The Memory Claude Forgot

Like having a team who actually read your notes before the meeting.

Every conversation, Claude starts over. Cortex gives it somewhere to remember. It runs quietly on your Mac, captures your corrections and preferences, and hands them back to Claude the moment they're relevant.

Free · No account needed · Your data stays on your Mac

The Gap Cortex Fills

Claude has a memory now. Sort of. It's a 200-line markdown file that points to other markdown files you have to maintain by hand. Every preference, every correction, every rule competes for space in that budget — and once it's full, something has to go.

Cortex replaces that with a real memory system. Six neuroscience-grounded layers that grow, decay, and surface the right context at the right moment — without you managing a single file.

Six Layers of Memory

Not all memory is the same.

"Based on how brains actually handle memory — sensory at the surface, long-term at the base."

Cortex organizes what Claude remembers into six layers — from raw session signal at the surface, down to everything consolidated for the long haul.

Ephemeral → permanent

Sensory memory

The raw stream of this session — files touched, commands run, messages exchanged. Most of it disappears in seconds.

Working memory

What Claude is actively thinking with right now. A small handful of things held in mind at once.

Episodic memory

Specific moments from your recent work. Corrections you made. Decisions. Bugs you fixed.

Semantic memory

The rules and facts that cross every project. 'This team uses conventional commits.' Cross-project truth.

Procedural memory

Skills and workflows. The how, not the what. Built up from sequences that keep working.

Long-term memory

Everything consolidated for the long haul. Pulled back when you need it. Never the noise.

Retrieval

Cortex knows what's relevant before Claude asks.

When you send a message, Cortex scans all six memory layers and surfaces only what matters — handing Claude the right context at the right moment.

Claude Cortex
DEVELOPER
What's our deploy process for Hopscotch?
• Cortex retrieved 3 memories
Procedural
Semantic
Episodic
Run scripts/release-testflight.sh — it handles the build bump, archive, and upload in one step. Commit with feat: or fix: prefix so the changelog reads cleanly. Last deploy was build 5 to TestFlight.

How It Works

1

Capture

Correct Claude once. Cortex catches the correction before the session ends.

2

Organize

It files the memory into the right layer: working, semantic, or long-term.

3

Surface

Next session, Claude already knows. No re-explaining. The context is there before you type.

The first session is the hardest one you'll have. After that, Claude has muscle memory.

Who Cortex Is For

Claude Chat User

You chat with Claude daily — desktop, phone, web. Cortex makes sure Claude remembers what you've been working on.

Mental Health Therapist

You see dozens of clients. Cortex holds case notes, frameworks, and boundaries so Claude supports without confusing.

Social Worker

Caseloads are heavy. Cortex remembers each family's history, agency policies, and resources you've already tried.

Designer

Design systems, critique notes, client preferences pile up. Cortex hands Claude the right reference at the right moment.

Marketer

Brand voice, campaign patterns, what worked last quarter. Cortex keeps Claude on-brand without the context-paste.

Biologist

Protocols, prior results, IACUC feedback. Cortex hands Claude the decisions you already made.

Engineer

Stack choices, conventions, past architectural calls. Cortex keeps Claude inside the rails you already built.

Lawyer

Firm policy, client precedent, redline patterns. Cortex surfaces your positions — not generic contract advice.

Accountant

GL rules, close-process quirks, client conventions. Cortex remembers the classifications so you don't re-explain each month.

Teacher

Lesson plans, accommodations, what worked last term. Cortex keeps Claude aligned with your curriculum, not a generic one.

Claude Code Developer

Terminal sessions, project rules, corrections you've made a dozen times. Cortex stops the groundhog day.

Simple Pricing. Honest Tiers.

Local
Free
forever
  • Full Cortex experience on your Mac
  • Works with Claude Code and Claude Desktop
  • Unlimited corrections, rules, and projects
  • Your data never leaves your machine
Join the Waitlist
Cloud Sync Coming Soon
$49
/ year
  • Everything in Local, plus:
  • Your memory syncs to Claude.ai and mobile
  • Cloud backup of your knowledge graph
  • Works across every Claude surface
Join the Waitlist

Join the Waitlist

Cortex is almost ready. Drop your email and tell us which plan you want, and we'll let you know when it ships.

You're on the list. We'll email you the moment Cortex is ready. No spam, no newsletter, just the launch note.

Your email is used only for launch updates. See our privacy policy.

FAQ

Does Cortex work with Claude Desktop, not just Claude Code?

Yes. Cortex connects to Claude Desktop via the MCP config file. A one-click Desktop Extension is on the way.

Do I need an account?

No. The free version is fully local. No account, no login, no server.

What does "your data stays on your Mac" actually mean?

The free tier makes zero network calls. Your memory lives in a SQLite file at ~/.cortex/cortex.db. Nothing is transmitted anywhere until you enable Cloud Sync, which requires explicit opt-in.

How is this different from a CLAUDE.md file?

CLAUDE.md is a static file you maintain by hand. Cortex captures corrections automatically as they happen, scopes rules to the right project, and surfaces only what's relevant. It learns. CLAUDE.md doesn't.

What happens to my data if I cancel Cloud Sync?

Sync pauses. Your local memory is fully intact. Claude Code and Claude Desktop continue working with your local knowledge. You only lose cross-surface availability.

When is Cloud Sync available?

It's in development. Join the waitlist to be first.