CAIN-42 CAIN StudioHow CAIN-42 compares · Platform agent governance
CAIN-42 vs Anthropic Claude Agent SDK + Managed Agents
The Claude Agent SDK runs the Claude Code agent with built-in tools, subagents, hooks, MCP, sessions and permission modes (hooks, deny, ask, mode, allow). Sandbox mode is available and was open-sourced; Managed Agents host sessions in a sandbox.
What Anthropic Claude Agent SDK + Managed Agents does well
- Deep, native MCP support and a clean permission model.
- A sandbox mode for running agent code, open-sourced.
- First-class integration with the Claude models.
What CAIN-42 does differently
- Enforces at the tool-call boundary, before anything runs.
- Orders authorization through a Byzantine quorum (3-of-4): one "yes" is never enough.
- Leaves a per-action signed receipt you can verify offline with a clean-room verifier.
- Authority continuity: a change to the model, tool, memory, skill or delegation forces a re-check.
- Self-serve from $19.75/mo; runs hosted, self-hosted or air-gapped.
Capability difference
| Capability | CAIN-42 | Anthropic Claude Agent SDK + Managed Agents | Source (verified 2026-10-14) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Runtime governance in the execution path | Agent harness with permission modes and MCP | Anthropic source page verified 2026-10-14 |
| Blocks the tool call at the boundary | Yes — MCPGate halts before the tool runs | Partial (permission engine: deny/ask/allow) | |
| Byzantine-ordered authorization (quorum cert) | Yes — 3-of-4 PBFT quorum certificate | No* | |
| Per-action signed receipt, offline-verifiable | Yes — Ed25519, hash-chained, offline-verifiable | Session transcripts | |
| Vendor-neutral | Hosted, self-hosted or air-gapped | Tied to Claude | |
| Public entry price | $19.75/mo self-serve | Free SDK; model usage billed |
When to pick which
Pick the Claude Agent SDK for the cleanest native MCP and permission model on Claude. Pick CAIN-42 when you need a cross-model enforcement boundary with quorum-ordered authorization and verifiable evidence.
Based on each vendor's public homepage and product pages, last reviewed 2026-10-14. No affiliation and no claim about their internals. "No*" means we found no public documentation of that capability, not that the vendor cannot do it.