head to head · open source
SkillSpector vs hol-guard
SkillSpector has 23,981 GitHub stars, 2,070 forks, 136 open issues and last shipped yesterday. hol-guard has 1,054 stars, 230 forks, 94 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SkillSpector leads on adoption by 2,175% (23,981 vs 1,054 stars). SkillSpector is written in Python under Apache-2.0; hol-guard is written in Python under Apache-2.0. SkillSpector 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 (agent-security, ai-security, claude-code, mcp), 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
| SkillSpector | hol-guard | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 24K | ★ 1.1K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Python |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-11-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.1K | ⑂ 230 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SkillSpector if
- You weight community size — 24K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- 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 SkillSpector
SkillSpector Security scanner for AI agent skills. Detect vulnerabilities, malicious patterns, and security risks before installing agent skills. Overview AI agent skills (used by Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, etc.) execute with implicit trust and minimal vetting. In the 31,132 skill analyzed subset of the research dataset, 26.1% of skills contain vulnerabilities and 5.2% show likely malicious intent . SkillSpector helps you answer: "Is this skill safe to install?" SkillSpector is part of the NVIDIA Verified Skills pipeline, which scans, evaluates, and signs agent skills before publication. Skills that…
read the full SkillSpector 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 SkillSpector or hol-guard more popular?
SkillSpector has 23,981 GitHub stars and hol-guard has 1,054. SkillSpector has the larger community by that measure.
Are SkillSpector and hol-guard free?
Both are open source. SkillSpector is licensed under Apache-2.0 and hol-guard under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SkillSpector and hol-guard?
SkillSpector is written in Python 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, SkillSpector or hol-guard?
Choose SkillSpector if you want the larger community (23,981 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.