# Rakazo review

> Rakazo is an open source, self-hosted AI agent platform for persistent bot teammates, with your own model and sandbox provider.

Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026. Canonical page: https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/elie222-rakazo/

## TL;DR

Rakazo is an open source AI agent for persistent teammates that you can self-host on your own machine or server. It is for developers and teams who want bots with memory, routines and computer access while choosing their own model and computer provider. It runs on the web, as an Electron desktop app, and on iPhone and Android. Rakazo is in beta.

## Rakazo at a glance

- **Category:** [Coding agents](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/coding-agents/)
- **Maintained by:** Elie Steinbock (individual, [@elie222](https://github.com/elie222) on GitHub)
- **License:** Apache 2.0
- **Language:** TypeScript, Python, Shell
- **Repository:** [github.com/elie222/rakazo](https://github.com/elie222/rakazo)
- **Website:** [rakazo.com](https://rakazo.com)
- **Latest release:** [v0.4.0](https://github.com/elie222/rakazo/releases/tag/v0.4.0) on GitHub, Nov 1, 2026
- **First published:** Aug 13, 2026

## What Rakazo does

- Rakazo runs persistent bots with their own conversations, memory, routines, and history.
- Rakazo gives bots browser, terminal, file, and graphical desktop access on shared Team Computers or isolated Private computers.
- Rakazo bots can delegate work to peer bots or short-lived subagents.
- Rakazo offers a voice mode to speak replies, dictate, and call a bot, using your own ElevenLabs, OpenAI, Cartesia, or Fish Audio key.
- Rakazo connects apps through Composio or Pipedream Connect, plus remote MCP servers, Treg, and OpenAPI tool sources.
- Rakazo bots can wake on a schedule, a webhook, a GitHub event, or a change they watch.
- Rakazo bots can be messaged from Slack, with self-hosted iMessage and SMS, WhatsApp, and Telegram options.

### How it works

Rakazo runs as a Docker Compose stack with a TypeScript backend on PostgreSQL. The web, Electron, and Expo apps are clients of the same API. Bots use models through bring-your-own credentials via Pi. Their computers run in local Docker or on remote providers such as E2B, Daytona, CreateOS, Boat, or Railway. Running the backend on a server keeps bots on.

## How to install Rakazo

**With published Docker images**

```
mkdir -p rakazo && cd rakazo && curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elie222/rakazo/main/infra/compose/install-images.sh && bash install-images.sh
```

**From source**

```
git clone https://github.com/elie222/rakazo.git
```

### Requirements

- Docker Engine, the Compose plugin, curl, and OpenSSL for the published-image install.
- For source development: Node.js 22.22.2+ in 22.x, 24.x, or 26+, plus pnpm 9 and Docker.
- Model provider credentials, such as an OpenRouter API key or another supported provider.
- An API key for any remote computer provider you choose, such as E2B or Daytona.

### First steps

1. Run the installer, which downloads Compose files, creates .env with random secrets, and starts Rakazo.
2. Open http://127.0.0.1:5173 and create an account.
3. Connect a model provider during onboarding.
4. Create your first bot, optionally starting from a template such as Inbox Manager or Coding Agent.

## Who Rakazo is for

- Developers who want a self-hosted bot platform with their own model and keys.
- Teams that want persistent bots for tasks such as inbox, sales follow-ups, or code changes.
- Users who want bots reachable from desktop, mobile, browser, and Slack.

### Limitations

- Rakazo is in beta.
- Rakazo's source build does not support Node.js 23.x or 25.x.
- Rakazo's desktop app looks for the docker CLI and does not detect Podman automatically.
- Rakazo's Linux AppImage needs FUSE 2, so FUSE 3-only distributions such as Ubuntu 24.04 need an extra library.

## Usage data (the week of Oct 25–31, 2026)

- Board rank: #17 overall, #8 in Coding agents, momentum score 92
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 490; Aug 16: 624; Aug 23: 377; Aug 30: 476; Sep 6: 354; Sep 13: 384; Sep 20: 242; Sep 27: 319; Oct 4: 381; Oct 11: 813; Oct 18: 1.1k; Oct 25: 883

## Rakazo alternatives

| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | [Cindy](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/makecindy-cindy/) | 8.8k | – |
| #2 | [OpenMausBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/milind-soni-openmausbot/) | 9.6k | – |
| #3 | [Orca](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/stablyai-orca/) | 111.7k | – |
| #4 | [OpenBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/copilotkit-openbot/) | 9.1k | – |
| #5 | [Agent Reach](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/panniantong-agent-reach/) | 107.2k | – |
| #6 | [Skill Recorder](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/microsoft-skill-recorder/) | 5.6k | – |

## Rakazo FAQ

### Is Rakazo free and open source?

Yes. Rakazo's source code is on GitHub (elie222/rakazo) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free.

### How do I install Rakazo?

Run `mkdir -p rakazo && cd rakazo && curl -fsSLO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/elie222/rakazo/main/infra/compose/install-images.sh && bash install-images.sh`. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

### Is Rakazo still maintained?

Yes. The elie222/rakazo repository was last updated on Nov 1, 2026, and the latest release, v0.4.0 on GitHub, came out on Nov 1, 2026.

### How popular is Rakazo?

Rakazo has 6.5k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 883 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 540 a week. That made it #8 among AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board.

### Rakazo vs OpenMausBot: how do they compare?

Rakazo and OpenMausBot are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Rakazo has 6.5k GitHub stars and OpenMausBot has 9.6k. OpenMausBot is an open-source desktop chat app where each contact is a local Claude, Codex, or Grok CLI agent with its own computer. [OpenMausBot review](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/milind-soni-openmausbot/)

### What are the best alternatives to Rakazo?

Other AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: Cindy (#1), OpenMausBot (#2), Orca (#3), OpenBot (#4), Agent Reach (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

### Is Rakazo an alternative to Grok Bot?

Yes. Rakazo describes itself as an open source, self-hosted alternative to Grok Bot. It lets you choose your own model and sandbox.

### Is Rakazo an alternative to Hermes Agent?

Yes. The Rakazo README lists Hermes Agent among the tools it is a self-hosted alternative to, along with OpenClaw, Meta Muse, and Claude Duet.

### Can Rakazo keep bots running when my computer is off?

Yes. Rakazo bots stay on when the backend runs on a server. Use the same installer on a VPS, put HTTPS in front of port 5173, and connect from the desktop, mobile, or web app.

### Which sandbox providers does Rakazo support?

Rakazo supports local Docker computers by default. Remote options include E2B, Novita, Daytona, CreateOS, Boat, Boxd, and Railway, each with its matching API key.

### Can Rakazo use MCP servers?

Yes. In Rakazo, users can add an HTTPS MCP server, Treg endpoint, or OpenAPI JSON document from Integrations without enabling a managed catalog.

## Sources

1. [elie222/rakazo on GitHub](https://github.com/elie222/rakazo)
2. [Rakazo README](https://github.com/elie222/rakazo/blob/main/README.md)
3. [Rakazo website](https://rakazo.com)
4. [Release v0.4.0 (Nov 1, 2026)](https://github.com/elie222/rakazo/releases/tag/v0.4.0)
5. [Release v0.3.6 (Oct 28, 2026)](https://github.com/elie222/rakazo/releases/tag/v0.3.6)
6. [Release android (Oct 10, 2026)](https://github.com/elie222/rakazo/releases/tag/android)
7. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)