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Cortex

Turn API specifications into docs, typed SDKs, and an MCP server

Editorially reviewedChecked Sep 2026How we review
mcp#mcp server#api documentation#sdk generation#openapi
Free plan API Self-hosted
Toolglade’s take

Cortex is a neat piece of leverage: if your API already has a decent spec, you get docs, SDKs, and an MCP server from one pipeline instead of maintaining three. The MCP generation is the reason to look at it now, since hand-writing an MCP server per API is exactly the kind of repetitive work a generator should absorb. Output quality depends entirely on spec quality, so teams with thin or drifting specs will get thin results. It is MIT licensed with no hosted service, which means no vendor risk but also no support contract.

About Cortex

Cortex is an MIT-licensed CLI that turns API specifications and Markdown into self-hostable interactive documentation, typed SDKs in eleven languages, and an MCP server exposing each operation as a typed tool.

Cortex takes the position that an API specification already contains everything needed to serve three audiences at once: humans reading documentation, developers importing an SDK, and agents calling tools. From one spec plus Markdown, it generates a documentation site, typed client libraries, and an MCP server where every operation becomes a typed tool an agent can call. The generator accepts OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, and OpenRPC, and emits SDKs across TypeScript, Python, Go, Java, Kotlin, Ruby, PHP, C sharp, Rust, C plus plus, and C. Output is deployable anywhere Node runs, so there is no hosted dependency and no per-seat cost. The MCP output is the notable part. Most documentation generators stop at humans; Cortex treats agent consumption as a first-class target, which matters as more API traffic arrives from agents rather than hand-written code. The project is MIT licensed with a public repository and a live demo instance.

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TL;DR

Cortex generates self-hostable API documentation, typed SDKs, and an MCP server from a single API specification, under MIT licence.

Company overview

Cortex is an open-source project published under the cortex-docs organisation, launched to Product Hunt in September 2026 where it placed second in its category.

Its thesis is that one API specification should serve humans, developers, and agents, so documentation, SDKs, and MCP tooling are generated from the same source.

Product features

Cortex is a CLI configured via cortex.config.yml that ingests OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, and OpenRPC and emits interactive documentation, typed SDKs in eleven languages, and an MCP server where each operation is a typed tool.

All output is self-hostable and deployable anywhere Node runs. The project is MIT licensed with a public demo instance.

Target market

API and platform teams with maintained specifications who want documentation, client SDKs, and agent-accessible MCP tooling without maintaining three pipelines.

Buyer personas

End users

Developers consuming generated SDKs and docs.

Buyers

Platform and developer experience teams.

Key influencers

MCP and API tooling communities.

Ideal customer profile

An API team with a clean specification that wants to expose the same API to humans, SDK users, and agents.

Funding & performance

Not stated; this is an open-source project rather than a funded company.

Pros & cons

Pros

  • MIT licensed with a public repository
  • Generates docs, SDKs, and an MCP server from one spec
  • Supports OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, and OpenRPC
  • Eleven SDK output languages
  • Fully self-hostable, deployable anywhere Node runs
  • Live demo instance available
  • No per-seat or usage cost

Cons

  • Output quality depends entirely on spec quality
  • No hosted service or commercial support
  • Requires a build step in your pipeline
  • No team collaboration features
  • Young project with a small ecosystem

Pricing plans

Open Source
Free
  • MIT licence
  • Docs, SDKs and MCP server generation
  • Eleven SDK languages
  • Fully self-hostable

Key features

API
Self-hosted
Multi-language
Integrations
OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, OpenRPC, MCP, GitHub
Input types
text, code
Output types
code, text
Best For
generating mcp servers from api specs, typed sdk generation, self-hosted api docs

Compare key features

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Feature
Cortex
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Pricing
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Free
Free plan
Yes
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Yes
Free trial
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API
Yes
Yes
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Self-hosted
Yes
Yes
Yes
Team support
No
Yes
No

Frequently asked questions

What specification formats does Cortex accept?+

OpenAPI, AsyncAPI, GraphQL, gRPC, and OpenRPC.

Which SDK languages can it generate?+

TypeScript, Python, Go, Java, Kotlin, Ruby, PHP, C sharp, Rust, C plus plus, and C.

Does it really generate an MCP server?+

Yes. Each API operation is exposed as a typed MCP tool that agent clients can call.

Is Cortex hosted?+

No. It is a CLI that generates output you deploy yourself, anywhere Node runs.

What licence is it under?+

MIT.

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