feat(daemon): Implementing the basic Daemon with IPC Server and CLI Integration

README.md

@@ -193,6 +193,21 @@ cortex role set <slug>
 | `cortex --version` | Show version information |
 | `cortex --help` | Display help message |
 
+#### Daemon Commands
+
+| Command | Description |
+|---------|-------------|
+| `cortex daemon install --execute` | Install and enable the cortexd daemon |
+| `cortex daemon uninstall --execute` | Stop and remove the daemon |
+| `cortex daemon ping` | Test daemon connectivity |
+| `cortex daemon version` | Show daemon version |
+| `cortex daemon config` | Show daemon configuration |
+| `cortex daemon reload-config` | Reload daemon configuration |
+| `cortex daemon run-tests` | Run daemon test suite |
+| `cortex daemon run-tests --unit` | Run only unit tests |
+| `cortex daemon run-tests --integration` | Run only integration tests |
+| `cortex daemon run-tests -t <name>` | Run a specific test |
+
 ### Configuration
 
 Cortex stores configuration in `~/.cortex/`:
@@ -256,20 +271,45 @@ Cortex stores configuration in `~/.cortex/`:
 
 ```
 cortex/
-├── cortex/                 # Main package
+├── cortex/                 # Main Python package
 │   ├── cli.py              # Command-line interface
 │   ├── coordinator.py      # Installation orchestration
 │   ├── llm_router.py       # Multi-LLM routing
+│   ├── daemon_client.py    # IPC client for cortexd
 │   ├── packages.py         # Package manager wrapper
 │   ├── hardware_detection.py
 │   ├── installation_history.py
 │   └── utils/              # Utility modules
-├── tests/                  # Test suite
+├── daemon/                 # C++ background daemon (cortexd)
+│   ├── src/                # Daemon source code
+│   ├── include/            # Header files
+│   ├── tests/              # Unit & integration tests
+│   ├── scripts/            # Build and setup scripts
+│   └── README.md           # Daemon documentation
+├── tests/                  # Python test suite
 ├── docs/                   # Documentation
 ├── examples/               # Example scripts
 └── scripts/                # Utility scripts
 ```
 
+### Background Daemon (cortexd)
+
+Cortex includes an optional C++ background daemon for system-level operations:
+
+```bash
+# Install the daemon
+cortex daemon install --execute
+
+# Check daemon status
+cortex daemon ping
+cortex daemon version
+
+# Run daemon tests (no installation required)
+cortex daemon run-tests
+```
+
+See [daemon/README.md](daemon/README.md) for full documentation.
+
 ---
 
 ## Safety & Security
@@ -433,11 +473,37 @@ pip install -e ".[dev]"
 
 # Install pre-commit hooks
 pre-commit install
+```
+
+### Running Tests
+
+**Python Tests:**
 
-# Run tests
+```bash
+# Run all Python tests
 pytest tests/ -v
+
+# Run with coverage
+pytest tests/ -v --cov=cortex
+```
+
+**Daemon Tests (C++):**
+
+```bash
+# Build daemon with tests
+cd daemon && ./scripts/build.sh Release --with-tests
+
+# Run all daemon tests (no daemon installation required)
+cortex daemon run-tests
+
+# Run specific test types
+cortex daemon run-tests --unit         # Unit tests only
+cortex daemon run-tests --integration  # Integration tests only
+cortex daemon run-tests -t config      # Specific test
 ```
 
+> **Note:** Daemon tests run against a static library and don't require the daemon to be installed as a systemd service. They test the code directly.
+
 See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for detailed guidelines.
 
 ---

TESTING.md

@@ -150,6 +150,64 @@ python -m src.sandbox_executor "echo hello" --dry-run
 - [ ] Works in fish (if installed)
 - [ ] Works in tmux/screen
 
+## Daemon Tests (C++)
+
+The daemon has its own test suite that tests the C++ code directly.
+
+### Prerequisites
+
+```bash
+# Build daemon with tests
+cd daemon
+./scripts/build.sh Release --with-tests
+```
+
+### Running Daemon Tests
+
+**Via Cortex CLI:**
+
+- [ ] `cortex daemon run-tests` - Runs all daemon tests
+- [ ] `cortex daemon run-tests --unit` - Runs unit tests only
+- [ ] `cortex daemon run-tests --integration` - Runs integration tests only
+- [ ] `cortex daemon run-tests -t config` - Runs specific test
+- [ ] `cortex daemon run-tests -v` - Verbose output
+
+**Via ctest:**
+
+```bash
+cd daemon/build
+ctest --output-on-failure
+```
+
+### Test Structure
+
+| Test | Type | What It Tests |
+|------|------|---------------|
+| `test_config` | Unit | Configuration loading/validation |
+| `test_protocol` | Unit | IPC message serialization |
+| `test_rate_limiter` | Unit | Request rate limiting |
+| `test_logger` | Unit | Logging subsystem |
+| `test_common` | Unit | Common constants/types |
+| `test_ipc_server` | Integration | IPC server lifecycle |
+| `test_handlers` | Integration | IPC request handlers |
+| `test_daemon` | Integration | Daemon lifecycle/services |
+
+### Important Notes
+
+> **Tests don't require daemon installation!**
+> 
+> The tests link against a static library (`cortexd_lib`) containing all daemon code.
+> They instantiate classes directly in memory and test their behavior without needing
+> systemd or an installed binary.
+
+### Daemon Test Checklist
+
+- [ ] All unit tests pass
+- [ ] All integration tests pass
+- [ ] Tests complete in < 30 seconds
+- [ ] No memory leaks (run with valgrind if available)
+- [ ] Tests pass without root/sudo
+
 ## Notes
 
 Record any issues found: