In-depth architectural comparison of the Depguard and Vet 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.
At a Glance & Executive Verdict
Depguard
Security · Local stdio
Quality: 56/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required
Vet
Security · Local stdio
Quality: 53/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required
Verdict Summary: Choose Depguard if you need specialized Security tools running via a local process. Choose Vet if your workspace requires Security integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.
Which MCP Server Should You Choose?
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 verification and typosquat detection, Static install-script and code-pattern analysis, Workspace, project, bulk, and transitive dependency audits.
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.
vet-mcp checks open source packages—like those suggested by AI coding tools—for vulnerabilities and malicious code. It supports npm and PyPI, and runs locally via Docker or as a standalone binary for fast, automated vetting.
Category & Scope
Tools & Capabilities Breakdown
Depguard Tools (6)
Pre-install package verification and typosquat detection
Static install-script and code-pattern analysis
Workspace, project, bulk, and transitive dependency audits
AI code debris and unused-dependency detection
CycloneDX 1.6 SBOM and VEX generation
SARIF v2.1.0 output for GitHub Code Scanning
Vet Tools (5)
npm package vetting
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).
Depguard is categorized under Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Vet belongs to Security using local stdio subprocess. Select Depguard when you need capabilities focused on security and Vet when you require tools for security.