Not all constraint enforcement is equal. See how SpecLock's semantic AI enforcement compares to traditional approaches for keeping AI coding assistants in line.
| Feature | SpecLock | .cursorrules | ESLint | Manual Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semantic understanding of intent | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Catches euphemisms & indirect violations | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | Sometimes |
| Pre-commit enforcement | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| MCP integration | ✓ 51 tools | ✕ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Zero configuration setup | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Cross-session memory | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | Manual notes |
| Drift detection & scoring | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | Manual diff |
| Blast radius analysis | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | Requires expertise |
| Patch review before apply | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Architectural constraint locks | ✓ | Suggestions only | ✕ | Tribal knowledge |
| File deletion protection | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ | If caught in review |
| Works with multiple AI tools | ✓ 6+ tools | Cursor only | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compliance reporting | ✓ | ✕ | Lint reports | ✕ |
| Scales without human effort | ✓ | Passive only | ✓ | ✕ |
| Free & open source | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Time cost |
.cursorrules provides static text suggestions to Cursor's AI, but has zero enforcement. The AI can ignore, forget, or misinterpret rules freely. SpecLock converts those same rules into enforceable locks with semantic conflict detection that blocks violations before they reach your codebase.
ESLint catches syntax issues and coding style violations, but it cannot understand architectural intent. It won't catch an AI "refactoring" your authentication system into oblivion. SpecLock operates at the semantic level, understanding what code changes mean relative to your constraints — not just how they're formatted.
Manual code review catches many issues but happens after the code is written — wasting time if a constraint was violated. It also doesn't scale: reviewers get fatigued and miss subtle violations. SpecLock catches violations in real-time, before the code is even committed, and never gets tired.
No other tool offers semantic constraint enforcement with 51 purpose-built MCP tools, pre-commit hooks, drift scoring, blast radius analysis, and session continuity — all in a single npx speclock protect command. Backed by 991 tests.
Other tools tell AI what to do. SpecLock makes sure it listens. It's the only tool that combines semantic understanding, pre-commit enforcement, MCP integration, and cross-session memory into one zero-config package.