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AI · alternatives · 2026

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24 alternatives to Free local security checks for AI coding in VSCode, Cursor and Windsurf

Hi HN! We just launched Codacy Guardrails, an IDE extension with a CLI for code analysis and MCP server that enforces security & quality rules on AI-generated code in real-time. It hooks into AI coding assistants (like VS Code Agent Mode, Cursor, Windsurf), silently scanning and fixing AI-suggested code that has vulnerabilities or violates your coding standards, while the code it’s being generated. We built this because coding agents can be a double-edged sword. They do boost productivity, but can easily introduce insecure or non-compliant code. One recent research team at NYU found that 40%…

Codacy Guardrails is an IDE extension and CLI tool that analyzes AI-generated code in real-time within VS Code, Cursor, and Windsurf. It scans code suggestions from AI assistants for security vulnerabilities and… Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. Prices are shown for the 1 we have checked on their own sites, 1 of them free or with a free tier.

  1. 1
    Venn.ai▲336

    Delegate real work to AI agents with safety guardrails

    Mar 2026 · venn.ai · its alternatives →

  2. 2

    Real-time security guardrails for your AI code assistant

    Nov 2025 · snyk.io · its alternatives →

  3. 3
    Skillkit▲252

    It's an open-source project that lets you create, translate, and work with multiple agents at the same time, and more.

    Feb 2026 · agenstskills.com · its alternatives →

  4. 4
    Kastrafree tier, from $19.99/mo▲332

    Hi HN, Fernando and I built Kastra. Kastra intercepts AI agent tool calls and evaluates them against deterministic policies before they execute. We built this product to control pre- and post-inference workloads. This is aimed at developers using coding agents like Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and OpenClaw. Kastra pushes an allow, hold, and deny decision before the action runs. You can build these policies in plain English from the web app. The interception engine evaluates the tools, targets, and parameters of every action at sub 1ms at a scale of billions of interceptions per day. We also…

    Jul 2026 · kastra.ai · its alternatives →

  5. 5

    Real-time compliance & security validation for AI coding

    Dec 2025 · aivory.net · its alternatives →

  6. 6WA

    At Codeium, we've been building AI-powered extensions for a while (we first launched our VSCode extension with autocomplete a little over 2 years ago!), but we've always thought there would come a day where we would hit the limits of what could be achieved within existing IDEs, so we decided to build our own: Windsurf (yes, it's yet another VSCode fork :) We've stuffed a lot of cool features into Windsurf—a super fast autocomplete model, an inline diff generation experience that feels truly native, but we're most proud of Cascade, which is an evolution of the sidebar chat experience that…

    2024 · codeium.com · its alternatives →

  7. 7

    Hi HN, We are the devs behind VibeShift. We have been building this MCP server to put AI coding assistants in an automatic feedback loop. They code, test, debug, fix everything until we have a fully working, secure code. It tests like a real user, copies network/console and logical errors to give them back to cursor. (1 min demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN_RgQGa8B0) We felt this was the natural next step for AI coding assistants. And with new asynchronous assistants like codex, having a plug & play tester makes sure you don't have to spend time debugging and…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  8. 8
    Basin MCP▲168

    tl;dr - try Basin AI with Cursor/Windsurf, instruction here (https://mcp.basin.ai), and use API key hackernews to gain access. Hey HN — I’m Henry, co-founder of Basin, and I wanted to share something we’ve been working on called Basin MCP, a kind of QA infrastructure for AI coding copilots like Cursor, Windsurf, etc. We built Basin because we kept noticing the same thing: agentic coding tools are great at generating code, but have no idea if the thing they built actually works — or even matches the original intent, and so they're prong to hallucinations. Basically, they have…

    2025 · mcp.basin.ai · its alternatives →

  9. 9

    AI powered cli coding agent that monitors your dev/test server and fixes errors and adds features - vysakh0/dravid

    2024 · github.com · its alternatives →

  10. 10

    As a Security Engineer with over 10+ years in industry, I kept running into the same problem with coding agents: Instructions are not guarantees. I put guidance in `CLAUDE.md`, `AGENTS.md`, memory files, MCP descriptions, and tool documentation. I explicitly told the agent things like: - Use the code graph for architecture questions instead of grepping the repository. - Do not use deprecated APIs or Unsafe code. - Prefer specific tools for specific tasks. The agent would still ignore those instructions surprisingly often. It would grep the entire repo, use deprecated APIs, or choose a slower…

    Apr 2026 · sigmashake.com · its alternatives →

  11. 11

    Hey HN, We’re two developers (co-founders) with a team of 20 who got tired of spending hours reviewing PRs, so we built Infinitcode.ai, an AI-powered code reviewer that: - *Summarizes PRs in plain English*: No more deciphering 1,000-line diff jungles - *Catches more than bugs*: Security holes, performance pitfalls, code smells, even typos (yes, we’ll flag “vurnerabilities” and vulnerabilities) - *Zero onboarding*: Works instantly—no “let me learn your codebase for weeks” nonsense. Why we’re posting: We’re in alpha and need brutal honesty. Roast our tool, mock our UI, or tell us why AI will…

    2025 · infinitcode.ai · its alternatives →

  12. 12

    A local control plane for AI coding agents

    May 2026 · agentrail.app · its alternatives →

  13. 13CG

    There is a growing problem with VSCode extensions: - they're not sandboxed (yet) - just like double-clicking an .exe file - they don't have a permission model - they auto update - they have built-in persistence - they are installed on developer machines with high-value credentials The recent CircleCI and LastPass incidents were both suspected to originate from a compromised developer machine - which is becoming every organization's Achilles heel in terms of cyber posture So I've been working on a way to help mitigate some of these risks Right now, only an MVP of a "CLI" is available: $ code…

    2023 · its alternatives →

  14. 14

    Thinking about code you have to do, but you are busy with something else? What if you could delegate your problems to someone ready to take it off your shoulders? That is what we are all about: doing small programming tasks for you, so that you can focus in what is really important. Already thinking in a perfect example of something you could delegate right now? Perfect! Send it to us: http://www.codacy.com/submitProblem

    2012 · codacy.com · its alternatives →

  15. 15

    Hey Hackernews! In the last few days I've dug up some work I was working on last year but never was able to ship due to perfectionism. But with my new attitude, here it is: I also immediately got it in MCP-form so you can use it in Claude and Cursor as well. Enable Claude / Cursor to know ANY API!! Video and links here: https://x.com/janwilmake/status/1903497808134496583 P.S. Expect bugs. Building in public. I've tested it with a few apis so far, and so far it worked really well as MCP every time. P.P.S. It's all Open source!…

    2025 · openapisearch.com · its alternatives →

  16. 16

    Architectural guardrails for coding with AI agents.

    Jul 2026 · archlint.pro · its alternatives →

  17. 17

    Hi y'all. Been working on something that should've been made a long time ago imo. It compiles codebases into O(1) hashmaps that the agent queries to discover the structure of your code/answer questions/write code. It also does complete static analysis checks on any writes the agent makes. Don't take my word for it though. Here are the benchmarks: https://benzi.fly.dev/benchmark. on 2/20 tests, Claude Code (mostly Sonnet on one task) regressed or timed out. Benzi didn't because of course, it has a map it can query and not get lost in the sauce. On the other 18 it…

    Aug 2026 · benzi.fly.dev · its alternatives →

  18. 18

    Tool-agnostic TypeScript library for observing coding agent sessions. Built-in Cursor provider, extensible to Claude Code, Codex, and OpenCode. - vtemian/agentprobe

    Mar 2026 · github.com · its alternatives →

  19. 19

    An information-flow policy engine for LLM agents.

    23d ago · openappa.com · its alternatives →

  20. 20
    Kindex▲13

    The memory layer AI coding agents don't have.

    Jun 2026 · kindex.tools · its alternatives →

  21. 21

    Elevate vibe coding to vibe engineering: Get consistent Github Copilot custom instructions, Cursor, Roo Code, Cline, Windsurf, Claude Code, Gemini Cli, Codex CLI, kilo code, warp custom rules via a universal, managed template. Features vibe coding memory bank & best practices for large codebases. -

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  22. 22
    Code▲20

    Hey HN, Today we're launching Code, a community-driven, open-source coding agent for your terminal. It's a fork of OpenAI's codex with a focus on developer ergonomics and local control. Key features: - Browser integration – attach to your Chrome via CDP or use a built-in headless browser. You can browse pages, run the CLI in a browser session, and even take screenshots from the terminal. - Multi-agent commands – /plan, /solve and /code orchestrate multiple models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini) to propose and implement solutions, with consensus or race options. - Diff viewer – see…

    2025 · github.com · its alternatives →

  23. 23

    Discover and share coding rules designed for AI coding tools

    2025 · its alternatives →

  24. 24

    All-in-one coding ai that helps teams ship faster

    2025 · codefundi.app · its alternatives →

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Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →