feat: persist orchestrator sessions + user service + docs update

- Orchestrator now saves turns to session store so history survives page refresh
- UI session_id updated from job result; history controls attached to agent turns
- Cortex migrated from system service to systemd user service (no more sudo)
- Update README.md and CLAUDE.md with correct service commands

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ Cortex_and_Inara_dev/
 docker compose up -d
 
 # Restart service (after any Python change)
-sudo systemctl restart cortex
+systemctl --user restart cortex
 
 # Syntax check a file before restarting
 python3 -m py_compile cortex/<file>.py
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ done
 cd cortex && .venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt
 
 # Logs
-journalctl -u cortex -f
+journalctl --user -u cortex -f
 
 # Web UI (local)
 http://localhost:8000

README.md

@@ -23,22 +23,26 @@ Cortex is a self-hosted multi-agent orchestration layer. Inara is the primary co
 
 ## Running Cortex
 
+Cortex runs as a **systemd user service** (no sudo required).
+
 ```bash
-# Start (Docker)
+# Start / stop / restart
-cd ~/agents_sync/projects/Cortex_and_Inara_dev
+systemctl --user start cortex
-docker compose up -d
+systemctl --user stop cortex
+systemctl --user restart cortex
 
-# Restart service only (after backend changes)
+# Status and logs
-sudo systemctl restart cortex
+systemctl --user status cortex
-
+journalctl --user -u cortex -f
-# Logs
-journalctl -u cortex -f
 
 # Web UI
 http://localhost:8000   (or cortex.dgrzone.com on WireGuard)
 ```
 
-Config lives in `cortex/config.py` and a `.env` file at the project root (not tracked — see `env.default`).
+The service starts automatically at boot via `loginctl enable-linger`.
+Service file: `~/.config/systemd/user/cortex.service`
+
+Config lives in `cortex/config.py` and a `.env` file at the project root (not tracked — see `.env.default`).
 
 ---
 

cortex/routers/orchestrator.py

@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ class JobStatusResponse(BaseModel):
     task: str
     created_at: str
     completed_at: str | None = None
+    session_id: str | None = None
     response: str | None = None
     tool_calls: list[dict] | None = None
     backend: str | None = None
@@ -129,6 +130,8 @@ async def _run_job(job_id: str, req: OrchestrateRequest) -> None:
         _jobs[job_id]["status"] = "running"
 
     try:
+        from session_store import load as load_session, save as save_session, generate_session_id
+
         # Load Inara's system prompt (same as the chat router does)
         tier = req.tier or settings.default_tier
         system_prompt = load_context(
@@ -139,10 +142,9 @@ async def _run_job(job_id: str, req: OrchestrateRequest) -> None:
         )
 
         # Load session history if a session_id was provided
-        session_messages: list[dict] | None = None
+        session_id = req.session_id or generate_session_id()
-        if req.session_id:
+        history = load_session(session_id)
-            from session_store import load as load_session
+        session_messages = history or None
-            session_messages = load_session(req.session_id) or None
 
         result = await orchestrator_engine.run(
             task=req.task,
@@ -151,11 +153,20 @@ async def _run_job(job_id: str, req: OrchestrateRequest) -> None:
             respond_with_claude=req.respond_with_claude,
         )
 
+        # Save the turn to the session store so it survives a page refresh
+        history.append({"role": "user", "content": req.task})
+        history.append({"role": "assistant", "content": result.response})
+        save_session(session_id, history)
+
+        from session_logger import log_turn
+        log_turn(session_id, req.task, result.response)
+
         now = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
         async with _jobs_lock:
             _jobs[job_id].update({
                 "status": "complete",
                 "completed_at": now,
+                "session_id": session_id,
                 "response": result.response,
                 "tool_calls": result.tool_calls,
                 "backend": result.backend,

cortex/static/app.js

@@ -651,7 +651,8 @@
 
             activeController = new AbortController();
 
-            addMessage('user', text);
+            currentHistory.push({ role: 'user', content: text });
+            const userMsgDiv = addMessage('user', text);
             scrollToBottom();
 
             const thinkingDiv = addMessage('assistant thinking', '⚡ working…');
@@ -701,8 +702,20 @@
 
                 if (job.status === 'error') throw new Error(job.error || 'Orchestrator failed');
 
+                // Update session so this turn is part of the resumable history
+                if (job.session_id) {
+                    sessionId = job.session_id;
+                    sessionEl.textContent = `session: ${sessionId}`;
+                }
+
+                const userHistIdx = currentHistory.length - 1; // pushed before fetch
+                attachHistoryControls(userMsgDiv, userHistIdx);
+
                 thinkingDiv.className = 'message assistant';
                 setMessageText(thinkingDiv, 'assistant', job.response || '(no response)');
+                const assistHistIdx = currentHistory.length;
+                currentHistory.push({ role: 'assistant', content: job.response || '' });
+                attachHistoryControls(thinkingDiv, assistHistIdx);
 
                 const n = job.tool_calls?.length || 0;
                 if (n) {