lfnovo

Open Cognition — Development skill for Claude Code

Development community

An experiment for doing spaced repetition and active recall using LLMs.

How to install Open Cognition

This entry records only its repository, not the path inside it, so there is no exact command to give. Open lfnovo/open-cognition and copy the folder into ~/.claude/skills/, or the file into ~/.claude/agents/.

What Open Cognition does

An experiment for doing spaced repetition and active recall using LLMs.

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README

open-cognition

AI-powered learning system with spaced repetition. Study with LLMs, capture knowledge, review with science-backed methods.

The Problem

When you study with AI (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.), the knowledge gets lost. You learn in one place, take notes in another, create flashcards in a third, and review in isolation. There's no system connecting the dots.

How it Works

open-cognition bridges the gap between AI-assisted learning and retention:

Study with your LLM — Claude acts as your Socratic sparring partner via MCP
Capture outputs — flashcards, summaries, resources, and artifacts are saved automatically
Organize in a knowledge graph — topics and subtopics you control
Review with spaced repetition — SM-2 algorithm (same foundation as Anki)
Deepen with Feynman technique — structured sessions that identify and close knowledge gaps

Quick Start

Prerequisites

Python 3.13+
uv

That's it. No database server required — open-cognition uses an embedded local database file by default. Your data stays on your machine.

Install and Run

# Run directly (no clone needed)
uvx open-cognition serve

Open http://localhost:8080 and start learning.

Using with Claude Desktop

This is where open-cognition shines. Connect it to Claude Desktop and get a learning partner that knows your knowledge graph.

1. Set up the MCP Server

Add to your Claude Desktop config (`~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` on macOS):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "open-cognition": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["open-cognition", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

That's it — `uvx` handles installation and dependencies automatically.

2. Add the Skill

Download [SKILL.md](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lfnovo/open-cognition/main/SKILL.md) and add it to your Claude Desktop skills, or include it in your project's `.claude/skills/` folder.

The skill instru