Cortex: Your AI Sidebar

A conversation that understands your work

Cortex is the AI panel built into the right side of Synap Desktop. Open it, type a question or a request, and get a response that's grounded in the knowledge you've already organized. It's like having a colleague sitting next to you who has read every document in your files and is ready to help at any moment.

There's nothing to install or configure. Cortex is already part of Synap Desktop, waiting for you in the sidebar. It requires an internet connection to work, since the AI processing happens in the cloud — but your files stay on your computer and are only shared with the AI during your conversation.

Attach files for context

The real power of Cortex is that it can see the files in your mind. When you're working with a file open in Synap, Cortex automatically suggests it as an attachment -- so you can ask questions about what you're currently looking at without any extra steps.

You can also manually attach any file from your mind using the file picker. Attach one file, or attach several at once. The more context you give Cortex, the more relevant and specific its answers become.

For example, attach your quarterly report and ask "What were our top three achievements this quarter?" Attach your brand guidelines and ask "Draft five LinkedIn posts that match our tone of voice." Attach your meeting notes and ask "What action items came out of this meeting?"

Conversations you can keep

Every conversation with Cortex can be saved as a session. Give it a name, close it, and come back later to pick up right where you left off. This is especially useful for ongoing work -- a content plan you're iterating on, a weekly report you revisit every Friday, or a brainstorm that evolves over several days.

Your session list shows all your past conversations, so you can jump back into any of them with a single click. No scrolling through old chats trying to find the right one.

Save responses to your mind

When Cortex gives you a response you want to keep, you don't need to copy and paste it somewhere else. You can save any AI response directly back into your mind as a new note. The draft becomes part of your knowledge, ready to be refined, shared, or used as context for future conversations.

This creates a natural workflow: ask Cortex to draft something, save the result into your mind, refine it, and then use it wherever you need it.

Multiple conversations at once

You can open several Cortex tabs at the same time. This lets you run parallel conversations -- maybe one where you're brainstorming content ideas and another where you're analyzing last month's metrics. Each tab keeps its own context and history, so nothing gets mixed up.

Think of it like having multiple chat windows open with different colleagues, each helping you with a different project.

Commands for common tasks

Type a forward slash in the Cortex input to see a list of available commands with descriptions. Commands are shortcuts for common tasks, so you don't have to explain what you want from scratch every time. Just pick the command that matches what you need, and Cortex fills in the structure for you.

Practical ways to use Cortex

Here are a few things you can do right now:

Ask questions about your files. Attach a document and ask Cortex to summarize it, find key takeaways, or explain a section in simpler terms.

Draft content. Tell Cortex what you need -- a social media post, a client email, a project update -- and it writes a first draft based on the files you've attached.

Think through decisions. Describe a decision you're facing, attach the relevant context, and ask Cortex to lay out the options and trade-offs.

Prepare for meetings. Attach your notes from previous meetings and ask for a summary of open action items or unresolved topics.

Analyze patterns. Attach several months of reports and ask what trends are emerging, what's improving, and what needs attention.

Cortex works best when you give it context. The more files you attach and the more specific your questions, the more useful the answers. You're not talking to a generic AI -- you're talking to an AI that can see your actual work.