OpenHands Agent (Agent Canvas)

OpenHands Agent is a model-configurable coding harness; Agent Canvas is the current local-first workspace for running it or other agents. The hosted Cloud service, local agent server, and selected model are separate data paths.

Score calculation

(3 + 3 + 8) ÷ 3 = 4.7

3 of six dimensions rated. Unrated dimensions and BDS status are excluded.

Full scoring method ↗

Setup details

This profile covers OpenHands Agent plus its current Agent Canvas client/workspace, not every agent that Canvas can connect to. Cloud privacy policy applies to hosted OpenHands services; self-hosted agent-server and local-model deployments are controlled by the operator.

Current product naming: OpenHands describes Agent Canvas as its new local workspace and OpenHands Agent as one supported harness. The current repository release list shows v1.30.1 dated 2026-10-22.

Energy

↑

OpenHands 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

OpenHands documents local LLMs as well as hosted model profiles, so an operator can choose where inference runs. It publishes no energy per task, and its local-model guide notes substantial hardware requirements for capable agentic models. Measure the server and full agent run, including retries, before preferring local deployment on energy grounds.

No per-task electricity, water, or emissions data, serving-region breakdown, or lifecycle assessment was found for the harness.

OpenHands local LLM configuration ↗

Training rights

↑

OpenHands’ hosted-service privacy policy says user content and feedback may be used to train or tune its AI models; local-model support gives a separate route.

Reasoning & sources

OpenHands Cloud’s privacy policy permits use of content and feedback to train or tune service models, while local LLMs are documented separately. Running a local model avoids that particular hosted-content path but does not establish that model’s data was used with permission. For cloud use, ask for a written training exclusion; for local use, inspect the model’s dataset and license.

The provider and exact model vary by configuration; no complete rights ledger can be inferred from the harness license or provider list.

Privacy

↑

OpenHands’ current hosted-service policy allows content and feedback to be used to train or tune its AI models and retains content as needed for business/legal purposes.

Reasoning & sources

The cloud policy allows model-training use and does not show a training opt-out in the reviewed text; this is a material privacy limit. OpenHands documents local/self-hosted deployment and local LLMs, which shifts control to the operator but also makes the operator responsible for securing logs, tools, and the model endpoint.

Plan, selected model/provider, enabled features, and deployment mode can change this assessment.

Openness

↑

Public repository supports inspection; this does not establish openness of every hosted or enterprise component.

Reasoning & sources

OpenHands publishes its agent code under a permissive license, which allows inspection and modification of the client. Hosted and enterprise services may include components outside that repository. Check the service and model terms separately from the open-source code.

This score covers the harness/editor source only; hosted services, models, data, or enterprise features may remain proprietary.

Worker treatment

↑

OpenHands has a public contributor repository, while its privacy policy names service providers; neither source provides worker pay or conditions for model data work.

Reasoning & sources

OpenHands describes Agent Canvas as community-built and publishes its source, but neither that statement nor the privacy policy reports contributor pay or model-data labor conditions. Community involvement provides participation, not worker-level assurance. Ask the project and selected model provider for current compensation and contractor safeguards.

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

OpenHands Agent Canvas can use a local backend, OpenHands Cloud, or another agent, and the sources reviewed do not name a defense deployment. That flexibility means the selected model and host determine much of the exposure. Check the backend and provider contract before deploying it in a defense-sensitive environment.

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.

OpenHands local LLM configuration ↗

BDS status

↑

We did not find OpenHands among the named targets in the two official BNC campaign lists. This is a limited list check, not BDS approval.

Reasoning & sources

OpenHands 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.

All sources