Runlayer
Enterprise MCP gateway
Runlayer is an enterprise MCP gateway that routes every MCP request through a governed proxy — deterministic access policy (PBAC), agent identity and token brokering, shadow-MCP discovery (Watch), and an ML-based threat scanner (Guard). MCP is its entire center of gravity.
Operant AI
Runtime AI application defense (cloud-native)
Operant AI is a runtime AI application defense platform for cloud-native environments — "3D Runtime Defense," an MCP Gateway, Agent Protector, and the open-source Woodpecker red-teaming engine — with inline action blocking, data redaction, and prompt-injection defense.
How they compare
Twelve criteria that decide whether an enterprise can prove — not just hope — that its AI agents stay inside policy.
| Criterion | Runlayer | Operant |
|---|---|---|
| Deterministic, rule-based authorization | ◐ | ◐ |
| Pre-execution enforcement | ● | ● |
| Segregation of Duties enforcement | ○ | ○ |
| Excessive-agency prevention / least privilege | ● | ● |
| Design-time action-surface mapping | ○ | ◐ |
| Compliance-classified tools catalog | ◐ | ◐ |
| Full lifecycle coverage (design-time + runtime) | ◐ | ◐ |
| Named-approver human-in-the-loop routing | ◐ | ◐ |
| SOX / GDPR / financial-GRC control mapping & evidence | ◐ | ○ |
| AI-specific standards (ISO 42001, EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, OWASP LLM) | ○ | ◐ |
| Immutable / tamper-evident audit ledger | ● | ◐ |
| GRC / internal-audit / IT-governance buyer fit | ◐ | ○ |
Where Runlayer is strong
- Deep MCP focus — an 18,000+ server catalog across 300+ AI clients
- Deterministic PBAC access control with least-privilege intersection of agent/user/server policies
- Shadow-MCP discovery (Watch) and agent identity, including a 1Password partnership
- SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA and GDPR, with tier-1 backing and MCP-protocol credibility
Where Operant AI is strong
- Strong inline runtime blocking in Kubernetes, with a low-friction agentless helm install
- Prompt-injection/jailbreak defense and real-time DLP auto-redaction (PII/PCI/PHI/keys)
- Dedicated MCP Gateway with trust zones and tool-poisoning detection
- Woodpecker open-source red-teaming and broad Gartner coverage
What both leave to you: governance
Runlayer and Operant AI secure how agents operate — but neither enforces Segregation of Duties, maps an agent's action surface at design time, or produces SOX/GDPR-grade compliance evidence. That is the layer LangGuard adds.
- Deterministic, rule-based authorization on every action — reproducible and auditable, not probabilistic
- Segregation-of-Duties enforcement built in — the only vendor in this set to ship it
- Design-time action-surface mapping plus a compliance-classified tools catalog (SoD, SOX, GDPR, ISO 42001)
- Named-approver human-in-the-loop routing and an immutable, tamper-evident audit ledger
- Built for GRC, internal audit and IT governance — with SOX/GDPR control evidence
The bottom line
Runlayer and Operant AI are both strong runtime security tools. If your requirement is deterministic authorization, Segregation of Duties, design-time action-surface mapping, and audit-grade compliance evidence, LangGuard governs what agents are allowed to do — before they do it — and works alongside either.
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