Claude Code Skill

The Cognova skill is the lightest way to connect Claude Code to your workspace. It's a Python script that calls the REST API and outputs Markdown directly into Claude's context window — no protocol overhead.

Install

Run this in any project where you want Cognova access:

mkdir -p .claude/skills/cognova
curl -o .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py https://cognova.dev/api/v1/skill
curl -o .claude/skills/cognova/SKILL.md https://cognova.dev/skill/SKILL.md
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py --setup

The --setup command prompts for your API URL and API key, then saves a config.json in the skill directory.

Commands

Agents

# List all workspace agents
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py agents

# Ask the default agent
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py ask "What authentication decisions have we made?"

# Ask a specific agent by name
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py ask code-reviewer "Review this function"

Tasks

# List active tasks
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py tasks

# List by status
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py tasks list in_progress

# Create a task
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py tasks create "Implement user search"

# Complete a task
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py tasks complete TASK_ID

Memory

# Search memories
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py recall "authentication decisions"

# Store a memory
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py remember "We chose JWT over sessions for the API"

Knowledge

# List knowledge files
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py knowledge

# Read a specific file
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py knowledge docs/architecture.md

Diagnostics

# Check connection status
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py --status

# Show help
python3 .claude/skills/cognova/fetch.py --help

How It Works

The skill is a self-contained Python script that:

Reads config.json from the skill directory for the API URL and key
Uses curl (via subprocess) to call the Cognova REST API
Formats responses as Markdown and prints to stdout
Claude Code reads stdout directly into its context

No dependencies beyond Python 3 and curl.

Skill vs MCP

Feature	Skill	MCP
Setup	3 commands	1 command
Protocol	HTTP + stdout	MCP Streamable HTTP
Tool discovery	Manual commands	Automatic
Context overhead	Minimal	Higher
Best for	Quick lookups, task management	Full bidirectional integration

Use the skill when you want lightweight, focused access. Use MCP when you need full tool discovery and richer integration.