Cognitives

A cognitive is a reusable AI capability—instructions, behaviors, or integrations that enhance AI assistants.

Types

SynapSync supports 5 cognitive types:

Type	File	Purpose	Sync Mode
Skill	SKILL.md	Reusable instructions with optional assets	Folder
Agent	AGENT.md	Autonomous task executors	File
Prompt	PROMPT.md	Template prompts with variables	File
Workflow	WORKFLOW.yaml	Multi-step processes	File
Tool	TOOL.md	External integrations	File

Skills

Most common type. Instructions that teach AI how to perform specific tasks.

---
name: code-reviewer
description: Reviews code for best practices
version: 1.0.0
---

# Code Reviewer

Review code for:
- Security vulnerabilities
- Performance issues
- Best practices
...

Skills can include assets (templates, examples) in their folder.

Agents

Autonomous entities with specific behaviors and goals.

---
name: feature-branch-manager
description: Manages git feature branches
version: 1.0.0
---

# Feature Branch Manager

When the user starts a new feature:
1. Create a feature branch
2. Set up the branch structure
...

Prompts

Reusable prompt templates with variable substitution.

---
name: code-review-prompt
description: Template for code reviews
variables:
  - language
  - context
---

Review this {{language}} code:
{{context}}
...

Workflows

Multi-step processes defined in YAML.

name: ci-pipeline
steps:
  - name: lint
    cognitive: code-linter
  - name: test
    cognitive: test-runner
  - name: review
    cognitive: code-reviewer

Tools

External integrations and function definitions.

---
name: github-integration
description: GitHub API integration
---

# GitHub Integration

Functions:
- create_issue(title, body)
- create_pr(branch, title)
...

Storage Structure

Cognitives are organized by type and category:

.synapsync/
├── skills/
│   ├── frontend/
│   │   └── react-patterns/
│   │       └── SKILL.md
│   └── general/
│       └── code-reviewer/
│           ├── SKILL.md
│           └── assets/
│               └── checklist.md
├── agents/
│   └── general/
│       └── feature-branch-manager/
│           └── AGENT.md
├── prompts/
├── workflows/
└── tools/

Categories

Cognitives are organized into categories:

• frontend — React, Vue, CSS, UI/UX
• backend — APIs, databases, servers
• database — SQL, migrations, modeling
• devops — CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes
• security — Audits, vulnerabilities
• testing — Unit tests, E2E, coverage
• analytics — Metrics, monitoring
• automation — Scripts, workflows
• general — Multi-purpose (default)

Sync Modes

Different types sync differently to providers:

Sync Mode	Types	Provider Path
Folder	Skills	.claude/skills/skill-name/
File	Agents, Prompts, Workflows, Tools	.claude/agents/agent-name.md

Skills sync as folders to preserve their assets. Other types sync as individual files.