Kastell vs Depguard

In-depth architectural comparison of the Kastell 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Kastell 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: KASTELL_API_KEY, KASTELL_PROVIDER_TOKEN, KASTELL_SSH_KEY_PATH, KASTELL_CONFIG_PATH.
• Primary tools included: 413 security checks in 29 categories, Automated safe fixes and 19-step production hardening, Compliance mapping to CIS, PCI-DSS, HIPAA.

Explore Kastell 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 guardian with allow/warn/block decisions, Static code analysis and vulnerability audit using npm and GitHub advisories, AI hallucination guard to detect typosquats and fake packages.

Explore Depguard Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Kastell kastelldev Security	Depguard mopanc Security
Summary	Server security auditing and hardening toolkit. 413 security checks across 29 categories (SSH, Firewall, Docker, TLS, HTTP Headers), CIS/PCI-DSS/HIPAA compliance mapping, 19-step production hardening, fleet management, and forensic evidence collection. Supports Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Linode. 13 MCP tools.	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.
Category & Scope	Security	Security
Quality signal	48/100 (Fair)	53/100 (Fair)
Transport Protocol	Local Subprocess (stdio)	Local Subprocess (stdio)
Auth Requirement	No auth required	No auth required
Pricing Model	Free / Open Source	Free / Open Source
Required Env Vars	KASTELL_API_KEYKASTELL_PROVIDER_TOKENKASTELL_SSH_KEY_PATHKASTELL_CONFIG_PATH	None required
Compatible Clients	Claude DesktopCursorWindsurfClineVS Code	Claude DesktopCursorWindsurfClineVS Code
Install path signal	npx · low	npx · high
Engagement & Health	2 views 0 copies 0 upvotes 56 stars	1 views 0 copies 0 upvotes 15 stars
Verified / Official	Community Listing	Community Listing
Open full listing	View Kastell Listing	View Depguard Listing

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": {
    "kastelldev-kastell": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "kastelldev-kastell"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KASTELL_API_KEY": "YOUR_KASTELL_API_KEY_HERE",
        "KASTELL_PROVIDER_TOKEN": "YOUR_KASTELL_PROVIDER_TOKEN_HERE",
        "KASTELL_SSH_KEY_PATH": "YOUR_KASTELL_SSH_KEY_PATH_HERE",
        "KASTELL_CONFIG_PATH": "YOUR_KASTELL_CONFIG_PATH_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

Related MCP Server Comparisons