Getting started

Quick start: zero to AI-with-memory

Five steps take you from a fresh Mac to an AI coding tool that remembers your codebase: install Cosmos, connect your AI tool, index a folder, ask a memory-aware question, then save your first lesson.

Get from a fresh Mac to an AI coding assistant that remembers your project in about three minutes. This quick start walks you through installing Cosmos, connecting your AI tool over MCP, indexing your first folder, asking a memory-aware question, and teaching Cosmos its first lesson.

What you'll need

A Mac (Apple Silicon is the primary, fully supported target).
An AI coding tool: Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, or Gemini CLI.
A code repository or notes folder you want the AI to remember.

1. Install Cosmos

Download the .dmg, drag Cosmos.app into /Applications, then strip the macOS quarantine flag so the app opens.

bash

xattr -cr /Applications/Cosmos.app
open /Applications/Cosmos.app

Full walkthrough: Install Cosmos on macOS.

2. Connect your AI tool

On first launch, the onboarding wizard installs the Cosmos MCP server into every AI coding tool it detects — Claude Code, Cursor, Cline, Windsurf, and Gemini CLI. You can re-run it anytime from Integrations → AI Coding Tools.

Details and manual config: Connect your AI tools (MCP).

3. Add a code folder

Point Cosmos at any repo you want the AI to remember. Cosmos indexes symbols and text on-device, in the background — nothing is uploaded; everything stays on your machine.

Step-by-step: First launch: index your first folder.

4. Ask your AI anything

Open your AI tool and ask a question that needs project memory. Try:

What past fixes should I know before editing this project?

Cosmos answers from your indexed code and any lessons you have saved, so the AI starts the task already aware of your project's history.

5. Teach it a lesson

After you fix a bug, tell the AI "remember this." Cosmos stores the symptom, root cause, and fix as a lesson, then recalls it next time — so the AI never re-derives a fix you already taught it. The more you use it, the more your project's memory compounds.