> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://aidocs.ethanbragdon.icu/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Build Mode > Follow the Starfire FORGE build lifecycle from planning through file creation, validation, repair, and artifact packaging. # Build Mode Build Mode orchestrates a FORGE software job as a sequence of explicit stages rather than one giant model response. ## Build lifecycle A typical build can move through states such as: ```text theme={null} queued ↓ planning ↓ workspace preparation ↓ file creation / modification ↓ validation ↓ repair (when required) ↓ packaging ↓ completed ``` A build can also fail or be cancelled. The exact state names can evolve during Alpha releases. ## Planning The planning stage turns a user goal into an implementation approach. A useful build plan identifies project structure, required files, dependencies, constraints, and validation strategy before writing the entire project. ## Workspace execution FORGE operates against a code workspace rather than treating files as isolated code blocks. This lets the build reason about multiple files, paths, configuration, and related changes as one project. ## Validation Validation can include checks appropriate to the project type, such as parsing, type checking, build commands, configuration validation, packaging rules, or other validators available to the current FORGE environment. A validation failure becomes input to the repair loop instead of being silently ignored. ## Repair loop The repair engine can inspect the failure, identify the likely affected files, apply a focused change, and validate again. A repair attempt should preserve the original requirements unless the build explicitly reports that those requirements are incompatible. ## Packaging After validation, FORGE can package the output into one or more artifacts. A packaged artifact can carry metadata such as build ID, file list, generated name, size, checksum, retention, and project ownership. ## Build limits Build capability can be constrained by plan or administrator configuration, including limits such as: * maximum build files * workspace size * concurrent builds * build duration * available models * available validation tools * artifact retention * credit or usage ceilings ## Build observability Authorized operators can inspect operational build metadata in Control Center, including queue state, duration, model, validation state, artifact outputs, and failure information. Learn how validation failures become targeted repair work.