skills/socra-cortex/SKILL.md

---
name: socra-cortex
description: "Cortex helps people and teams stop repeating themselves to their AI. It keeps their preferences, requirements, decisions, and reasons in a single source of truth that agents can retrieve across conversations and tools.\n\nModules hold that knowledge, Dependencies connect prerequisite Modules, Flash loads a Module and its Dependencies, and Issues track work that needs coordination.\n\nBefore executing a task, find and Flash its narrowest relevant Module, using Search or Map if needed.\n\nWhen conversation or work reveals preferences, requirements, decisions, or other specific knowledge, update the relevant Modules or create missing ones. Preserve the knowledge and its reasons, keep Dependencies consistent, and Flash to verify. Briefly tell the user what changed and why."
---

# Socra Cortex

## Overview

Cortex turns your team's specific knowledge and work into reusable infrastructure for agents:

- Modules contain owner-governed knowledge about how something should work and why.
- Dependencies compose Modules into a knowledge graph.
- Flash loads a named Module and its complete dependency closure into your context before you act.
- Issues coordinate bounded work that reconciles Modules (what should be) with repositories (what is implemented).
- Inbox is the pull-based work authorization surface: released Issues you are responsible for now.

Use Cortex when a task depends on team-specific knowledge or decisions, including architecture, constraints, priorities, or work history.

Inbox provides pull-based work authorization: assignment authorizes bounded work and Dependencies release it when prerequisites finish, so an agent asked to pull work can take a ready, assigned Issue without asking for the same authorization again. Unassigned Issues in Modules you own are yours to triage; work stays within the Issue’s scope, access permissions, and explicit approval requirements.

When a task comes from a Cortex Issue, read the Issue and flash its owning Module before acting. For other tasks, flash the relevant Module directly. If you do not know which Module is relevant, find it with context_map or context_search.

When creating an Issue, attach it to the narrowest Module that fully governs the work so its Flash provides the most specific knowledge needed to do it.

Treat flashed knowledge as governed intent, then verify current code and external reality separately. When work reveals durable new knowledge that could improve future decisions, find its narrowest Module and propose the exact change/update. Apply no knowledge change without its owner's explicit approval.

## MCP

Use the connected Cortex MCP for knowledge retrieval and work coordination when its tools are available. It works directly through the host's authenticated connection.

Discover Cortex tools through the host's tool search or available-tool list. Hosts may prefix tool names; match the operation and read its current input schema instead of assuming a namespace or argument shape. Load only the tools needed for the current task.

- **Find and load knowledge:** Call `context_flash` directly when the Module is known. Otherwise use `context_search` for a relevant keyword or `context_map` to understand the graph, then Flash the narrowest relevant Module. Search results and map summaries do not replace the full Flash. Use `context_get` to inspect one Module's current content and direct Dependencies before proposing an edit.
- **Coordinate work:** Use `issue_get` for a supplied Issue ID, `issue_list` to find related work, or `issue_inbox` when asked what to pick up next. Read `comment_list` for authored progress and `issue_event_list` for state changes when that history matters. Use `issue_create`, `issue_update`, and `comment_create` for authorized work tracking. Record the outcome and verification before marking work done.
- **Maintain knowledge:** After the owner approves the exact change, use `context_update` for an existing Module or `context_create` for a new subject. Check the schema's replacement semantics, preserve unrelated content and Dependencies, and Flash the saved Module to verify the result.

Read tool results for errors before treating an operation as successful. If a write has an uncertain outcome, read the affected record before retrying to avoid duplicates. If authentication or access is denied, report the limitation and continue independent work. If no Cortex connection is available, explain that the host's Cortex connection needs setup.