diff --git a/.stignore b/.stignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68df8c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.stignore
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+// Machine-local — never sync across hosts
+.venv/
+__pycache__/
+*.pyc
+cortex/data/
diff --git a/Cortex_and_Inara.code-workspace b/Cortex_and_Inara.code-workspace
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b77e858
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Cortex_and_Inara.code-workspace
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+{
+  "folders": [
+    {
+      "name": "cortex (service)",
+      "path": "cortex"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "home (personas)",
+      "path": "home"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "documentation",
+      "path": "documentation"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "docs (integrations)",
+      "path": "docs"
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "project root",
+      "path": "."
+    }
+  ],
+  "settings": {
+    "files.exclude": {
+      "**/__pycache__": true,
+      "**/*.pyc": true,
+      "cortex/.venv": true,
+      "cortex/data": true
+    },
+    "search.exclude": {
+      "**/__pycache__": true,
+      "cortex/.venv": true,
+      "cortex/data": true,
+      "home/**/sessions": true,
+      "home/**/session_data": true
+    },
+    "[python]": {
+      "editor.formatOnSave": false
+    },
+    "editor.rulers": [100],
+    "files.associations": {
+      "*.env": "dotenv",
+      "*.env.default": "dotenv"
+    }
+  },
+  "extensions": {
+    "recommendations": [
+      "ms-python.python",
+      "ms-python.vscode-pylance",
+      "humao.rest-client",
+      "tamasfe.even-better-toml"
+    ]
+  },
+  "launch": {
+    "version": "0.2.0",
+    "configurations": [
+      {
+        "name": "Cortex (uvicorn dev)",
+        "type": "python",
+        "request": "launch",
+        "module": "uvicorn",
+        "args": [
+          "main:app",
+          "--host", "0.0.0.0",
+          "--port", "8000",
+          "--reload"
+        ],
+        "cwd": "${workspaceFolder:cortex (service)}",
+        "envFile": "${workspaceFolder:cortex (service)}/.env",
+        "justMyCode": false
+      }
+    ]
+  }
+}
diff --git a/dev-restart.sh b/dev-restart.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..ada7dbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev-restart.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# dev-restart.sh — restart Cortex on the gaming laptop and tail logs
+# Usage:
+#   ./dev-restart.sh          restart and show last 30 log lines
+#   ./dev-restart.sh logs     tail live logs (ctrl-c to stop)
+#   ./dev-restart.sh status   show service status only
+
+# "scott-lt-i7-rtx" or "192.168.32.19"
+CORTEX_HOST="scott-lt-i7-rtx"   # hostname or IP of the machine running Cortex
+SERVICE="cortex"
+
+case "${1:-restart}" in
+  logs)
+    echo "→ Tailing $SERVICE logs on $CORTEX_HOST (ctrl-c to stop)"
+    ssh "$CORTEX_HOST" "journalctl --user -u $SERVICE -f --no-pager"
+    ;;
+  status)
+    ssh "$CORTEX_HOST" "systemctl --user status $SERVICE --no-pager -l"
+    ;;
+  restart|*)
+    echo "→ Restarting $SERVICE on $CORTEX_HOST …"
+    ssh "$CORTEX_HOST" "systemctl --user restart $SERVICE"
+    echo "→ Last 30 log lines:"
+    ssh "$CORTEX_HOST" "journalctl --user -u $SERVICE --no-pager -n 30"
+    ;;
+esac
diff --git a/install.py b/install.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..2a9f92d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/install.py
@@ -0,0 +1,301 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Cortex / Inara — install & configure
+=====================================
+Run this on any machine to set up or refresh the Cortex service.
+Safe to re-run (idempotent).
+
+Usage:
+    python3 install.py           # install / update
+    python3 install.py --check   # status check only, no changes
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+# ── Paths ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+PROJECT_ROOT = Path(__file__).parent.resolve()
+CORTEX_DIR   = PROJECT_ROOT / "cortex"
+VENV_DIR     = CORTEX_DIR / ".venv"
+VENV_PYTHON  = VENV_DIR / "bin" / "python"
+VENV_PIP     = VENV_DIR / "bin" / "pip"
+REQUIREMENTS = CORTEX_DIR / "requirements.txt"
+ENV_FILE     = CORTEX_DIR / ".env"
+
+SERVICE_NAME = "cortex"
+SERVICE_FILE = Path.home() / ".config" / "systemd" / "user" / f"{SERVICE_NAME}.service"
+
+CLAUDE_CREDS = Path.home() / ".claude" / ".credentials.json"
+GEMINI_CREDS = Path.home() / ".gemini" / "oauth_creds.json"
+
+# ── ANSI helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+RESET  = "\033[0m"
+BOLD   = "\033[1m"
+GREEN  = "\033[32m"
+YELLOW = "\033[33m"
+RED    = "\033[31m"
+CYAN   = "\033[36m"
+
+def ok(msg):    print(f"  {GREEN}✓{RESET}  {msg}")
+def warn(msg):  print(f"  {YELLOW}!{RESET}  {msg}")
+def fail(msg):  print(f"  {RED}✗{RESET}  {msg}")
+def info(msg):  print(f"  {CYAN}→{RESET}  {msg}")
+def header(msg): print(f"\n{BOLD}{msg}{RESET}")
+
+# ── Shell helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def run(cmd, *, check=True, capture=False):
+    """Run a shell command. Returns CompletedProcess."""
+    return subprocess.run(
+        cmd,
+        shell=isinstance(cmd, str),
+        check=check,
+        capture_output=capture,
+        text=True,
+    )
+
+def run_quiet(cmd):
+    """Run and return (returncode, stdout, stderr)."""
+    r = subprocess.run(cmd, shell=isinstance(cmd, str),
+                       capture_output=True, text=True)
+    return r.returncode, r.stdout.strip(), r.stderr.strip()
+
+# ── Step implementations ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def check_python():
+    header("Python")
+    v = sys.version_info
+    if v < (3, 11):
+        fail(f"Python {v.major}.{v.minor} detected — 3.11+ recommended")
+        sys.exit(1)
+    ok(f"Python {v.major}.{v.minor}.{v.micro}  ({sys.executable})")
+
+
+def check_project():
+    header("Project directory")
+    if not CORTEX_DIR.is_dir():
+        fail(f"cortex/ not found at {CORTEX_DIR}")
+        fail("Is agents_sync synced on this machine?  Run: syncthing")
+        sys.exit(1)
+    ok(f"Project root: {PROJECT_ROOT}")
+    ok(f"cortex/      {CORTEX_DIR}")
+
+
+def setup_venv(dry_run=False):
+    header("Python venv")
+    venv_ok = VENV_DIR.is_dir() and VENV_PYTHON.exists()
+
+    if VENV_DIR.is_dir() and not VENV_PYTHON.exists():
+        # Directory was synced by Syncthing but binaries are missing/stale
+        if dry_run:
+            warn(f"venv directory exists but Python binary missing — would recreate")
+            warn(f"  (likely synced by Syncthing from another machine)")
+            return
+        warn("venv directory exists but Python binary missing — recreating …")
+        import shutil
+        shutil.rmtree(VENV_DIR)
+        venv_ok = False
+
+    if not venv_ok:
+        if dry_run:
+            warn(f"venv missing — would create {VENV_DIR}")
+            return
+        info(f"Creating venv at {VENV_DIR} …")
+        run([sys.executable, "-m", "venv", str(VENV_DIR)])
+        ok("venv created")
+    else:
+        ok(f"venv OK: {VENV_DIR}")
+
+    # Always (re-)install requirements so updates are picked up
+    if not dry_run:
+        info("Installing / updating requirements …")
+        run([str(VENV_PYTHON), "-m", "pip", "install", "--quiet", "--upgrade", "pip"])
+        run([str(VENV_PYTHON), "-m", "pip", "install", "--quiet", "-r", str(REQUIREMENTS)])
+        ok("Requirements installed")
+    else:
+        ok(f"requirements.txt: {REQUIREMENTS}")
+
+
+def check_env_file():
+    header(".env file")
+    if ENV_FILE.exists():
+        ok(f"{ENV_FILE}")
+        # Parse for a couple of interesting values (no secret printing)
+        env = {}
+        for line in ENV_FILE.read_text().splitlines():
+            line = line.strip()
+            if line and not line.startswith("#") and "=" in line:
+                k, _, v = line.partition("=")
+                env[k.strip()] = v.strip()
+
+        agent = env.get("AGENT_NAME", "(not set)")
+        local_url = env.get("LOCAL_API_URL", "(not set)")
+        info(f"AGENT_NAME    = {agent}")
+        info(f"LOCAL_API_URL = {local_url}")
+        if "localhost" not in local_url and "127.0.0.1" not in local_url:
+            warn("LOCAL_API_URL is not localhost — if Open WebUI/Ollama runs on "
+                 "this machine, update it to http://localhost:<port>")
+    else:
+        fail(f"{ENV_FILE} not found")
+        warn("Syncthing may not have delivered it yet, or you need to copy it manually:")
+        warn(f"  scp scott@<source-host>:{ENV_FILE} {ENV_FILE}")
+
+
+def install_systemd_service(dry_run=False):
+    header("systemd user service")
+
+    unit_content = f"""\
+[Unit]
+Description=Cortex / Inara LLM Gateway
+After=network.target
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+WorkingDirectory={CORTEX_DIR}
+ExecStart={VENV_DIR}/bin/uvicorn main:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000
+Restart=on-failure
+RestartSec=5
+EnvironmentFile=-{ENV_FILE}
+TimeoutStopSec=15
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=default.target
+"""
+
+    if dry_run:
+        if SERVICE_FILE.exists():
+            existing = SERVICE_FILE.read_text()
+            if existing == unit_content:
+                ok(f"Service file up to date: {SERVICE_FILE}")
+            else:
+                warn(f"Service file differs from expected: {SERVICE_FILE}")
+        else:
+            warn(f"Service file missing — would write: {SERVICE_FILE}")
+        return
+
+    SERVICE_FILE.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+    existing = SERVICE_FILE.read_text() if SERVICE_FILE.exists() else ""
+    if existing == unit_content:
+        ok(f"Service file unchanged: {SERVICE_FILE}")
+    else:
+        SERVICE_FILE.write_text(unit_content)
+        ok(f"Service file written: {SERVICE_FILE}")
+
+    run(["systemctl", "--user", "daemon-reload"])
+    ok("daemon-reload done")
+
+
+def enable_linger(dry_run=False):
+    """Enable systemd linger so the service survives logout."""
+    header("Linger (run without login session)")
+    username = os.environ.get("USER", os.environ.get("LOGNAME", ""))
+    code, out, _ = run_quiet(f"loginctl show-user {username} --property=Linger")
+    if "Linger=yes" in out:
+        ok(f"Linger already enabled for {username}")
+    else:
+        if dry_run:
+            warn(f"Linger not enabled — would run: loginctl enable-linger {username}")
+        else:
+            run(["loginctl", "enable-linger", username])
+            ok(f"Linger enabled for {username}")
+
+
+def manage_service(dry_run=False):
+    header("Service enable / start")
+
+    code, _, _ = run_quiet(["systemctl", "--user", "is-enabled", SERVICE_NAME])
+    enabled = (code == 0)
+
+    code2, state, _ = run_quiet(["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", SERVICE_NAME])
+    active = (code2 == 0)
+
+    if dry_run:
+        ok(f"enabled: {enabled}   active: {active}")
+        return
+
+    if not enabled:
+        run(["systemctl", "--user", "enable", SERVICE_NAME])
+        ok("Service enabled")
+    else:
+        ok("Service already enabled")
+
+    if active:
+        info("Service running — restarting to pick up any changes …")
+        run(["systemctl", "--user", "restart", SERVICE_NAME])
+        ok("Service restarted")
+    else:
+        run(["systemctl", "--user", "start", SERVICE_NAME])
+        ok("Service started")
+
+
+def check_cli_auth():
+    header("LLM CLI authentication")
+
+    # Claude
+    if CLAUDE_CREDS.exists():
+        ok(f"Claude credentials found: {CLAUDE_CREDS}")
+    else:
+        fail(f"Claude not authenticated — run: claude")
+        warn("  (completes an OAuth flow in your browser)")
+
+    # Gemini
+    if GEMINI_CREDS.exists():
+        ok(f"Gemini credentials found: {GEMINI_CREDS}")
+    else:
+        fail(f"Gemini not authenticated — run: gemini")
+        warn("  (completes an OAuth flow in your browser)")
+
+
+def print_status():
+    header("Service status")
+    code, out, _ = run_quiet(["systemctl", "--user", "status", SERVICE_NAME,
+                               "--no-pager", "-l"])
+    # Print the first 15 lines of status
+    for line in out.splitlines()[:15]:
+        print(f"    {line}")
+    print()
+
+
+# ── Main ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description="Install / configure the Cortex service.")
+    parser.add_argument("--check", action="store_true",
+                        help="Status check only — make no changes")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    dry = args.check
+    mode = "CHECK MODE (no changes)" if dry else "INSTALL / UPDATE"
+
+    print(f"\n{BOLD}{'─'*52}{RESET}")
+    print(f"{BOLD}  Cortex / Inara  —  {mode}{RESET}")
+    print(f"{BOLD}{'─'*52}{RESET}")
+
+    check_python()
+    check_project()
+    setup_venv(dry_run=dry)
+    check_env_file()
+    install_systemd_service(dry_run=dry)
+    enable_linger(dry_run=dry)
+    if not dry:
+        manage_service(dry_run=dry)
+    check_cli_auth()
+
+    if not dry:
+        print_status()
+
+    print(f"\n{BOLD}Done.{RESET}\n")
+    print("  Logs:    journalctl --user -u cortex -f")
+    print("  Swagger: http://localhost:8000/docs")
+    print()
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()