How do I use Cortex MCP?

1. Click on "Install Server". 2. Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state. 3. In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Cortex MCP get the current project state" That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed. Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.

Cortex MCP

by neuralnexustech

Overview Schema Related Servers Score Discussions

JavaScript

Local

Cortex MCP

Persistent brain, memory, loop controller, and reminder engine for AI coding agents.

npm version License: MIT Node.js

What is Cortex?

Cortex is a local MCP server that gives AI coding agents persistent memory, task management, knowledge graphs, and a live dashboard. It runs on your machine, stores everything in SQLite, and never sends data to the cloud.

Agent starts → cortex_get_state → knows everything → works → cortex_save_snapshot → done

Features

31 MCP Tools

Core Loop — get_state, get_next_task, log_progress, check_reminders, save_snapshot
Project Setup — init (10-question onboarding), health check with auto-repair
Features & Files — track features, files, checkpoints, rollback
Tests & Issues — register tests, log bugs, resolve issues
Knowledge Base — dictionary, snippets, research, decisions, FTS5 search
Human Interaction — ask_human (pause for input), confirm_destructive (red modal)
V2 Advanced — token budget (180k), agent roles (4 levels), contradiction detection
Knowledge Graph — relationships between features, files, tests, issues

Live Dashboard

11 tabs — Overview, Features, FileTree, Tests, Progress, Issues, Library, Research, Dictionary, Graph, Settings
D3 Knowledge Graph — force-directed visualization with 27+ nodes, drag/zoom/pan
WebSocket Live Push — dashboard updates instantly when data changes
Ctrl+K Search — global search across all tables
shadcn/ui — modern React 19 + Tailwind CSS interface

MCP Resources (10 endpoints)

Read project data without tool calls via cortex:// URIs: cortex://project, cortex://features, cortex://files, cortex://tests, cortex://issues, cortex://dictionary, cortex://progress, cortex://todos, cortex://relationships, cortex://snapshots

MCP Prompts (5 templates)

Pre-built session workflows: start-session, debug-issue, review-code, init-project, end-session

V2.1 Modules

Audit Trail — structured logging for every tool call
Episodic Memory — timestamped events with importance scoring
Context Compilation — full project state in 2ms

Quick Start

Option 1: npx (Recommended)

Add to your opencode.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "cortex": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["npx", "-y", "@neuralnexustech/cortex-mcp", "start", "--project", "."],
      "enabled": true,
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_PROJECT_PATH": "."
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Local Install

npm install -g @neuralnexustech/cortex-mcp

Then add to opencode.json:

{
  "mcp": {
    "cortex": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["cortex", "start", "--project", "/path/to/your/project"],
      "enabled": true,
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_PROJECT_PATH": "/path/to/your/project"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 3: Clone & Run

git clone https://github.com/neuralnexustech/cortex-mcp.git
cd cortex-mcp
npm install
cd dashboard && npm install && npm run build && cd ..
node src/server.js

Session Lifecycle

START
  ↓
cortex_get_state        → project context (<200 tokens)
  ↓
cortex_get_next_task    → highest-priority pending todo
  ↓
WORK                    → write code, create files
  ↓
cortex_tick_file        → track each file created
  ↓
cortex_log_progress     → log completed work
  ↓
cortex_check_reminders  → handle warnings
  ↓
cortex_get_next_task    → next todo (or "ALL TASKS COMPLETE")
  ↓
...repeat...
  ↓
cortex_save_snapshot    → compress session to summary
  ↓
END

Tool Reference

Core Loop (5)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_get_state`	Compressed project context
`cortex_get_next_task`	Highest-priority pending todo
`cortex_log_progress`	Log completed work
`cortex_check_reminders`	6 safety checks
`cortex_save_snapshot`	Compress session summary

Project Setup (3)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_init`	Initialize project (10-question onboarding)
`cortex_set_active_project`	Switch between projects
`cortex_health`	DB integrity + auto-repair

Features & Files (5)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_add_feature`	Register a feature
`cortex_update_feature`	Update feature status
`cortex_tick_file`	Track file creation (auto-checkpoints)
`cortex_get_files`	List all tracked files
`cortex_rollback_file`	Restore file from checkpoint

Tests (2)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_add_test`	Register a test
`cortex_update_test`	Mark test passed/failed

Issues (2)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_log_issue`	Log a bug or blocker
`cortex_resolve_issue`	Mark issue resolved with fix

Knowledge Base (6)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_write_dictionary`	Document a file/feature
`cortex_get_detail`	Retrieve full dictionary entry
`cortex_add_snippet`	Save reusable code snippet
`cortex_add_research`	Log library research notes
`cortex_add_decision`	Record architectural decision
`cortex_search`	FTS5 + vector hybrid search

Human Interaction (2)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_ask_human`	Pause, ask question, wait for answer
`cortex_confirm_destructive`	Red confirmation modal for dangerous ops

V2 Advanced (5)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_log_tokens`	Track token usage per action
`cortex_get_token_budget`	Check remaining budget (180k default)
`cortex_set_role`	Set agent role
`cortex_get_role`	Get agent permissions
`cortex_list_agents`	List all connected agents

Knowledge Graph (3)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_add_relationship`	Link entities
`cortex_check_contradictions`	Find conflicting data
`cortex_resolve_contradiction`	Resolve conflicts

Skills (2)

Tool	Purpose
`cortex_get_skill`	Load SKILL.md guide
`cortex_list_skills`	List available skills

Database

SQLite at .cortex/cortex.db with:

WAL mode — concurrent reads while writing
FTS5 — full-text search across all tables
15+ tables — project, features, files, tests, issues, dictionary, progress, relationships, etc.
Triggers — auto-sync FTS index on insert/update/delete

Dashboard

Live at http://localhost:3001 when the server runs.

Ctrl+K — Global search overlay
Graph tab — D3 force-directed knowledge graph
LIVE indicator — WebSocket connection status
11 tabs — Overview, Features, FileTree, Tests, Progress, Issues, Library, Research, Dictionary, Graph, Settings

REST API

Endpoint	Description
`GET /api/health`	Health check
`GET /api/data`	All project data
`GET /api/graph`	Knowledge graph (nodes + edges)
`GET /api/search?q=<query>`	Search across tables
`GET /api/audit`	Audit trail entries
`GET /api/episodic`	Episodic memory events
`GET /api/context`	Compiled project state
`GET /ws-status`	WebSocket status
`POST /human-answer`	Submit answer to pending question

MCP Resources

Read project data without tool calls:

URI	Data
`cortex://project`	Project config, features, todos
`cortex://features`	All features with status
`cortex://files`	All tracked files
`cortex://tests`	All tests
`cortex://issues`	All issues
`cortex://dictionary`	File documentation
`cortex://progress`	Recent activity
`cortex://todos`	Pending tasks
`cortex://relationships`	Knowledge graph edges
`cortex://snapshots`	Session summaries

Architecture

cortex-mcp/
├── bin/cortex.js              # CLI entry point
├── src/
│   ├── server.js              # MCP server (main entry)
│   ├── api/server.js          # Express REST API + dashboard
│   ├── db/
│   │   ├── schema.js          # Table definitions + FTS5
│   │   ├── init.js            # DB connection (WAL mode)
│   │   ├── queries.js         # Read/write functions
│   │   └── cortex_v2.sql      # V2 migration
│   ├── tools/                 # 31 MCP tools
│   │   ├── state.js           # cortex_get_state
│   │   ├── tasks.js           # cortex_get_next_task
│   │   ├── search.js          # FTS5 + hybrid search
│   │   ├── contradictions.js  # Contradiction detection
│   │   ├── tokens.js          # Token budget
│   │   ├── roles.js           # Agent roles
│   │   ├── relationships.js   # Knowledge graph
│   │   ├── health.js          # Auto-repair
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── embeddings/            # ONNX vector engine
│   ├── websocket/server.js    # WebSocket live push
│   ├── audit/index.js         # Audit trail
│   ├── memory/
│   │   ├── episodic.js        # Episodic memory
│   │   └── compiler.js        # Context compiler
│   ├── resources/project.js   # MCP Resources
│   └── prompts/index.js       # MCP Prompts
├── dashboard/                 # React 19 + shadcn/ui
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── App.jsx            # Main app + routing
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   │   ├── tabs/          # 11 tab components
│   │   │   ├── ui/            # shadcn/ui components
│   │   │   ├── Graph.jsx      # D3 knowledge graph
│   │   │   └── GlobalSearch.jsx
│   │   └── styles/globals.css # Tailwind + shadcn vars
│   └── dist/                  # Built dashboard
├── skills/                    # Agent skill files
├── docs/                      # Documentation
└── AGENTS.md                  # Agent guide

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
`CORTEX_PROJECT_PATH`	`.`	Project root directory
`CORTEX_API_PORT`	`3001`	REST API port
`CORTEX_PORT`	`4759`	Dashboard port
`CORTEX_SYNC_ENABLED`	`false`	Enable cloud sync

Requirements

Node.js ≥ 18.0.0
Works on Windows, macOS, Linux

Links

Platform	URL
Website	https://neuralnexustech.com/
GitHub	https://github.com/neuralnexustech/cortex-mcp
npm	https://www.npmjs.com/package/@neuralnexustech/cortex-mcp

License

Install Server

license - permissive license

quality

maintenance

How are these scores calculated?

Maintenance

–Maintainers

–Response time

0dRelease cycle

9Releases (12mo)

Commit activity

Resources

GitHub Repository

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