Cognition Documentation
Cognition is a headless agent orchestration backend. Define your agent and
get REST API, streaming, persistence, sandboxing, multi-user scoping, and
observability automatically.
This site is organized around three documentation surfaces:
- Concepts explain how Cognition works internally.
- Guides show how to perform concrete tasks.
- Blueprints describe reference architectures for products built on
Cognition.
Start Here
- Getting Started: install, configure, and send
your first message.
- Core vs App Layer: understand what Cognition
owns versus what your product owns.
- Architecture: learn the 7-layer architecture and
dependency rules.
- Extending Agents: add memory, skills, tools,
subagents, middleware, MCP servers, and custom providers.
Concepts
| Document |
Description |
| Architecture |
The 7-layer architecture, dependency rules, and batteries-included design |
| Sessions & Messages |
Session lifecycle, message persistence, SSE streaming, and reconnection |
| Agent Runtime |
Agent runtime protocol, definitions, A2A exposure, and multi-agent registry |
| Storage & Execution |
Storage and execution backend protocols and implementations |
| Kubernetes Sandbox |
K8s-native sandbox isolation using the agent-sandbox CRD and controller |
| Observability |
OpenTelemetry traces, Prometheus metrics, and MLflow experiment tracking |
| Security |
Scoping, sandbox isolation, tool security, MCP policy, A2A boundaries, rate limiting, and CORS |
Guides
| Document |
Description |
| Getting Started |
Install, configure, and send your first message |
| Core vs App Layer |
Builder responsibilities: what belongs in Cognition versus your product |
| Configuration |
YAML keys and environment variables |
| Extending Agents |
Add memory, skills, tools, subagents, middleware, MCP servers, A2A exposure, and custom providers |
| Deployment |
Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, migrations, and production hardening |
| API Reference |
REST endpoints, SSE events, artifacts, A2A protocol, capabilities, and scoping headers |
| Release Checklist |
Release process for Cognition versions |
Blueprints
| Blueprint |
Domain |
| Cognition CLI |
Terminal assistant over the Cognition API |
| BreachLens |
Cybersecurity SOC investigation and triage |
| GeneSmith |
Secure biological foundry for protein design |
| DataLens |
Headless data science on sensitive datasets |
| StarKeep |
SpaceOps administrator for satellite repair |