Goose
Open-source local-first desktop and CLI coding agent supporting hosted and local providers.
Score calculation
(6 + 9) ÷ 2 = 7.5
2 of six dimensions rated. Unrated dimensions and BDS status are excluded.
Full scoring method ↗Setup details
Local installation does not mean inference is local unless a local provider is selected.
Energy
↑Goose can route inference to a local model; that gives the user control over the serving machine, not a verified reduction in energy or water.
Reasoning & sources
Goose runs its agent on the user’s machine and supports both Ollama and hosted model providers. That makes a local route possible, but does not tell us whether a full agent session uses less electricity than a hosted model. Choose a task-appropriate small model, record local energy, and compare with provider-specific emissions data.
No per-task electricity, water, or emissions data, serving-region breakdown, or lifecycle assessment was found for the harness.
Training rights
↑Goose is a harness that connects to models; its sources do not establish a complete rights record for the training data of every model it can use.
Reasoning & sources
Goose offers hosted providers and local Ollama, but its own documentation does not publish training rights for every model. Provider choice matters: a local model can have a public corpus and license, while a hosted API follows its provider’s terms. Check the selected model’s source and rights records rather than treating the open-source agent as an open-data guarantee.
The provider and exact model vary by configuration; no complete rights ledger can be inferred from the harness license or provider list.
Privacy
↑Goose runs locally as a harness, but prompts still go to the selected model provider unless a local model is configured.
Reasoning & sources
Goose runs its agent locally, but that does not mean model inference stays on the device. Its provider list includes Ollama as well as hosted vendors, so the selected route controls where prompts go and which policy applies. Choose a local model for sensitive work or review the provider’s retention terms, and audit each extension separately.
Its provider list includes Ollama as well as hosted vendors, so “local agent” should not be read as “local inference.” Select a local model or review the chosen provider’s retention and training terms, and audit any enabled extension separately.
Plan, selected model/provider, enabled features, and deployment mode can change this assessment.
Openness
↑Goose repository is Apache-2.0; provider choice is separate from model openness.
Reasoning & sources
Goose’s Apache-2.0 source can be inspected and modified, while its provider integrations connect to separately licensed models and services. This gives users control over the client code without opening every part of the inference stack. Review the selected model’s availability and terms.
This score covers the harness/editor source only; hosted services, models, data, or enterprise features may remain proprietary.
Worker treatment
↑Goose advertises a large open-source contributor community and AAIF affiliation; neither fact supplies worker-level pay or contractor evidence.
Reasoning & sources
Goose reports hundreds of contributors and AAIF affiliation, which indicates broad participation and shared stewardship. It does not establish contributor pay or the working conditions at the model providers Goose connects to. Support project maintainers where appropriate and ask the selected provider for worker-level evidence.
Current worker pay, working conditions, subcontracting, safety provisions, and grievance outcomes are not established for this product’s full service chain.
Government & military
↑No harness-specific defense deployment was established in the sources reviewed; provider and parent-company records need separate attribution.
Reasoning & sources
Goose’s provider choices include local models and commercial APIs, and no reviewed source ties Goose itself to a defense contract. A model company’s government work does not mean Goose was used. Choose a local model when the provider relationship is unacceptable, and check extension vendors separately.
No public evidence in the reviewed material names this harness in a defense workload; absence in this review does not establish absence of indirect use.
BDS status
↑We did not find Block / AAIF among the named targets in the two official BNC campaign lists. This is a limited list check, not BDS approval.
Reasoning & sources
Block / AAIF is not a named target in the checked lists, but BDS uses selective campaigns, so absence cannot establish a clean record. Check the model and host this tool connects to as well as the company providing the tool.
This review covers the named targets in the BNC consumer/pressure guide and No Tech campaign, not every BDS campaign, local group, investment or supplier. Lists and ownership can change. A company’s absence from these lists is not an endorsement or proof that it has no relevant relationships.