In-depth architectural comparison of the Shimguard and Emilia Protocol 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
Shimguard
Security · Local stdio
Quality: 43/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required
Emilia Protocol
Security · Local stdio
Quality: 71/100 (Great) | Auth: No auth required
Verdict Summary: Choose Shimguard if you need specialized Security tools running via a local process. Choose Emilia Protocol 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 Shimguard 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: Single MCP run tool for ShimGuard CLI arguments, GitHub issue and pull-request merge verification, MATCH, MISMATCH, and UNVERIFIED verdicts.
Wraps the ShimGuard CLI as a single generic MCP tool for agent-shim provenance checks.
Human sign-off + trust receipts for AI agents: requires a named human's approval before an irreversible action (payment release, record change, deploy), then mints an offline-verifiable Ed25519 Trust Receipt. Also exposes trust profiles, receipt verification, disputes, and delegation. Apache-2.0; policy engine formally verified. Install: npx -y @emilia-protocol/mcp-server.
Category & Scope
Tools & Capabilities Breakdown
Shimguard Tools (6)
Single MCP run tool for ShimGuard CLI arguments
GitHub issue and pull-request merge verification
MATCH, MISMATCH, and UNVERIFIED verdicts
Optional repository code-pattern checks
Parsed JSON output with raw command streams
Optional GitHub token support
Emilia Protocol Tools (3)
ep_guard_action
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).
Shimguard is categorized under Security and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Emilia Protocol belongs to Security using local stdio subprocess. Select Shimguard when you need capabilities focused on security and Emilia Protocol when you require tools for security.
Request authorization before an irreversible action: payments, wire transfers, fund releases, deletions, record or account changes, or sending messages with real-world effect. Submits the exact action for policy evaluation and human authorization. This MCP tool does not itself sit at the executor choke point: even after approval, the executor MUST match the returned action_hash and atomically consume the receipt before effect. If BLOCKED, poll ep_check_signoff with the receipt_id.
ep_check_signoff
Poll a pending authorization after ep_guard_action returns BLOCKED. Pass the receipt_id. Returns PENDING, APPROVED_PENDING_CONSUME, CONSUMED, or DENIED. Approval alone is not permission to execute: the executor must match action_hash and atomically consume the receipt at its own choke point.
ep_verify_receipt
Ask the configured EMILIA service to verify a stored trust receipt and report its hash and anchor status. Read-only, but not an offline verifier: the result is the service response for the supplied receipt_id.