Each tool maps to a distinct action on notes: browse (list), create (encode), relate (link), retire (supersede), re-check (validate), find (search), open (read). The only mild overlap is between brain_list and brain_search, both retrieval paths, but descriptions differentiate enumeration from query-based recall.

Every tool follows a uniform brain_<verb> pattern (brain_list, brain_encode, brain_link, brain_supersede, brain_validate, brain_search, brain_read). Fully predictable and consistent.

Seven tools is well-scoped for a note-memory system, covering browse/search/read/create/link/supersede/validate without redundancy. Each tool earns its place.

The lifecycle is well covered: create, retrieve, relate, retire, and confidence-update, with intentional design that history is never edited in place. Minor gap is no explicit cortex management or bulk cleanup, though cortex creation is folded into encode.