Kastell vs Platform

In-depth architectural comparison of the Kastell and Platform 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).
• Primary tools included: Server security audits with remediation, SSH hardening and fail2ban setup, UFW firewall management.

Explore Kastell Details

Choose Platform when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
• You have access to required keys: SIDCLAW_API_KEY, SIDCLAW_AGENT_ID.
• Primary tools included: MCP governance proxy, Policy-based allow, deny, and approval decisions, Human review workflows.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Kastell kastelldev Security	Platform sidclawhq 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.	Governance proxy for MCP servers. Wraps any upstream server with policy evaluation, human approval workflows, and hash-chain audit trails. 18+ framework integrations. Apache 2.0 SDK.
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": {
    "kastelldev-kastell": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "kastell"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sidclawhq-platform": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "sidclaw-demo"
      ],
      "env": {
        "SIDCLAW_API_KEY": "YOUR_SIDCLAW_API_KEY_HERE",
        "SIDCLAW_AGENT_ID": "YOUR_SIDCLAW_AGENT_ID_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

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