Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison
Agent Passport MCP vs Shield
In-depth architectural comparison of the Agent Passport MCP and Shield MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
Agent Passport MCP
Security · Local stdio
Quality: 64/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Shield
Security · Local stdio
Quality: 60/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Agent Passport MCP if you need specialized Security tools running via a local process. Choose Shield if your workspace requires Security integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's
mcpServers manifest.Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
Choose Agent Passport MCP when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
- You have access to required keys:
APS_PROFILE. - Primary tools included: list_profiles, list_tools_for_scope, identify.
Choose Shield when:
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
- You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
- Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
- Primary tools included: Pre-execution MCP call guardrails, TOFU tool-catalog pinning, Tool description and result scanning.
Feature & Specification Comparison
Tools & Capabilities Breakdown
Agent Passport MCP Tools (150)
list_profiles
Show available tool profiles. Set APS_PROFILE env var to limit exposed tools (e.g. APS_PROFILE=data).
list_tools_for_scope
List available MCP tools filtered by delegation scope. Pass your delegation scopes to see which tools you can use. Scopes: identity, delegation, principal, reputation, coordination, communication, governance, commerce, data, gateway, network, temporal, attribution, settlement, capability, mutual-auth. Use ['*'] for all tools.
identify
Identify yourself to the coordination server. Sets your role and scopes tools accordingly.
generate_keys
Generate an Ed25519 keypair for agent identity.
issue_passport
Issue a complete agent passport with keys, signed passport, attestation summary, and optional values floor in a single call. The server silently captures Tier 0 observed signals and computes a passport grade (0-3). Use this to onboard any agent — no npm install required.
Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations
Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).
Agent Passport MCP Configuration
Shield Configuration