What is pool?

Pool is a command-line AI coding agent from Poolside that runs on your local machine. It operates as an interactive terminal program, an ACP server for editor integration, an ACP client for other agent servers, or a non-interactive tool for automation. The agent reads code, answers questions, suggests modifications, edits files, runs commands, and works with external tools and reusable workflows. You control its actions through approval modes, permissions, and sandboxes. Install via a download script on Linux, macOS, or Windows (beta), then authenticate with Poolside Platform (free tier), an enterprise deployment, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint. The software is proprietary under Poolside's End User License Agreement with source available on GitHub.

Should you self-host pool?

pool scores 47/100 on selfhost.directory (how scoring works) and ranks #59 of 120 in AI Assistant. It has 440 GitHub stars.

It shipped 10 stable releases in the past year. The latest, v1.0.16, came out on 14 August 2026. New versions land roughly every 4 days.

Setup is moderate: expect some configuration beyond a single command. It is Proprietary-licensed.

Its closest alternative on selfhost.directory is hermes-agent (89/100, 257 885 stars). It scores higher overall, so compare the two before you pick. See pool vs hermes-agent side by side.

Features

ACP client mode
ACP server mode
AGENTS.md support
Approval modes
Auto approval mode with classifier
Hooks
Interactive terminal agent
MCP Server Integration
Multiple LLM provider support
Non-interactive execution
Plan and Build modes
Sandbox support
Session Management
Skills support
Subagents

How to configure pool

agent_serversConfigure ACP-compatible agent servers that pool can launch or connect to
Configure ACP-compatible agent servers that pool can launch or connect to
hooksRun commands at agent lifecycle events (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, UserPromptSubmit, PreCompact, SessionStart, Stop)
Run commands at agent lifecycle events (PreToolUse, PostToolUse, UserPromptSubmit, PreCompact, SessionStart, Stop)
mcp_serversConfigure personal MCP servers with command, args, transport, env, enabled_tools, allow, deny, disabled
Configure personal MCP servers with command, args, transport, env, enabled_tools, allow, deny, disabled
pathsConfigure file access rules for explicit file tools (allow, deny with write option)
Configure file access rules for explicit file tools (allow, deny with write option)
pool.api_urlSet the saved API base URL
Set the saved API base URL
pool.auto_mode_classifierModel ID that enables the Auto approval mode
Model ID that enables the Auto approval mode
POOL_AUTO_MODE_CLASSIFIER_MODELOverrides pool.auto_mode_classifier for the current process. An explicitly empty value disables Auto mode
Overrides pool.auto_mode_classifier for the current process. An explicitly empty value disables Auto mode
pool.default_agent_serverSet the agent_servers entry to use when --agent-server is not provided
Set the agent_servers entry to use when --agent-server is not provided
POOLSIDE_API_KEYAPI key or token for any Poolside connection
API key or token for any Poolside connection
POOLSIDE_STANDALONE_BASE_URLOpenAI-compatible API base URL, including any required path such as /v1 or /api/v1; selects standalone mode
OpenAI-compatible API base URL, including any required path such as /v1 or /api/v1; selects standalone mode
POOLSIDE_STANDALONE_CONTEXT_LENGTHOptional context length in tokens that pool uses to calculate automatic compaction thresholds in standalone mode
Optional context length in tokens that pool uses to calculate automatic compaction thresholds in standalone mode
POOLSIDE_STANDALONE_MODELOptional model ID that overrides the default for standalone mode
Optional model ID that overrides the default for standalone mode
pool.worktree_prefixPrefix generated Git worktree names when you use pool --worktree without a branch name
Prefix generated Git worktree names when you use pool --worktree without a branch name
sandboxConfigure local sandbox behavior (image, env_vars, secrets, filesystem, network)
Configure local sandbox behavior (image, env_vars, secrets, filesystem, network)
secretsConfigure secret approvals, fallback default redaction patterns, and user redaction patterns
Configure secret approvals, fallback default redaction patterns, and user redaction patterns
subagentsConfigure agents that the main Poolside agent can delegate work to
Configure agents that the main Poolside agent can delegate work to
toolsConfigure tool rules and approval behavior (allow, deny, disabled)
Configure tool rules and approval behavior (allow, deny, disabled)
web_searchConfigure search provider for web_search and web_fetch tools (provider, api_key, base_url, summarize_results)
Configure search provider for web_search and web_fetch tools (provider, api_key, base_url, summarize_results)