# Plan Forge > Forge rough ideas into drift-proof execution contracts for AI coding agents. 6-step pipeline, 16 agents, 8 skills, lifecycle hooks, 5 tech presets. - **Type:** MCP server - **Install:** `agentstack add mcp-srnichols-plan-forge` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [srnichols](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/srnichols) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Developer Tools](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/developer-tools) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [srnichols](https://github.com/srnichols) - **Source:** https://github.com/srnichols/plan-forge ## Install ```sh agentstack add mcp-srnichols-plan-forge ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Plan Forge ## The AI-Native SDLC Forge Shop > **Plan Forge is the orchestration harness that sits *on top of* GitHub Copilot (and other AI coding tools).** It does not replace your model or your IDE — it adds the SDLC layer GitHub deliberately leaves to the ecosystem: planning, validation gates, memory, cost control, and reviewer separation. > > **It is also licensed MIT because your SDLC is yours, and your institutional memory lives in OpenBrain** — a user-owned service — because your accumulated decisions should not be trapped inside any one AI vendor. > **A blacksmith doesn't hand raw iron to a customer. They smelt it, hammer it, temper it — and then they watch, because a blade that isn't maintained will dull.** > > Plan Forge is a **full-lifecycle AI development shop**. Raw ideas are **smelted** through the Crucible into structured plans. Plans are **forged** into working code through a 7-step hardened pipeline. Shipped code is **guarded** by LiveGuard — drift, secrets, dependencies, incidents, all watched in real time. And every finding is **learned** back into the shop's memory, so the next run starts smarter than the last. > > *Smelt the idea. Forge the code. Guard the build. Learn from every run.* [](LICENSE) **[Website](https://planforge.software/)** · **[Shop Tour](https://planforge.software/shop-tour.html)** · **[Manual](https://planforge.software/manual/)** · **[Documentation](https://planforge.software/docs.html)** · **[FAQ](https://planforge.software/faq.html)** · **[Extensions](https://planforge.software/extensions.html)** · **[Spec Kit Interop](https://planforge.software/speckit-interop.html)** ``` 105 MCP Tools · 48+ CLI Commands · 103+ REST Endpoints · ~21 Agents · 4 Reviewer Skills · 9 Presets · 7 Adapters · 7947 Tests · v3.20.0-dev ``` --- ## The Four Stations Plan Forge is one shop with four stations. Each one handles a distinct part of the software lifecycle — and they all share one memory. | Station | Verb | What happens here | Start with | |---------|------|------------------|-----------| | 🪨 **Smelt** | *Smelt the idea* | Rough idea → Crucible interview → tempered plan with scope contract and validation gates. | [Crucible](docs/manual/crucible.html) · [Tempering design notes](docs/plans/tempering-design-notes.md) | | 🔨 **Forge** | *Forge the code* | Hardened plan → DAG-scheduled execution → quorum consensus → shipped code. The classic 7-step pipeline. | [Your First Plan](docs/manual/your-first-plan.html) · [AI Plan Hardening Runbook](docs/plans/AI-Plan-Hardening-Runbook.md) | | 🛡️ **Guard** | *Guard the build* | Shipped code → drift scoring, secret scan, dep watch, regression guard, incident capture, remote alerts. | [What is LiveGuard?](docs/manual/what-is-liveguard.html) · [LiveGuard Tools](docs/manual/liveguard-tools.html) | | 🧠 **Learn** | *Learn from every run* | Findings → **Hallmark provenance**-stamped OpenBrain memory → **capability-negotiated OpenBrain writes** → Health DNA → self-tuned escalation, cost, and quorum thresholds. **Anvil** deduplicates high-frequency writes; **Lattice** indexes code structure for blast-radius scoring. | [Memory Architecture](docs/manual/memory-architecture.html) · [Bug Registry + Testbed](docs/capabilities.md) | And the **control room** that ties them together: the [live dashboard](docs/manual/dashboard.html) at `localhost:3100/dashboard` with 25 tabs, session replay, WebSocket event hub, cost reports, OTLP traces, and a remote bridge for Telegram / Slack / Discord / OpenClaw. --- ## Start Here | You are... | Start with | |------------|------------| | **Evaluating Plan Forge** | Read [the Shop Tour](https://planforge.software/shop-tour.html) → Skim [capabilities](docs/capabilities.md) | | **A developer using VS Code + Copilot** | Run [Quick Start](#quick-start) → Read [COPILOT-VSCODE-GUIDE.md](docs/COPILOT-VSCODE-GUIDE.md) | | **An AI agent setting up a project** | Read [AGENT-SETUP.md](AGENT-SETUP.md) (your entry point) | | **Already shipping and want the watch layer** | Jump to [LiveGuard](docs/manual/what-is-liveguard.html) — runs standalone on any codebase | | **Just browsing** | Keep reading — or visit [planforge.software](https://planforge.software/) | --- ## Verified Results **Verified**: 38+ phases self-built, 7947 self-tests, 105 MCP tools, zero manual rollbacks. See [docs/capabilities.md](docs/capabilities.md). ### A/B Test Results (April 2026) Same app, same model (Claude Opus 4.6), same time (~7 min). Only difference: Run A had Plan Forge. | Metric | Plan Forge | Vibe Coding | |--------|-----------|-------------| | **Tests** | **60** | 13 | | **Interfaces** | **6** | 0 | | **DTOs** | **9** | 0 | | **Quality Score** | **99/100** | **44/100** | [Read the full results →](https://planforge.software/blog/ab-test-plan-forge-vs-vibe-coding.html) --- ## How the Stations Work Together The four stations form a closed loop: **Smelt** intake → **Forge** builds → **Guard** watches → **Learn** captures findings into memory → next **Smelt** starts smarter. Inside the Forge, a deterministic slice executor runs the plan; a reflective inner loop — retries with reflexion context, trajectory capture, auto-skill promotion, and postmortems — turns every slice into a research step that teaches the next one. Together, the ten opt-in inner-loop subsystems compose into a self-deterministic agent loop that keeps execution reproducible while the loop's context improves each pass. For architecture diagrams, the 7-step pipeline mermaid, the LiveGuard cycle, and the self-improving feedback loops, see **[the Shop Tour](https://planforge.software/shop-tour.html)** and the [interactive manual](https://planforge.software/manual/). --- ## The Virtual Engineering Team Plan Forge is not "AI plus a code-completion plugin." It is a full enterprise engineering shop where every traditional role is filled by a specialized agent or guardrail, governed by 40 years of software engineering practice encoded into 17+ auto-loading instruction files and 20 specialized reviewers. | Traditional engineering team role | Plan Forge equivalent | |---|---| | **Product Owner** (spec, direction, acceptance) | **You — non-negotiable, non-replaceable** | | IC engineers (architecture, security, performance, DB, deploy, API, accessibility, multi-tenancy, CI/CD, observability, dependency, compliance) | 20 specialized agents + 17 auto-loading guardrail files | | Tech lead / staff engineer | Quorum mode (multi-model consensus) + auto-escalation on slice failure | | Engineering manager | [Forge-Master](docs/manual/forge-master.html) Observer + Auditor — agents supervising agents, not metaphorically, literally | | QA team | Tempering harness + testbed + regression guard + slice gates | | SRE / on-call | LiveGuard (secret scan, drift, dep watch, env diff, incident capture, runbooks) | | Continuous improvement / retros | Audit loop + bug registry auto-smelt + Reflexion lessons + auto-skill promotion | | Architecture review board | Independent Session-3 review gate (fresh AI session, full guardrail load) | | Institutional knowledge / wiki | OpenBrain L3 memory with Hallmark provenance | | Release manager | Shipper agent + release-checklist + version.instructions.md | **Your three jobs as the human:** 1. **Make a few technology choices once** — pick a preset (`dotnet`, `typescript`, `python`, etc.), declare Project Principles, set forbidden patterns. One-time, then locked. 2. **Own the spec and the direction** — Product Owner duties. Crucible interviews you; you decide what to build and why. The shop won't deviate from the Scope Contract you sign off on. 3. **Run manual acceptance testing** — agents don't read minds. They implement what the spec says, not what you intended. A green pipeline (all tests pass, no drift, no secrets, no regressions, Forge-Master independently audited) proves the code is *correct*. Only you can decide whether it's *what you actually wanted*. That's Product Owner UAT, same as it has been for 40 years. **Three closed loops, not one.** The Forge builds. Forge-Master supervises. The Learn station feeds every finding back into the next plan. The audit loop ran for two weeks unattended on a real production Next.js site and surfaced 30+ defects the maintainer didn't know existed — see [Day in the Forge](docs/manual/day-in-the-forge.html). Skeptical CTOs: this is the part that distinguishes Plan Forge from "an AI that writes code." --- ## Quick Start ### Prerequisites - **VS Code** with **GitHub Copilot** (free, Pro, or Enterprise) - **Git** installed ### 1. Clone and Run Setup ```bash git clone https://github.com/srnichols/plan-forge.git my-project-plans cd my-project-plans ``` ```powershell # Windows (PowerShell) .\setup.ps1 -Preset dotnet # or: typescript, python, java, go, swift, rust, php, azure-iac # Mac / Linux ./setup.sh --preset dotnet ``` Setup copies all framework files, installs MCP dependencies, and generates config. Zero manual steps. ### 2. Start Planning 1. Open VS Code → Copilot Chat → **Agent Mode** 2. Describe your feature → the pipeline guides you through 7 steps 3. LiveGuard watches automatically after you ship ### 3. (Recommended) Enable Persistent Memory Plan Forge ships with **L1 (Hub) + L2 (`.forge/*.jsonl`) memory built in**. The **L3 layer** — cross-session, cross-tool, semantic-search memory that powers Reflexion lessons, Auto-skills, cross-project Federation, and 28 auto-capturing MCP tools — requires [**OpenBrain**](https://srnichols.github.io/OpenBrain), a self-hosted MCP server (PostgreSQL + pgvector). Plan Forge works without it (every hook degrades silently), but the inner loop only *improves over time* when L3 is present. Pick the path that fits: | Path | Time | Cost | Best for | |------|------|------|----------| | **Docker Compose** | ~5 min | Free | Local dev, single machine | | **Supabase Cloud** | ~10 min | ~$0.10–$0.30 / mo | Solo / small team, zero ops | | **Kubernetes / Azure Container Apps** | ~30 min | Cloud rates | Teams, federation across repos | | **Skip for now** | 0 min | — | Try Plan Forge first; enable later with `pforge brain hint` | Full walkthrough: **[srnichols.github.io/OpenBrain](https://srnichols.github.io/OpenBrain)**. Already running OpenBrain? `pforge brain status` confirms Plan Forge sees it. See [docs/CLI-GUIDE.md](docs/CLI-GUIDE.md) for all presets, flags, and multi-agent options. --- ## What's Included ### 9 Tech-Stack Presets | Preset | Stack | Preset | Stack | |--------|-------|--------|-------| | `dotnet` | .NET / C# / ASP.NET Core | `swift` | Swift / SwiftUI / Vapor | | `typescript` | TypeScript / React / Node | `rust` | Rust / Axum / Tokio | | `python` | Python / FastAPI / Django | `php` | PHP / Laravel / Symfony | | `java` | Java / Spring Boot | `azure-iac` | Bicep / Terraform / azd | | `go` | Go / Chi / Gin | | | ### 7 AI Agent Adapters One setup command, every tool: `setup.ps1 -Agent all` GitHub Copilot (primary) · Claude Code · Cursor · Codex CLI · Gemini CLI · Windsurf · Generic ### MCP Server (105 Tools) `pforge-mcp/server.mjs` exposes core, LiveGuard, Watcher, Crucible, Tempering, Bug Registry, Testbed, Forge-Master, Hallmark, Anvil, Lattice, Sync, and Memory operations. Live dashboard at `localhost:3100/dashboard`. 103+ REST endpoints for external integrations. Key tools: `forge_run_plan` · `forge_liveguard_run` · `forge_analyze` · `forge_master_ask` · `forge_capabilities` · `forge_smith` · `forge_cost_report` · `forge_lattice_query` · `forge_sync_memories` · `forge_memory_capture` ### Optional Capabilities | Feature | How to Enable | What It Does | |---------|--------------|-------------| | **Quorum mode** | Automatic (complexity ≥ 6) | 3 models analyze in parallel, reviewer synthesizes. Works **OAuth-only via the Copilot CLI** — no API keys required. Add `XAI_API_KEY` to mix in a Grok leg. Self-tuning threshold. | | **Audit Loop** | `pforge audit-loop` or `.forge.json#audit` | Closed-loop drain: content-audit scanner → triage → fix. Default off; opt-in via `audit.mode: "auto"` or `"always"`. | | **Auto-escalation** | Built-in | Model fails → auto-promotes. Chain reorders by success rate. | | **Cost tracking** | Built-in | Per-slice tokens, 23-model pricing, `--estimate` with historical calibration. | | **OpenBrain memory** (L3) | **Recommended** — see [Quick Start § 3](#3-recommended-enable-persistent-memory) | The L3 memory layer. 28 tools auto-capture findings with **Hallmark provenance** stamps via **capability-negotiated OpenBrain writes**. **Anvil** deduplicates Δ-identical writes. 4 prompts search before acting. Without it, Reflexion, Auto-skills, and Federation are inert. | | **Extensions** | `pforge ext add ` | HIPAA, SaaS multi-tenancy, etc. | | **CI validation** | `srnichols/plan-forge-validate@v1` | GitHub Action for plan quality gates. | | **Notifications** | Configure in `.forge.json` | Slack, Discord, Telegram, webhooks via bridge. | | **Spec Kit bridge** | Auto-detected | Import specs + constitution from Spec Kit projects. | --- ## Documentation | Resource | Purpose | |----------|---------| | **[docs/COPILOT-VSCODE-GUIDE.md](docs/COPILOT-VSCODE-GUIDE.md)** | VS Code + Copilot walkthrough | | **[docs/CLI-GUIDE.md](docs/CLI-GUIDE.md)** | `pforge` CLI reference | | **[docs/REST-API.md](docs/REST-API.md)** | All 103 REST endpoints, organized by domain | | **[docs/capabilities.md](docs/capabilities.md)** | Full feature reference — all 105 MCP tools, ~21 agents, 4 reviewer skills, 103+ REST endpoints | | **[CUSTOMIZATION.md](CUSTOMIZATION.md)** | Adapt guardrails for your project | | **[planforge.software/manual/](https://planforge.software/manual/)** | Interactive web manual (30 chapters + 14 appendices) | | **[planforge.software/faq.html](https://planforge.software/faq.html)** | FAQ | | **[AGENT-SETUP.md](AGENT-SETUP.md)** | AI agent entry point | | **[CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)** · **[docs/RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md](docs/RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md)** | Maintainer guide · release & distribution-sync checklist | --- ## Git Workflow ```bash git commit -m "(): " # feat, fix, refactor, test, docs, chore ``` See [.github/instructions/git-workflow.instructions.md](.github/instructions/git-workflow.instructions.md) for conventions. --- ## Contributing See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md). For extensions: [extensions/PUBLISHING.md](extensions/PUBLISHING.md). For skills: [docs/SKILL-BLUEPRINT.md](docs/SKILL-BLUEPRINT.md). --- ## License [MIT](LICENSE) — use these guardrails in your projects, teams, and tools. ## Source & license This open-source MCP server is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [srnichols](https://github.com/srnichols) - **Source:** [srnichols/plan-forge](https://github.com/srnichols/plan-forge) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** yes - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/mcp-srnichols-plan-forge - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/srnichols - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.