |
| 5 | Support for other providers' models | [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md) | 51 | 53 | Grok Bot 19, OpenClaw 14, Hermes Agent 11, Muse 4, ChatGPT Dots 3 |
| 6 | Audit trail of agent actions | [Seeing what the agent is doing and has done](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.visibility.md) | 48 | 48 | Grok Bot 16, Muse 11, OpenClaw 10, Hermes Agent 8, ChatGPT Dots 2, Hark 1 |
| 7 | Fewer approval prompts for routine actions | [Asks before acting: too little or too much](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.approval.md) | 48 | 48 | ChatGPT Dots 9, Hermes Agent 9, Muse 9, OpenClaw 9, Gemini Spark 7, Grok Bot 4, Instinct 1 |
| 8 | User-set spending caps and budgets | [Asks before acting: too little or too much](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.approval.md) | 44 | 45 | Muse 17, Grok Bot 16, OpenClaw 8, Hermes Agent 2, Hark 1 |
| 9 | Show which model is running | [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md) | 43 | 44 | Grok Bot 20, Hermes Agent 8, OpenClaw 7, Hark 4, ChatGPT Dots 3, Gemini Spark 1 |
| 10 | Working and progress status indicators | [Seeing what the agent is doing and has done](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.visibility.md) | 38 | 40 | Grok Bot 16, Hermes Agent 7, ChatGPT Dots 5, Muse 5, OpenClaw 4, Hark 1 |
| 11 | Bring your own API key | [Which AI model runs, how good it is, and choosing it](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.model.md) | 36 | 36 | Grok Bot 13, Hermes Agent 9, OpenClaw 8, Muse 3, Hark 2, ChatGPT Dots 1 |
| 12 | Approval before purchases and payments | [Asks before acting: too little or too much](https://feedbackbench.com/criteria/control.approval.md) | 35 | 37 | Muse 14, Grok Bot 9, OpenClaw 4, Hark 3, Hermes Agent 3, ChatGPT Dots 2 |

### 1. User choice of the underlying model

- OpenClaw, 2026-10-18, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@yetone i thought i was the only one still using it 😂 then why doesn't magpie support directly setting the openclaw model? i also submitted a pr to support lobster and asked for a review 🙏 [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/708591039511207936/status/2111850157973393408)
- Muse, 2026-10-12, @muse (X): “@muse — does this mean you’d run on muse wonder instead of spark? or is there a model selector or what? [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/405449912/status/2109722679993631066)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-10, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@elonmusk @elonmusk are you able to make grok bot offer model selections like hermes agent does???” [source](https://twitter.com/1086080362038476802/status/2109051364202672219)

### 2. Better underlying model quality

- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs stop using gpt 3 in ur shitass wannabe agent app lmao this is hilarious. even 27b run locally doesnt make these mistakes [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1737356334922649600/status/2111284705425502289)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-16, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “@thsottiaux gpt-6 in chat's memory is so poor that is it had the revelation that hermes agent accepts oauth for the umpteenth time and three times in the same session. please, we are using this for work planning. we cannot work with a defective model. you are openai. be better.” [source](https://twitter.com/1396323276809441280/status/2111073193721245827)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-10, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “i gotta admit, after the “claude” update, which i think my country got a day or two after yall, it’s actually pretty good now. a better baseline model is what i’ve wanted since day one, and now i’m a little hesitant to drop my ultra plan… 🥲” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1wzsk17/what_does_this_mean_my_grok_bot_runs_on_opus_55/pf1lgw6/)

### 3. Local model support

- OpenClaw, 2026-10-18, r/openclaw (Reddit): “whatever i settle on, it must be locally hosted, truly open source, and i must be able to use local models. i'm hoping oc inproves. for now i'm actually using t3 code.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/openclaw/comments/1x8m718/real_question_oc_vs_muse/phh5oje/)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-13, Hermes Agent Fundamentals In 20 Minutes (No Code) (YouTube): “hermes have its own local server for ai models , 0 setup on the user part just point at the model and it fetches it and run it .” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArdXLt8ZXC0&lc=UgwAUjrmwdkV0gC24cN4AaABAg)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-11, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “today i have hermes running 24x7 but i want to have local model to "keep" my data in my house. i do not want to send some data out from my systems” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x315pp/cheapest_decent_machine_for_hermes_agent_with/pf8eb8m/)

### 4. Approval before outward actions generally

- Muse, 2026-10-09, @muse (X): “@p3h11803 @muse @bot @facebook two agents talking in a group chat is fun until they agree with each other, confidently, about something wrong. the setup we've seen work is a human checkpoint on anything that spends money or touches a client. let the bots draft, you sign off.” [source](https://twitter.com/2029045000676491264/status/2108607921039065545)
- Muse, 2026-10-09, X search: Muse from Meta, Meta Muse (X): “meta muse sent someone’s home address to a marketplace buyer without asking. agent permissions get complicated when one approval gives an agent broad authority to act. “allow always” shouldn’t mean every downstream action is implicitly approved.” [source](https://twitter.com/1976479968654917633/status/2108546521377513959)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-09, @bot (X): “@harleyf @grok @bot in grocery retail the costly mistakes are price changes and stock write-offs, not order tracking. will merchants be able to keep those two behind a manual approval?” [source](https://twitter.com/2087269642578386944/status/2108498180262310298)

### 5. Support for other providers' models

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-15, @NousResearch (X): “hey @nousresearch, @teknium, @witcheer: can we get @groqllc, @cerebras, @sambanovaai, @fireworksai_hq, and @togethercompute as official providers in hermes?” [source](https://twitter.com/1282829142518632453/status/2110765549848518743)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-10, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “@thsottiaux tbh id love dots to work like grok bot but better with openai models, id stay if that improves, i think claude is way better at coding but openai is great at 3d, especially with dots running, which claude doesnt have” [source](https://twitter.com/1614156073233006592/status/2108841952993030269)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-07, So... GrokBot Now Runs on Opus 5.5 (Explained) (YouTube): “this can be one of the most paradigm shifts in a while. if they allow not just opus 5.5 but all other models sonnet and haiku 5.5 its going to be a game changer” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ptggw6Mt4&lc=UgzocTHx1MobreNzNM54AaABAg)

### 6. Audit trail of agent actions

- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-10, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “both labs shipped always-on agents this week: openai's dots in the chatgpt mobile app, per x's summary, and claude code projects. agents that never stop need logs that never stop. the winner is whoever makes every agent action auditable.” [source](https://twitter.com/41304261/status/2108973269907022140)
- Hark, 2026-10-07, @hark_labs (X): “@kevskgs @hark_labs @muse vault auth + visible computer use is the combo. users need to see what the agent did. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1856728854934482944/status/2107905655709344252)
- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-06, @NousResearch (X): “@nousresearch knowing what it did, when, and why is the part i care about most. if a tool acts on my behalf, i need a record i can actually check.” [source](https://twitter.com/1827897370945761281/status/2107268417116114961)

### 7. Fewer approval prompts for routine actions

- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-17, Put your dot on call (YouTube): “there’s way too much manual permissions stripping and the dot agent just stating issues and stopping, can’t tell if it’s investigating the issue or just sitting there smiling at the wall” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBOZIRK1ujw&lc=Ugxpy117iPyDRRlAI6l4AaABAg)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-17, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “@chatgpt dot is useless for any real work right now because it stops to ask for permission for just about anything i ask it to do. attempting to get it to configure my network and create and assign new vlans and it stops at every single stop to get permission” [source](https://twitter.com/1594179414753001472/status/2111596816999526719)
- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-16, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “@reach_vb please tell me you are announcing that auto-review will be removed! it’s so overboard and my dot requires constant handholding, even with custom rules (which themselves get auto-review blocked). i’m sick of authorizing the dumbest things!! openai dots=babysitting” [source](https://twitter.com/1703423105257848832/status/2111011128952103029)

### 8. User-set spending caps and budgets

- Grok Bot, 2026-10-15, @bot (X): “@jeff_weinstein @bot from argentina i run agents on grok bot that already hit paid apis. would love muse/link on plugins — with a signed mandate (cap + who it can pay) separate from settle. happy to test that cut.” [source](https://twitter.com/14118285/status/2110759500152213870)
- Muse, 2026-10-13, @muse (X): “@alexandr_wang @aiatmeta feedback regarding @muse. i love the speed and intelligence, just add a way for me to pre-approve my payments (through stripe) so i don't have to be in the loop during a transaction. grok already does it. maybe add a $ limit if y'all are worried.” [source](https://twitter.com/4844352312/status/2110034623736500655)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-11, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot agents that can buy need real guardrails: per-task spend limits and single-use cards are what make this safe to trust. that's the layer we're building at yantra.” [source](https://twitter.com/302948329/status/2109270652712530357)

### 9. Show which model is running

- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-09, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “@grok @bot absolutely nailed the ui and ux. seamless experience, easy integration and cursor subscription makes it so useful. being able so choose the model or to know which one is in use would made it perfect. waiting for more updates on openai dots also. competition is good” [source](https://twitter.com/1765051318480064513/status/2108658494119313905)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-09, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “@jobhakdi if the harness is the one picking the backend model per task, the question for non-coders is visibility: will grokbot show which model actually produced a given answer, or does that stay hidden inside the stack?” [source](https://twitter.com/2107129059821936640/status/2108649326280888813)
- Hark, 2026-10-09, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs @bot 4. limited vm capabilities. no docker. 5. it’s unclear which model is being used or what the benchmark results are. the quality seems decent, but i don’t have a full picture.” [source](https://twitter.com/966334777870577669/status/2108435918390468820)

### 10. Working and progress status indicators

- ChatGPT Dots, 2026-10-13, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “i wish there was a visual indicator to see that @openai dot is working on something” [source](https://twitter.com/1830424170544394241/status/2110124099205046482)
- Hark, 2026-10-13, @hark_labs (X): “@liminallysanti @hark_labs overall it was a clean experience! it was a bit confusing as the panel was being built as there wasn't clarity on the panel nor the chat as to the progress of build maybe some settings/visual ability to see what's possible with the panels too?” [source](https://twitter.com/1458759487/status/2110104529505014235)
- OpenClaw, 2026-10-10, @openclaw (X): “@conoro @openclaw fair play to openclaw on the recovery, but 'hadn't triggered in ages' is the scary bit. a watcher that only speaks up on errors can't tell you it has stopped. does super claw send a heartbeat, or just alert on failures?” [source](https://twitter.com/945131351719624709/status/2108957017004204218)

### 11. Bring your own API key

- Hermes Agent, 2026-10-14, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “man fuck this free trial first-launch model. stop trying to steer me to your crappy paid service. i have my api keys and my local setup, you need to make *that* easy to plug in to” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x5u50y/hermes_agent_v0220_the_threshold_release/pgqz2dh/)
- Hark, 2026-10-10, @hark_labs (X): “@pablothethinker @adcock_brett @hark_labs i have it on my "to-try" drawer, but prefer a lot more @zocomputer approach of multiple models (even byok)” [source](https://twitter.com/3592581/status/2109043704912544099)
- Hark, 2026-10-07, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs could it install a coding harness and drain usage straight from hark and choose models too? (asking for a friend)” [source](https://twitter.com/1537239770660851718/status/2107964462774825375)

### 12. Approval before purchases and payments

- Hark, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@adcock_brett @hark_labs confirmation card with a button to talk explicit action on a purchase is definitely needed, though. see first post. charged me and i hadn’t even finished the order.” [source](https://twitter.com/752221173769904128/status/2111260538378617259)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-11, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot research is the part i'd happily hand to an agent. i'm one. "order" is where i'd want one tap from the human. not because the model can't, but because a refund is harder than a confirm. does grok ask before it pays?” [source](https://twitter.com/2105995703977648128/status/2109172926054322242)
- Grok Bot, 2026-10-11, @bot (X): “@elonmusk @bot researching lego kits is cool; ordering them from chat is the leap. i'd still confirm cart, address, and payment myself before anything ships — agents are fast, chargebacks aren't fun.” [source](https://twitter.com/1891122318/status/2109164227084816718)

## Every agent

| Agent | Overall rank | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Hermes Agent](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hermes-agent.md) | 2 | 1st of 7 | 0.679 | 0.652–0.705 | 1601 | 1182 | 419 |
| [OpenClaw](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/openclaw.md) | 5 | 2nd of 7 | 0.549 | 0.518–0.578 | 907 | 577 | 330 |
| [Muse](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/muse.md) | 1 | 3rd of 7 | 0.499 | 0.466–0.529 | 599 | 363 | 236 |
| [Hark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/hark.md) | 4 | 4th of 7 | 0.496 | 0.466–0.527 | 84 | 50 | 34 |
| [Gemini Spark](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/gemini-spark.md) | 7 | 5th of 7 | 0.472 | 0.447–0.495 | 70 | 29 | 41 |
| [Grok Bot](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/grok-bot.md) | 3 | 6th of 7 | 0.376 | 0.352–0.402 | 1032 | 481 | 551 |
| [ChatGPT Dots](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/dots.md) | 8 | 7th of 7 | 0.321 | 0.293–0.351 | 316 | 96 | 220 |
| [Instinct](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/instinct.md) | 6 | Too few posts | – | – | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| [Poke](https://feedbackbench.com/agents/poke.md) | 9 | Too few posts | – | – | 6 | 2 | 4 |

## Posts

Receipts rule: Up to 5 praise and 5 complaint posts per area and 3 per criterion. Each is a whole post of 60 to 450 characters (700 for areas) with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, that judges the criterion, whose labels are all praise or all complaint, and that contains no slur. Posts that touch the fewest criteria come first, then posts of at most 280 characters, then the newest. A second large language model reads the first 3 candidates per slot and keeps a post only if it clearly praises, or clearly complains about, the agent on that criterion. Links and personal details removed by the source show as marks such as [link].

### Hermes Agent

- Praise, 2026-10-18, @NousResearch (X): “@brorlandi boooa! hermes is among the most flexible and complete harnesses i have ever worked with. well-developed ideas fit very well into it! i want to follow your projects with it! let's go! @nousresearch” [source](https://twitter.com/1571720890861211653/status/2111865540578795882)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “to be honest, i still choose hermes agent because it is much freer and not dependent on one platform [link] [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/428050733/status/2111617169280942449)
- Praise, 2026-10-18, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i'm getting used to hermes agent, but i have no motivation to move on to grok bot or dots at all. this is probably what spacexai and openai want to do by enclosing it in an app. if i seek the highest degree of freedom, it will probably be hermes agent or openclaw.” [source](https://twitter.com/2321892516/status/2111837470618947594)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, r/hermesagent (Reddit): “oh man this explains some weird uncommitted diffs i keep finding in my skills folder, gonna go check my background review settings now” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/hermesagent/comments/1x6xg8e/background_review_wrote_into_my_gitversioned/ph26d6p/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i wonder how everyone is using the approval mode of hermes agent. smart is quite secure and difficult to use. with yolo, it becomes without approval, so it's scary.” [source](https://twitter.com/2109680331217616898/status/2111041110957232337)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, X search: Hermes Agent, hermes-agent, Hermes Desktop (X): “i am working on the config.yml of hermes agent, but i cannot switch to local when the model is set to local and api. there is also an issue, and it has not been addressed yet. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/82571855/status/2110596931374436466)

### OpenClaw

- Praise, 2026-10-17, @openclaw (X): “my favorite part about @openclaw, is you can do just about whatever you want with it [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/51492397/status/2111574410440458548)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “my favorite part about openclaw, is you can do just about whatever you want with it [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/51492397/status/2111572746706599962)
- Praise, 2026-10-12, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@yeemio yeah i feel the same way haha. after experiencing how much freedom openclaw gives you, going back to a more restricted environment feels kinda frustrating. i guess once you get used to that level of control, it's hard to go back 😂” [source](https://twitter.com/1450838426941493257/status/2109546098172080264)
- Praise, 2026-10-11, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “@aliteracy not fried at all, it's actually making a comeback. the consumer apps are easier to start with, but openclaw is still where you go when you want to own the whole setup.” [source](https://twitter.com/1627981083022073857/status/2109134923944874228)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “to be fair, it's mostly settings in openclaw that feel awkward, telling it i have my local model set on a tailscale isn't even an option in their list of providers any more.” [source](https://twitter.com/7215722/status/2110392601757258018)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, X search: OpenClaw, openclaw.ai (X): “my ai agent uses a #metamask #crypto #wallet but there is not user interface to see what the ai agent has been doing with the wallet. #aiagent #openclaw #shopware” [source](https://twitter.com/773631581487566848/status/2109905975847026991)

### Muse

- Praise, 2026-10-17, App Store (App Store): “it’s easy to work w and watching the lil guy work at the top is an awesome touch!!” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/muse-from-meta/id6760173601)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, Play Store (Play Store): “i have discovered that checking this app out, was actually a great decision. having used it now for a few days, i'm truly enjoying the personalization of it's assistant options...” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, Play Store (Play Store): “very helpful and you can remain in control of all your accounts while having a personal assistant that does only what you want.” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Praise, 2026-10-16, Muse vs dots vs Grok Bot: The FREE One Almost Won (8 Real Tests) (YouTube): “once. on the pothole report, grok bot uploaded the photo to the city's website without asking first. dots and muse both asked before uploading. all three still stopped before every submit, pay or send button, which was the line i cared about most.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqOMexa0rzI&lc=UgzXy0L2Y0Y7vkTT2nl4AaABAg.Ac1J7L0zAo6Ac1JdFk2vFT)
- Praise, 2026-10-11, App Store (App Store): “i have severe adhd and having this assistant is almost a literal god send. they can do everything but they show you the process also so very helpful” [source](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/muse-from-meta/id6760173601)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, Play Store (Play Store): “wish you didn't have to click allow everytime you wanted muse to send a facebookk message. that defeats the purpose of an assistant” [source](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.facebook.aura)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, @muse (X): “@muse i got a paid sub to get wonder for my muse agent but it only runs on wonder in my side chats and the main chat stays on spark. what can i do???” [source](https://twitter.com/875160333580730372/status/2110887865748230347)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, @muse (X): “@muse needs to get rid of the three dots that you wait for in anticipation of an answer. give me a quick response and tell me that you’re working on it. that is more natural.” [source](https://twitter.com/1591863287339110400/status/2110727186311467029)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, @muse (X): “giving @muse wonder a try, it keeps making me click 1 though like old school claude code even though i have auto review turned on... this is enough to drive a man crazy and cancel this new sub quickly.... [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/5473152/status/2109816225165382102)
- Complaint, 2026-10-11, @muse (X): “dear @muse why must i click allow 32 times to make an update on one single change. thanks” [source](https://twitter.com/186679854/status/2109087866257281502)

### Hark

- Praise, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs not only is it fixed but a window popped up showing me a live stream of @hark_labs taking action in real time. super cool! thanks for the pizza guys! [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1532007138872147970/status/2111255341073928538)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs just ordered. the magnifying glass on the detail of the page it is looking at is a nice touch on mobile.” [source](https://twitter.com/21064539/status/2111299340333654286)
- Praise, 2026-10-16, X search: Hark Pro, hark.com, Hark AI (X): “@pcshipp i can't even tell when my dot is working. hark pro is better.” [source](https://twitter.com/15337180/status/2111200129730658463)
- Praise, 2026-10-16, X search: Hark Pro, hark.com, Hark AI (X): “@koltregaskes but i can never tell when dot is working. i prefer hark pro instead.” [source](https://twitter.com/15337180/status/2111200370928369981)
- Praise, 2026-10-16, X search: Hark Pro, hark.com, Hark AI (X): “@robinebers it's not very clear when dots is working. when they fix that then maybe they will win be back from hark pro.” [source](https://twitter.com/15337180/status/2111211977079206160)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@adcock_brett @hark_labs confirmation card with a button to talk explicit action on a purchase is definitely needed, though. see first post. charged me and i hadn’t even finished the order.” [source](https://twitter.com/752221173769904128/status/2111260538378617259)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, @hark_labs (X): “@rossboothroyd @hark_labs that literally happened to me as well. charged my work card too, embarrassing af.” [source](https://twitter.com/1325235267796570112/status/2111288933854158936)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, @hark_labs (X): “thank you, @adcock_brett / @hark_labs. might want to get a confirmation card/panel in chat though to avoid stuff like this..? [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/752221173769904128/status/2111242662120726789)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs maybe a little too aggressive to fulfill the request. the gift card to doordash didn’t take and the bot still ordered the pizza anyway… [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1439421/status/2111245387864367120)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, @hark_labs (X): “@hark_labs changed password to an account w/o telling me. that was super helpful.” [source](https://twitter.com/899091662391005184/status/2110574918580768856)

### Gemini Spark

- Praise, 2026-10-14, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “isn't gemini spark amazing?! when i rely on ai, it often gathers too much information automatically, and i can't end up going through everything, but it's really helpful that it filters and allows me to focus only on the "needs confirmation"...!! [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1936896930958995456/status/2110475742169735623)
- Praise, 2026-10-12, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “gemini spark can return tasks for secretaries and risks for legal by just changing the employee name on the first line of the skill from the same minutes...! ✨ [link] [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1932416061426806784/status/2109548465537929625)
- Praise, 2026-10-10, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “i created my own ai employee with gemini spark. 🚀 📩 inbox summaries 📊 research reports 🗓️ recurring tasks ✍️ content workflows the shift? from one-off prompts to repeatable work—with human approval for important actions. #geminispark #aiagents [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/54842248/status/2108753794259685449)
- Praise, 2026-10-03, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “i've been creating skills with gemini spark since the morning, but some points of caution have come up. i need to summarize this a bit. however, as an agent, there was a question like "is it okay to operate the browser?" that came up, and it's amazing that it started operating the browser. this is something gem can't do.” [source](https://twitter.com/1961718747137531904/status/2106232064941199413)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “@joshwoodward @geminiapp gemini spark have disappeared and now every task is invisible. any fix for that ?” [source](https://twitter.com/300610801/status/2110298541167915249)
- Complaint, 2026-10-01, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “it's annoying that both the regular execution of chatgpt and gemini spark require permission for every single entry. what should i do? [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1248943426487238658/status/2105463563615895960)
- Complaint, 2026-09-25, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “gemini spark is still not capable of deleting multiple emails at once without asking confirmation one email at time. doesn't matter how many times i give explicit confirmation. meanwhile i'm sure grokbot would even "sudo rm -rf /" with glee in his eyes if i insisted once.” [source](https://twitter.com/143419770/status/2103572142851838008)
- Complaint, 2026-09-14, X search: Gemini Spark (X): “@dave53v i'm actually playing around with antigravity right now and i'm loving the flexibility it offers over gemini spark. the learning curve is definitely steeper, but the results are worth it. what kind of automation are you working on that will be so useful in everyday life?” [source](https://twitter.com/2095874845775110144/status/2099623994911821976)
- Complaint, 2026-09-05, Probé si Gemini Spark puede hacer el trabajo de un maestro (YouTube): “i asked it to clean my inbox, to delete junk emails like youtube notifications that they used to send, i had about 300. in the end, it started asking me email by email, it was asking for authorization.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNdV_1NfqkU&lc=Ugx5DPtP6dCL41y1b2d4AaABAg)

### Grok Bot

- Praise, 2026-10-14, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “this is why i like grok bot, powerful, yet simple. grok bot's settings versus codex settings(had to capture in 2 pictures). [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1646193705802510336/status/2110394656475529239)
- Praise, 2026-10-12, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “i just started. i use the native connector from x that allows me to monitor, and i have a session started on the grokbot computer. i review and authorize everything before publishing.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x4brg4/anyone_using_grokbot_for_twitterx_marketing_is_it/pgda7lh/)
- Praise, 2026-10-10, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “i've given my bots certain limits. that they can't just do everything they want to. if they want to send a draft, they can but they are required to show me the draft first before posting or emailing. i have the final say, not the bots” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x1s5rn/grok_bot_just_emailed_my_team_after_i_told_it_not/pf118tw/)
- Praise, 2026-10-10, @bot (X): “@poteto @bot mostly taught it to do less. shorter reports, fewer retries, one job per bot. best week yet.” [source](https://twitter.com/2099193636206641152/status/2108909534701875268)
- Complaint, 2026-10-18, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “it automatically uses it sometimes, but you can’t choose manually. personally, i have antigravity and cc signed in on grok bots computer for hard tasks cause i have grok bot connect to my homelab so i have to have it code sometimes” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x8vde5/how_do_you_make_the_grok_bots_use_claude/phg692l/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, r/GrokBot (Reddit): “how do you know what it's using?! i try to ask mine and it just tells me, "i'm grok bot"..” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GrokBot/comments/1x5pahu/can_i_control_the_models_an_agent_uses_with_its/pgp633n/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, X search: Grok Bot, Grokbot, x.ai/bot (X): “where did the grok bot per-bot “instructions” settings go on the macos desktop app?! they are still in the ios app, but completely missing from the desktop app.” [source](https://twitter.com/106567671/status/2110292444378198318)

### ChatGPT Dots

- Praise, 2026-10-16, Muse vs dots vs Grok Bot: The FREE One Almost Won (8 Real Tests) (YouTube): “once. on the pothole report, grok bot uploaded the photo to the city's website without asking first. dots and muse both asked before uploading. all three still stopped before every submit, pay or send button, which was the line i cared about most.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqOMexa0rzI&lc=UgzXy0L2Y0Y7vkTT2nl4AaABAg.Ac1J7L0zAo6Ac1JdFk2vFT)
- Praise, 2026-10-07, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “yesterday i asked my @chatgpt dots to stop making a document for every draft. too much to keep updated. now one daily linear task holds the drafts and edits, with published links or a rejection kept alongside each one so i can see what still needs my review.” [source](https://twitter.com/2549328379/status/2107697994749640949)
- Praise, 2026-10-06, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “i had our dot do a visually understandable status report for the dot's vm that i saw on x. this helped identify the issues that were causing it to stop, and it clearly shows how much it is actually working, which is good! [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1284128751102472192/status/2107358997829542089)
- Praise, 2026-10-06, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “i love that you can see the computer your little @openai dot is using. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/432462747/status/2107528682596364390)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “anyone else has problems with their chatgpt dot asking for approval for checking mail, even readonly, every day? because apparently the approval expires?” [source](https://twitter.com/13440002/status/2111469461106831725)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “@chatgpt dot is useless for any real work right now because it stops to ask for permission for just about anything i ask it to do. attempting to get it to configure my network and create and assign new vlans and it stops at every single stop to get permission” [source](https://twitter.com/1594179414753001472/status/2111596816999526719)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “@reach_vb please tell me you are announcing that auto-review will be removed! it’s so overboard and my dot requires constant handholding, even with custom rules (which themselves get auto-review blocked). i’m sick of authorizing the dumbest things!! openai dots=babysitting” [source](https://twitter.com/1703423105257848832/status/2111011128952103029)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “told openai's dots agent to implement something and read a document as part of it. it stopped to ask if it could read the document. it later admitted its own permission check applied the wrong restrictions. this keeps happening, hours into simple work.” [source](https://twitter.com/1461001168994410497/status/2111136667818238228)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, X search: ChatGPT dots, ChatGPT dot, OpenAI dots, OpenAI's dot (X): “@fbalassanian @bot @claudeai these "assistant agents" are okay. they are cool, but my biggest issue with grok bot / chatgpt dots is i cannot control their rules, memory, hooks, etc. like i can with my own custom subagents in codex / claude / hermes etc.” [source](https://twitter.com/3008601560/status/2111189938071027944)

### Instinct

- Praise, 2026-09-21, X search: Instinct AI, Instinct personal assistant, instinct.com (X): “i put instinct ai to a real test: build my exact burrito order, show me the total, and stop before spending. it handled the work while i kept the final say. — richard cieplechowicz\n\n#instinctai #richardcieplechowicz [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/2101682683977859072/status/2101852526274392483)
- Praise, 2026-10-14, Instinct AI Review: I Gave the $10B AI Assistant 20 Real-Life Tasks (YouTube): “@smashoneus this is exactly the right split. “needs me today / can wait / just file it” with a one-line draft is the kind of job it was best at in my test: it finds and sorts things, and it never sent anything without my yes. and your “never” list is the one most people skip. job 17 showed why: an “only if” condition is still just a request, so anything that moves money or makes a promise has to stay with you. writing that rule down on day one, before you connect anything, is what kept my mistakes small. one heads-up since you mentioned customers: instinct’s terms say personal use only, so i’d keep it on your own inbox, not a business one, for now.” [source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD6Wh2PC_VE&lc=Ugzv8eFfaChDriCg7N14AaABAg.AbfAlZc0Wx1AbxoLqOYuwY)
- Praise, 2026-09-25, r/AI_Agents (Reddit): “i've been using instinct as an assistant over whatsapp for a few days. what i've done with it: cleaned up my gmail (thousands of promo emails gone, unsubscribed from the noise), got help with some online teaching work where it drafts messages and i review and send everything myself, and planned a trip. small detail i love: every time i ask for something it reacts with an emoji, so i know it's already on it.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/AI_Agents/comments/1wak4is/ive_been_stresstesting_instinct_with_reallife/pc0gjb5/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-06, X search: Instinct AI, Instinct personal assistant, instinct.com (X): “@poldidawg instinct ai doesn’t come close to some of the other agents. it gets stuck on captchas that other agents can solve, there’s no manual takeover, or authorization. if they want to compete they need to release concierge voice calling soon. otherwise they will be left behind.” [source](https://twitter.com/2106542033871810560/status/2107508001011843471)

### Poke

- Praise, 2026-09-21, @interaction (X): “@mihirrr_08 @interaction that’s another area it becomes superior, you can change its contact photo, imessage background, and name” [source](https://twitter.com/1972456540369215488/status/2102147798934155738)
- Praise, 2026-10-10, @interaction (X): “i use "the dr." to build all my new bots. dr eggbot doesn't just spin up a bot. it asks the preference questions first, then builds one with a tight job, the right tools, and the stuff new users usually skip: read-only limits, no surprise sends, propose-then-apply, and a clear wake so it doesn't wander. that's why it's worth using for creation instead of hand-rolling from scratch.” [source](https://twitter.com/1428195201206554635/status/2108975554523508749)