Cortex

Your AI forgets. Cortex doesn't.

_{Memory that lives, learns, and recalls.}

How It Works • Quick Start • Integrations • Features • API • 中文

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Ever told your AI something important, only to have it completely forget by the next conversation?

"Hey, I switched to decaf last week."

...two days later...

"Want me to recommend some espresso drinks?"

Your AI has no memory. Every conversation starts from zero. No matter how many times you explain your preferences, your projects, your constraints — it's gone the moment the chat window closes.

Cortex changes that. It runs alongside your AI, quietly learning from every conversation. It knows your name, your preferences, your ongoing projects, the decisions you've made — and surfaces exactly the right context when it matters.

Monday:    "I'm allergic to shellfish and I just moved to Tokyo."

Wednesday: "Can you find me a good restaurant nearby?"
    Agent:  Searches for Tokyo restaurants, automatically
            excludes seafood-heavy options.
            (Cortex recalled: allergy + location)

No manual tagging. No "save this." It just works.

Why Cortex?

	Cortex	Mem0	Zep	LangMem
Memory lifecycle	✅ 3-tier auto-promotion/decay/archive	❌ Flat store	Partial	❌
Knowledge graph	✅ Neo4j + multi-hop reasoning	✅ Basic	❌	❌
Self-hosted	✅ Single Docker container	Cloud-first	Cloud-first	Framework-bound
Data ownership	✅ Your SQLite + Neo4j	Their cloud	Their cloud	Varies
Dashboard	✅ Full management UI	❌	Partial	❌
MCP support	✅ Native	❌	❌	❌
Multi-agent	✅ Isolated namespaces	✅	✅	❌
Cost	~$0.55/mo	$99+/mo	$49+/mo	Varies

Key Features

🧬 Three-Layer Memory Lifecycle

Memories aren't just stored — they live.

Working Memory (48h) ──promote──→ Core Memory ──decay──→ Archive
         ↑                              ↑                   │
         │                         read refreshes       compress
         │                         decay counter     back to Core
         └──────────── nothing is ever truly lost ──────────┘

• Working → Core: Frequently accessed or high-value memories get promoted
• Core → Archive: Unused memories decay over time, get compressed
• Archive → Core: Compressed memories return when relevant again
• Time decay + read refresh + access frequency = organic memory behavior

🔍 Hybrid Search with Multi-Stage Ranking

Query → BM25 (keywords) + Vector (semantics) → RRF Fusion
     → Query Expansion (LLM variants)
     → LLM Reranker (optional)
     → Priority injection (constraints & persona first)

• Dual-channel: keyword precision + semantic understanding
• Query expansion: LLM generates search variants, multi-hit boost
• Reranker: LLM, Cohere, Voyage AI, Jina AI, or SiliconFlow re-scores for relevance
• Smart injection: constraints and persona always injected first, never truncated

🕸️ Knowledge Graph (Neo4j)

Memories form connections. Cortex builds a knowledge graph automatically.

Alex ──uses──→ Rust ──related_to──→ Backend
  │                                    │
  └──works_at──→ Acme ──deploys_on──→ AWS

• Auto-extracted entity relations from every conversation
• Multi-hop reasoning: 2-hop graph traversal during recall
• Relations injected alongside memories for richer context
• Entity normalization + confidence scoring

🛡️ Intelligent Extraction (SIEVE)

Conversation ──→ Fast Channel (regex, 0ms) ──→ Merge ──→ 4-tier Dedup ──→ Store
             ──→ Deep Channel (LLM, 2-5s) ──┘          │ exact → skip
                                                        │ near-exact → replace
                                                        │ semantic → LLM judge
                                                        └ new → insert

• 20 memory categories: identity, preferences, constraints, goals, skills, relationships...
• Batch dedup: prevents "I like coffee" from becoming 50 memories
• Smart update: preference changes are updates, not new entries
• Entity relations: auto-extracted knowledge graph edges

📊 Full Dashboard

Every memory, searchable. Every extraction, auditable.

• Memory browser with search, filter by category/status/agent
• Search debugger — see BM25/vector/fusion scores for every query
• Extraction logs — what was extracted, why, confidence scores
• Lifecycle preview — dry-run promotion/decay before it happens
• Relation graph — interactive knowledge graph visualization (sigma.js)
• Multi-agent management with per-agent config
• One-click updates with version detection

🔌 Works Everywhere

Integration	Setup
OpenClaw	openclaw plugins install @cortexmem/openclaw
Claude Desktop	Add MCP config → restart
Cursor / Windsurf	Add MCP server in settings
Claude Code	claude mcp add cortex -- npx @cortexmem/mcp
Any app	REST API: /api/v1/recall + /api/v1/ingest

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How It Works

Write Path — every conversation turn

Conversation ──→ Fast Channel (regex) + Deep Channel (LLM)
                          ↓
                 Extracted memories (categorized into 20 types)
                          ↓
                 4-tier dedup (exact → skip / near-exact → replace / semantic → LLM judge / new → insert)
                          ↓
                 Store as Working (48h) or Core (permanent)
                          ↓
                 Extract entity relations → Neo4j knowledge graph

Read Path — every conversation turn

User message ──→ Query Expansion (LLM generates 2-3 search variants)
                          ↓
                 BM25 (keywords) + Vector (semantics) → RRF Fusion
                          ↓
                 Multi-hit boost (memories found by multiple variants rank higher)
                          ↓
                 LLM Reranker (optional, re-scores for relevance)
                          ↓
                 Neo4j multi-hop traversal (discovers indirect associations)
                          ↓
                 Priority inject → AI context
                 (constraints & persona first, then by relevance)

Lifecycle — runs daily

Working Memory (48h) ──promote──→ Core Memory ──decay──→ Archive ──compress──→ back to Core
                                        ↑
                               read refreshes decay counter
                               (nothing is ever truly lost)

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Architecture

┌─ Clients ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  OpenClaw (Bridge)  │  Claude Desktop (MCP)  │  Cursor  │  REST   │
└─────────────────────┴────────────────────────┴──────────┴─────────┘
                              │
                              ▼
┌─ Cortex Server (:21100) ───────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                                     │
│  ┌─ Memory Gate ─────────┐    ┌─ Memory Sieve ──────────────────┐  │
│  │ Query Expansion       │    │ Fast Channel (regex)             │  │
│  │ BM25 + Vector Search  │    │ Deep Channel (LLM)              │  │
│  │ RRF Fusion            │    │ 4-tier Dedup                    │  │
│  │ LLM Reranker          │    │ Entity Relation Extraction      │  │
│  │ Neo4j Graph Traversal │    │ Category Classification (×20)   │  │
│  │ Priority Injection    │    │ Smart Update Detection          │  │
│  └───────────────────────┘    └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                                                     │
│  ┌─ Lifecycle Engine ────┐    ┌─ Storage ───────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Promote / Decay       │    │ SQLite + FTS5 (memories)        │  │
│  │ Archive / Compress    │    │ sqlite-vec (embeddings)         │  │
│  │ Read Refresh          │    │ Neo4j 5 (knowledge graph)       │  │
│  │ Cron Scheduler        │    │                                 │  │
│  └───────────────────────┘    └─────────────────────────────────┘  │
│                                                                     │
│  ┌─ Dashboard (React SPA) ──────────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │ Memory Browser │ Search Debug │ Extraction Logs │ Graph View  │  │
│  │ Lifecycle Preview │ Agent Config │ One-click Update           │  │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

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Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/rikouu/cortex.git
cd cortex
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:21100 → Dashboard → Settings → pick your LLM provider, paste API key. Done.

No .env files required for local use. Everything is configurable from the Dashboard.

By default, the Dashboard and API have no auth token — anyone who can reach port 21100 has full access. This is fine for localhost, but read the security section below before exposing to a network.

Without Docker

Production mode (recommended):

git clone https://github.com/rikouu/cortex.git
cd cortex
pnpm install
pnpm build        # Build server + dashboard
pnpm start        # → http://localhost:21100

Development mode (for contributors):

pnpm dev           # API only → http://localhost:21100
# Dashboard runs separately:
cd packages/dashboard && pnpm dev  # → http://localhost:5173

⚠️ In dev mode, visiting http://localhost:21100 in browser will show a 404 — that's normal. The Dashboard dev server runs on a separate port.

Requirements: Node.js ≥ 18, pnpm ≥ 8

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Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root (or set in docker-compose.yml → environment):

Variable	Default	Description
CORTEX_PORT	21100	Server port
CORTEX_HOST	127.0.0.1	Bind address (0.0.0.0 for LAN)
CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN	(empty)	Auth token — protects Dashboard + API
CORTEX_DB_PATH	cortex/brain.db	SQLite database path
OPENAI_API_KEY	—	OpenAI API key (LLM + embedding)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY	—	Anthropic API key
OLLAMA_BASE_URL	—	Ollama URL for local models
TZ	UTC	Timezone (e.g. Asia/Tokyo)
LOG_LEVEL	info	Log level (debug, info, warn, error)
NEO4J_URI	—	Neo4j connection (optional)
NEO4J_USER	—	Neo4j user
NEO4J_PASSWORD	—	Neo4j password

💡 LLM and embedding settings can also be configured in Dashboard → Settings, which is often easier. Env vars are mainly needed for CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN, CORTEX_HOST, and TZ.

Auth Token — How It Works

When CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN is set:

1. Dashboard prompts for the token on first visit (saved in browser)
2. All API calls require Authorization: Bearer <your-token> header
3. MCP clients and Bridge plugins must include the token in their config

When CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN is not set (default):

• No auth required — open access
• Fine for localhost / personal use
• ⚠️ Dangerous if the port is exposed to the internet

Where to find your token: It's whatever you set in CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN. You choose it — there's no auto-generated token. Write it down and use the same value in all client configs.

🔒 Security Checklist

If you're exposing Cortex beyond localhost (LAN, VPN, or internet):

• Set CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN — use a strong random string (32+ chars)
• Use HTTPS/SSL — put a reverse proxy (Caddy, Nginx, Traefik) in front with TLS
• Restrict CORTEX_HOST — bind to 127.0.0.1 or your Tailscale/VPN IP, not 0.0.0.0
• Firewall rules — only allow trusted IPs to reach the port
• Keep updated — check Dashboard for version updates

# Example: strong random token
openssl rand -hex 24
# → e.g. 3a7f2b...  (use this as CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN)

⚠️ Without HTTPS, your token is sent in plaintext. Always use TLS for non-localhost deployments.

With Neo4j (knowledge graph)

Add to your docker-compose.yml:

neo4j:
  image: neo4j:5-community
  ports:
    - "7474:7474"
    - "7687:7687"
  environment:
    NEO4J_AUTH: neo4j/your-password

Set env vars for Cortex:

NEO4J_URI=bolt://neo4j:7687
NEO4J_USER=neo4j
NEO4J_PASSWORD=your-password

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Connect Your AI

💡 If you set CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN, include it in every client config below. Examples show both with and without auth.

OpenClaw (Recommended)

openclaw plugins install @cortexmem/openclaw

Configure in OpenClaw's plugin settings (Dashboard or openclaw.json):

{
  "cortexUrl": "http://localhost:21100",
  "authToken": "your-token-here",
  "agentId": "my-agent"
}

Without auth: omit authToken. Without custom agent: omit agentId (defaults to "openclaw").

The plugin auto-hooks into OpenClaw's lifecycle:

Hook	When	What
before_agent_start	Before AI responds	Recalls & injects relevant memories
agent_end	After AI responds	Extracts & stores key information
before_compaction	Before context compression	Emergency save before info is lost

Plus cortex_recall and cortex_remember tools for on-demand use.

Claude Desktop (MCP)

Settings → Developer → Edit Config:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cortex": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@cortexmem/mcp", "--server-url", "http://localhost:21100"],
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "CORTEX_AGENT_ID": "my-agent"
      }
    }
  }
}

Without auth: remove the CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN line from env.

Other MCP Clients

Cursor

Settings → MCP → Add new global MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cortex": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@cortexmem/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_URL": "http://localhost:21100",
        "CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-token-here",
        "CORTEX_AGENT_ID": "my-agent"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

# Without auth
claude mcp add cortex -- npx @cortexmem/mcp --server-url http://localhost:21100

# With auth + agent ID
CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN=your-token-here CORTEX_AGENT_ID=my-agent \
  claude mcp add cortex -- npx @cortexmem/mcp --server-url http://localhost:21100

Windsurf / Cline / Others

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cortex": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@cortexmem/mcp", "--server-url", "http://localhost:21100"],
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_AGENT_ID": "my-agent",
        "CORTEX_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

REST API

# Without auth
curl -X POST http://localhost:21100/api/v1/recall \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"query":"What food do I like?","agent_id":"default"}'

# With auth
curl -X POST http://localhost:21100/api/v1/ingest \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer your-token-here" \
  -d '{"user_message":"I love sushi","assistant_message":"Noted!","agent_id":"default"}'

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MCP Tools

Tool	Description
cortex_recall	Search memories with priority injection
cortex_remember	Store a specific memory
cortex_forget	Remove or correct a memory
cortex_search_debug	Debug search scoring
cortex_stats	Memory statistics

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Supported Providers

LLM (for extraction & reranking)

Provider	Recommended Models	Notes
OpenAI	gpt-4o-mini, gpt-5.2	Default. Best cost/quality
Anthropic	claude-haiku-4-5, claude-sonnet-4-6	Highest extraction quality
Google Gemini	gemini-2.5-flash	Free tier on AI Studio
DeepSeek	deepseek-chat, deepseek-v4	Cheapest option
DashScope	qwen-plus, qwen-turbo	通义千问, OpenAI-compatible
Ollama	qwen2.5, llama3.2	Fully local, zero cost
OpenRouter	Any of 100+ models	Unified gateway

Embedding (for vector search)

Provider	Recommended Models	Notes
OpenAI	text-embedding-3-small/large	Default. Most reliable
Google Gemini	gemini-embedding-2, gemini-embedding-001	Free on AI Studio
Voyage AI	voyage-4-large, voyage-4-lite	High quality (shared embedding space)
DashScope	text-embedding-v3	通义千问, good for Chinese
Ollama	bge-m3, nomic-embed-text	Local, zero cost

⚠️ Changing embedding models requires reindexing all vectors. Use Dashboard → Settings → Reindex Vectors.

Reranker (optional, improves search relevance)

Provider	Recommended Models	Free Tier	Notes
LLM	(your extraction model)	—	Highest quality, ~2-3s latency
Cohere	rerank-v3.5	1000 req/mo	Established, reliable
Voyage AI	rerank-2.5, rerank-2.5-lite	200M tokens	Best free tier
Jina AI	jina-reranker-v2-base-multilingual	1M tokens	Best for Chinese/multilingual
SiliconFlow	BAAI/bge-reranker-v2-m3	Free tier	Open-source, low latency

💡 Dedicated rerankers are 10-50x faster than LLM reranking (~100ms vs ~2s). Configure in Dashboard → Settings → Search.

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API Reference

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/recall	Search & inject memories
POST	/api/v1/ingest	Ingest conversation
POST	/api/v1/flush	Emergency flush
POST	/api/v1/search	Hybrid search with debug
CRUD	/api/v1/memories	Memory management
CRUD	/api/v1/relations	Entity relations
GET	/api/v1/relations/traverse	Multi-hop graph traversal
GET	/api/v1/relations/stats	Graph statistics
CRUD	/api/v1/agents	Agent management
GET	/api/v1/agents/:id/config	Agent merged config
GET	/api/v1/extraction-logs	Extraction audit logs
POST	/api/v1/lifecycle/run	Trigger lifecycle
GET	/api/v1/lifecycle/preview	Dry-run preview
GET	/api/v1/health	Health check
GET	/api/v1/stats	Statistics
GET/PATCH	/api/v1/config	Global config

Cost

Setup	Monthly Cost
gpt-4o-mini + text-embedding-3-small	~$0.55
DeepSeek + Google Embedding	~$0.10
Ollama (fully local)	$0.00

Based on 50 conversations/day. Scales linearly.

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License

MIT

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_{Built with obsessive attention to how memory should work.}