Context Forge

Context Forge massively speeds the development of large projects with AI agents while maintaining high quality.

It multiplies your cognitive abilities and doesn't try to replace them. Not another "Hey AI, build me an app" framework, and it may be overkill for building simple gadgets. Development is managed through a structured process, starting with broad initiatives and breaking functionality into vertical slices and individual tasks. It maintains traceable, hierarchical project state so that every AI session starts with full awareness of where things stand and what's next.

It's designed to be easy for AIs as well. Every command can output structured JSON. Easily readable by AI, and usable in pipelines. The MCP server provides an agent_quickstart to simplify use by AIs.

What It Looks Like

CLI

Everything is discoverable under the cf command. Start with cf --help. Easily manage multiple projects. cf knows which one based on your current directory. cf init to start a new one. Ideally it will feel similar to git.

Obtain brief status with cf status, detailed with cf project get. Use the MCP or slash-commands if you prefer.

Your AI assistant sees this too — through MCP tools, through slash commands, through the CLI. It knows the project structure, the methodology phase, the active slice, and (very soon) exactly which task to work on next. No "let me catch you up." No re-reading CLAUDE.md. No guessing.

Visualizer

Context Forge builds big projects fast. Visualizer is a separate tool to help humans maintain an overview. Available at:
https://github.com/ecorkran/context-visualizer

Get Started

# 1. Install globally (one package gets you everything)
npm install -g @context-forge/context-forge

# 2. Add the MCP server (strongly recommended)
claude mcp add --transport stdio context-forge -- npx @context-forge/mcp

# 3. Set up your project — pick one:
cf init                   # CLI: creates project, installs guides, configures IDE, installs slash commands
cf init --ide copilot     # Same, but configured for VS Code Copilot instead of Claude Code
# — or —
/cf:onboard               # Slash command: AI-guided setup — walks you through everything conversationally

That's it. cf status works. Your AI assistant can call Context Forge tools. /cf:build assembles context. /cf:onboard can take a new user from zero to their first concept discussion.

MCP server JSON config (for Cursor, Perplexity, Windsurf, etc.)

{
  "context-forge": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["@context-forge/mcp"],
    "env": {}
  }
}

Manual setup (if you prefer step-by-step control)

cf guides install          # Install methodology guides into your project
cf setup-ide claude        # Install Claude rules and create CLAUDE.md
cf setup-ide copilot       # Install rules/skills for VS Code Copilot
cf install-commands        # Install Claude Code slash commands

Requirements: Node.js 18+.

How It Works

Context Forge is built around a structured development methodology called ai-project-guide.

Projects progress through phases:
Concept → Initiative Plan → Architecture → Slice Planning → Slice Design → Task Breakdown → Implementation → Integration

Each phase produces documents. Documents reference each other. Slices decompose into tasks. Tasks track completion. The whole thing is a hierarchy you can navigate, introspect, and hand off between humans and agents without losing state.

Context Forge is the engine that:

• Knows where you are — parses your project artifacts, reads completion states, understands methodology phase
• Knows what's next — workflow navigation recommends the next action with rationale
• Generates session context — assembles everything an AI agent needs into a structured prompt, automatically
• Tracks everything — persistent project state, two-tier configuration, artifact introspection across all your projects

It manages multiple projects simultaneously. Each one has its own slice plan, its own task state, its own methodology position.

For larger projects with parallel initiatives — running architecture and a feature slice at the same time, for example — worktrees let you run multiple AI sessions in separate git worktrees, each with its own phase/slice/task context, without conflicts.

Design Philosophy

Context Forge resists the urge to be clever on your behalf.

We added compound commands — cf implement instead of cf set phase 6 && cf build. Then we cut them all. They bloated the command surface, cluttered the slash commands, and obscured what was actually happening. The low-level commands were better. They composed. They were transparent. So we went back.

This is a pattern, not an accident. The tool stays close to the metal:

• No magic. You can do everything through MCP if you want, but cf set phase 6 is a hundred times faster and you should just type it. The MCP tools exist so agents can operate autonomously, not so humans can burn tokens setting a property.
• No opinions about your stack. Context Forge doesn't care if you're writing Python, TypeScript, C++, or all three. It manages project state and generates context. Your agents do the rest.
• No hand-holding. There's an onboarding flow if you want it (/cf:onboard). There's cf next if you want guidance. But the tool doesn't gate your progress or force you through ceremonies. You're the architect. Act like it.

Naming Things

Started as a simple Electron utility called Context Builder, it's long since outgrown its name. We haven't picked a new one yet. Naming things is hard. One of the only two hard things, together with cache invalidation and off-by-one errors.

Access Points

Four interfaces — use whichever fits your workflow:

MCP Server (@context-forge/mcp)

34 tools for project management, context generation, artifact introspection, workflow navigation, worktree management, guide management, and configuration. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client. This is what your AI assistant talks to.

Category	Tools
Project	project_list, project_get, project_create, project_update, project_schema, project_structure
Context	context_build, context_summarize, template_preview, prompt_list, prompt_get
Workflow	workflow_status, workflow_next, workflow_check, workflow_future
Worktrees	worktree_list, worktree_get, worktree_init, worktree_update, worktree_rm
Introspection	introspection_documents, introspection_frontmatter, introspection_slice_plan, introspection_tasks, introspection_future_work
Configuration	config_get, config_set
Guides	guide_install, guide_status, guide_update
Storage	storage_backup
Meta	agent_onboard, agent_quickstart, server_version

CLI (@context-forge/cli)

cf works like git — install it globally and it detects your project from the current directory. --json on every read command for scripting.

Command	Description
cf init	Initialize project: git, guides, IDE config, slash commands
cf status	Workflow status (phase, slice, task progress)
cf next	Recommended next action with rationale
cf build	Assemble context prompt for AI session (--embed inlines artifact files for non-SDK models)
cf set <field> <value>	Set a project field
cf get	Show all project fields
cf check	Run consistency checks (--fix, --slice)
Listing	Browse project artifacts
cf list projects	All registered projects
cf list initiatives	Architecture initiatives with slice counts (alias: cf list arch)
cf list plans	Slice plan files with progress
cf list slices	Slices from the active plan with status
cf list tasks	Task files with completion counts
cf list items	Individual tasks from the active task file
Management
cf project list|get|set|rm	Manage projects
cf worktree init|list|get|update|rm	Manage git worktree contexts
cf config get|set	Two-tier configuration
cf future	Consolidated future work across all plans
cf prompt list|get <phase>	Prompt templates with variable substitution
cf guides install|status|update|uninstall	ai-project-guide template management
cf setup-ide claude	Configure Claude Code integration
cf setup-ide copilot	Configure VS Code Copilot integration
cf install-commands	Install/uninstall Claude Code slash commands
cf backup	Versioned project data backup (keeps last 10)
cf update	Update the CLI to the latest published version

Claude Code Slash Commands

Installed via cf install-commands. Available directly in Claude Code sessions:

Command	Description
/cf:onboard	AI-guided project setup and first-phase walkthrough
/cf:build	Build context prompt (accepts --phase, --slice)
/cf:status	Show workflow status
/cf:get	Show all project fields
/cf:set	Set a project field
/cf:next	Recommended next action
/cf:check	Run consistency checks on project artifacts
/cf:prompt	Get or list prompt templates
/cf:project	Manage projects

Electron Desktop App

Status: unmaintained. The Electron app is not currently being developed and is not built or shipped as part of releases. The package still exists in the repo (packages/electron/) but its typecheck currently fails and dependencies are out of date. We are evaluating whether to revive, archive, or remove it — feedback welcome via issues. All current functionality is available through the CLI, MCP server, and slash commands.

Architecture

pnpm monorepo, four packages:

packages/
  context-forge/ @context-forge/context-forge — meta-package (installs cli + mcp)
  core/          @context-forge/core          — context engine, project state, introspection, workflow
  mcp-server/    @context-forge/mcp           — MCP protocol server (34 tools)
  cli/           @context-forge/cli           — terminal interface (cf command)
  electron/      @context-forge/electron      — desktop app

All interfaces consume @context-forge/core directly. The MCP server and CLI produce identical results for the same operations — they're different access patterns to the same engine.

1345 tests across all packages. TypeScript, strict mode, no any.

Related

context-visualizer — React app that visualizes project structure through the MCP server. See your slice plans, task completion, and project hierarchy rendered visually.

ai-project-guide — The methodology framework. Phases, guides, prompt templates, review rules, IDE configuration. This is what Context Forge's structure is built on. Install it with cf guides install.

Agent Integration Guide — How to integrate with Context Forge from an AI agent, orchestrator, or CI pipeline. Covers MCP tools, CLI --json mode, structured errors, and command discovery.

Published Packages

• @context-forge/context-forge — meta-package (installs cli + mcp)
• @context-forge/mcp
• @context-forge/cli
• @context-forge/core

License

MIT