Gatekeeper vs Haldir

In-depth architectural comparison of the Gatekeeper and Haldir 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 Gatekeeper 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: Policy-based allow, deny, and approval decisions, Sensitive-boundary rule pack, USD, token, and call budgets.

Explore Gatekeeper Details

Choose Haldir when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Freemium).
• You have access to required keys: HALDIR_ENCRYPTION_KEY.
• Primary tools included: Scoped agent sessions, AES-256-GCM encrypted secret vault, Hash-chained audit trail.

Explore Haldir Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Gatekeeper Security	Haldir Security
Summary	Run MCP tool calls through Runestone Gatekeeper — policy enforcement, human approval, audit.	Guardian layer for AI agents: identity, secrets, audit via MCP.
Category & Scope	Security	Security
Quality signal

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": {
    "gatekeeper": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@runestone-labs/gatekeeper-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "haldir": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "haldir"
      ],
      "env": {
        "HALDIR_ENCRYPTION_KEY": "YOUR_HALDIR_ENCRYPTION_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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