cortex-brain 0.1.0b1

Persistent memory for AI — across every tool, every session

Cortex 🧠

Persistent memory for AI — across every tool, every session.

Your AI forgets everything between sessions. Cortex fixes that.

One install. One brain. Works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible tool.

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The Problem

Every AI session starts from zero. You re-explain your stack, your project names, what you decided last week — over and over. Claude Projects and ChatGPT Memory help within one tool, but switch tools and you're back to square one.

What Cortex Does

• Persistent brain files — plain markdown you own and can read/edit
• Auto-curation — distills sessions into long-term memory automatically
• MCP server — plugs into any AI tool via the Model Context Protocol
• SOUL.md — define who your AI is and what it must always do
• Learnings — AI builds a profile of your preferences over time
• One command setup — cortex init-global connects every tool at once

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Installation

pip install cortex-brain

macOS / Linux: cortex is available immediately after install.

Windows: cortex may not be on PATH. Run this once in PowerShell to fix it permanently, then restart PowerShell:

$p = python -m site --user-scripts
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("PATH","$env:PATH;$p","User")

Until then, use python -m cortex_core.cli as a drop-in for every cortex command.

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First-Time Setup

Step 1 — Initialize your brain

cortex init

This creates your brain directory at ~/.cortex/brain/ and runs an interactive setup:

• Your name, role, current focus
• LLM curation choice (Ollama / OpenAI / Anthropic / skip)

Timezone is auto-detected. Tech stack is learned by the AI over time.

Step 2 — Start the server

cortex start

This starts:

• Dashboard at http://localhost:7700 — view/search your brain, edit SOUL.md
• MCP server at http://localhost:7700/mcp — connects to AI tools
• Curation agent — rebuilds active-context every 30min in the background

Keep this running while you work.

Auto-start on login (recommended):

# macOS — installs launchd plist, restarts on crash
cortex service install

# Linux — installs systemd user service
cortex service install

# Windows
python -m cortex_core.cli service install

cortex service status     # check if running
cortex service uninstall  # remove auto-start

Step 3 — Connect your AI tools

# One-time global setup — works in every project forever
cortex init-global

# Or per-project (run in your project folder)
cortex init-project

Then restart your AI tool and you're done.

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Connecting AI Tools

Claude Code (CLI)

Claude Code reads MCP config from ~/.claude/.mcp.json (global) or .mcp.json in your project root.

Recommended: Use the command

cortex init-global

This creates:

• ~/.claude/.mcp.json — registers Cortex as an MCP server
• ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md — instructs Claude to load your memory every session

⚠️ Common mistake: Do NOT add mcpServers to settings.json — Claude Code silently ignores it there. Always use .mcp.json.

Manual setup — create ~/.claude/.mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cortex": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:7700/mcp"
    }
  }
}

And create ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md:

# Memory Instructions (Cortex)
At the start of every session, call cortex:get_context() and cortex:get_learnings()
before responding to anything. This loads persistent memory and user profile.

During the session:
- Call cortex:log_note(content, type="decision") immediately when any decision is made
- Call cortex:log_note(content, type="progress") when work is completed
- Call cortex:log_note(content, type="insight") when something important is learned

Before any compaction or session end:
- Call cortex:save_session_summary() with a distilled summary
- Call cortex:update_project() for every project touched this session

When user references past work:
- Call cortex:search_brain(query, days=7) for last week
- Call cortex:search_brain(query) for all time
- Never guess — always search first

Restart Claude Code after saving the config.

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Claude Desktop

Add to your config file:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cortex": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:7700/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. Cortex will appear in your tools list.

To auto-load memory each session, start your conversation with:

"Load my cortex context"

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Cursor

Global rules (recommended — works in every project):

cortex init-global creates ~/.cursor/rules/cortex.md automatically.

Or manually create ~/.cursor/rules/cortex.md with the memory instructions (see Claude Code section above).

Project-scoped:

Run cortex init-project in your project folder. This creates .cursor/rules/cortex.md for that project.

Or manually create .cursorrules in your project root with the memory instructions.

Add MCP server in Cursor:

Go to Cursor Settings → MCP → Add server:

{
  "cortex": {
    "type": "streamable-http",
    "url": "http://127.0.0.1:7700/mcp"
  }
}

Restart Cursor after saving.

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Windsurf

Project rules:

Run cortex init-project in your project folder. This creates .windsurfrules automatically.

Or manually create .windsurfrules in your project root with the memory instructions.

Global rules (Windsurf — manual only):

Windsurf global rules are configured in the UI, not via a file. To set them:

1. Open Windsurf
2. Go to Settings (gear icon) → AI → Global Rules
3. Paste the memory instructions:

At the start of every session, call cortex:get_context() and cortex:get_learnings()
before responding to anything. This loads persistent memory and user profile.

During the session:
- Call cortex:log_note(content, type="decision") immediately when any decision is made
- Call cortex:log_note(content, type="progress") when work is completed
- Call cortex:log_note(content, type="insight") when something important is learned

Before any compaction or session end:
- Call cortex:save_session_summary() with a distilled summary
- Call cortex:update_project() for every project touched this session

When user references past work:
- Call cortex:search_brain(query, days=7) for last week
- Call cortex:search_brain(query) for all time

Add MCP server in Windsurf:

Go to Windsurf Settings → MCP Servers → Add:

{
  "cortex": {
    "type": "streamable-http",
    "url": "http://127.0.0.1:7700/mcp"
  }
}

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LLM Curation (Optional)

By default Cortex uses smart heuristic curation — free, no API key, works well for most users.

To enable AI-powered distillation, edit ~/.cortex/.env (created on cortex init, never commit this):

# Option A: Local Ollama - free, no API key (best for Claude subscribers)
# Install: https://ollama.ai -> then: ollama pull llama3.2
CORTEX_LLM_PROVIDER=ollama
CORTEX_LLM_MODEL=llama3.2

# Option B: OpenAI gpt-5.4-nano - $0.20/1M tokens, ~pennies/month
CORTEX_LLM_PROVIDER=openai
CORTEX_LLM_API_KEY=sk-...

# Option C: Anthropic claude-haiku (requires separate API account)
CORTEX_LLM_PROVIDER=anthropic
CORTEX_LLM_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

Cortex loads ~/.cortex/.env automatically on start. Keys never go in project files.

After editing .env: stop Cortex (Ctrl+C) and run cortex start again — changes are only loaded on startup.

⚠️ Claude Code/Desktop subscriptions use OAuth, not API keys - cannot be used for curation. Use Ollama instead.

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How It Works

Session start
    AI calls get_context()         loads SOUL.md + always-on + active-context (~1,500 tokens)
    AI calls get_learnings()       loads your AI profile

During session
    AI calls log_note()            saves decisions/progress/insights immediately with timestamp
    AI calls update_project()      keeps project state current

Before compact / session end
    AI calls save_session_summary() structured summary saved to short-term
    AI calls update_project()       for every project touched

Next session
    get_context() loads fresh active-context
    AI picks up exactly where you left off

After 30 days
    Curation agent promotes decisions + insights to long-term/
    Short-term file deleted — nothing important lost
    search_long_term() finds old promoted content forever

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Brain Structure

~/.cortex/brain/
├── SOUL.md                        ← AI identity + mandatory tool call rules (editable)
├── always-on.md                   ← permanent context: name, stack, focus
├── active-context.md              ← last 48hrs distilled (auto-rebuilt every 30min)
├── short-term/
│   ├── 2026-04-01.md              ← today's timestamped notes
│   ├── 2026-03-31.md              ← yesterday
│   └── ...                        ← pruned after 30 days (important stuff promoted first)
└── long-term/
    ├── projects/
    │   ├── _index.md              ← one-line status per project (fast overview)
    │   ├── cortex.md              ← current state only, ~15 lines max
    │   └── my-saas.md
    ├── decisions.md               ← major decisions log (last 90 days by default)
    ├── insights.md                ← lessons learned (promoted from short-term)
    ├── learnings.md               ← AI-maintained user profile
    └── summaries/
        ├── 2026-04.md             ← monthly session summaries
        └── 2026-03.md

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Available MCP Tools

Tool	When AI calls it	What it does
get_context()	Start of every session	Loads SOUL.md + always-on + active-context
get_learnings()	Start of session	Loads AI-maintained user profile
search_brain(query, days?)	User references past work	Keyword search, optionally scoped to N days
search_long_term(query)	Finding old content (>30 days)	Searches only long-term promoted files
log_note(content, type)	Immediately on decision/progress/insight	Timestamped entry in today's short-term
save_session_summary(...)	Before compact or session end	Structured summary with decisions + next steps
update_project(name, status, ...)	When project state changes	Overwrites project file with current state (merge-safe)
log_decision(decision, rationale)	Major architectural decisions	Appends to long-term/decisions.md
update_learning(category, insight)	New user patterns observed	Updates learnings.md, never grows
get_projects()	User asks about projects	Returns _index.md — fast one-line overview
get_project(name)	User asks about specific project	Returns full project file
get_decisions(days?)	User asks what was decided	Last 90 days by default, days=0 for all
get_summary(month)	User asks about a past month	Returns YYYY-MM monthly summary
get_long_term(topic)	Any other long-term topic	Returns that topic file

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Token Usage

Scenario	No Brain	Cortex
Session start	Re-explain ~500 tokens every time	~1,500 tokens loaded automatically
After compaction	Starts from zero	Picks up from active-context
Past decisions	Gone	Searchable in long-term
Cross-tool memory	❌	✅ Same brain everywhere
Cost over 30 days	~40k tokens wasted on re-explanation	~42k tokens (all useful)

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CLI Reference

cortex init                    # Initialize brain (interactive setup)
cortex start                   # Start server + dashboard + curation agent
cortex service install         # Auto-start on login (macOS/Linux/Windows)
cortex service uninstall       # Remove auto-start
cortex service status          # Check if service is running
cortex init-global             # Connect all AI tools globally (one-time)
cortex init-project            # Connect AI tools to current project folder
cortex search <query>          # Search brain from terminal
cortex note "text"             # Add note to today's brain file
cortex context                 # Print active context
cortex distill --days 3        # Distill recent sessions (with LLM if configured)
cortex build-context           # Rebuild active-context.md manually
cortex mcp serve               # MCP server only (no dashboard)

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Status

🧪 v0.1.0-beta — functional and usable, some features untested across all platforms.

• Core memory system: ✅ tested
• MCP + dashboard: ✅ tested
• Windows: ✅ tested
• macOS service (launchd): ⚠️ written, not verified
• Linux service (systemd): ⚠️ written, not verified

Found a bug? Open an issue on GitHub

Questions? Start a discussion

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Built with ❤️ by @daejung83