AgentComparison
Maria Gorskikh (open-source project) · product · open-source personal agent you text

Open Instinct (Maria Gorskikh)

A free, self-hosted, MIT-licensed personal agent you text on iMessage; version 0.1.

Group: Personal agents you message

Open Instinct is an MIT-licensed, self-hosted personal agent you text on iMessage. Its README says each agent has its own computer (a microVM with a Linux desktop), connects to your apps through Composio, can pay with one-time Stripe Link cards you approve, and coordinates with the agents of people you trust. It describes itself as a from-scratch clone of Instinct, and says it is not affiliated with Instinct or with Merit Systems' separate OpenInstinct project.

Documentation researched, not testedChecked 5 October 2026Vendor documentation, not a test

The decision in plain English

A new open-source project, created on 3 October 2026 and labelled version 0.1 by its README, which says live iMessage and Maritime deployment are beta. The code is free (MIT) but you run it: you bring your own model key and need paid or metered accounts for the messaging line and hosting. It is not the hosted Instinct assistant and is not operated by Instinct. Read the permissions and security docs and start with the laptop mode before giving it an iMessage line or a wallet.

Best fit

Developers and technically confident users who want to run and customise their own text-message personal agent, read its prompt and permission code, and control the keys.

Poor fit

Anyone who wants a hosted assistant that works after sign-up, or who is not ready to manage API keys, phone-line provisioning and a hosting account.

Documented capabilities

Vendor statements, not verified task outcomes.

  • Personal agent you text over iMessage, with its own computer Source · checked 2026-10-05
  • MIT-licensed open-source code that anyone can fork Source · checked 2026-10-05
  • Trust tiers and plain-English grants for other people's agents Source · checked 2026-10-05
  • One-time Stripe Link card payments the owner approves each time Source · checked 2026-10-05

Permissions and human control

  • The README describes six trust tiers (owner, partner, family, friend, contact, stranger) enforced in code before any tool runs, plain-English grants, a policy guard in front of every tool and a spend policy file with ask-above amounts and a daily cap. Payments use a single-use Stripe Link card that the owner approves for each purchase, and logins, 2FA and payments go to the owner through desktop takeover or a Link approval. These are the project's own statements; we did not audit the code.

Documented controls do not prove that an agent always follows them.

Limits and open questions

  • Version 0.1, created on 3 October 2026; the README calls live iMessage and Maritime deployment beta
  • Self-hosted: you supply and pay for the model, Inkbox messaging line, Maritime hosting and any payment setup
  • The 837-test and end-to-end claims in the README are the author's own; we did not run them
  • Depends on several third-party services (Inkbox, Maritime, Composio, Stripe Link, a model provider)
  • Stripe Link Agent Wallet is available to consumers in the United States and Canada, per the project's payments doc
  • Not tested by AgentComparison

Privacy and security

Because you host it, your messages, files and keys sit in your own accounts and the third-party services it uses. The README says no keys are stored in the repository and keys live in your environment or a git-ignored secrets folder. We did not review the code or the security doc, and found no independent audit.

Common questions about Open Instinct (Maria Gorskikh)

What is Open Instinct (Maria Gorskikh) for?

Developers and technically confident users who want to run and customise their own text-message personal agent, read its prompt and permission code, and control the keys. The vendor describes it as: Open Instinct is an MIT-licensed, self-hosted personal agent you text on iMessage. Its README says each agent has its own computer (a microVM with a Linux desktop), connects to your apps through Composio, can pay with one-time Stripe Link cards you approve, and coordinates with the agents of people you trust. It describes itself as a from-scratch clone of Instinct, and says it is not affiliated with Instinct or with Merit Systems' separate OpenInstinct project.

Who should look elsewhere?

Anyone who wants a hosted assistant that works after sign-up, or who is not ready to manage API keys, phone-line provisioning and a hosting account.

How much does Open Instinct (Maria Gorskikh) cost?

No price for the agent itself. Running it costs whatever your model, messaging line and hosting accounts charge; the keys doc gives no fixed total.

What can it access and what needs my approval?

The README describes six trust tiers (owner, partner, family, friend, contact, stranger) enforced in code before any tool runs, plain-English grants, a policy guard in front of every tool and a spend policy file with ask-above amounts and a daily cap. Payments use a single-use Stripe Link card that the owner approves for each purchase, and logins, 2FA and payments go to the owner through desktop takeover or a Link approval. These are the project's own statements; we did not audit the code.

What happens to my data?

Because you host it, your messages, files and keys sit in your own accounts and the third-party services it uses. The README says no keys are stored in the repository and keys live in your environment or a git-ignored secrets folder. We did not review the code or the security doc, and found no independent audit.

Has AgentComparison tested it?

No. This record is built from the vendor's own documentation, checked 2026-10-05. Vendor claims are attributed, not confirmed.

How to evaluate Open Instinct (Maria Gorskikh) yourself

  1. Pick one low-risk task that matches its documented capabilities: personal agent you text over imessage, with its own computer.
  2. Write the expected output and what counts as failure before you start.
  3. Connect the minimum access needed, and check approval settings first.
  4. Run it twice and compare, then review every action it took.
  5. Check cost after any free allowance. Unknown price is not free.

Related

Documented use cases: Building your own agent.

Sources and history

Change history

Documentation overview expanded with current pricing/access sources. No hands-on results claimed.

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