Forge — Your AI Coding Partner for VS Code
Forge is an AI coding assistant that lives right in your sidebar. Describe what you want in plain
English — fix a bug, build a feature, refactor a mess, or just ask a question about your code —
and Forge does the work: reading your files, writing and editing code, running commands, and
explaining itself as it goes.
It's built to feel like working with a sharp collaborator, not filling out a form for a chatbot.
Why people use Forge
- It just handles things. Point it at a task and it figures out what files to read, what to
change, and whether to split the work across parallel helpers — you don't have to manage any
of that yourself.
- Your code stays yours. Edits are shown to you before they land (you're always one click
away from turning that off if you trust it), and every change is easy to review or undo.
- It remembers your project. Forge builds up an understanding of your codebase over time —
conventions, structure, prior decisions — so it doesn't start from zero on every request.
- It won't quietly rack up a bill. Spend is tracked in real time and capped, so a runaway
request can't surprise you later.
- It sees what you see. Drop in a screenshot or a photo of a bug, an error, or a design and
Forge understands it directly.
- It plugs into what you already use. MCP servers, Git, hooks, and your existing workspace
tools — Forge works alongside them, not around them.
- It can generate images. Building a site or app that needs a logo, hero image, or
placeholder art? Forge can generate one and drop it straight into your project.
- It can run on a schedule. Describe a recurring task in plain language — "every morning,
check X and post an update" — and Forge sets it up as a Routine that runs on its own while the
desktop app is open. It can also check back on something slow (a build, a deploy) after a
short delay instead of making you wait on it.
- It stays sharp in long sessions. Older parts of a long conversation are automatically
condensed instead of piling up forever, so quality doesn't quietly degrade the longer you work
in one session.
Getting started
- Install Forge from the VS Code Marketplace.
- Open the Forge icon in the sidebar and sign in (or create a free account) — a menu action
away, no separate app needed.
- Open a project folder and just start typing. Ask a question, describe a bug, or hand it a
feature to build.
That's it. Forge picks the right mode automatically, but you can switch between Chat (just
talk, no edits), Auto (full agent, makes changes and runs commands), Plan (proposes an
approach before touching anything), and Edit (direct, scoped file edits) whenever you want
more control.
A few things worth knowing
- Plans: Forge has a free tier to try it out, plus paid plans for heavier use — see the
in-app Upgrade screen for current pricing.
- Privacy: Forge sends your prompts, relevant file context, and anything you attach (like a
screenshot) to the model provider or backend you're connected to, in order to do its job. API
keys and session tokens are stored in VS Code's secure secret storage, and your chat history/
project index are stored locally in your workspace under
.forge/. See
our privacy policy for the full picture.
- Your data isn't used to train anything beyond what's needed to answer your request.
Support
Building from source (contributors)
npm install
npm run build
Then press F5 in VS Code with this folder open to launch an Extension Development Host with
Forge loaded. See CHANGELOG.md for release history and
public/marketplace.md for the store listing copy.
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