HOL Guard
VerifiedLocal-first runtime firewall for risky agent calls; optional Guard Cloud adds sync, team policy, and fleet visibility.
Visit WebsiteThe Bottom Line
Best for
Developers and AI agent builders who need local checks on shell, secrets, MCP, and package-install calls
Entry price
Free, no paid tier
Biggest con
Cloud-only shops with no local agent install — Guard Cloud helps teams, but runtime interception is still agent-local.
TL;DR - HOL Guard
- Open source under the Apache-2.0 license
- Runs locally as a CLI with pipx install hol-guard
- Reviews shell, secrets, MCP, and package-install calls before execution
Top Pros
- Pre-execution review of shell and package-install commands
- Local secret and MCP call checks
- Apache-2.0 open-source local CLI initialization with hol-guard init
Top Cons
- Teams that need a hosted, fully managed security service instead of a local CLI
What is HOL Guard?
Available on: CLI
Pros & Cons
Cons
- Cloud-only shops with no local agent install — Guard Cloud helps teams, but runtime interception is still agent-local.
Key Features
Pricing
HOL Guard is completely free to use with no hidden costs.
Is HOL Guard worth the price?
HOL Guard's local-first model is free, which is extremely generous for solo developers, but the Guard Cloud add-on starts at $49/month for 5 agents, which is fair for small teams needing sync and policy.
For larger fleets, per-agent costs can scale to enterprise negotiations, making it pricier than free alternatives but cheaper than full-blown runtime monitoring suites. Best for indie teams or early-stage startups.
Hidden Costs & Gotchas
Guard Cloud $49/month only covers 5 agents; extra agents cost $10/month each
Fleet visibility requires Guard Cloud Pro at $199/month
Api calls beyond 10k/month on Pro tier incur $0.01 per extra request
Team policy templates are locked behind $199/month tier
Reviews
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