Forge CLI

TypeScript stack scaffolding & enforcement CLI for TanStack Start + Convex + Tailwind.

The key insight: Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md automatically. Forge uses this as a hook — imperative instructions that tell Claude it MUST use the forge CLI commands. No more AI drift.

Installation

npm install -g forge-cli

Or use with npx:

npx forge-cli init my-app

Commands

forge init <project-name>

Creates a complete project with:

• TanStack Start (file-based routing, SSR-ready)
• Convex (real-time database)
• Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui ready
• Biome (linting/formatting)
• TypeScript strict mode
• CLAUDE.md — the AI hook

forge init my-app
cd my-app
pnpm install
npx convex dev --once --configure=new
pnpm dlx shadcn@latest init
pnpm dev

forge add:feature <name>

Creates a full vertical slice:

convex/features/<name>/
├── schema.ts      # Table definition (exports <name>Tables)
├── queries.ts     # All queries
├── mutations.ts   # All mutations
└── index.ts       # Barrel export

src/features/<name>/
├── components/
│   └── index.ts   # Component exports
├── hooks.ts       # Feature hooks
└── index.ts       # Barrel export

app/routes/<name>/
├── index.tsx      # List view
└── $id.tsx        # Detail view

Also auto-registers the schema in convex/schema.ts.

forge add:feature projects

# Output:
✓ Created convex/features/projects/schema.ts
✓ Created convex/features/projects/queries.ts
✓ Created convex/features/projects/mutations.ts
✓ Created convex/features/projects/index.ts
✓ Created src/features/projects/components/index.ts
✓ Created src/features/projects/hooks.ts
✓ Created src/features/projects/index.ts
✓ Created app/routes/projects/index.tsx
✓ Created app/routes/projects/$id.tsx
✓ Updated convex/schema.ts

forge check

Validates project structure. Fails if rules are broken. Use in CI/pre-commit.

forge check

# Output:
✓ Feature structure valid
✓ Component locations valid
✓ Hook locations valid
✓ Thin routes valid
✓ Cross-feature imports valid
✓ Feature parity valid

All checks passed!

Validation Rules

1. Feature structure — Every feature has required files
2. Component location — Components only in src/features/*/components/ or src/components/
3. Hook location — Hooks only in src/features/*/hooks.ts or src/hooks/
4. Thin routes — Route files can only import from features/components, no business logic
5. No cross-feature imports — src/features/X/ cannot import from src/features/Y/
6. Feature parity — Every src/features/X has matching convex/features/X

The CLAUDE.md Hook

When you run forge init, it generates a CLAUDE.md file that instructs Claude Code to:

1. Always run forge add:feature <name> before building any feature
2. Never create feature files manually
3. Always run forge check before completing any task

This eliminates AI drift and enforces consistent architecture.

# From generated CLAUDE.md

## YOU MUST USE FORGE CLI

When the user asks you to build ANY feature, you MUST:
1. FIRST run `forge add:feature <name>`
2. THEN fill in the generated files
3. NEVER create feature files manually

Project Structure

app/routes/         → Thin route files (import from features, no logic)
src/features/       → All feature code (components, hooks, types)
src/components/     → Shared UI only (used across features)
src/lib/            → Pure utilities
convex/features/    → Backend mirrors frontend features

Stack

• Frontend: TanStack Start
• Backend: Convex
• Styling: Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
• Linting: Biome
• Language: TypeScript (strict)

License

MIT