cortex

Cortex is a self-updating knowledge graph for projects, described as external memory for AI agents. It scans a project into a graph of files, symbols, docs, and the links between them, then saves it as both a readable MAP.md and a fast SQLite index. Any AI agent or user can query this graph instead of reading the whole codebase into a context window. It stays fresh automatically as files change.

The tool works like Obsidian's graph for prose projects and like a repo-map for code projects, from one tool, with zero third-party dependencies (Python standard library only). It extracts information from about 80 languages and formats using tiered methods: Python via stdlib ast, many languages via regex rules, and others via generic heuristics. Markdown and data/config files are also parsed. Cross-references are resolved to internal files where possible, and importance is scored with a built-in PageRank.

Cortex provides a live view via cortex serve, hosting the graph as a static atlas that glows amber where an AI agent is currently looking. It is multi-agent safe, allowing any number of AIs/tools to query one project's map simultaneously, with concurrent writers serializing on a per-project lock. Auto-update can be achieved via a Claude Code hook, convention, or manual/scheduled scans. Security features include owner-only .cortex/ directory, loopback-only serve with token authentication, and sanitized content.