dagu
★ 3.4k
vs
totem
★ 13
dagu vs totem
dagu: Dagu is a local-first, self-hosted control plane designed for existing operations automation and AI agent workflows. It allows defining complex pipelines in simple declarative YAML, executing them anywhere with a single binary, and distributing tasks across workers. It comes with a built-in Web UI for debugging and monitoring, eliminating the need for external databases or message brokers.; totem: Totem is a set of CLI tools that provides persistent memory and enforcement layer for AI agents. It uses deterministic hooks to remember lessons the AI forgets, catching architectural mistakes before they become permanent. Totem runs entirely offline and completes linting in under 2 seconds.
01
TL;DR
Choose dagu if…ETL and data operations: Turn data extraction scripts, SQL queries, dbt commands, and data-processing runbooks into observable pipelines.
Choose totem if…Prevent AI agents from repeating architectural mistakes
02
Side-by-Side Comparison
03
Features
dagu01Local-first and self-hosted with a single binary
02Language-agnostic workflow definition (YAML for shell, Docker, K8s, etc.)
03Built-in Web UI for observability and debugging
04Integrated AI agent support (via MCP server, harness)
05Built-in secret management and human-in-the-loop approvals
totem01Offline linting in under 2 seconds
02Convert plain-English lessons into enforceable rules
03Git hooks for pre-push enforcement
04Cross-repo semantic memory via local knowledge base
05MCP server for agent context retrieval
04
Use Cases
dagu↳ETL and data operations: Turn data extraction scripts, SQL queries, dbt commands, and data-processing runbooks into observable pipelines.
↳Cron and legacy script management: Transform complex, interdependent jobs into maintainable DAGs with a UI, automatic logging, retries, and notifications.
↳Container and Kubernetes workflows: Run Docker containers and Kubernetes Jobs as steps in workflows without building a custom control plane.
totem↳Prevent AI agents from repeating architectural mistakes
↳Enforce project-specific coding conventions and lessons
↳Provide persistent context to AI agents across sessions
05
Best For
daguWorkflow AutomationDev Tooling
totemTrendingMemory & ContextDev Tooling
FAQ
FAQ
What is the difference between dagu and totem?
Both dagu and totem are in the Workflow Automation category. dagu has 3.4k stars, while totem has 13 stars.
Which is better, dagu or totem?
The best choice depends on your use case. Choose dagu if ETL and data operations: Turn data extraction scripts, SQL queries, dbt commands, and data-processing runbooks into observable pipelines., and totem if Prevent AI agents from repeating architectural mistakes.
Is dagu free or open source?
Yes, dagu is open source on GitHub (GPL-3.0).
Is totem free or open source?
Yes, totem is open source on GitHub (Apache-2.0).
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