nickcrew__claude-cortex/docs/tutorials/learning-paths/onboarding.md

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Onboarding: Zero to Productive with Cortex

A focused path from installation to daily use. Each stage builds on the last and includes checkpoints so you know when you're ready to move on.

Stage	What you'll do	Time
1. Install & Verify	Get cortex running	~5 min
2. Orient Yourself	Launch TUI, learn navigation	~10 min
3. Core Loop	Agents, skills, modes — the daily toolkit	~15 min
4. Your First Review Loop	Run a quality gate pass end to end	~10 min
5. What's Next	Pick your path forward	—

Prerequisites: Python 3.9+, basic terminal familiarity, Claude Code installed.

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Stage 1: Install & Verify

Steps

# Install the package
pip install claude-cortex

# Link assets into ~/.claude and install completions
cortex install link
cortex install post

Checkpoint

Verify your installation by running these commands and confirming they produce output:

cortex --help         # prints command help
cortex status         # shows agent/skill/mode counts
cortex agent list     # lists available agents

If all three work, you're ready for Stage 2.

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Stage 2: Orient Yourself

Launch the TUI

cortex tui

The TUI is an interactive dashboard with multiple views. Each view focuses on a different part of cortex.

Navigation basics

Key	Action
Tab / Shift+Tab	Cycle between views
↑ ↓	Move within a list
Enter	Select / expand
/	Filter / search
?	Help overlay
q	Quit

Spend a minute cycling through views with Tab. You'll see panels for agents, skills, modes, workflows, and more. Don't activate anything yet — just get the lay of the land.

CLI alternative

Everything in the TUI has a CLI equivalent. If you prefer the terminal:

cortex agent list          # agents view
cortex skills list         # skills view
cortex status              # overall status

Checkpoint

• You can launch and quit the TUI
• You've cycled through at least 4 views
• You can filter a list with /

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Stage 3: Core Loop

This is the daily toolkit: agents and skills.

Agents — specialized AI personas

Agents are focused AI personas (29 available). Each has a defined responsibility, model assignment, and optional dependencies.

Try it:

# See what's available
cortex agent list

# Inspect an agent
cortex agent deps code-reviewer

# Activate one
cortex agent activate code-reviewer

In the TUI, navigate to the Agents view, highlight an agent, and press Enter to toggle it.

Skills — on-demand knowledge packs

Skills are modular knowledge packages (100+). They load progressively to save tokens — metadata first, full instructions only when activated.

# Browse skills
cortex skills list

# Get details on a skill
cortex skills info python-testing-patterns

Skills activate automatically via triggers (file patterns, keywords) or manually with /ctx:<skill-name> in Claude Code.

Profiles — saved configurations

Use install/scope commands to manage local setup:

# Ensure assets are linked
cortex install link

# Inspect project vs global scope
cortex --scope project status
cortex --scope global status

Checkpoint

• You've activated and deactivated an agent
• You've inspected a skill with cortex skills info
• You understand the difference: agents = who, skills = what they know

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Stage 4: Your First Review Loop

Use the review gate to run a quick quality check pass.

# Dry-run reviewer selection
cortex review --dry-run

Then run targeted commands based on your context (for example cortex agent activate code-reviewer and cortex skills info testing-anti-patterns).

Export a context bundle

Context bundles package your current configuration (active agents, modes, skills) for sharing or backup:

cortex export context my-setup.md

Checkpoint

• You've run the review gate
• You've exported a context bundle
• You can explain what a workflow does vs. activating agents individually

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Stage 5: What's Next

You now have a working cortex setup and understand the core loop. Pick a path based on what you need:

Deepen your TUI skills

The full TUI tutorial covers every view, shortcut, and feature in detail.

Getting Started with TUI — 20-30 min, 15+ checkpoints

Automate with CI/CD

Learn to run validation, exports, and quality gates in pipelines.

CI/CD Integration — 20-25 min

Create your own skills

Package domain knowledge into reusable skill packs.

Skill Authoring — 30-45 min (now published at site/tutorials/skill-authoring.md)

Set up AI Watch Mode

Enable real-time intelligent recommendations as you work.

AI Watch Mode — ~15 min

Integrate with CI/CD

Automate cortex in your deployment pipelines.

CI/CD Integration — ~20 min

Reference material

• Command Reference — all 49 slash commands
• Skills Guide — progressive disclosure deep dive
• Architecture — system design and internals
• man cortex — offline CLI reference

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Quick Reference Card

Commands you'll use daily:

# Status
cortex status                    # overview

# Agents
cortex agent list                # browse
cortex agent activate <name>     # enable
cortex agent deactivate <name>   # disable

# Skills
cortex skills list               # browse
cortex skills info <name>        # details

# Review loop
cortex review --dry-run          # inspect reviewers

# TUI
cortex tui                       # launch dashboard