Shellward vs Rail Score

A side-by-side look at the Shellward and Rail Score MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.

Shellward logoShellwardSecurity · Local subprocess (stdio)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.60GoodAuth: no auth requiredRail Score logoRail ScoreSecurity · Remote HTTP/SSEResponsible-AI guardrails for agents: scoring, prompt-injection & PII detection, DPDP compliance.43FairAuth: not declared

Verdict: choose Shellward for security work as a local process; choose Rail Score for security over a hosted endpoint. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.

Which MCP server should you choose?

Shellward logoChoose Shellward when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
  • You have the keys it needs: SHELLWARD_MODE, SHELLWARD_LOCALE, SHELLWARD_THRESHOLD, SHELLWARD_BASELINE_PATH.
Explore Shellward

Rail Score logoChoose Rail Score when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
  • You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
  • You want tools like rail_evaluate, rail_check_compliance, rail_detect_injection.
Explore Rail Score

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecShellward logoShellwardRail Score logoRail Score
CategorySecuritySecurity
Quality signal60/100 · Good43/100 · Fair
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportLocal subprocess (stdio)Remote HTTP/SSE
AuthNo auth requiredNot declared
PricingFreeNot declared
Required env varsSHELLWARD_MODESHELLWARD_LOCALESHELLWARD_THRESHOLDSHELLWARD_BASELINE_PATHNone listed
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars1390
Directory activity 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
ToolsNot listed9

Tools & capabilities

Shellward tools

No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.

Rail Score tools 9

  • rail_evaluateScore content across the 8 RAIL dimensions (optional `policy` enforcement)
  • rail_check_complianceCheck against gdpr, ccpa, hipaa, eu_ai_act, india_dpdp, india_ai_gov
  • rail_detect_injectionDetect prompt injection in untrusted text
  • rail_evaluate_tool_callAllow/warn/block a tool call before it runs
  • rail_scan_tool_resultScan a tool's output for PII + injection, return redacted text
  • rail_safe_regenerateIteratively regenerate content until it passes (slow)
  • rail_dpdp_scanScan for Indian personal data under the DPDP Act 2023
  • rail_dpdp_gateReal-time DPDP processing gate (allow/block/require_action)
  • rail_dpdp_complianceDPDP workflow: emit, require, evidence, session, timers

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.

Shellward

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "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"
      }
    }
  }
}

Rail Score

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rail-score": {
      "url": "https://mcp.responsibleailabs.ai/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

Shellward is categorized under Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. Rail Score belongs to Security and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Pick Shellward for security work and Rail Score for security.

Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.

Shellward is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Rail Score has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.

Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add jnmetacode-shellward and rail-score as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, Shellward has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 139 GitHub stars. Rail Score has 43/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.