head to head · open source
lean-ctx vs hol-guard
lean-ctx has 3,926 GitHub stars, 360 forks, 9 open issues and last shipped yesterday. hol-guard has 1,054 stars, 230 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped yesterday. lean-ctx leads on adoption by 272% (3,926 vs 1,054 stars). lean-ctx is written in Rust under Apache-2.0; hol-guard is written in Python under Apache-2.0. lean-ctx has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, hol-guard 22%. hol-guard was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 4 topic tags (ai-agents, ai-security, claude-code, cursor), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| lean-ctx | hol-guard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 3.9K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 360 | ⑂ 230 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick lean-ctx if
- You weight community size — 3.9K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick hol-guard if
- You want the hol-guard feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and hol-guard fits your workflow better
About lean-ctx
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read the full lean-ctx overview →
About hol-guard
HOL Guard: Open Source Antivirus for AI Agents HOL Guard reviews agent actions before they run: shell commands, file access, package installs, and MCP tool calls. It detects secret exposure, destructive operations, prompt injection, and supply chain risks, then allows, blocks, or requests approval according to your policy. Run it locally without an account. Use the CLI and local dashboard to manage protection, resolve approvals, and inspect decision history. Optional Guard Cloud adds shared history, team policy, and fleet management. Get started · Supported agents · Plugin scanner · Documentation · Contribute an…
read the full hol-guard overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is lean-ctx or hol-guard more popular?
lean-ctx has 3,926 GitHub stars and hol-guard has 1,054. lean-ctx has the larger community by that measure.
Are lean-ctx and hol-guard free?
Both are open source. lean-ctx is licensed under Apache-2.0 and hol-guard under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between lean-ctx and hol-guard?
lean-ctx is written in Rust and hol-guard in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, lean-ctx or hol-guard?
Choose lean-ctx if you want the larger community (3,926 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose hol-guard if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.