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Cortex Scout
A unified web extraction and stateful automation engine for AI. Replaces heavy testing frameworks with token-optimized browser control, deep research, and HITL.
Install
$
git clone https://github.com/cortex-works/cortex-scoutInstall command taken from the project's README or registry entry. Always review code before running it.
README excerpt
Read full README on GitHub →CortexScout (cortex-scout) — Search and Web Extraction Engine for AI Agents
CortexScout is the Deep Research & Web Extraction module within the Cortex-Works ecosystem.
Designed for agent workloads that require token-efficient web retrieval, reliable anti-bot handling, and optional Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) fallback.
Overview
CortexScout provides a single, self-hostable Rust binary that exposes search, extraction, and stateful browser automation capabilities over MCP (stdio) and an optional HTTP server. Output formats are structured and optimized for downstream LLM use.
It is built to handle the practical failure modes of web retrieval (rate limits, bot challenges, JavaScript-heavy pages) through progressive fallbacks: native retrieval → Chromium CDP rendering → Stateful E2E Testing → HITL workflows.
Tools (Capability Roster)
| Area | MCP Tools / Capabilities |
|---|---|
| Search | web_search (URL discovery) or web_search(include_content=true) (search+content in one call) |
| Fetch and Crawl | `web_fetch(mode="single" |
| Extraction | extract_fields (primary structured extraction) |
| Automation | scout_browser_automate / browser_automate (stateful omni-tool), scout_agent_profile_auth, scout_browser_close |
| Anti-bot handling | CDP rendering, proxy rotation, block-aware retries |
| HITL | visual_scout, `hitl_web_fetch(auth_mode="challenge" |
| Memory | memory_search (LanceDB-backed research history) |
| Deep research | deep_research (multi-hop search + scrape + synthesis) |
Legacy names remain callable as compatibility aliases (web_search_json, web_fetch_batch, web_crawl, fetch_then_extract, human_auth_session). Agents should prefer the unified primary tools above.
Ecosystem Integration
While CortexScout runs as a standalone tool today, it is designed to integrate with CortexDB and CortexStudio for multi-agent scaling, shared retrieval artifacts, and centralized governance.
🎭 The "Playwright Killer" (Stateful Browser Automation)
CortexScout includes a built-in, stateful CDP automation engine designed specifically for AI Agents, completely replacing heavy frameworks like Playwright or Cypress for E2E testing workflows.
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