> ## 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.

# FORGE

> Understand Starfire AI FORGE, the software creation system for planning, building, validating, repairing, and packaging projects.

# FORGE

**FORGE** is Starfire AI's software creation and repair system. It is designed for jobs where the desired outcome is not merely an explanation or code snippet, but a coherent software project or artifact.

## Chat coding vs FORGE

Ordinary chat is useful for discussing code, reviewing a function, or generating a small example.

FORGE is designed around a larger lifecycle:

```text theme={null}
Prompt / project goal
        ↓
Planning
        ↓
Workspace creation
        ↓
Files generated or modified
        ↓
Validation
        ↓
Repair loop
        ↓
Packaging
        ↓
Artifact output
```

## Core FORGE systems

The FORGE architecture includes several connected capabilities:

* **Build Mode** — orchestrates a complete build job.
* **Code Workspace** — provides a working filesystem/context for generated or existing project files.
* **Build/Repair Engine** — validates output and attempts targeted corrections.
* **Repository Intelligence** — grounds work in an existing codebase when one is connected.
* **Artifact Engine** — packages outputs such as downloadable project archives and build metadata.

## Long-running work

Software builds can take longer than a normal chat response. FORGE is designed around run/build state rather than assuming every request completes as one synchronous model response.

A build can move through stages such as planning, file creation, validation, repair, packaging, completion, failure, or cancellation.

## Project integration

FORGE works best when it can operate inside a Project with durable requirements, repository context, files, and prior decisions.

## Validation is explicit

Generating plausible source code is not equivalent to producing a valid project. FORGE's architecture treats validation and repair as separate stages so failures can be surfaced and addressed rather than hidden behind a confident response.

## Artifacts

A completed build can produce artifacts—durable outputs that can be inspected, downloaded, retained, or referenced by the project.

<Info>
  FORGE is an Alpha-era product surface. Build capabilities, validators, supported project types, file limits, and artifact retention can vary by plan and rollout state.
</Info>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Build Mode" icon="gears" href="/forge/build-mode">Follow the build lifecycle from prompt to artifact.</Card>
  <Card title="Artifacts" icon="box-archive" href="/forge/artifacts">Understand packaged outputs, metadata, checksums, retention, and ownership.</Card>
  <Card title="Build & repair" icon="screwdriver-wrench" href="/forge/build-repair">See how validation and targeted repair fit into the workflow.</Card>
  <Card title="Repository Intelligence" icon="code-branch" href="/forge/repository-intelligence">Ground builds in an existing codebase.</Card>
</CardGroup>