# What is Cortex, and how does it work?

Company: Socra — Multiply Your Judgment
Canonical URL: https://support.socra.com/articles/art_01m46em9229p690s2enhh21kj3-cortex-overview-draft

Cortex keeps the knowledge you want AI agents to use across conversations and tools. We store that knowledge in versioned Modules within your Socra Account, the shared space for your organization. An authorized agent can retrieve the knowledge relevant to its work, then preserve useful decisions and their reasons for later tasks.

## Give an agent the knowledge it needs

A Module holds knowledge about one subject. For example, a Module could explain your rules for changing a database and why those rules matter. It has a name, an owner, and a history of changes.

Modules can have Dependencies. A Dependency connects a Module to other knowledge needed to understand it. If your database Module depends on your security Module, an agent needs both when changing the database.

Flash is the operation that retrieves a Module and all its Dependencies as one bundle of text for the agent. Cortex includes each Module once and puts prerequisites first. The agent receives the saved knowledge for that task without having to collect each prerequisite separately.

Start with the work you already need to do. With the suggested Cortex instructions, a connected agent finds and Flashes relevant Modules. When your conversation or work reveals useful knowledge, those instructions tell the agent to update an existing Module or create one. They also tell it to check the result and explain what changed and why. You can customize the instructions, including requiring your approval before Module changes.

## Keep work connected to its knowledge

An Issue records work that needs to happen under a Module. It can hold an assignee, status, comments, and Dependencies on other Issues. These Issue Dependencies record which work must finish first. Module Dependencies describe the knowledge needed to understand a subject.

For example, a Module can state your database rules while an Issue asks for a change to meet them. The Module preserves the rule for future work. The Issue records the particular task and what happened as it progressed.

## Choose how to use Cortex

When connected to the same Account, agent integrations, the Socra CLI, the Cortex API, and the browser app use the same data. Switching interfaces does not create another copy of your Modules or Issues. The [interface guide](https://workspace.socra.com/docs/cortex/ways-to-use) explains each path.

Access is controlled at the Module. Permission to Flash a Module also includes its Dependencies in that Flash, even when the reader cannot open those Dependencies separately. That does not grant permission to edit them. Consider the complete set of Dependencies when sharing a Module.

Your agent's host still controls its tools, repository access, and approval requests. Cortex supplies knowledge and work records; the agent must use that knowledge when it acts. Follow the [installation guide](https://workspace.socra.com/docs/cortex/installation) to connect your agent.

## Article details

- Collection: [Cortex](https://support.socra.com/collections/col_01kzpmz5q2hz8avw3tys0tnx4f-cortex)
- Canonical: https://support.socra.com/articles/art_01m46em9229p690s2enhh21kj3-cortex-overview-draft