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Your First AI-Powered Task in 5 Minutes

This guide will walk you through creating your first task with Forge, comparing outputs from multiple LLMs, and shipping code you understand.

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Step 1: Initialize Forge

Make sure you’re in a Git repository, then initialize Forge: 
# Make sure you're in a Git repo
git init  # if not already a Git repo

# Initialize Forge
forge init
This creates a .forge/ directory with your configuration.

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Step 2: Configure Your LLMs

Edit .forge/config.json to add your API keys: 
{
  "llms": {
    "claude": {
      "apiKey": "sk-ant-...",
      "model": "claude-3-5-sonnet-20241022"
    },
    "gemini": {
      "apiKey": "AIza...",
      "model": "gemini-2.0-flash-exp"
    }
  },
  "worktrees": {
    "enabled": true,
    "basePath": "./.forge/worktrees"
  }
}
Start with just one LLM if you’re trying it out. You can add more later to compare results!

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Step 3: Create Your First Task

Open the Forge UI or use the CLI: 
# Start Forge UI
forge start

# Or create task via CLI
forge task create \
  --title "Add user authentication" \
  --description "Implement JWT-based authentication with login and signup endpoints" \
  --llm claude
The Forge UI will open at http://localhost:3000.

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Step 4: Let AI Work in Isolation

Forge creates a Git worktree for your task, keeping your main branch clean: 
# Forge automatically creates a worktree
# Your task runs in: .forge/worktrees/task-1-add-auth

# Your main branch is untouched!
# You can keep working on other things

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Step 5: Review and Compare

If you’re using multiple LLMs, Forge shows you side-by-side results: 
# Compare Claude vs Gemini on the same task
forge task compare 1

# See the differences
forge diff task-1-claude task-1-gemini
Choose the approach you understand best, or combine elements from both!

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Step 6: Merge When Ready

Once you’re happy with the result: 
# Review changes
forge task review 1

# Merge into main
forge task merge 1

# Cleanup worktree
forge task close 1

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Real-World Example

Here’s a complete workflow for adding a new feature:
1

Create Task

forge task create \
  --title "Add dark mode toggle" \
  --description "Create a toggle component that switches between light and dark themes" \
  --llm claude \
  --labels "feature,ui"
2

AI Generates Code

Forge creates a worktree and Claude generates:
  • Theme toggle component
  • CSS variables for themes
  • LocalStorage persistence
  • Tests
3

Try Another Approach

# Try with Gemini for comparison
forge task fork 1 --llm gemini
Now you have two implementations to compare!
4

Review Both

# See them side-by-side
forge task compare 1

# Claude's approach: CSS-in-JS with styled-components
# Gemini's approach: Tailwind CSS with data attributes
5

Choose and Merge

# You prefer Gemini's Tailwind approach
forge task merge 1-gemini

# Clean up
forge task close 1-claude

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Common Task Types

Feature Development

forge task create \
  --title "Add export to PDF" \
  --type feature \
  --llm claude

Bug Fixes

forge task create \
  --title "Fix memory leak in WebSocket" \
  --type bugfix \
  --llm gemini

Refactoring

forge task create \
  --title "Refactor API client to use axios" \
  --type refactor \
  --llm claude

Documentation

forge task create \
  --title "Add API documentation" \
  --type docs \
  --llm gemini

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Pro Tips

For important features, run the same task with 2-3 different LLMs and compare approaches:
forge task create --title "Critical feature" --llm claude
forge task fork 1 --llm gemini
forge task fork 1 --llm gpt-4
Choose the best implementation or cherry-pick from each!
Instead of:
forge task create --title "Rebuild entire auth system"
Do:
forge task create --title "Add JWT token generation"
forge task create --title "Add token validation middleware"
forge task create --title "Add refresh token logic"
Smaller tasks = better AI results!
forge task create \
  --title "Add search" \
  --labels "feature,ui,priority:high"

# Filter by label
forge task list --labels "priority:high"

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Next Steps

Kanban Board

Explore the visual Kanban interface:
forge start
Open http://localhost:3000

Advanced Workflows

Learn about:
  • Task dependencies
  • Automated testing integration
  • CI/CD integration
  • Team collaboration

LLM Configuration

Add more LLMs:
  • OpenAI GPT-4
  • Anthropic Claude
  • Google Gemini
  • Local models

Git Worktree Mastery

Deep dive into:
  • Parallel development
  • Feature branches
  • Safe experimentation

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Troubleshooting

Make sure you’re in a Git repository:
git status  # Should not error
git init    # If needed
Check your API keys:
forge config validate
Clean up old worktrees:
forge worktree cleanup
Congratulations! 🎉 You’ve created your first AI-powered task with Forge. You’re now ready to bring structure to your vibe coding!

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