Cortex Help

---
name: cortex-help
description: One-screen menu of what cortex-x can do right now — list of invokable slash commands (cortex-init, cortex-help, cortex-doctor, audit, designer, start, test-audit) + operator-facing terminal CLIs (cortex-update, cortex-uninstall, cortex-hooks-register, cortex-claude-md-augment, cortex-doctor), a 1-line summary of what each does, and a count of underlying capabilities (action_kinds, profiles, standards). Auto-discovered after install.{sh,ps1} sync. Invoke as "/cortex-help", "what can cortex do?", or when the user asks "co umíš?" / "jaké jsou skills?" / "ukaž mi capabilities". NOTE: namespaced as cortex-help because /help is reserved as a Claude Code built-in slash command. Defers full machine-readable registry to cortex/capabilities.md.
disable-model-invocation: false
---

# /cortex-help — what can cortex-x do right now

**Voice charter:** see [`standards/voice.md`](../../../standards/voice.md). The menu IS the voice surface — no greetings, no emoji, no emotion words. Counts not praise.

You are running the cortex-x help menu. The user wants a one-screen answer to *"what can I type next?"* — NOT a wall of documentation. Print the menu, suggest a sensible default action based on detected project state, stop.

## Step 1 — language signal

Read the user's language from prior turns. If they wrote Czech, answer in Czech. Otherwise English. Don't ask explicitly.

## Step 1.5 — surface install state (one line, always)

Before the menu, print ONE line showing where cortex-x is installed. Read `~/.claude/shared/cortex-source.yaml` via Bash or Read tool to get the resolved paths. Format:

> `cortex-x: source <cortex_source> · data <cortex_data_home>`

Fail-open: if the yaml is unreadable, fall through to "(install state unknown — try `cortex-update --check`)".

This is load-bearing because the operator's friend / new-PC scenario commonly opens with *"kde je cortex?"* — surface the answer at the top of the menu so they don't have to ask.

## Step 2 — detect current state (one quick scan)

Before printing the menu, peek at `$PWD`:

- `.cortex-bootstrap-pending` exists → bootstrap was started, point them at the next step
- `cortex/AUDIT.md` exists → audit already ran; suggest `/retrofit` next
- `cortex/discovery.md` or `cortex/proposal.md` exists → new-project in flight; suggest resuming
- `package.json` / `pyproject.toml` / `Cargo.toml` / `go.mod` present → existing project; default = `/audit`
- Folder near-empty → new project; default = `/cortex-init`

You do NOT block on this — if any check fails, fall through to "no detection signal."

## Step 3 — print the menu

Print this menu, with the "**default**" tag on whichever option Step 2 indicated. Format as table-or-list, choose what renders cleanly in the user's chat surface.

### Slash commands you can type right now

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| **`/cortex-init`** | Interactive picker — New / Existing / Framework — primes the right flow | Just installed cortex-x; not sure what to do |
| **`/start`** | New-project bootstrap (Discover → Research → Architect → Scaffold → Adapt) | Empty folder, want a full project scaffold |
| **`/audit`** | Existing-project deep audit (12 dimensions, 4 parallel agents) | Established codebase, want to know what's there |
| **`/test-audit`** | Senior-QA-consultant audit → P0/P1/P2 gap list with research memos | Repo needs a testing-strategy review |
| **`/improve-codebase-architecture`** | Read-only audit for shallow/zero-test modules → deepening candidates (AI-codeability lens) | Agents write bad code in one area; before a big refactor |
| **`/designer`** | Designer flow — intake + library palette + parallel worktree exploration | Front-end / landing-page / dashboard design session |
| **`/cortex-doctor`** | Healthcheck — cortex install integrity + drift detection (Sprint 2.21) | Weekly, after migration, or new machine |
| **`/retrofit`** † | Apply cortex-x patterns to an audited project | After `/audit` finishes |
| **`/sync`** † | End-of-session knowledge capture — decisions + lessons → cortex library | After a sprint or notable work session |
| **`/cortex-reflect`** † | Deep reflection — surfaces grounded cross-project insights | When something feels off, or after big refactor |
| **`/cortex-help`** | This menu | Anytime you forget what's available |

† = paste the prompt manually from `~/.claude/shared/prompts/<name>.md` (these are prompts, not slash-skills yet; SKILL.md wrappers planned for Sprint 2.18+).

### Terminal CLIs — run in shell, outside Claude Code

These are operator-facing maintenance tools shipped under `~/.claude/shared/bin/` (add to PATH or invoke directly). Run them in a normal terminal, not inside the Claude Code chat surface.

| Command | What it does | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| **`cortex-update`** | Fast-forward source clone + re-run installer. Flags: `--check`, `--reinstall`, `--json` | Bump framework to latest |
| **`cortex-uninstall`** | Conservative removal — preserves `$CORTEX_DATA_HOME` by default. Flags: `--dry-run`, `--purge`, `--backup`, `--keep-source`, `--yes` | Removing cortex-x from machine |
| **`cortex-doctor`** | Same checks as `/cortex-doctor` slash skill but headless. Flags: `--json`, `--fix-suggestions`. Exit 0/1 | CI / scripted health audit |
| **`cortex-hooks-register`** | Opt-in idempotent merge of cortex hooks into `~/.claude/settings.json` with timestamped backup. Flags: `--apply`, `--remove`, `--status`, `--dry-run`, `--yes`, `--json` | Manual hooks wiring if install consent declined |
| **`cortex-claude-md-augment`** | Opt-in BEGIN/END-marker append of discipline block to `~/.claude/CLAUDE.md` (R1+R2+task-list+voice+surgical). Flags: `--apply`, `--remove`, `--status`, `--dry-run`, `--yes`, `--json` | Manual global-CLAUDE wiring if install consent declined |
| **`cortex-permissions-register`** | Opt-in idempotent merge of safety-floor permissions into `~/.claude/settings.json` (deny floor + allow baseline). Replaces `--dangerously-skip-permissions`: same speed, `deny > ask > allow` precedence floor. Flags: `--apply`, `--remove`, `--status`, `--dry-run`, `--yes`, `--json` | Manual permissions wiring if install consent declined |
| **`cortex-usage`** | Usage rollup over the tool-use journal — which standards / prompts / agents / skills actually get read in sessions (hot = earns its context cost) vs cold prune candidates. Flags: `--since`, `--kind`, `--cold`, `--json` | Regaining overview · feeding the usage-driven pruning audit |

Full CLI roster (15 tools incl. internal Steward + lessons + propose-skill + evolve-ab + wiki-consolidate + doc-audit): see [`bin/README.md`](../../../bin/README.md).

### Default behaviors (these run without being asked)

| Behavior | When | Override |
|---|---|---|
| **Web research** | Whenever a task depends on external state (framework versions, library APIs, CVEs, design trends, a11y standards) — Claude is expected to dispatch parallel research subagents first, cache under `$CORTEX_DATA_HOME/research/`, cite URLs | `--no-research` flag · `CORTEX_OFFLINE=1` env |
| **Session-start context injection** | Every Claude Code session — sprint state, git state, capability tip (once / 18h), pending insights | uninstall hooks or `CORTEX_HOOKS_DISABLED=1` |
| **Block destructive** | `rm -rf /`, force-push to main, `DROP TABLE`, `--no-verify` are refused | run outside Claude Code |
| **Auto-orchestrate review** | Multi-agent parallel review pipeline auto-dispatches on non-trivial diffs | `CORTEX_AUTO_ORCHESTRATE_DISABLED=1` |

### What's under the hood (read-only summary)

The above are user-facing skills. Underneath, cortex-x ships:

- **Steward action_kinds** — typed actions the autonomous nightly runtime can execute (`dep_update_patch`, `recommendation`, `pattern_transfer`, `senior_tester_review`, etc.)
- **Steward primitives** — zero-deps CJS modules implementing safety, dispatch, memory layers
- **Universal hooks** — block-destructive, session-start, pre-compact, post-tool-use, etc.
- **26 standards** across 5 tiers: Rule 0 Ship-Ready → Rule 1 SSOT/Modular/Scalable → Rule 1.5 Coding Behavior + Self-Correction + Auto-Optimization → Rule 2 Security/Testing/Observability/Correctness → Rule 3 process (Accessibility/Performance/Errors/Git/Docs/AI-Patterns/AI-SDKs/Web-Research/Voice/Skills). **Voice charter** (`standards/voice.md`) governs every skill's tone — no greetings, no emoji, no emotion words, `[cortex/recall]` + `[^cN]` footnotes for memory recall.
- **11 profiles** — project-type templates (nextjs-saas, waas-template, chatbot-platform, ai-agent, browser-agent, kiosek, qa-engineer, tauri-desktop, astro-static, cli-tool, minimal)
- **Review-pipeline agents** — blind-hunter, edge-case-hunter, acceptance-auditor, security-auditor, ssot-enforcer, correctness-auditor, cortex-thinker
- **GitHub workflows** — `steward-*.yml` cron lanes per action_kind

Full machine-readable registry with exact counts + descriptions: [`cortex/capabilities.md`](../../../cortex/capabilities.md) (auto-generated; refresh via `npm run capabilities`).

### Don't see what you want?

- For autonomous nightly runs (Steward), see [`docs/steward-usage.md`](../../../docs/steward-usage.md)
- For the full project trajectory roadmap, see [`docs/steward-roadmap.md`](../../../docs/steward-roadmap.md)
- For one-line summary of "what is cortex-x", see [`README.md`](../../../README.md)
- For mental model + SSOT contract, see [`CLAUDE.md`](../../../CLAUDE.md)

## Step 4 — single-line nudge

Below the menu, print ONE line: the suggested next move based on Step 2 detection. Examples:

- "Detekoval jsem `package.json` v této složce → doporučuji **`/audit`**."
- "Folder vypadá prázdně → doporučuji **`/cortex-init`** nebo přímo **`/start`**."
- "Vidím `cortex/AUDIT.md` z předchozího běhu → **`/retrofit`** by byl logický další krok."
- "Žádný signál — vyber si z menu výše."

## Step 5 — stop

After the menu + nudge, end the turn. Do NOT auto-invoke another skill. The user picks what they want.

## Anti-patterns

- **Don't dump capability registry verbatim.** That's `npm run capabilities` territory; this skill is the human-facing menu.
- **Don't explain how each command works in detail.** One line per command, full docs are linked.
- **Don't repeat the README.** README is for first-time discovery; `/help` is for "I forgot what's here."
- **Don't ask follow-up questions.** Print, nudge, stop.

## Composes with

- `/cortex-init` — natural follow-up if user is fresh-installed
- `cortex/capabilities.md` (Sprint 2.15 auto-registry) — the machine-readable detailed view this skill links to