Covenant Guard — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
Enforces hard spending limits, sandboxes local execution, and logs signed receipts for unattended coding agents. Built for safe autonomous runs without constant human supervision.
Open on GitHubWhat Covenant Guard does
This MCP server connects developer tools to covenantd, a background daemon written in Rust. The daemon sits between autonomous agents and the host operating system, intercepting tool dispatches. It grants granular permissions through an explicit capability store. Every action gets recorded into an append-only hash chain.
The control plane stops runaway processes by enforcing hard budgets and wall-clock execution limits. Operators can inspect activity through a local Next.js web console or run intents via the CLI. Running this requires compiling the daemon locally on Linux or macOS with a working Rust toolchain.
What it helps with
- Set strict spending boundaries on autonomous coding runs
- Isolate unvetted agent commands inside an operating system sandbox
- Generate cryptographic receipt logs for automated file changes
- Restrict runtime permissions like memory access using explicit grants
Example prompts for the agent
- Grant write access to memory and trigger the task execution
- Check the active spending limits and budget status before starting the run
- Inspect the cryptographic audit trace for the last agent action
How to install Covenant Guard
Install
The MCP registry has no launch command for it: see the repository README
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about Covenant Guard
How do I install Covenant Guard in Claude Code?
Clone the repository with git clone https://github.com/open-covenant/covenant, navigate to agent-os, and build the workspace using cargo build --workspace --exclude covenant-settlement-program --locked. Then start the daemon binary at ./target/debug/covenantd.
What does Covenant Guard do?
It provides runtime isolation, spend capping, and cryptographic action logging for unattended agents. The daemon mediates privileged operating system actions so tools cannot exceed their granted boundaries.
What environments are required to run Covenant Guard?
The daemon runs on an unprivileged Linux or macOS host. Compiling the project from source requires an installed Rust toolchain.
