What is the key difference between Depscope and Depguard?

Depscope belongs to the Security category with local stdio execution, while Depguard belongs to the Security category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Depscope or Depguard in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Depscope and Depguard free or paid?

Depscope operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Depguard operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Depscope lists 22 tools with 4 views and 1 GitHub stars. Depguard lists 6 tools with 4 views and 15 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Depscope and Depguard together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Depscope vs Depguard

In-depth architectural comparison of the Depscope and Depguard 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

Depscope

Security · Local stdio

Quality: 60/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Depguard

Security · Local stdio

Quality: 59/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Depscope if you need specialized Security tools running via a local process. Choose Depguard 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 Depscope 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: check_malicious, check_typosquat, check_bulk.

Explore Depscope Details

Choose Depguard 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-install package verification and typosquat detection, Static install-script and code-pattern analysis, Workspace, project, bulk, and transitive dependency audits.

Explore Depguard Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Depscope cuttalo Security	Depguard mopanc Security
Summary	Package Intelligence for AI agents. 22 tools across 17 ecosystems (npm/pypi/cargo/go/maven/nuget/rubygems/composer/pub/hex/swift/cocoapods/cpan/hackage/cran/conda/homebrew) — check health, vulnerabilities (OSV + CISA KEV + EPSS), typosquats, malicious flags, alternatives, known bugs, breaking changes, stack compatibility and error-to-fix. 31k+ packages, 2.2k+ CVEs enriched. Zero auth, MIT. Remote URL https://mcp.depscope.dev/mcp or stdio npx depscope-mcp.	Pre-install guardian for npm packages with static code analysis, supply-chain attack detection, vulnerability audit (npm + GitHub Advisory Database), AI hallucination guard, and CycloneDX 1.6 SBOM generation with VEX. 28 MCP tools. Zero runtime dependencies — the SBOM serializer is implemented natively against the public CycloneDX schema.

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Depscope Tools (22)

check_malicious

Supply-chain malware check against OpenSSF/OSV. USE WHEN: about to suggest install of an unvetted/unfamiliar package; name came from a blog/tutorial. Call BEFORE check_package for untrusted pkgs. RETURNS: {is_malicious, threat_tier, source}.

check_typosquat

Typosquat detector. USE WHEN: name differs from a well-known package by 1-2 chars (`lodsh`, `reqeusts`); copy-paste from unreliable source; downloads near zero but name looks familiar. RETURNS: {is_typosquat, likely_target, confidence}.

check_bulk

Fast pre-flight filter for a batch of (ecosystem, package) pairs. DB-only, <100ms for 100 items. USE WHEN: about to emit `npm install a b c …` or `pip install a b c …` — catches hallucinated names, stdlib, typos, and known-bad in ONE call. NOT a dep-tree audit (use scan_project for that). RETURNS: per-item {status: exists|stdlib|malicious|typosquat_suspect|historical_incident|unknown}.

package_exists

Boolean registry existence check. USE WHEN: about to emit a package name in an install command but unsure it exists; verifying a name generated from training data. RETURNS: {exists}.

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).

Depscope Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cuttalo-depscope": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "depscope-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Depguard Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mopanc-depguard": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "npx"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Depscope is categorized under Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Depguard belongs to Security using local stdio subprocess. Select Depscope when you need capabilities focused on security and Depguard when you require tools for security.

More alternatives to Depscope More alternatives to Depguard Security category hub