MEMORY CORTEX — SERVER 0.2.3 + UNIVERSAL MAC CLIENT 0.1.4

REQUIREMENTS
Server: Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 14 or later.
Client: Apple Silicon or Intel Mac, macOS 14 or later.
These preview packages are Developer ID signed, notarized by Apple, and have stapled tickets.
Intel binaries were cross-compiled and inspected; Intel hardware testing remains.

ON THE SERVER MAC
1. Quit your previous Memory Cortex Server app before replacing it.
2. Open Memory-Cortex-Server-0.2.3-Apple-Silicon.dmg and copy the server app to Applications.
3. Open it and click Start Server. Wait for all seven services to show Running.
4. Enable System Settings > General > Sharing > Remote Login. Allow the account shown in the server console.
5. In the Cortex server control window, click Clients….
6. Name the client, enter an address the client Mac can reach, and confirm the SSH port (normally 22). For the same Mac use 127.0.0.1; for another Mac use the server's LAN/VPN hostname or IP.
7. Click Download Configured Client…. Save the ZIP and transfer it privately to the client Mac.

ON THE CLIENT MAC
1. Unzip the configured download. Keep Memory Cortex Client.app beside Connection.cortexclient for the first launch.
2. Open the app. It imports the included connection file. If you moved the app into Applications first, click Import Connection… and select that file.
3. Click Connect & Verify and wait for success. Agent selection and configuration remain disabled until verification succeeds. The app checks the SSH server's pinned identity, enrolls its own client key, and verifies Cortex MCP tools.
4. Choose ChatGPT Desktop / Codex, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Hermes, or Other MCP agent.
5. Click Configure Selected Agent. Existing settings are preserved and backed up. Restart the agent afterward.
6. Close the setup window. The client stays running in the background with a head-and-brain icon in the macOS menu bar.
7. Click that icon for these choices:
   Open Memory Cortex — opens Universe and the full server workspace in your default web browser, securely over SSH.
   Connection Setup… — brings the connection/setup window forward.
   Quit — stops the local workspace gateway and its SSH requests, then removes the menu-bar icon.
8. Choose Connection Setup… from the menu-bar icon whenever you need its connection/setup window. Previously enrolled clients start hidden in the menu bar on subsequent launches.

To upgrade an existing client, quit the old app, replace it with the 0.1.4 app, and reopen it. Saved connections remain available. The current server 0.2.3 configured download still bundles client 0.1.3; replace that app with this standalone 0.1.4 client and retain its Connection.cortexclient file.

The separate Memory-Cortex-Client-0.1.4-Universal.zip is a generic copy with NO login credential. Use a configured ZIP downloaded from your server, or import its Connection.cortexclient file.

ACCESS AND DATA
The configured download contains a one-time setup key valid for 24 hours, plus server address, SSH username/port, and a pinned public host key. It contains no Mac account password or Cortex database/API credentials. Keep it private until enrolled, expired, or revoked.

On enrollment, the client creates its own identity in macOS Keychain. OpenSSH uses private temporary identity files while connected; normal shutdown removes them. The login Keychain must be unlocked. macOS may request authorization again after an app/helper update.

These SSH keys allow Cortex MCP tools and the Cortex web workspace, including memory writes. They cannot open an interactive shell or use general SSH port forwarding. The workspace uses a private loopback browser session and forwards requests only to Cortex's fixed workspace endpoint through a restricted SSH command. Server API and database keys stay on the server. The browser URL is valid only while the client is running; reopen it from the icon after restarting. Only give client downloads to trusted agent owners. Revoke a client from the server's Clients panel to remove its access and disconnect active sessions. Stopping/quitting Cortex closes managed client sessions.

The menu-bar workspace requires server 0.2.1 and client 0.1.1 or later. Upgrade both. Existing enrolled profiles continue to work.

Server data remains at ~/Library/Application Support/Memory Cortex/.
Client profiles/helper live at ~/Library/Application Support/Memory Cortex Client/.
Agent settings change only after you click Configure. The client does not configure an LLM or replace Hermes's memory provider.

REMOTE USE
Bonjour .local names usually work only on the same LAN. Across networks, use a reachable VPN/server address and the correct SSH port. The apps do not enable Remote Login, create Mac accounts, or change firewall/router settings automatically. The server runs in its logged-in user's session; keep that session active and the Mac awake.

Hosted ChatGPT/cloud agents do not read local MCP commands. They require a separate supported remote connector. This preview configures local desktop/CLI agents.

TROUBLESHOOTING
Expired/used setup key: create a fresh configured download in the server console.
Connection refused/timed out: check Remote Login, allowed account, server address/port, network reachability, and that Cortex is running.
Server identity changed: verify the server change and issue a new profile; the client does not silently trust a new host key.
Keychain unavailable: unlock the login Keychain, open the client, and reconnect.
Agent not found: install its CLI or use Other MCP agent to copy the command configuration manually.

SOURCE
Gitea branch: codex/macos-native-server
http://192.168.50.173:3000/David/memory-cortex/src/branch/codex/macos-native-server

UNINSTALL
Both downloads include Uninstall Memory Cortex.app, also available through each app's Uninstall… button. It can remove Server, Client, or both. Data and saved connections are kept by default; uncheck those options to remove them. Review and confirm before removal. See Memory-Cortex-Uninstall-Guide.txt for details.