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Agent skill

Cognee Local Server Setup

by topoteretes in topoteretes/cognee

Starts the cognee API server and web UI on your own machine, checks its health, connects the SDK or CLI to it and helps you pick between multi-tenant and single-user auth.

Apache-2.0Auto-check: notesBackend & APIs

Install Cognee Local Server Setup

skills CLI
$ npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-server -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install topoteretes/cognee cognee-server --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/topoteretes/cognee.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/cognee-server .claude/skills/cognee-server && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
cognee-server
GitHub stars
32k
Token cost
~702 tokens
SKILL.md length
266 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
19
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
Apache-2.0

At a glance

Starts the cognee API server and web UI on your own machine, checks its health, connects the SDK or CLI to it and helps you pick between multi-tenant and single-user auth.

  • Running the cognee API server and UI locally for the first time
  • SKILL.md covers From an installed cognee (no…, Auth posture, Connecting clients to the… and Graph visualization without…, plus 1 more section
  • Calls docker; needs LLM_API_KEY
  • Pointing the cognee SDK or CLI at a server instead of embedded local mode

What it does

For a machine with cognee already installed, the skill runs cognee-cli with the -ui flag, which brings up a FastAPI backend on port 8000 and the web UI on port 3000. An LLM_API_KEY must be set in the environment or a .env file. The interactive API reference sits at /docs and the health check at /health, while API-only serving in Docker is handed to a separate cognee-docker skill.

Authentication hangs on ENABLE_BACKEND_ACCESS_CONTROL. Left at true it requires authentication on every call and isolates each user's datasets in their own database; set to false it gives a no-auth single-user mode meant only for a personal dev server. The skill also shows how to point the CLI or Python SDK at a running server, lists the /api/v1/ routes, starts a graph visualization server without the full UI, and covers fixes for a busy port and for 401 or 403 responses.

When your agent uses it

  • Running the cognee API server and UI locally for the first time
  • Pointing the cognee SDK or CLI at a server instead of embedded local mode
  • Deciding whether to switch off backend access control for a personal dev setup
  • Debugging 401 or 403 errors from a local cognee server

Example prompts

  • “Start the cognee server with its UI and confirm the health endpoint answers.”
  • “Connect my cognee CLI to the server running on localhost:8000.”
  • “Every call to my local cognee API returns 401, so help me sort out the auth setting.”

Requirements

  • An installed cognee with cognee-cli
  • LLM_API_KEY set in the environment or a .env file
  • Free local ports 8000 and 3000

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit b57cca1. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • docker

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md. Its commands use docker, which can reach the network depending on how they are called.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:

    • LLM_API_KEY

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Cognee Local Server Setup loads about 702 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 56 tokens; SKILL.md has 266 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~56
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~702

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check: notes

The automated check noted patterns worth knowing about, such as sudo or a known installer.

  • NoteMentions a .env fileSKILL.md:16
    environment or `.env`. The interactive API reference is at

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from topoteretes/cognee at commit b57cca1, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© topoteretes). 266 words, ~702 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/cognee-server/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
cognee-server
description
Use when the user wants to run the cognee API server (and optional UI) on their own machine — starting it, checking it's healthy, connecting the SDK or other clients to it, and choosing the right auth posture.

Start the cognee server locally

From an installed cognee (no Docker)

bash
cognee-cli -ui

launches the full local stack: FastAPI backend on http://localhost:8000 and the UI on http://localhost:3000. Needs LLM_API_KEY in the environment or .env. The interactive API reference is at http://localhost:8000/docs, health at /health.

For API-only serving via Docker instead, use the cognee-docker skill (the prebuilt cognee/cognee:main image or docker compose up from the repo).

Auth posture

ENABLE_BACKEND_ACCESS_CONTROL decides everything:

  • true (default): multi-tenant — auth required on every API call, per user+dataset database isolation.
  • false: single-user local mode — no auth, shared local databases. Right choice for a personal dev server; never for anything exposed.

REQUIRE_AUTHENTICATION=false is ignored while access control is on; to turn auth off you must set ENABLE_BACKEND_ACCESS_CONTROL=false.

Connecting clients to the running server

  • SDK / CLI against the server (instead of embedded local mode):

    bash
    cognee-cli serve --url http://localhost:8000        # local instance
cognee-cli serve                                    # cognee cloud (device flow)
cognee-cli serve --logout                           # disconnect

    In Python: await cognee.serve(url="http://localhost:8000").

  • HTTP: main routes live under /api/v1/ — the memory API is remember (plus remember/entry), recall, improve, forget; sessions covers session memory; datasets, users, visualize handle the rest. The legacy add, cognify, search, memify, and delete routes still exist and are what the memory routes call underneath (see cognee/api/client.py for the registered routers, or GET /openapi.json on a running server).

    Note there is no /api/v1/feedback route — feedback exists as a CLI command and in the SDK, but is not exposed over HTTP.

Graph visualization without the full UI

python
from cognee.api.v1.visualize import visualization_server

shutdown = visualization_server(port=8080)  # synchronous; returns a shutdown callable

Troubleshooting

  • Port 8000 already taken → stop the other service or remap (compose: "8080:8000").
  • 401/403 on every call → you're in multi-tenant mode; either authenticate or set ENABLE_BACKEND_ACCESS_CONTROL=false and restart.
  • recall/search returns [] instead of erroring → permission-filtered result; check dataset access rights for the calling user.

© topoteretes, Apache-2.0. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in .agents/skills/cognee-server of topoteretes/cognee.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit b57cca1

Compare with similar skills

Cognee Local Server Setup next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Cognee Local Server Setup compared with similar skills
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Cognee Local Server Setup this skilltopoteretes/cognee32k—~702Automated safety check: NotesApache-2.0
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Fastapi ItechmeatKilo-Org/kilo-marketplace190—~1.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Fastcrudbenavlabs/fastcrud1.6k—~5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
FastAPI Project Templateswshobson/agents40k12 repos~901Automated safety check: PassMIT
Fastapi Appccplugins/awesome-claude-code-plugins968—~1.1kAutomated safety check: NotesApache-2.0

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Works with

Categories

Questions about Cognee Local Server Setup

What does Cognee Local Server Setup do?

Starts the cognee API server and web UI on your own machine, checks its health, connects the SDK or CLI to it and helps you pick between multi-tenant and single-user auth. For a machine with cognee already installed, the skill runs cognee-cli with the -ui flag, which brings up a FastAPI backend on port 8000 and the web UI on port 3000.env file.

When should I use Cognee Local Server Setup?

Cognee Local Server Setup fits situations like: running the cognee API server and UI locally for the first time; pointing the cognee SDK or CLI at a server instead of embedded local mode; deciding whether to switch off backend access control for a personal dev setup; debugging 401 or 403 errors from a local cognee server.

How do I install Cognee Local Server Setup in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-server -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/cognee-server in topoteretes/cognee) into .claude/skills/cognee-server in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Cognee Local Server Setup in Codex?

Run `npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-server -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/cognee-server in topoteretes/cognee) into .agents/skills/cognee-server in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Cognee Local Server Setup in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add topoteretes/cognee --skill cognee-server -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/cognee-server, .gemini/skills/cognee-server, .github/skills/cognee-server and .opencode/skills/cognee-server in your project.

What does Cognee Local Server Setup need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Cognee Local Server Setup needs the command-line tools its instructions call (docker) and credentials named LLM_API_KEY. Our summary lists: An installed cognee with cognee-cli; LLM_API_KEY set in the environment or a .env file; Free local ports 8000 and 3000.

Does Cognee Local Server Setup access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Its commands use docker, which can reach the network depending on how they are called. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Cognee Local Server Setup safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found notes only (mentions a .env file), nothing it rates as a warning. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Cognee Local Server Setup use?

Cognee Local Server Setup is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Cognee Local Server Setup use?

About 702 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Cognee Local Server Setup?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Cognee Local Server Setup: FastAPI Expert (Jeffallan/claude-skills, 12k stars), Fastapi Itechmeat (Kilo-Org/kilo-marketplace, 190 stars), Fastcrud (benavlabs/fastcrud, 1.6k stars) and FastAPI Project Templates (wshobson/agents, 40k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Cognee Local Server Setup?

topoteretes (a GitHub organization) maintains it in topoteretes/cognee, which has 31,575 GitHub stars. The repository holds 19 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 7, 2026.

Source: topoteretes/cognee on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.