ForgeTrail Forge the path. Keep the trail.

Try ForgeTrail

Prove ForgeTrail in one sitting: write a what, not how spec in any AI chat, drop it next to ForgeTrail Lite, and let your coding agent forge the path and keep the trail.

You need: any LLM chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, a local Ollama UI) and any coding agent that can read files (Cursor, Claude Code, Codex).

You do not need: Node MCP setup, or forgetrail on PATH. Those are optional shortcuts.

Important: Use a new empty project folder. Do not run this inside a clone of the ForgeTrail methodology repo.

15-minute recipe

  1. Get the Genesis prompt
    Open GENESIS_SPEC_PROMPT.md. Copy the Copy-paste prompt section.

  2. Iterate a spec in your favorite chat app
    Fill the bracketed parts, send it, and refine until you trust the markdown. Optional shape reference: Mars habitat duty roster (fiction).

  3. Create a new project folder
    Example: mkdir my-app && cd my-app

  4. Add ForgeTrail Lite
    Save FORGETRAIL_LITE.md as .forgetrail/FORGETRAIL_LITE.md in your project.
    If you already linked the CLI: forgetrail install --lite (add --with-genesis-stub if you want a docs/GENESIS.md stub).

  5. Save your spec as docs/GENESIS.md
    Create docs/ if needed. That path is the canonical handoff (not the repo root).

  6. Open the folder in your coding agent and paste this kickoff line:

Follow .forgetrail/FORGETRAIL_LITE.md as the project protocol. Treat docs/GENESIS.md as the product spec (what, not how). Create .forgetrail/workflow_tracking.json and draft docs/PHASE_1_BRIEF.md from the Genesis file, asking me only about gaps. Do not scaffold application code until I explicitly approve the Phase 1 brief.

  1. Approve the Phase 1 brief before any app scaffold. If the agent starts writing application code early, stop it and paste the kickoff line again.

What “it worked” looks like

  • .forgetrail/FORGETRAIL_LITE.md is present
  • docs/GENESIS.md is present
  • .forgetrail/workflow_tracking.json exists
  • docs/PHASE_1_BRIEF.md drafted from your Genesis (or clearly in progress)
  • The agent asked for approval before scaffolding

Stuck? Open a Try ForgeTrail checklist issue and mark how far you got.

MCP (optional, later)

When you have cloned the ForgeTrail repo and want always-current tools in the IDE, see MCP setup. First chat: Call getNewProjectKickoff and set up the project.