Agent Backends

PocketPaw supports three agent backends. Each provides different capabilities and trade-offs.

Backend Comparison

FeatureClaude Agent SDKPocketPaw NativeOpen Interpreter
ProviderAnthropic ClaudeAnthropic + OIOllama/OpenAI/Anthropic
Built-in toolsBash, Read, Write, EditCustom + OI executionOI tools
Local modelsNoNoYes (Ollama)
Code executionClaude toolsOpen InterpreterOpen Interpreter
StreamingYesYesYes
MCP supportNativeVia tool registryVia tool registry
Recommended forCoding, complex tasksBalanced workflowsLocal/offline use

Switching Backends

Set the backend via environment variable or config:

Terminal window
export POCKETCLAW_AGENT_BACKEND="claude_agent_sdk"  # default
# or
export POCKETCLAW_AGENT_BACKEND="pocketpaw_native"
# or
export POCKETCLAW_AGENT_BACKEND="open_interpreter"

Or change it in the web dashboard’s Settings panel.

Backend Details

Claude Agent SDK

The recommended backend with native Claude tools and MCP support.

PocketPaw Native

Custom orchestrator combining Anthropic SDK with Open Interpreter.

Open Interpreter

Standalone engine with Ollama support for fully local operation.

Last updated: February 12, 2026
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