Open a local folder
Point Cortext at any folder of Markdown. Files stay exactly where they are, readable in Finder and any editor.
Local Markdown, grown into a living AI knowledge base
Cortext is a native macOS app for a better Obsidian-style workspace. It keeps files and metadata local, turns notes and conversations into a growing Wiki-style network, and helps AI understand you from accumulated history.
CORTEXT
Local Workspace
ResearchProduct notesDaily writing
Markdown
Release plan
Turn today's notes into the next changelog while keeping the source material intact.
Readable files
Local memory
Thoughts
“Find the common thread across my last three notes.”
reviewdiffapprove
AI
GPT-5.5 ProClaude Code switchable
Built for local files, living memory, and agents working together.
Local folders
Wiki network
Local memory
Thoughts Agent
Model connections
How it works
Open a folder. The rest stays yours.
Thoughts reads the room
The agent sees your workspace, current document, references, and local memory, with no manual context wrangling.
Every change is reversible
Edits from you, the AI, or outside tools all become versioned history you can diff and restore.
Notes become a network
WikiLinks grow into a living graph. Structure comes from links, never from tags or schemas.
Use cases
How people use Cortext
✦
WritersLongform, research, publishing drafts
Start with a fragment and end with publishable Markdown.
WikiLinkCalloutImage assets
◇
Indie developersProject notes, decisions, changelogs
Let an agent organize docs, plans, and retros beside your repo.
Claude CodeDiffApproval
◌
Knowledge maintainersFolders, indexes, local memory
Let local files grow into a Wiki network, not a locked cloud database.
Local-firstSearchRestore
✳
ResearchersSources, citations, daily notes
Let AI mine your history for the context that matters most.
Multi-modelMemoryPermissions
Writing
Notes remain files, not another SaaS database.
Cortext opens your local Markdown workspace directly. Files, settings, and product metadata stay local, and you can keep using Finder, external editors, and any Markdown tool you like.
- Autosave to disk
- Obsidian-style WikiLinks
- Code blocks, tables, tasks, and callouts
- Pasted images become workspace assets
Collaboration
Agents learn from history without manual upkeep.
Thoughts is not an isolated chat box. It understands your workspace, current document, referenced files, and local communication memory, while commands, approvals, run state, and sessions stay inspectable.
- Claude Code and Cortext runtime
- Local conversation memory
- @ file references and / skills
- Risky Bash and unknown tools require approval
- Sessions, models, and token usage are traceable
Rollback
Before AI changes files, keep a path back.
User edits, external edits, and AI edits all become document history. Compare differences, inspect the source, and restore earlier Markdown when needed.
- Document history
- Document diff
- Restore requires approval
- External change alerts
Knowledge graph
Connected by links, not folders.
Cortext reads the WikiLinks in your Markdown and renders a living graph: notes, insights, and cited sources as nodes, links as edges. No tags, no frontmatter, no index to maintain, the structure is the writing itself.
- Notes, insights, and raw sources in one graph
- Backlinks resolved by note identity
- Islands and broken links surfaced
- Double-click a node to open the note
NoteInsightSource
Capture
Turn the web into durable local sources.
Capture a URL or PDF and Cortext saves it as immutable Markdown with provenance. Smart routing picks the right extractor per site, so what lands on disk is clean source, not a captcha shell.
- Immutable raw with source and captured_at
- Smart per-site extraction routing
- Notes trace back with source links
Under the hood
Everything in one local workspace.
Document history
Every save is a version you can revisit.
Diff & restore
Compare any version; restore behind approval.
Permission gate
Risky Bash and unknown tools wait for your yes.
Path safety
Writes stay inside the workspace; sensitive paths are blocked.
Skills
Slash commands package reusable agent instructions.
Two runtimes
Run on Claude Code or the native Cortext agent.
Local index
A local SQLite index keeps search and review fast.
Backlinks
WikiLinks resolve into a two-way link graph.
Three-way merge
Concurrent edits merge line by line on save.
Models
Bring the models you already trust without moving your knowledge base.
Cortext supports major providers, OAuth presets, and compatible APIs. Use the accounts and endpoints you already pay for, avoid another bundled AI subscription, and keep files plus metadata on your machine.
Anthropic
OpenAI
Google
OpenRouter
DeepSeek
Moonshot
Z.AI
Compatible API
Pricing
Try free for 7 days, then own it forever
Download and use everything for 7 days, no account needed. Keep using Cortext with a one-time purchase. One license activates up to 2 devices.
Free
Download and start. No card, no email.
Download for macOS$29.9
one-time payment, 2 devices
- Everything in the app, forever
- Up to 2 devices per license
- Activation code by email
- Free updates
Permission first
Safe reads stay quiet; risky Bash, unknown tools, and writes outside the workspace enter approval.
Fast retrieval
Global search finds recently opened and matching Markdown files.
Assets on disk
Pasted images are saved as workspace assets and written back to Markdown.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is it really local-first?+
Yes. Your files, settings, metadata, and database all live in the workspace folder. Everything is plain Markdown you can read without Cortext.
Do I need another AI subscription?+
No. Bring the model accounts and endpoints you already pay for: major providers, OAuth presets, and compatible APIs.
Which models are supported?+
Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, OpenRouter, DeepSeek, Moonshot, Z.AI, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
Does it work with my existing Markdown vault?+
Open any folder of Markdown. WikiLinks, callouts, code blocks, and tasks all render natively.
What does the license cover?+
A one-time purchase used on up to 2 devices, with free updates. Try everything free for 7 days first.
What if I stop using Cortext?+
Nothing locks you in. Your notes are ordinary Markdown files in your own folders, ready for any tool.
Let AI remember beside your files.
Cortext is for people who already have a Markdown workflow and model accounts, and want agents to quietly accumulate context, organize local knowledge, and surface what matters from history.
Download for macOS