ForgeTrail

Forge the path. Keep the trail.
Keep project decisions, development state, and lessons in the repository so your next AI-assisted session can continue with context.
After one sitting you should have .forgetrail/workflow_tracking.json with the phase you are in, a decision, and a nextSession line. A labeled two-session walk-through is in content/examples/two-session-continuity.md.
Docs: forgetrail.dev/docs · Site: forgetrail.dev
Start with Lite
You need a new empty project folder and a coding agent that can read files. Node is optional.
- Write
docs/GENESIS.md (what, not how).
- Copy
content/FORGETRAIL_LITE.md to .forgetrail/FORGETRAIL_LITE.md, or run pnpm dlx forgetrail install --lite --with-genesis-stub (Node.js 20+).
- Paste the kickoff line from TRY_FORGETRAIL.md. Approve the Phase 1 brief before any scaffold.
The shortest supported first task is: create tracking, draft docs/PHASE_1_BRIEF.md, and wait for approval. You do not have to run all seven phases. Full recipe: Try.
Lite, CLI, and MCP
| Lite | First path | One protocol file. The agent writes tracking. |
CLI (forgetrail) | Node.js 20+ | Installer. Writes Lite or the full template tree. Does not run the agent. |
MCP (forgetrail-mcp) | Cursor or Claude | Methodology tools. Tracking still lives in the app repo. |
pnpm dlx forgetrail install --lite --with-genesis-stub
MCP: npx -y forgetrail-mcp with FORGETRAIL_ROOT set. Prefer pnpm dlx on Windows. Do not add forgetrail to an app's dependencies. Do not merge the two packages.
What you get
A 7-phase playbook, a live .forgetrail/workflow_tracking.json, and templates pre-loaded with first-party production lessons. Each project leaves a trail of decisions, gotchas, and breadcrumbs that future work follows. Those lesson notes are not independent adoption evidence. Flags, MCP, and the phase table live in the docs.
Nutrition label
Development
pnpm --dir mcp-server install
pnpm run mcp:build
pnpm site:dev
Site (FilePress + docs mount): pnpm ship.
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