HOL Guard vs Semgrep
A side-by-side look at the HOL Guard and Semgrep MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose HOL Guard for security work; choose Semgrep for security as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose HOL Guard when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Choose Semgrep when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Security | Security |
| Quality signal | 44/100 · Fair | 48/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | No auth required |
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 969 | 17,146 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View HOL Guard | View Semgrep |
Tools & capabilities
HOL Guard tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Semgrep tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
HOL Guard
No confirmed install command for HOL Guard yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Semgrep
{
"mcpServers": {
"semgrep-semgrep": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"semgrep"
]
}
}
}