Is BotHearth free?
Yes, for the noncommercial purposes permitted by its licence. BotHearth itself has no subscription, checkout, or account fee. You build and run the source on your own infrastructure. Model accounts, container runtimes, and optional hosting have their own terms and possible costs.
What licence does it use?
The project uses PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0. The licence defines the permission to use, modify, and distribute the software for permitted purposes, with notice requirements and other conditions. It restricts commercial use; source availability is not an unrestricted grant. PolyForm Noncommercial is source-available, not OSI open source.
Can I use it for my business?
This release includes no commercial-use grant. Internal business automation, paid services, and other activity directed toward commercial advantage may fall outside the permitted purposes. Read the actual licence and licence questions before using it in such a setting. A nonprofit or educational label alone does not answer every use-case question.
Can I modify or share it?
For purposes permitted by the licence, you can inspect and modify the source and share it under its conditions. Preserve required notices and observe the separate licences for third-party components. The trademark policy covers the project name and branding; a code licence does not imply endorsement of a fork.
What could still cost money?
| Item | What to expect |
|---|---|
| BotHearth software | No charge for purposes permitted by PolyForm Noncommercial. |
| Model access | Your provider account, plan eligibility, usage limits, and charges. Not included with BotHearth. |
| Container runtime | Runtime-specific licensing. Review Docker Desktop or OrbStack eligibility if using either. |
| Machine & network | Your computer, storage, electricity, and connectivity; a rented server is optional. |
Does the dollar meter show my model bill?
No. For native Codex and Claude Code tasks, BotHearth estimates one cent per computer-tool call. The default $20 allowance represents 2,000 such calls. The default per-task ceiling is $100, configurable under Settings → Usage.
Standalone API estimates depend on usage reporting and configured prices. An in-flight request can exceed an estimate. A task pauses when it reaches its allowance, but that is not a provider-enforced spending cap. Configure and monitor limits with the provider where available.
Does my existing model plan definitely work?
That depends on the provider, account, installed CLI, and task. Native sign-in is the supported authentication route. Provider terms and usage limits still apply. Check provider requirements; BotHearth is independent of OpenAI and Anthropic.
Which operating systems work?
The documented source installation path is macOS or Linux with Node.js 22.18+ and a supported container runtime. Windows via WSL2 and Podman are advanced or experimental paths, not equivalent launch-validated native builds. The optional Mac shell is a development artifact called ModelBot.app; it is not notarized, and ad-hoc signing limits notifications.
Can I install it with npx or pull an image?
No verified published npm install or prebuilt image path is offered in this release. Clone the source, build it, and use bothearth image build. The quickstart is the supported entry point.
Is this a hosted agent service?
No. This website explains the project and links to the source. The daemon runs on your own host or privately accessed VM. Do not expose the operator interface as a public service or use this single-operator alpha as a multi-tenant platform.
Can it run scheduled tasks?
Scheduled tasks currently require a standalone provider adapter. Native Codex and Claude Code task connections are not the scheduler path. Read the configuration and routine commands before enabling unattended work.
Does it work with every website?
No. Sites can block automation or disallow a proposed use. CAPTCHAs may require you, and passkeys or hardware security keys generally cannot be used inside the container's browser. Only automate accounts and data you are authorized to use; local approvals do not override a site's terms.
Will it ask me before anything leaves?
It gates new destinations and detected sensitive effects, but detection is not complete. Ordinary allowed interactions and writing task results can proceed without a new prompt. Keep sensitive tasks supervised and review the approval limits.
Does self-hosting keep everything offline?
No. Remote models receive model-visible task context; websites, connectors, notifications, and paired clients receive data needed for their operations. Browser profiles and task databases are not encrypted by BotHearth. Records do not have an automatic general expiry. Read data flows and retention before adding private information.
What changes during human control?
Model capture and ordinary agent tools are blocked while the authenticated operator drives. The site still sees your input. Control expiry pauses rather than automatically resuming the agent, and later page content can become model-visible after handback.
Why do I still see ModelBot in some places?
BotHearth was developed under the name ModelBot. The modelbot command remains an alias, the package is still named modelbot, and storage, schema, and environment-variable names retain their established identifiers. This avoids silently moving data or breaking configuration.
The screenshots are unretouched pre-rename development captures, and the optional native app is still built as ModelBot.app. Current installation examples use bothearth. Read about the project and its author.
Authoritative project references: licence text, licence scope, model requirements, security, privacy.