# Show HN: CoreTex – An Open-Source, Unix-like, biomimetic, flat-file AI Harness > Source: > Published: 2026-05-27 12:30:20+00:00 Note to Systems Engineers:I took the biomimicry domain-driven design quite far (e.g., the master daemon is the`Medulla` , short-term memory is the`Hippocampus` ). It is eccentric, but underneath is (arguably) a highly optimized, concurrent, lock-safe, and execution engine that runs purely on flat files. **CoreTex** is a UNIX-inspired, biomimetic agent harness and knowledge engine intended to help you use AI safely, cost-effectively, and in a way that helps you integrate the whole of your life. Borrowing deeply from [human neuroanatomy](/mrdanielcasper/CoreTex/blob/main/docs/Biomimesis.md), CoreTex lets you organize and synthesize information (supercharging Obsidian Vaults), write and execute code in a hardened environment, and utilize peripherals (camera, mic, etc.) alongside webhooks and headless web browsing to observe and react to the outside world. CoreTex is also intended to be an always-on daemon, understanding your goals and helping you achieve them over time. **UNIX Philosophy:** Everything is a file like it's the 1970s! State, IPC, data, and queue files are guarded by OS-level locks. Databases are banished to the shadow realm (excluding the SQLite FTS5 DB which reads the flat files for performance). Composability with standard operators is supported - pipe, redirect, etc.**Cerebellar Muscle Memory (Zero-Token Execution):** When CoreTex successfully completes writing code, e.g. setting up a project, the Cerebellum can make it an engram to rerun at 0-cost.*Highly experimental*and will need improvements.[Roadmap item](/mrdanielcasper/CoreTex/blob/main/ROADMAP.md)to enable engram sharing.[Token economics](/mrdanielcasper/CoreTex/blob/main/docs/Token-Economics.md)is a major concern for CoreTex.**5-Tier Biomimetic**[Memory Stack](/mrdanielcasper/CoreTex/blob/main/docs/Memory.md):** Working Memory**- token aware compression inserted between active head and tail for infinite task continuity without amnesia.** Short-Term Recall (Vectorless Search):**Replace the DB with a local SQLite FTS5 index and BM25 ranking. Snippet truncation finds code matches without bloating the context window.**Relation Knowledge**- maps dependencies and markdown connections to a serialized graph, protected by the Anterior Cingulate Cortex circuit breaker if a loop is detected.**Episodic Memory**- keeps a ledger of its objectives and actions in a thread safe WAL JSONL stream.** Long Term Memory**- when CoreTex sleeps, it rotates logs and extracts key memories from them which are used to align the system to you **Safe-by-Default:** The default "Cognitive Mode" is strictly for reading/writing/working on an Obsidian vault or files. Code execution requires explicit user opt-in and is isolated inside an offline Deno-hosted V8 + WebAssembly jail with strict resource limits. CoreTex operates on text files and local indexing, meaning you can parse your entire codebase before spending a single API token. **1. Absorb data (0 Token Cost - Local SQLite Indexing)** ``` ./ctx absorb ./my_old_project -d Studio/MyProject -t "legacy, python" ./ctx absorb ./journal -d Personal/Journal -t "journal, writing" ``` **2. Execute a sandboxed agentic task** ``` ./ctx task "Audit ./my_project for concurrency race conditions and output to audit.md" ``` **3. Native Unix Piping** ``` cat error.log | grep "Timeout" | ./ctx task "Explain this failure cascade" ``` **4. Daydreaming** ``` ./ctx daydream # NOTE: CURRENTLY ONLY DAYDREAMS ABOUT ITSELF, SELFISH MACHINE. # TOPIC-BASED DREAMING IS AN IMMEDIATE TO-DO ``` CoreTex features a unified setup script to automatically handle prerequisites, virtual environments, and container architectures. ``` chmod +x setup.sh ./setup.sh --check # Optional: run preflight diagnostics ./setup.sh # Interactive setup (use --local or --docker to bypass prompts) powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\setup.ps1 -Check powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\setup.ps1 # Use -Local or -Docker to bypass prompts ``` *Note: CoreTex natively supports routing via Enterprise API Gateways (Cloudflare, Portkey, Helicone) for observability. Select [Gateway] during setup.* The setup utility offers two distinct runtime architectures: **Local (Recommended):** Uses Astral's hyper-fast`uv` and the`deno` secure runtime.**Isolated Container:** Uses Docker Compose with strict UID/GID mapping to prevent root-owned file pollution. Both paths launch the **Synaptic Genesis** wizard to configure your nervous system: **Operating Profile:*** Cognitive Mode*(safe advisory) or*Agentic Mode*(sandboxed execution).**Sensory Innervation:** Toggle vision scrapers (Playwright) or local hardware mic/speakers.**Synapses & Workspace:** Link your LLMs (OpenAI, Anthropic, local Ollama) and bind CoreTex to a target directory. Once complete, restart your terminal and command the swarm: ``` ./ctx status ./ctx task "Summarize this repository in five bullets" ./ctx status # health check ./ctx live # engage main daemon ./ctx task "do a thing" # executes along route + domain ./ctx absorb examples/show-hn-mini-project --domain Professional --tags show-hn,demo ./ctx daydream ``` Declarative configs via YAML (these will be cleaned up). After setup, you can freely customize your agents, tools, and models without touching code: : Change default cloud models (e.g. swap`System/config/system.yaml` `gpt-4o-mini` for`claude-3-5-sonnet-latest` ), set maximum daily token limits, or tweak system behavioral conditions like`dopamine` (increases temperature) and`cortisol` (ignores token budgets).: Definitions of system prompts, execution routes, agents (like`System/config/agents.yaml` `fast_responder` or`qa_auditor` ), and tool calling lives here.: The physical capability registry. Expose new bash commands, define webhooks, or add JSON schemas for entirely new sensory organs.`System/config/tools.yaml` *(Note: The setup script will automatically map your preferred default AI model to system.yaml during installation!)* ## 🔐 [Security](/mrdanielcasper/CoreTex/blob/main/docs/Security.md) & Sandboxing (Safe-by-Default) Running LLM-generated code locally is inherently dangerous. CoreTex ships in **Cognitive Mode** by default—it can write code and plan tasks, but it *cannot* execute scripts. If you explicitly opt-in (`CORETEX_ENABLE_CODE_EXECUTION=true` in your `.env` ), CoreTex activates a strict containment matrix: **The Deno + WASM Jail:** CoreTex does*not*run generated code in your native Python or Bash environment. It forces the LLM to write code executed inside an ephemeral, unprivileged**Deno + WebAssembly** instance.- Firecracker support is on the horizon **The Volume Mask:** The agent is physically incapable of seeing files outside the specific directory bound during setup.**Cognitive Fallback:** If Deno is missing or unreachable, the system safely degrades back to*Cognitive Mode*, immediately stripping the agent's subprocess execution tools entirely. ** Obsidian** is a first class citizen in CoreTex. CoreTex will automatically detect the `.obsidian` configuration folder and atomically configure native hotkeys (`Ctrl+Alt+S` ). *Note: To map active shell commands directly to these hotkey bindings from within the graphic editor interface, please ensure the standard* `obsidian-shellcommands` community plugin is active in your vault. You may struggle with these.[Commands](/mrdanielcasper/CoreTex/blob/main/docs/Commands.md) include: `./ctx setup` : Boot the interactive onboarding wizard to configure API keys, LLM routing, and workspace bindings.`./ctx task ""` : Dispatches a multi-agent swarm to accomplish a goal.`./ctx daydream` : Triggers the Default Mode Network (DMN) to autonomously organize files, compress old memories, and refactor code in the background.`./ctx status` : Opens the real-time Cortical Telemetry dashboard to monitor active agent loops and memory usage. Trigger CoreTex [external receptors](/mrdanielcasper/CoreTex/blob/main/docs/Sense.md) directly from the execution plane: `./ctx sense screenshot "https://google.com" "google.png"` -*Takes a headless web screenshot.*`./ctx sense perceive "google.png" "Describe layout"` -*Uses the Occipital Lobe to analyze visual stimuli.*`./ctx sense scrape "https://github.com"` -*Transduces a web page into raw markdown text format.*`./ctx sense listen --duration 10` -*Activates physical microphone hardware receptors.*`./ctx sense speak output.wav` -*Dispatches sound arrays down physical speaker hardware channels.* If you are done with CoreTex, leave no trace behind: ``` ./ctx destroy ``` *This securely purges all local ledgers, token tracking logs, environment API keys, and execution queues. It respects your machine.* CoreTex values Shift-Left engineering. We enforce focused regression coverage around security, file locking, and execution bypass logic. To verify your PR against our automated gates: ``` uv run pytest System/tests Sense/tests -v uv run ruff check . ``` If you believe in a local, flat-file AI harness and want to see where this biological experiment goes, please consider giving the repo a star! It is the best way to help other developers discover the project which will help me keep it going.