The New Brain: Local-first Database Engine for CortexSync Ecosystem
Warning
🚧 Alpha Version (Under Active Development) This project is currently in early alpha stage and is undergoing heavy development. Features, APIs, and CLI commands are subject to breaking changes without notice.
Current Testing Environment (As of 25 Feb 2026): Testing is exclusively performed on a developer machine running macOS Sequoia 15.7.4 with the latest versions of compatible IDEs (Cursor/VS Code/Windsurf).
If you are cloning this repository to run on Windows, Linux, or older IDE versions, you may encounter instability or broken features. Cross-platform testing will be expanded in future releases.
CortexDB is the dedicated database engine for the Cortex-Works ecosystem, managing Scrum logic (Epics, Tickets, Backlog) and Agent Memory. Designed specifically to transition away from flat JSONL ledgers to relational and vector storage, allowing for scalable, enterprise-grade AI agent tracking.
CortexDB plays a central role in the Data Triad Architecture:
- CortexSync: The Pulsar / Event Router (Watchers and notification endpoints).
- CortexDB (This Repo): The New Brain. Manages state and database integration.
- SQLite (Local): Stores relational data like Epic/Ticket tracking, assignments, and structural relationships.
- LanceDB (Local): Lightweight vector database for semantic search and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
- CortexRelay: The Sync & Backup Engine.
- Performance: Blazing fast SQLite for querying and LanceDB for vector search in milliseconds.
- Scale: Seamlessly supports UI integration for Kanban boards, burn-down charts, and sprint backlogs in
cortex-studio. - Separation of Concerns: DB logic is decoupled from watcher threads in
cortex-sync, avoiding "God Object" congestion and conflict.
This repository powers Phase 3 of the Cortex-Works Ecosystem roadmap:
- Migration from JSONL to Local-First DBs: Decouple the Data Layer from the Sync Engine.
- SQLite Integration: Store relational data to prepare for the workflow structure system (Epic, Ticket, Agent Assignment).
- Embedded LanceDB: Isolate Vector Storage for millisecond semantic search (Zero-config).