Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

  1. Open VS Code (or a compatible fork)
  2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
  3. Search for Cortex Agent
  4. Install cortex-labs.cortex-agent
code --install-extension cortex-labs.cortex-agent

From Open VSX

For VSCodium, Cursor, Windsurf, and other Open VSX clients: open-vsx.org 

ovsx install cortex-labs.cortex-agent

From VSIX

Download the .vsix from GitHub Releases, then:

code --install-extension cortex-agent-<version>.vsix

First Run

  1. Create or use an OpenCode account at opencode.ai — that is your AI billing. Cortex has no separate signup.
  2. Install the OpenCode CLI ≥ 2.0.0 (V2 required) and ensure it is on your PATH (or set cortex.opencodeBinary). On Windows, Cortex looks for opencode.exe.
  3. Install Cortex, then open chat (status bar or Ctrl/Cmd+Alt+C). Default host is the Activity Bar sidebar; pick sidebar vs editor tab during onboarding or via cortex.chat.layout. A project folder is optional; without one, Cortex uses your home directory for general questions.
  4. Complete the onboarding checklist (or open Providers): connect Zen or any OpenCode provider (API key / OAuth), pick a chat theme, and choose layout when available. Cortex writes OpenCode’s local auth.json even if the local server is not up yet. Stronger models are under Models.
  5. Pick a model (or leave Auto) and start chatting

Requirements