GhidraMCP vs Shield Kya

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

GhidraMCP logoGhidraMCPSecurity · Remote HTTP/SSEA Model Context Protocol server for Ghidra that enables LLMs to autonomously reverse engineer applications. Provides tools for decompiling binaries, renaming methods and data, and listing methods, classes, imports, and exports.60GoodAuth: no auth requiredShield Kya logoShield KyaSecurity · Local subprocess (stdio)KYA MCP gate: evaluate, ingest, request approval. Sole PEP is Shield.55GoodAuth: not declared

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

Which MCP server should you choose?

GhidraMCP logoChoose GhidraMCP when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
  • You prefer a remote HTTP/SSE transport.
  • Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Explore GhidraMCP

Shield Kya logoChoose Shield Kya when

  • You need dedicated capabilities in the Security domain.
  • You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
  • You have the keys it needs: KYA_API_KEY, KYA_OFFLINE, KYA_DIFF_PREVIEW, KYA_GATE.
  • You want tools like kya.policy_evaluate, kya.session_ingest, kya.request_approval.
Explore Shield Kya

Feature & specification comparison

Rows where the two servers differ are marked.

SpecGhidraMCP logoGhidraMCPShield Kya logoShield Kya
CategorySecuritySecurity
Quality signal60/100 · Good55/100 · Good
Install commandConfirmedConfirmed
TransportRemote HTTP/SSELocal subprocess (stdio)
AuthNo auth requiredNot declared
PricingFreeNot declared
Required env varsNone listedKYA_API_KEYKYA_OFFLINEKYA_DIFF_PREVIEWKYA_GATE
Verified ownerCommunity listingCommunity listing
GitHub stars11,4851
Directory activity 12 views 0 installs 0 upvotes 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes
ToolsNot listed3

Tools & capabilities

GhidraMCP tools

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

Shield Kya tools 3

  • kya.policy_evaluateALLOW` \
  • kya.session_ingestObserve / raise-only risk
  • kya.request_approvalOpen a human Hold. Does not execute the side effect

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.

GhidraMCP

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "lauriewired-ghidramcp": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:8081/sse"
    }
  }
}

Shield Kya

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "shield-kya": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@shield-agent/kya@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "KYA_API_KEY": "YOUR_KYA_API_KEY_HERE",
        "KYA_OFFLINE": "YOUR_KYA_OFFLINE_HERE",
        "KYA_DIFF_PREVIEW": "YOUR_KYA_DIFF_PREVIEW_HERE",
        "KYA_GATE": "YOUR_KYA_GATE_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently asked questions

GhidraMCP is categorized under Security and uses a remote HTTP/SSE transport. Shield Kya belongs to Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick GhidraMCP for security work and Shield Kya 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.

GhidraMCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Shield Kya 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 lauriewired-ghidramcp and shield-kya as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.

On AllMCPs, GhidraMCP has a quality signal of 60/100 (Good) with 12 views, 0 installs and 11,485 GitHub stars. Shield Kya has 55/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.