forge-init

Set up Forge in the current project directory.

What this does

1. Detects project type (Node, Python, Rust, Elixir, etc.)
2. Asks the user which validation commands to run (lint, typecheck, test)
3. Writes .forge/config.json with validation and auto-commit settings
4. Installs a pre-commit hook that runs validation commands
5. Vendors ralph-loop into .forge/bin/ for local bead execution

Procedure

Step 1: Verify git repo

Run git rev-parse --git-dir to confirm this is a git repository. If not, tell the user and stop.

Step 2: Detect project type

Check for these files to determine the project type:

File	Type	Suggested commands
package.json	Node.js	npm run lint, npx tsc --noEmit, npm test
pyproject.toml or setup.py	Python	ruff check ., mypy ., pytest
Cargo.toml	Rust	cargo clippy, cargo check, cargo test
mix.exs	Elixir	mix credo, mix dialyzer, mix test

For Node.js projects, also check package.json for existing scripts.lint, scripts.test, scripts.typecheck entries and suggest those.

If multiple project types are detected (monorepo), detect all of them.

Step 3: Ask the user

Use AskUserQuestion to present the detected commands and let the user confirm, edit, or skip each one. Ask about:

1. Which validation commands to enable (lint, typecheck, test)
2. Which are required (block commits) vs optional (warn only)
3. Any custom commands to add
4. Which model to use for the commit agent (default: claude-sonnet-4-6)

Step 4: Write .forge/config.json

Create the .forge/ directory and write the config:

{
  "validation": {
    "commands": [
      { "name": "lint", "command": "npm run lint", "required": true },
      { "name": "typecheck", "command": "npx tsc --noEmit", "required": true },
      { "name": "test", "command": "npm test", "required": false }
    ]
  },
  "auto_commit": {
    "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "skip_roles": ["arbiter-script", "judge"]
  }
}

Step 5: Install pre-commit hook

Read the pre-commit hook template from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/hooks/forge-pre-commit.sh (or from the forge plugin's hooks directory).

If a pre-commit hook already exists at .git/hooks/pre-commit, ask the user whether to overwrite it.

Write the hook to .git/hooks/pre-commit and make it executable with chmod +x.

The pre-commit hook script:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

CONFIG=".forge/config.json"

if [[ ! -f "$CONFIG" ]]; then
  exit 0
fi

has_commands=$(jq -r '.validation.commands // [] | length' "$CONFIG" 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
if [[ "$has_commands" -eq 0 ]]; then
  exit 0
fi

jq -c '.validation.commands[]' "$CONFIG" | while IFS= read -r entry; do
  name=$(echo "$entry" | jq -r '.name')
  command=$(echo "$entry" | jq -r '.command')
  required=$(echo "$entry" | jq -r '.required // true')

  printf '[forge-pre-commit] running %s: %s\n' "$name" "$command"

  if ! eval "$command"; then
    if [[ "$required" == "true" ]]; then
      printf '[forge-pre-commit] FAILED (required): %s\n' "$name" >&2
      exit 1
    else
      printf '[forge-pre-commit] FAILED (optional): %s — continuing\n' "$name" >&2
    fi
  else
    printf '[forge-pre-commit] passed: %s\n' "$name"
  fi
done

Step 6: Vendor ralph-loop

Copy ralph-loop from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/bin/ralph-loop into .forge/bin/ralph-loop and make it executable.

If the plugin root is not available, write a minimal instruction telling the user to copy it manually.

Step 7: Summary

Print a summary of what was set up:

Forge initialized:
  .forge/config.json     — validation commands and auto-commit config
  .git/hooks/pre-commit  — runs lint/typecheck before commits
  .forge/bin/ralph-loop  — local bead runner

Usage:
  .forge/bin/ralph-loop <epic-id>                  # run beads
  .forge/bin/ralph-loop <epic-id> --auto-commit    # commit after each bead
  .forge/bin/ralph-loop <epic-id> --worktree       # isolated worktree