Cortex

Name: Cortex
Author: VBlackJack

by VBlackJackversion 2026.1021.3i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.VBlackJack/cortex

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Local multi-client RAG server over the Model Context Protocol.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Search & AI memory
You need to fill in: CORTEX_KB_PATH

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: CORTEX_KB_PATH

You need

PyPIPython’s uv installed (for the uvx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cortex": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "cortex-local-rag",
        "serve"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_KB_PATH": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add cortex --env CORTEX_KB_PATH=your-value -- uvx cortex-local-rag serve

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "cortex": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "cortex-local-rag",
        "serve"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_KB_PATH": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "cortex": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "cortex-local-rag",
        "serve"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CORTEX_KB_PATH": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

CORTEX_KB_PATH required env
Absolute path to the local knowledge base Cortex indexes and serves.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 6, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account VBlackJack, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

More stars than 0% of the other 7231 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 71% of the other 7231 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 7231 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Cortex safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

You need to fill in: CORTEX_KB_PATH

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (2026.1021.3) reached the registry 16 days ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Python (uv) on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Context7, Codebase Memory, Exa

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Context7

by upstash

Feeds AI the latest docs for libraries and frameworks before it answers, so code it writes does not use outdated, removed functions.

Computer or cloud★ 64,224MITUpdated 3 days ago

Install

Codebase Memory

by DeusData

Codebase knowledge graph for AI agents — 162 languages, sub-ms queries, 99% fewer tokens.

Runs on your computer★ 48,148MITUpdated 20 days ago

Install

Exa

by exa-labs

Connect AI agents to Exa for web search, content fetching, and multi-step research.

Runs in the cloud★ 5,213MITUpdated 44 days ago

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Cortex - RAG MCP for a knowledge base

English | Français

Cortex is an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that exposes semantic search over a local knowledge base. It lets Claude, Codex and Gemini find the right passage in your documents without wasting their context window. Search is semantic (by meaning, not keyword), in French and in English. Cortex processes and indexes the knowledge base locally without sending its content; the MCP client may still pass requested chunks to its model under its own policy. The optional Confluence writer only downloads explicitly allowlisted spaces; the generated Markdown, vector index, and lexical index remain local.

Starting with 2026.0906.01, Companion offers a guided home screen, operation history and Confluence setup from one page or space link. Connection and measured scope confirmation stay in the flow; successful collection is followed by indexing. Use the combined installer to keep Cortex and Companion compatible.

Since 2026.0909.02, Confluence updates preserve the served generation when subtree enumeration fails and apply changed target/classification settings on retry. Search uses multilingual vector retrieval by default; CLI and MCP callers can explicitly select hybrid or reranked search. The first successful collection after upgrading regenerates older publication revisions, and the following sync removes obsolete index entries.

Guided document updates (2026.0909.00)

Companion brings local documents and Confluence together in My sources, with one Update my documents action. Search previews are resizable, large page trees render visible rows, and cancelling review preparation keeps the draft. Readiness now follows the saved document folder and configuration, including after restart. Run one document update after upgrading to establish this evidence for older indexes. See the release notes.

Measured scope without enumerating the space (2026.0907.00)

Adding a Confluence source measures its page, subtree and whole-space scopes with one indexed count each instead of reading the space page by page. On a 5916-page space that measurement took 3 min 19 s, past the timeout of every graphical caller, so Companion showed nothing at all. It now answers in about a second, and the emitted contract is unchanged.

Two whole-space numbers shift by one as a result: the resolved page is no longer folded into the space total, and a space with no visible page reports zero rather than one. A deployment whose search endpoint returns no total cannot measure a scope and reports that as a permanent failure instead of a retryable one. See the contracts.

Paired Companion 2026.0907.00 restores the contrast of the scope window, whose options were drawn in the system text colour, and stops reporting a timeout as a connection failure or advising a delay increase that silently reverts.

Source management in Companion (2026.0906.02)

The workflow includes search, remote page trees, impact review, evidence-based readiness, save-and-update, last-removal undo and recovery actions. See the contracts.

Paired version 2026.0906.02 provides visible My sources cards, a prefilled selection editor, confirmed page/space removal and browser links to originals. Removal only changes Cortex tracking; search reflects it after successful collection and indexing.

Removing the final source explicitly writes spaces = [] in a schema v2 or v3 configuration. This intentional empty allowlist permits an empty publication with tombstones for prior documents. An absent spaces key remains incomplete configuration and collection is refused. Connection and credential validation and publication safeguards still apply. Both updated components are required; this capability is absent from the installed 2026.0906.01 release.

Installation

Windows, no Python (recommended)

The simplest path: one installer for Cortex, Cortex Companion, the windowless Confluence converter, and the offline models. No separate Python or .NET runtime is required.

Download Cortex-Setup.exe and SHA256SUMS from the latest release.
Before running the unsigned installer, calculate its digest with Get-FileHash .\Cortex-Setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256 in PowerShell and verify that it exactly matches the Cortex-Setup.exe line in SHA256SUMS.
Double-click only after that check. If SmartScreen still warns, select More info, then Run anyway.
Choose the folder that holds your documents, keep Index everything in this folder, and finish. Cortex Companion opens when installation completes. Indexing only starts when you request synchronization in Companion.
In Companion, open Settings and verify the knowledge-base folder. The Cortex executable installed with Companion is detected automatically.
Drop your documents in that folder, open Local database, then select Synchronize local documents.
Restart your AI application: Cortex shows up there as an MCP server.

Companion then lets you synchronize, schedule, diagnose, and configure Cortex without a terminal. Details, silent mode and reinstall: Windows install.

Standalone archives (Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon, Linux x64)

Every release also ships one ZIP archive per platform. It unpacks to a cortex/ folder holding the cortex or cortex.exe executable (MCP server + CLI, no Python), its runtime, and the licenses for every embedded dependency; keep the folder whole. See Standalone distribution.

From PyPI (Python, advanced)

py -m pip install --upgrade cortex-local-rag

cortex setup

This path installs the CLI and MCP server, but not Cortex Companion. The model is downloaded on first use if its cache is empty.

From source (development)

:: From the folder where you cloned Cortex

install.bat

install.bat and sync.bat are the development path for a source checkout, not a supported end-user installation: install.bat installs the unlocked dependencies from requirements.txt, and sync.bat indexes the folder section by section without the Confluence documents. To use Cortex, install Cortex-Setup.exe or a standalone archive instead. Details: Setup.

How it works

Documents folder (.md, .pdf)       Optional Confluence writer (REST)

| | | current Markdown generation +------------------+-------------------+ | v cortex sync <- Split, hash, vectorize, update FTS5 | v %LOCALAPPDATA%\Cortex\ <- ChromaDB + lexical.db | v cortex serve <- MCP server (FastMCP) | v MCP clients <- Claude / Codex / Gemini / Antigravity / LM Studio / Cursor / Windsurf / VS Code

The embedding model is the multilingual ONNX paraphrase-multilingual-MiniLM-L12-v2. The Windows installer bundles it; a source installation or standalone binary downloads it when the local cache is empty.

Two indexing modes

Whole folder (default): anything you place in the chosen folder, at the root or in any subfolder, becomes searchable. Nothing to configure.
Sections (advanced): limits indexing to named subfolders you can search separately (defaults knowledge, projects, notes).

These modes govern the user-selected document folder. Generated ingestion documents are indexed separately from the current published generation with source_kind=doc and section sources.

Details: Configuration.

The `cortex` command

The installed package exposes a single command:

Subcommand	Purpose
`cortex setup`	Config + index + client registration in one go (`--kb-path`, `--yes`, `--no-index`, `--reset`).
`cortex serve`	Runs the MCP server (used by clients).
`cortex sync`	Incremental index synchronization.
`cortex search`	Searches the index from the console (debugging aid).
`cortex ingestion`	Shows source health and whether catch-up is due.
`cortex confluence`	Stores the PAT interactively or runs the allowlisted writer.
`cortex config`	Reads or changes configuration through an atomic JSON contract, notably for Companion.
`cortex daemon`	Runs, inspects or stops the shared per-user server used when `[server] mode = "shared"` (opt-in).
`cortex bundle`	Describes or verifies an encrypted portable archive.
`cortex doctor`	Installation diagnostics (read-only).
`cortex register` / `cortex unregister`	Adds or removes Cortex from MCP clients.
`cortex init`	Creates the single per-user configuration.
`cortex check`	Verifies the installation.

cortex --help describes every subcommand and cortex --help describes its options. A prompt-free installation scripts as:

cortex setup --yes --kb-path "D:\Documents\Knowledge"

Exposed MCP tools

Tool	Description
`cortex_search`	Multilingual vector search by default; optional `retrieval_mode` (`vector`, `hybrid`, `rerank`). Parameters: `query`, `section`, `top_k` (1-10), source/author filters, and occurred/updated date ranges.
`cortex_sync`	Triggers an incremental sync of the selected folder and, on a full sync, the current published document generation.
`cortex_list_sections`	Lists included sections and "out of policy" folders.
`cortex_freshness`	Read-only vault and ingestion freshness summary. Parameters: `section` (optional), `include_entries` (`false` by default).

Documentation

Table of contents
Windows install: unified Cortex + Companion + Confluence converter + models installer, corpus choice, silent mode, reinstall.
Standalone distribution: per-platform archives and reproducible builds.
Install from source: prerequisites, MCP clients.
User guide: sync, search, tools, doctor, logs.
FAQ: installation, local data, sync, and diagnostics.
Release notes: user-visible changes by version and the published-history notice.
Technical changelog: complete changes by version.
Configuration: config.toml, indexing modes, sections, data home, migration.
Ingestion scheduling: source health, catch-up, retries, and Task Scheduler.
Metadata v2 migration: structured search metadata, backup, migration, and restore.
Confluence writer: allowlisted REST ingestion, Windows Credential Manager, conversion, and atomic generations.
Reproducible install: requirements.lock, --require-hashes, regenerating the lock.
Public specification: MCP surface, index contracts, data, distribution, and limits.
Architecture: end-to-end and technical choices.
Security: local runtime, telemetry off, single-writer.

Prerequisites

Path	Requirements
Windows installer	No separate Python or .NET runtime. At least ~500 MB of space (applications, model + index).
Standalone archive	No Python. ~500 MB of space (model + index).
From source	Python 3.11 to 3.13. ~500 MB of space.
Client	Claude Desktop/Code, Codex, Gemini, Antigravity, LM Studio, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code (MCP support).

License

Apache 2.0. See LICENSE.

R

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Cortex

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Search & AI memoryi

Common questions

Alternatives

Context7

Codebase Memory

Exa

README from the maker

Cortex - RAG MCP for a knowledge base

Guided document updates (2026.0909.00)

Measured scope without enumerating the space (2026.0907.00)

Source management in Companion (2026.0906.02)

Installation

Windows, no Python (recommended)

Standalone archives (Windows x64, macOS Apple Silicon, Linux x64)

From PyPI (Python, advanced)

From source (development)

How it works

Two indexing modes

The cortex command

Exposed MCP tools

Documentation

Prerequisites

License

R

The `cortex` command