Connectors

Fourteen built-in connectors share one adapter interface while exposing connector-specific proxy, hook, policy, telemetry, and approval capabilities.

Connectors are the adapter layer between agent frameworks and DefenseClaw. They share one Go interface, but each connector advertises only the capabilities its agent actually exposes. Proxy routing, lifecycle hooks, custom policy callbacks, component discovery, CodeGuard, subprocess wrapping, native telemetry, and approval support therefore vary by connector.

Integration families

Proxy connectors

OpenClaw, ZeptoClaw. Model requests routed through the DefenseClaw proxy and their responses are inspected; OpenClaw classifies recognized provider/request shapes, while ZeptoClaw rewrites configured provider api_base values.

Hook connectors

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenHands, Antigravity, Hermes, OpenCode, Amp, OmniGent. DefenseClaw wires into the agent's native lifecycle hooks or policy API; the agent talks directly to its upstream.

Compatibility contracts

Versioned hook contracts, setup-time connector version checks, and the runtime hook_contract_lock.json.

One gateway, many hook connectors. A single DefenseClaw gateway can serve several hook connectors at once, each with its own guardrail posture under guardrail.connectors.<name> — pick Add (not Replace) when you run a second setup <connector>. Proxy connectors (OpenClaw, ZeptoClaw) bind a listener and own the traffic plane, so they can't be multi peers. See Multi-connector.

Pick yours

Claude CodeNative lifecycle hooks, native approval, and OpenTelemetry export.CodexConfig hooks, native OpenTelemetry, and an agent-turn completion bridge.OpenClawReference proxy with bundled fetch interception and before-tool-call enforcement.CursorPre-execution shell and MCP hooks with native ask support.HermesConfiguration hooks across the Hermes agent runtime lifecycle.OpenCodeAuto-loaded bridge plugin with tool-execution blocking.AmpSynchronous policy plugin with five lifecycle events and native confirmation.OmniGentCustom policy bridge with allow, ask, and deny enforcement.Gemini CLISettings hooks with a native OTLP exporter pointed at the gateway.GitHub Copilot CLIGlobal or workspace hooks with native approval on pre-tool-use.OpenHandsGlobal command hooks with optional workspace-local discovery surfaces.AntigravityFive lifecycle hooks, with a verified native ask on PreToolUse.WindsurfCascade hooks across prompts, commands, code access, and MCP tools.ZeptoClawAPI base redirect through the DefenseClaw proxy with response scanning.

Capability summary

Family	Connectors	Data path	Enforcement boundary
Proxy	OpenClaw, ZeptoClaw	DefenseClaw receives and forwards model traffic	Request/response policy in the proxy
Hook	Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, OpenHands, Antigravity, Hermes, OpenCode	Agent remains connected directly to its upstream	Only the blocking events declared by that connector's selected hook contract
Custom policy	OmniGent	Agent remains connected directly to its upstream	Six in-process policy phases mapped to `ALLOW`, `ASK`, or `DENY`

Native ask is event-specific: Claude Code (PreToolUse), Cursor (beforeShellExecution, beforeMCPExecution), Copilot CLI (preToolUse), Antigravity (PreInvocation, PreToolUse), and OmniGent's three pre-action phases. Other confirmation verdicts use the connector's documented fallback. For exact version ranges, supported events, and script generations, see Connector Compatibility.

How a connector is structured

Every connector implements the same Go interface; individual methods may report that an agent does not support that capability.

The interface is defined in internal/gateway/connector/connector.go; each per-connector file (claudecode.go, codex.go, cursor.go via hook_only.go, ...) implements it.