Skylos vs Shellward

In-depth architectural comparison of the Skylos and Shellward 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Skylos 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: Dead-code and unused-file detection, Security, secret, and dependency analysis, AI-generated code verification.

Explore Skylos Details

Choose Shellward 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: SHELLWARD_MODE, SHELLWARD_LOCALE, SHELLWARD_THRESHOLD, SHELLWARD_BASELINE_PATH.
• Primary tools included: Stdio MCP server with local execution, Prompt injection detection for Chinese and English text, PII, credential, and sensitive-data scanning.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Skylos duriantaco Security	Shellward jnMetaCode Security
Summary	Dead code detection, security scanning, and code quality analysis for Python, TypeScript, and Go. 98% recall with fewer false positives than Vulture. Includes AI-powered remediation.	AI Agent Security Middleware & MCP Server with 8-layer defense including prompt injection detection, DLP data flow tracking, command blocking, and PII detection. 7 MCP tools, zero dependencies.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "duriantaco-skylos": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "skylos"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jnmetacode-shellward": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "shellward"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SHELLWARD_MODE": "YOUR_SHELLWARD_MODE_HERE",
        "SHELLWARD_LOCALE": "YOUR_SHELLWARD_LOCALE_HERE",
        "SHELLWARD_THRESHOLD": "YOUR_SHELLWARD_THRESHOLD_HERE",
        "SHELLWARD_BASELINE_PATH": "YOUR_SHELLWARD_BASELINE_PATH_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Related MCP Server Comparisons