▮ cortex@local[ install ]
// a second brain for people who live in the terminal
memory, as a
command-line utility
cortex captures notes at the speed of thought, links them into a knowledge graph, and answers questions about everything you’ve ever written. plain text. local first. zero lock-in.
$ curl -fsSL cortex.sh | shmacos · linux · wslcortex new# capture a thought from anywherecortex link --auto# wire related notes togethercortex ask "..."# query your entire memorycortex resurface# today’s relevant old notes// it does what it says on the man page
$ cortex stats
notes 4,182
edges 19,034
oldest 2019-03-02
recall avg 0.41s
$ cortex ask "pricing thoughts from last spring?"
→ 3 notes found
[0412] usage-based beats seats for solo devs
[0398] anchor against notion, not obsidian
[0371] $8 felt right. still does.
$ cortex sync --status
local-first ✓ all notes on disk
e2e crypto ✓ keys never leave device
conflicts 0
last sync just now
// design principles
01. plain text wins
every note is a markdown file on your disk. grep it, pipe it, back it up with rsync. cortex adds the brain, not a format.
02. your machine, your data
recall runs locally. sync is optional and end-to-end encrypted. if we disappear tomorrow, your notes don’t.
03. speed is the feature
capture in <50ms, recall in <500ms. a second brain you wait on is a second brain you stop using.
cortex v2.0.1 — exit code 0 · © 2026