Quick Start

Get started with Claude Forge in just a few minutes. This guide will walk you through your first AI-assisted development session.

Step 1: Open a Project

1. Launch Claude Forge
2. In the sidebar, you'll see the Projects section
3. Click Open Project or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+O
4. Navigate to your project directory and select it

TIP

Choose a project that has existing code. Claude Forge works best when it can understand your codebase context.

Step 2: Write Your First Prompt

With your project open, you'll see the Prompt Input area at the top of the main panel.

Try one of these starter prompts:

Explain the structure of this codebase

What does the main entry point do?

Find all TODO comments in this project

Press Enter or click the Send button to execute.

Step 3: Review the Response

Claude's response will appear in an Execution Card below the input. You'll see:

• Status indicator - Shows if the task is running or complete
• Response content - The AI's formatted response
• Files written - Any files that were created or modified
• Duration - How long the task took

Step 4: Try a Code Task

Now let's have Claude modify some code:

Add input validation to the login function in src/auth.js

After execution, you'll notice:

1. The Commit Timeline shows the changes
2. Each commit card lists the modified files
3. Click a file to see what changed

WARNING

Always review AI-generated code changes before committing to git.

Step 5: Use Prompt History

Made a similar request before? Use the arrow keys to navigate your prompt history:

• Up Arrow - Go to previous prompt
• Down Arrow - Go to next prompt

This saves time when running variations of commands.

Step 6: Explore the File Explorer

In the sidebar, expand the Files section to browse your project:

• Click a folder to expand/collapse
• Click a file to select it
• The selected file provides context for your prompts

Step 7: Check Git Status

If your project is a git repository, the Git panel shows:

• Current branch name
• Staged and unstaged changes
• Ahead/behind status with remote

You can:

• Stage files by clicking the checkbox
• Write a commit message in the input field
• Commit changes with one click
• Push/Pull to sync with remote

Common Workflows

Code Review

Review the changes in src/components/ and suggest improvements

Bug Investigation

Find potential bugs in the error handling code

Documentation

Generate JSDoc comments for all exported functions in src/utils.js

Refactoring

Refactor the UserService class to use dependency injection

Testing

Write unit tests for the calculateTotal function in src/cart.js

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+O	Open project
Ctrl+,	Open settings
Enter	Send prompt
Up/Down	Navigate prompt history
Escape	Cancel current task

Next Steps

Now that you've completed the basics, explore these features:

• Projects - Manage multiple projects
• Agents - Create specialized AI assistants
• Settings - Customize your experience