cortex migrate

Initialize or migrate all Cortex databases. Runs the full migration chain for all SQLite databases used by the system.

Usage

cortex migrate

Description

The migrate command ensures all databases are at the latest schema version. It runs migrations for:

• cortex.db — Core system configuration and state
• memory.db — 5-tier memory system (episodic, semantic, reflection, graph, skills)
• lens.db — Cortex Lens immutable audit trail
• vault.db — Encrypted credential vault
• plugins.db — Plugin registry and state

All databases use SQLite with WAL mode enabled for concurrent read access.

When to Run

• First installation (run automatically by cortex setup)
• After a Cortex version upgrade that includes schema changes
• When troubleshooting database-related errors

Examples

# Initialize all databases to latest schema
cortex migrate

# The command is idempotent — safe to run multiple times
cortex migrate