Configuration

The Forge CLI stores credentials in a local config file and uses a project-level MCP config for AI assistant integration.

Credentials

Location

The config file is created automatically when you run forge login. File permissions are set to owner-only (read/write) on macOS and Linux.

🚧 Never commit this file to version control. It contains authentication tokens.

Token Refresh

Tokens refresh automatically in the background. If your session expires completely, the CLI will prompt you to run forge login again.

MCP Configuration

File: .mcp.json

The MCP config lives in your project root (same level as .git). It tells AI assistants how to connect to the Forge MCP server.

Setup

bashforge mcp install

This creates .mcp.json if it doesn't exist, or adds the Forge entry if the file already has other MCP servers configured.

📘 forge login does this automatically. You only need forge mcp install if auto-registration didn't work.

Team Sharing

Commit .mcp.json to your repository so the whole team gets the same MCP configuration:

bashgit add .mcp.json
git commit -m "Add Forge MCP configuration"

Each developer still needs to:

1. Have the Forge CLI installed (npm install -g forge-aec)
2. Be authenticated (forge login)

The .mcp.json file contains no secrets — just the command to start the MCP server.

Debug Logging

For verbose output when troubleshooting:

bashNODE_ENV=development forge show T-001

In development mode, errors include full stack traces and request details.

MCP Server Logs

MCP server logs go to stderr. To capture them:

bashforge mcp serve 2>forge-mcp.log

📘 When reporting issues, include the output of forge doctor and any error messages.