AI-enhanced terminal development environment with 300+ model support, three interaction modes, and a built-in agent system
Forge is a Rust-based AI-enhanced terminal development environment maintained by TailcallHQ (formerly AntinomyHQ) under the Apache-2.0 license. The project has migrated from antinomyhq/forge to tailcallhq/forgecode.
Multi-Model Support#
Supports 300+ models including OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, xAI Grok, DeepSeek, and Vertex AI. Configure credentials via forge provider login and dynamically switch models in-session (:model).
Three Interaction Modes#
| Mode | Entry | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Interactive Mode (TUI) | forge | Persistent sessions, multi-step dev tasks |
| One-Shot CLI | forge -p "..." | Script/pipeline integration, single Q&A |
ZSH Plugin (: prefix) | : <prompt> | Zero-switch overhead, call directly from shell prompt |
Built-in Agent System#
| Agent | Trigger | Role |
|---|---|---|
forge | Default | Implementation: read/write files, build features, fix bugs, run tests |
sage | :ask | Research: read-only code analysis, architecture mapping, data flow tracing |
muse | :plan | Planning: analyze structure, output implementation plans to plans/ directory |
Workflow Extensions#
- Skills System: Reusable workflow templates with built-in
create-skill,execute-plan,github-pr-description; supports project-level/global custom skills (SKILL.md+ YAML front-matter) - Custom Agents: Defined via Markdown + YAML front-matter in
.forge/agents/ - Custom Commands: Defined via YAML in
.forge/commands/ - AGENTS.md: Persistent instruction file at project root, auto-injected into every conversation
Development Aids#
- Semantic Search:
:syncindexes codebase for semantic-level retrieval - Git Integration:
:commitgenerates AI commit messages and commits;--previewfor preview mode - Shell Command Suggestions:
:suggesttranslates natural language to shell commands - Session Management:
forge conversation resume <id>restores historical sessions
Security & Isolation#
- Restricted Shell: Limits filesystem access scope to prevent unintended changes
- Sandbox Mode:
--sandboxcreates isolated git worktree + independent branch
Architecture Highlights#
- Rust Cargo Workspace monorepo with sub-crates under
crates/(e.g.,forge_repo) - Diesel ORM for local session persistence and index storage
forge.schema.jsonfor JSON Schema config validationCross.tomlfor cross-compilation (musl/gnu targets)flake.nixfor native Nix support; Dev Container support included- MCP (Model Context Protocol) tool protocol support
- Workspace Server defaults to
https://api.forgecode.dev, overridable viaFORGE_WORKSPACE_SERVER_URL
Installation & Quick Start#
curl -fsSL https://forgecode.dev/cli | sh
forge provider login
forge
Nix: nix run github:tailcallhq/forgecode
ZSH Plugin: forge setup — then use : prefix directly in shell prompt.
Configuration#
- Global config:
~/forge/.forge.toml - Session-level dynamic config:
:model,:reasoning-effort,:agent - Persistent config:
:config-model,:config-provider,:config-reasoning-effort - Project-level config: Agent, Commands, and Skills definitions under
.forge/
Use Cases#
Code understanding & review, feature implementation, debugging, legacy code refactoring, DB schema design, Git automation, natural language to shell commands, semantic code search, project planning.
Unconfirmed Information#
- Exact migration date from
antinomyhq/forgetotailcallhq/forgecodenot publicly confirmed - TermBench 2.0 ranking details: claims leadership but no specific benchmark report link found
- Workspace Server (
api.forgecode.dev) pricing model not explicitly documented - Windows support status unconfirmed