How much work does it take to get value from Modules?

You can start with an empty Account and let your connected agent save useful knowledge as you work. There is no required number of Modules or library to write before starting. Value grows as the agent preserves decisions that later work needs. The useful test is whether retrieving that knowledge helps it produce work you can verify.

Start with a decision you already understand

Give the agent a real task and explain your requirements as they arise, including why they matter. A correction you make during that work can supply knowledge worth preserving. The agent can only save knowledge it encounters; Cortex cannot recover expertise that someone has never shared or demonstrated.

For example, a team could preserve why a particular operation must be reversible and what evidence a reviewer needs before approving it. Generic advice that any competent agent already knows is less useful than the organization's actual requirement and reason.

Search existing Modules before adding another. If one already owns the decision, refine it instead of making a competing copy. Add Dependencies only when their knowledge is necessary whenever the new Module is read.

Let the agent maintain the knowledge

With Cortex instructions and the required permissions, your agent can create and update Modules during normal work, briefly name the affected Modules, and explain what changed and why. You supply direction and correct misunderstandings.

Review before saving is optional: you can ask the agent to show you its proposed content and Dependencies first. The host's tool-confirmation settings and Cortex permissions also affect which actions it can take. Tool access alone does not prove that the agent received or follows your preferred instructions.

Try the knowledge on real work

Have the agent Flash the narrowest relevant Module(s) before it acts. Ask which constraints it found and how they affect the task. Then review the actual result, tests, and other evidence you normally require.

A successful Flash proves that Cortex returned knowledge. It does not prove that the agent understood it, followed it, or produced correct work. If the same mistake persists, inspect the returned context and the agent's reasoning before adding more Modules.

If useful knowledge was missing or ambiguous, improve the Module and try it on a comparable task. Preserve valid constraints and reasons while removing irrelevant material. More text is not automatically more useful.

Your agent can keep the Modules current as your decisions change. The effort depends on how much specific knowledge your work needs and how often it changes; Cortex does not guarantee immediate value, a setup time, or a reduction in review effort.