Cortex — Semantic Memory for AI Agents
One external brain, model-agnostic, in production. Connect it to Claude in two minutes — free trial, no credit card.
Cortex is a patent-pending semantic memory infrastructure developed by SKYNETLAB (Bergamo, Italy). Connected to your AI assistant as a remote MCP connector, it lets your conversations save decisions, context and sources — and find them again in every later session. Your AI remembers, and can show why it remembers.
🌐 Website: skynetlab-cortex.com · 📄 Patent · 📊 Benchmark · 📚 Paper · 💶 Pricing
🇮🇹 Versione italiana: README.it.md
Why Cortex is not "just another memory plugin"
Most memory tools for AI agents record what the agent did and retrieve similar text later. Cortex models what is true and how reliable it is:
| Capability | What it means |
|---|---|
| Quality Gate on write | Every memory passes a novelty/redundancy check before being stored. No junk accumulation. |
| Typed claims & conflict tracking | Facts are extracted as claims; contradictions between memories are detected and tracked, not silently overwritten. |
| Knowledge graph | Memories are linked by entities and typed relations, not just vector similarity. |
| Coherence metric (Ψ_C) | Each memory carries a native coherence score — the system knows how well a memory fits what it already knows. |
| Memory consolidation ("REM") | A continuous background cycle consolidates episodic memories into long-term knowledge. |
| Transparent evidence | Answers can cite the memories and sources they come from. |
Cortex runs on globally distributed edge infrastructure operated in the European Union. The memory engine is covered by Italian patent application UIBM 102026000014026 (filed 15 May 2026).
Quick start — Claude (web / desktop / mobile)
Requirements: a Claude plan that supports custom connectors (the "Connectors" entry appears in Settings). No Cortex account needed beforehand — it is created on first sign-in.
-
In Claude open Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector
-
Paste this URL and confirm:
https://skynetlab-cortex-saas-mcp.cortex-320.workers.dev/mcp -
Authorize access on the Cortex consent page (Google or email sign-in). Your personal memory space is created automatically, isolated from every other user.
That's it. Talk to Claude as usual: "Remember that we chose supplier X", "what did we decide about the budget?", "show me the sources for this claim". Claude picks the right tool on its own.
Quick start — Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http cortex https://skynetlab-cortex-saas-mcp.cortex-320.workers.dev/mcp
Then authenticate when prompted (/mcp shows connection status).
Quick start — other MCP clients (stdio bridge)
For MCP clients that don't support remote connectors natively, use the mcp-remote bridge. Example configuration (see examples/):
{
"mcpServers": {
"cortex": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://skynetlab-cortex-saas-mcp.cortex-320.workers.dev/mcp"]
}
}
}
Quick start — this repository as a local stdio server
This repository also ships a small stdio MCP server (server/) that exposes the Cortex tools locally and forwards every call to the hosted service. It is meant for MCP clients, registries and evaluators that need a local process: it starts, lists its seven tools and answers introspection with no configuration at all; tool calls are forwarded when an access token is set.
git clone https://github.com/FilippoPilo/cortex-connector.git
cd cortex-connector
npm install
CORTEX_ACCESS_TOKEN=<your token> node server/index.js
Or with Docker:
docker build -t cortex-connector .
docker run -i --rm -e CORTEX_ACCESS_TOKEN=<your token> cortex-connector
| Variable | Meaning |
|---|---|
CORTEX_ACCESS_TOKEN | Bearer token for the hosted connector (the OAuth access token issued at sign-in, for example the one mcp-remote stores). Optional: without it the server only lists tools. |
CORTEX_MCP_URL | Remote endpoint, defaults to the hosted Cortex connector. |
npm test runs a self test (initialize, tools/list, one call without token).
The seven tools
| Tool | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Search memories | read | Semantic search across your memories |
| Fetch memory | read | Full detail of one memory, with its sources |
| Recall & synthesize | read | Narrative synthesis of what Cortex knows about a topic |
| Show conflicts | read | Tracked contradictions between memories |
| Save memory | write | Stores a memory — after a quality check against duplicates and redundancy |
| Write status | read | Outcome of a queued save: quality-gate verdict and any open conflicts |
| Forget memory | destructive | Deletes a memory — always with explicit confirmation |
Data & privacy
Memories are personal: each user only sees their own. They are exportable and deletable on request, and the infrastructure operates in the European Union. Details: Privacy Policy.
To disconnect, simply remove the connector from your client's settings; your memories remain in your Cortex account until you request their deletion.
Is this open source?
The Cortex memory engine is a hosted, patent-pending service — its source code is not published. This repository contains the public documentation, the client-side configuration examples and a small stdio bridge (server/) for connecting to it. Everything in this repository is released under the MIT License.
Support
📧 [email protected] · Contact page
Cortex is a SKYNETLAB product — independent research lab & deeptech studio, Bergamo, Italy. Founder: Filippo Pilotta (ORCID 0009-0000-5002-4199).
Some content and product outputs are generated or assisted by artificial intelligence, pursuant to Art. 50 of Reg. (EU) 2024/1689. AI transparency.