> Documentation index: https://rift.sh/llms.txt

# Rift vs Claude Managed Agents

Managed Agents gives hosted Claude agents a shared memory directory. Rift gives any agent, on any machine, the same files.

### What Claude Managed Agents is

Claude Managed Agents is Anthropic's hosted agent runtime. A memory store is a set of text documents that mounts as a directory in every session it is attached to, and it persists across sessions with nothing to operate. Every write is versioned and attributed to the session that made it. Files uploaded through the Files API are mounted into a session as read-only copies. It is in beta.

### How they differ

A memory store lives inside one Anthropic workspace and holds small text documents. Rift holds files of any size, on machines you choose, for agents from any vendor.

- Identity
  - Claude Managed Agents: The agent has none. It uses an Anthropic API key, which can be limited to one workspace.
  - Rift: A key that each machine and agent makes for itself. No account.

- Smallest share
  - Claude Managed Agents: A whole memory store, attached to a session as read-only or read-write, inside one workspace.
  - Rift: A folder, a subfolder or one file, as read or write.

- Who checks access
  - Claude Managed Agents: Anthropic's platform.
  - Rift: Each machine that receives a file checks the grant itself.

- Who can read your files
  - Claude Managed Agents: Anthropic stores memory on its servers. We found no documented option for customer-held keys.
  - Rift: Only the machines you shared with. Rift Cloud holds ciphertext.

- When your machines are off
  - Claude Managed Agents: Memory stays available from Anthropic.
  - Rift: Files stored in Rift Cloud stay available.

### Which to choose

Choose Claude Managed Agents when

- All your agents are Claude agents on Anthropic's platform.
- The shared state is notes and small documents.
- You want nothing to operate.

Choose Rift when

- Agents from several vendors need the same files.
- The files are large, or have to be on your own machines.
- Another company's agent needs some of the files.

Based on Anthropic's documentation, read in October 2026. Sources: [memory](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/managed-agents/memory) , [files](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/managed-agents/files) , [overview](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/managed-agents/overview).