Endpoint-based AI security runs as a background service on the device and inspects traffic to AI services locally — as opposed to a browser extension (limited to one browser, user-removable) or a network proxy (needs manual configuration, may route traffic through a third party).
Browser extensions
Quick to install, but coverage is limited to whichever browser it's installed in — a second browser, or a mobile device, isn't covered. A user with local admin rights can also just disable or remove the extension.
Network proxies
A proxy can inspect traffic centrally without installing anything on the device, but it typically needs manual network configuration per machine (or a PAC file pushed by IT), and if it's cloud-hosted, prompt content passes through that third party's infrastructure to be inspected.
Endpoint agents
An agent installed as a system service inspects traffic to known AI-service domains directly on the device — regardless of which browser or app the request came from — and can enforce policy locally without needing prompts to leave the machine to be analyzed. It also means IT can deploy and manage it the way they manage any other endpoint software (MSI package, GPO/Intune/SCCM push).
How SafePrompt does this
SafePrompt is an endpoint agent, not a browser extension. It installs as a background Windows service (or systemd service on Linux) and uses local TLS interception for known AI-service domains, inspecting prompts before they're forwarded. Detection runs on-device. See Windows Protection and how detection works.