Cortex

Cortex

Persistent local memory for Claude Code. Longer sessions. Cross-session recall. Zero cloud.

Why Cortex?

Requirements

- Node.js: 18.0.0 or higher
- Disk Space: ~500MB (Includes 150MB embedding model cache + database growth)
- OS: macOS or Linux (Windows supported via WSL2)

Install

Inside a Claude Code instance:

Step 1: Add the marketplace

Step 2: Install the plugin

⚠️ Linux users: Click here first

On Linux, /tmp is often a separate filesystem (tmpfs), which causes plugin installation to fail with:

Fix: Set TMPDIR before installing:

Then run the install command below in that session.

Step 3: Run the setup wizard

Ask Claude to run the setup skill:

The wizard will initialize the database, download the embedding model, and configure the statusline.

Step 4: Customize settings

Ask Claude to configure your preferences:

Done! Restart Claude Code to activate the statusline.

🔄 Updating

To update Cortex to the latest version:

Step 1: Update the marketplace

Step 2: Update the plugin

Step 3: Run the setup wizard

Ask Claude to run the setup skill:

The wizard will install dependencies and download the embedding model for the new version. Your memories and configuration in ~/.cortex/ are preserved.

Step 4: Restart Claude Code to load the new version.
Note: Due to a known Claude Code issue,
always update the marketplace first. After restart, you can ask Claude to verify
the update by checking if the cached plugin matches the latest release.

Statusline

The statusline is configured automatically by /cortex-setup. Restart Claude Code after setup to see it.

- Ψ — Cortex identifier
- 47 — Memory fragment count (compact: 1.1K, 10.2M, etc.)
- ●●○○○ — Context usage (filled/empty circles, color-coded)
- 45% — Context percentage
- ⠋ Saving — Animated spinner…