FAQ
Questions I get first
Where does my data live, and what leaves my network?
Database, memory service and agent rooms are installed on your infrastructure, so stored data stays there. Two things can leave: requests to the LLM provider you choose for curation and agents, and backups if you point them at external S3-compatible storage. Run a local model and keep backups in-house, and nothing leaves your network. We agree the exact boundary in writing before installation.
Which LLMs can I use?
Cognitive Core talks to agents over MCP, so it works with the clients your team already uses: Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, ChatGPT. For the model that curates memory you pick the provider. In my own systems I use Claude, OpenAI and DeepSeek models.
You say agents write the code. Who is responsible?
I am. I design the architecture, review every change and sign the handover. The agents are tooling, like a compiler. What you get is a system with a test suite that runs every night, and a person who answers for it in writing.
What if you disappear in six months?
You keep running without me. The software is MIT-licensed and public. The whole deployment is Docker Compose files in your own git. The handover includes a runbook (deploy, back up, restore, what to do when something breaks) and a two-hour walkthrough with your team. If I vanish, you run docker compose up, and any engineer can read the code I would have read.
Cognitive Core is open source. What am I paying for?
Not for the software. For getting it into your environment: integration with your agents and tools, TLS, VPN-only access, backups with a tested restore, the nightly test loop, the runbook, and 30 days of answering questions after launch. A one-line install gets you a demo; the package gets you something your team can own.
How long does it take?
Pilot: two weeks from the day I get server access. Setup: installation plus 30 days of support, with dates fixed before we start. Build: stage by stage, and each stage has its own scope, price and deadline.
How do I pay?
By invoice, bank transfer in USD. The pilot is $2,500 upfront and is credited in full to Setup if you continue within 30 days. Setup is paid 50% upfront and 50% on handover. Build is paid per stage, each stage scoped and priced before it starts. Work outside a package is $120 an hour. Invoicing entity, contract and a data-processing agreement are agreed in writing before the first payment.
What do you need from me to start?
SSH access to a server or VM, one integration target, and one person on your side who can answer questions within a day. The pilot starts within a week of that.