head to head · open source
SkillSpector vs toolhive
SkillSpector has 17,624 GitHub stars, 1,504 forks, 136 open issues and last shipped yesterday. toolhive has 2,187 stars, 297 forks, 369 open issues and last shipped yesterday. SkillSpector leads on adoption by 706% (17,624 vs 2,187 stars). SkillSpector is written in Python under Apache-2.0; toolhive is written in Go under Apache-2.0. SkillSpector has attracted 9% as many forks as stars, toolhive 14%. SkillSpector was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (ai-security, 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 | toolhive | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 18K | ★ 2.2K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Python | Go |
| Last push | 2026-09-17 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 1.5K | ⑂ 297 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick SkillSpector if
- You weight community size — 18K 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 toolhive if
- You want the toolhive feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Go
- You evaluated both and toolhive fits your workflow better
About SkillSpector
SkillSpector is an open source security scanner for AI agent skills that detects vulnerabilities, malicious patterns, prompt injection, data exfiltration, and supply chain risk in Claude Code, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, and MCP skills before they are installed — built for developers who install agent skills and for security teams that vet or publish them.
read the full SkillSpector overview →
About toolhive
ToolHive is an open source, Apache 2.0 licensed platform written in Go for running and managing Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers. It lives in the AI and machine learning ecosystem, specifically MCP tooling and AI security and privacy. The project addresses the problem of exposing MCP servers to AI coding assistants and enterprise clients without broad local access or unmanaged behavior.
read the full toolhive overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is SkillSpector or toolhive more popular?
SkillSpector has 17,624 GitHub stars and toolhive has 2,187. SkillSpector has the larger community by that measure.
Are SkillSpector and toolhive free?
Both are open source. SkillSpector is licensed under Apache-2.0 and toolhive under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between SkillSpector and toolhive?
SkillSpector is written in Python and toolhive in Go. 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 toolhive?
Choose SkillSpector if you want the larger community (17,624 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose toolhive if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.