--- title: "mcp-trust-plane vs kubeshark" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane-vs-kubeshark-kubeshark" tools: ["abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane", "kubeshark-kubeshark"] --- # mcp-trust-plane vs kubeshark *GraphCanon updated Jul 15, 2026* ## Verdict Pick mcp-trust-plane when mcp-trust-plane is primarily JavaScript; kubeshark is Go; pick kubeshark when kubeshark is primarily Go; mcp-trust-plane is JavaScript. [mcp-trust-plane](https://github.com/abluva-research/mcp-trust-plane) reports 59 GitHub stars, 14 forks, and 0 open issues, last pushed Jun 19, 2026. [kubeshark](https://kubeshark.com) has 12k stars, 543 forks, and 146 open issues, last pushed Jul 6, 2026. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [mcp-trust-plane's repository](https://github.com/abluva-research/mcp-trust-plane) and [kubeshark's repository](https://github.com/kubeshark/kubeshark). | | [mcp-trust-plane](/tools/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane.md) | [kubeshark](/tools/kubeshark-kubeshark.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | Pluggable security framework for MCP traffic | eBPF-powered network observability for Kubernetes. Indexes L4/L7 traffic with full K8s context, decrypts TLS without keys. Queryable by AI agents via MCP and humans via dashboard. | | Stars | 59 | 11,994 | | Forks | 14 | 543 | | Open issues | 0 | 146 | | Language | JavaScript | Go | | Adopt for | MCP Trust Plane is designed for organizations that need to enforce security policies on MCP traffic without modifying core components of the protocol stack. | - | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 | | Categories | AI Agents, Evaluation & Observability | AI Agents, Developer Tools, Evaluation & Observability | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [mcp-trust-plane](/tools/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane.md) | [kubeshark](/tools/kubeshark-kubeshark.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Active (82%) | Very active (96%) | | Days since push | 25d | 5d | | Open issues (now) | 0 | 146 | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/kubeshark-kubeshark/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: mcp-trust-plane - **Pricing:** freemium - MCP Trust Plane is open-source under Apache 2.0, making it available at no cost but provides flexibility to extend commercially through proprietary filter implementations. - **Requirements:** Min 1 GB RAM - **Adopt for:** MCP Trust Plane is designed for organizations that need to enforce security policies on MCP traffic without modifying core components of the protocol stack. ## Choose when ### Choose mcp-trust-plane if… - mcp-trust-plane is primarily JavaScript; kubeshark is Go. - Pricing: MCP Trust Plane is open-source under Apache 2.0, making it available at no cost but provides flexibility to extend commercially through proprietary filter implementations.. - Requirements: Min 1 GB RAM. - Tags unique to mcp-trust-plane: access-control, ai-agents, data-governance-and-ai, data-security. - mcp-trust-plane ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment. - MCP Trust Plane should be used when you require granular control over tool calls in your MCP-enabled systems, such as enforcing PII redaction or operation blocking. ### Choose kubeshark if… - kubeshark is primarily Go; mcp-trust-plane is JavaScript. - Tags unique to kubeshark: cloud-native, devops, docker, ebpf. - Also covers Developer Tools. ## When NOT to use mcp-trust-plane - Avoid MCP Trust Plane if your security needs do not require modification of traffic post-response, as it introduces an additional layer of complexity and latency. - MCP Trust Plane may not be the best choice for environments that strictly enforce language-specific policies since its filters are written in any language and must comply with a strict contract. ## When NOT to use kubeshark - AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. - Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. - Evaluation & Observability: Defer heavyweight eval infra only until you have real traffic - never skip it once users depend on answers. ## Common questions ### What is the difference between mcp-trust-plane and kubeshark? mcp-trust-plane: Pluggable security framework for MCP traffic. kubeshark: eBPF-powered network observability for Kubernetes. Indexes L4/L7 traffic with full K8s context, decrypts TLS without keys. Queryable by AI agents via MCP and humans via dashboard.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories. ### When should I choose mcp-trust-plane over kubeshark? Choose mcp-trust-plane over kubeshark when mcp-trust-plane is primarily JavaScript; kubeshark is Go; Pricing: MCP Trust Plane is open-source under Apache 2.0, making it available at no cost but provides flexibility to extend commercially through proprietary filter implementations.; Requirements: Min 1 GB RAM; Tags unique to mcp-trust-plane: access-control, ai-agents, data-governance-and-ai, data-security; mcp-trust-plane ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; MCP Trust Plane should be used when you require granular control over tool calls in your MCP-enabled systems, such as enforcing PII redaction or operation blocking. ### When should I choose kubeshark over mcp-trust-plane? Choose kubeshark over mcp-trust-plane when kubeshark is primarily Go; mcp-trust-plane is JavaScript; Tags unique to kubeshark: cloud-native, devops, docker, ebpf; Also covers Developer Tools. ### When should I avoid mcp-trust-plane? Avoid MCP Trust Plane if your security needs do not require modification of traffic post-response, as it introduces an additional layer of complexity and latency. MCP Trust Plane may not be the best choice for environments that strictly enforce language-specific policies since its filters are written in any language and must comply with a strict contract. ### When should I avoid kubeshark? AI Agents: Don't use an agent loop when a deterministic workflow would do; agents add latency, cost, and non-determinism. Developer Tools: A gateway is overkill when you're pinned to a single provider and model. Evaluation & Observability: Defer heavyweight eval infra only until you have real traffic - never skip it once users depend on answers. ### Is mcp-trust-plane or kubeshark more popular on GitHub? kubeshark has more GitHub stars (11,994 vs 59). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints. ### Are mcp-trust-plane and kubeshark open source? Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (mcp-trust-plane: Apache-2.0, kubeshark: Apache-2.0). ### Where can I find alternatives to mcp-trust-plane or kubeshark? GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at [mcp-trust-plane alternatives](/tools/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane/alternatives) and [kubeshark alternatives](/tools/kubeshark-kubeshark/alternatives) ([mcp-trust-plane markdown twin](/tools/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane/alternatives.md), [kubeshark markdown twin](/tools/kubeshark-kubeshark/alternatives.md)), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes. ### Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison? Yes. The markdown twin at [this comparison](/compare/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane-vs-kubeshark-kubeshark.md) mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers. ### Which is better maintained, mcp-trust-plane or kubeshark? mcp-trust-plane: Active. kubeshark: Very active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance. ### Where are the full trust reports for mcp-trust-plane and kubeshark? GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: [mcp-trust-plane trust report](/tools/abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane/trust); [kubeshark trust report](/tools/kubeshark-kubeshark/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=abluva-research-mcp-trust-plane) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_