Forge CLI MCP server

Let your AI assistant sign you in, call Digital Insight APIs, and build, preview, and submit widgets and Aspects for you.

The MCP server ships inside the Forge CLI. It works with Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, GitHub Copilot CLI, Cursor, Visual Studio Code, Gemini CLI, and any other coding agent that supports local MCP servers. If you are already signed in to the Forge CLI, your agent uses that session, so you only sign in once. For background, see What is MCP?

Beta

The Forge CLI and its MCP server are in beta. Tool names, behavior, and setup steps may change between beta releases.

How to install

Prerequisites

Install the Forge CLI
A coding agent that supports MCP
A Developer Console account with an Admin or Developer role

Add Forge to your coding agent

To set up Cursor, and Claude Code if it is installed, in one step, run forge mcp install. Or pick your agent:

Cursor IDE

Install the Forge CLI.
Install the MCP. The quickest option is the one-click button:

Or set it up manually: merge the following into ~/.cursor/mcp.json to use Forge in every project, or into .cursor/mcp.json in your repo root for one project:
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "forge",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

See the Cursor MCP docs for more.

Cursor CLI

The Cursor CLI uses the same MCP config as the Cursor IDE. If Forge is already set up in the IDE, there is nothing else to do.

Otherwise:

Install the Forge CLI.

Add Forge to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "forge",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

See the Cursor CLI MCP docs.

VS Code

Install the Forge CLI.
Install the MCP. The quickest option is the one-click button, which opens VS Code and asks you to install the server:

Or add Forge to .mcp.json in your workspace root:
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "command": "forge",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```

See the VS Code MCP docs.

Claude Code CLI

Install the Forge CLI.
Run:
Bash
```
claude mcp add forge -- forge mcp
```

note

By default, this adds Forge to the current project only. See the Claude Code MCP docs for scope options (--scope user, --scope project, and others).

Claude Desktop

Install the Forge CLI.
In Claude Desktop, open Settings > Developer > Edit Config and merge the following into claude_desktop_config.json:
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "command": "forge",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}
```
The config file lives at:
- macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
- Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
These folders are hidden by default, so Edit Config is the easiest way to open the file. To browse to it yourself on macOS, press Cmd+Shift+G in Finder and paste ~/Library/Application Support/Claude. On Windows, paste %APPDATA%\Claude into the File Explorer address bar.
Quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

If Forge does not start, check mcp-server-forge.log in ~/Library/Logs/Claude on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\logs on Windows. When Claude Desktop cannot read your shell's PATH, it cannot find forge. Use the full path to the forge binary instead (run which forge in your terminal). If you installed the Forge CLI with npm or pnpm, also set PATH to the folder that contains node (run dirname "$(which node)"). The Homebrew install includes its own Node.js, so you can leave out env.
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "command": "<full path to forge binary>",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "<folder that contains node>:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

note

The Connectors UI in Claude Desktop only supports remote MCP servers. Add local servers like Forge by editing claude_desktop_config.json directly.

Codex CLI

Install the Forge CLI.

Run:

Bash
codex mcp add forge -- forge mcp

Or add to ~/.codex/config.toml manually:

[mcp_servers.forge]
command = "forge"
args = ["mcp"]

See the Codex MCP docs and the config reference.

Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app

The ChatGPT desktop app shares its MCP config (~/.codex/config.toml) with the Codex CLI and IDE extension. If Forge is already set up there, the desktop app picks it up automatically.

Otherwise:

Install the Forge CLI.
Open Settings, then select MCP servers.
Select Add server, enter the name forge, choose STDIO, and enter the command forge mcp.
Save the server, then select Restart.

See the Codex MCP docs.

GitHub Copilot CLI

Install the Forge CLI.

Run:

Bash
copilot mcp add forge -- forge mcp

Or, in a Copilot CLI session, run /mcp add and fill in the form:

Server Name: forge
Server Type: STDIO
Command: forge mcp

Or add to ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "forge",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

See the Copilot CLI MCP docs.

Gemini CLI

Install the Forge CLI.

Run:

Bash
gemini mcp add forge forge mcp

Or add to ~/.gemini/settings.json manually:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "command": "forge",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

note

By default, gemini mcp add adds Forge to the current project. See the Gemini CLI MCP docs for scope options (-s user, -s project).

Other Coding Agents / Manual Installation

If your agent isn't listed above, the generic stdio config is:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "command": "forge",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

note

This assumes forge is on your PATH. If it isn't, replace "forge" with the full path to the Forge CLI executable (for example /opt/homebrew/bin/forge).

If you installed the Forge CLI with npm or pnpm and run into PATH issues, forge also needs to find Node.js. You can set PATH explicitly:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "forge": {
      "command": "<full path to forge binary>",
      "args": ["mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PATH": "<folder that contains node>:/usr/bin:/bin"
      }
    }
  }
}

MCP documentation for other IDEs:

Restart your coding agent, then ask it:

Log me in to Forge.

Forge opens the Developer Console in your browser. Sign in and complete MFA within three minutes, and your agent is ready. If you are already signed in to the Forge CLI, you can skip this step.

What you can ask

"Show my Developer Console apps and select retail-test."
"List accounts for hostUserId HOST01."
"Create a spending widget and preview it in the Docker playground."
"Preview the banner Aspect with the message 'Summer savings'."
"Submit my-spending for review and show me its status."

Tools that submit, publish, deploy, change collaborators, or write to your FI backend require confirmation. Review what your agent is about to run before you approve it.

Tips for better results

Choose a capable model. Forge workflows chain several tool calls, such as sign in, select an app, scaffold, preview, and submit. Smaller, faster models can skip steps, pick the wrong tool, or stop early. If results look off, switch to a more capable model in your agent.
Be specific. Name the widget, template, app, and console environment you mean, for example "Create a web widget called my-spending from the spending template."
Go one step at a time. For a new workflow, ask for one step, check the result, then ask for the next.

How to update

The MCP server ships inside the Forge CLI, so updating the CLI updates the server:

Bash
# Homebrew
brew upgrade forge-cli

# pnpm
pnpm add -g @cdx-forge/cli@beta

# npm
npm install -g @cdx-forge/cli@beta

Then reload Forge in your coding agent:

Agent	How to reload
Claude Code CLI	Run `/mcp`, select `forge`, then Reconnect
Cursor IDE	Open Customize in the sidebar and turn `forge` off and on, or restart Cursor
VS Code	Run MCP: List Servers, select `forge`, then restart it
Codex in the ChatGPT desktop app	Settings > MCP servers, then Restart
Claude Desktop, Codex CLI, Copilot CLI, Cursor CLI, Gemini CLI, and others	Restart the app or CLI

MCP tools

Each tool runs the same code as the matching Forge CLI command.

Area	Tools
Sign-in and setup	`forge_login`, `forge_login_status`, `forge_logout`, `forge_whoami`, `forge_env_switch`, `forge_doctor`
Apps and APIs	`forge_app_list`, `forge_app_select`, `forge_api_catalog`, `forge_api_call`
Docs and templates	`forge_ask_docs`, `forge_templates`, `forge_api_contract`
Widgets	`forge_widget_scaffold`, `forge_widget_list`, `forge_widget_set_urls`, `forge_widget_build`, `forge_widget_preview`, `forge_widget_preview_status`, `forge_widget_preview_stop`, `forge_widget_submit`
Aspects	`forge_aspect_preview`, `forge_aspect_preview_status`, `forge_aspect_preview_stop`, `forge_aspect_submit`
Playground	`forge_playground_up`, `forge_playground_restart`
Submissions	`forge_submission_list`, `forge_submission_dashboard`, `forge_submission_status`, `forge_submission_publish`, `forge_submission_deploy`
Repository	`forge_repo_status`, `forge_repo_pr_list`, `forge_repo_pr_status`, `forge_repo_init`, `forge_collaborator_list`, `forge_collaborator_add`, `forge_collaborator_remove`

Troubleshooting

Start with forge mcp doctor. It checks your Node.js version and your Cursor and Claude Code entries, then test-starts the server.

Problem	Fix
Forge does not appear or will not start	For Cursor and Claude Code, run `forge mcp install --force` to rewrite the entry with full paths. For other agents, use the full path to `forge`, as in Other Coding Agents / Manual Installation under Add Forge to your coding agent. Then restart your agent.
Sign-in never finishes	The sign-in link expires after three minutes. Ask your agent to log you in again, then finish sign-in and MFA in the browser tab it opens. If Forge runs on a different machine than your browser, for example over SSH, browser sign-in cannot complete. Instead, run `forge login` in a terminal on the machine where Forge runs and choose Login with username and password. Your agent then uses that session.
Your agent asks you to log in again	Your session ended. Sessions end after about 30 minutes without Forge activity, or when you sign out or switch console environment from a terminal or another agent. Ask your agent to log you in again.
`Secret store is memory-only`	Forge cannot reach your OS credential store. On macOS, run `brew reinstall forge-cli`. On Linux, install libsecret (`libsecret-1-0` on Debian and Ubuntu).
Preview or Docker errors	Start Docker Desktop, then ask your agent to run the Forge doctor.

For anything else, see Forge CLI Troubleshooting.

If you still need help

Send the platform team the following:

What to send	How to get it
Your prompt and the error	Copy them from your agent's chat
Agent, version, and model	Your agent's settings or About screen
Forge and Node.js versions	`forge --version` and `node -v`
MCP doctor report	`forge mcp doctor --json > mcp-doctor.json`
Forge doctor report	`forge doctor --verbose --json > doctor.json`
Recent Forge MCP log	The last 500 lines of `~/.forge/mcp.log`, using the commands below
Your agent's MCP log, if it has one	Claude Desktop: `mcp-server-forge.log` in `~/Library/Logs/Claude` Cursor: the MCP Logs channel in the Output panel

Bash
# macOS and Linux
tail -n 500 ~/.forge/mcp.log > forge-mcp.log

# Windows PowerShell
Get-Content $env:USERPROFILE\.forge\mcp.log -Tail 500 > forge-mcp.log

Capture more detail

Add "env": {"FORGE_MCP_LOG_LEVEL": "info"} to the forge entry in your agent's config, restart the agent, and reproduce the problem before you collect the Forge MCP log.

Privacy

Forge removes credentials, session tokens, and personal details such as usernames and email addresses from its MCP log. The Forge doctor report can contain your username, organization, institution ID, app ID, and file paths, and the MCP doctor report contains file paths. Share these files only with the platform team.

What is MCP?

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI applications to external tools and data. MCP uses a client-server model:

MCP servers expose tools, resources, and prompts through a standard interface.
MCP clients, such as Cursor, Claude Code, and VS Code, discover those tools and call them on your behalf.
Transports carry JSON-RPC 2.0 messages between them, either over stdio for a local server or over Streamable HTTP for a remote one.

The Forge CLI MCP server runs on your machine over stdio. It exposes Forge CLI workflows as tools, so your coding agent can run them for you.

Forge CLI MCP server

How to install

Prerequisites

Add Forge to your coding agent

What you can ask

How to update

MCP tools

Troubleshooting

If you still need help

What is MCP?

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How to install​

Prerequisites​

Add Forge to your coding agent​

Restart and sign in​

What you can ask​

How to update​

MCP tools​

Troubleshooting​

If you still need help​

What is MCP?​

How to install

Prerequisites

Add Forge to your coding agent

Restart and sign in

What you can ask

How to update

MCP tools

Troubleshooting

If you still need help

What is MCP?