Your first Forge project
Forge turns spreadsheets and plain-English descriptions into working business tools — no code required. This guide walks you through creating your first project in under five minutes.
Create an account
Sign up at tryforgeai.com/signup. Free accounts include 3 credits — enough to build and iterate on your first tool. No credit card required.
Start a new project
From your dashboard, click New project. You'll see a prompt field. Describe your tool in plain English — for example:
"Build an inventory tracker for my restaurant. I need to track item name, category, quantity on hand, and reorder level."
Or skip the description and start by uploading a CSV. Forge will read your column headers and data types automatically.
Wait for generation (30–60 seconds)
Forge streams your app in real time. You'll see code appear in the editor panel. When generation completes, the live preview on the right becomes interactive.
The preview is a real running React app — not a mockup. You can add rows, edit data, and test search and filters right away.
Iterate with conversation
Use the prompt bar below the preview to refine your tool:
- "Add a low-stock warning when quantity falls below reorder level"
- "Change the table to show items sorted by category"
- "Add an export to CSV button"
Each edit costs ~0.25 credits (vs. 1 credit for a new project), so iteration is cheap.
Share or export
When your tool is ready, hit Share to generate a link your team can use — no accounts needed. Or use Export to download the full React source code as a ZIP.
What Forge can do
Every project includes a full suite of capabilities — no plugins or add-ons required.
AI generation
Describe your tool or upload a CSV. Forge generates a complete React application with search, filters, forms, and CRUD operations backed by a real database.
Live preview
The preview panel runs your app live as it generates. Add data, test search and filters, and verify behavior before sharing.
Conversational iteration
Refine with follow-up prompts. Forge maintains full context across edits — say "make the table sortable" without re-explaining what you built.
Version history
Every generation is saved. Restore any previous version from the project editor with one click.
Team sharing — no per-seat fees
Share links give your whole team read/write access. No accounts, no limits on who can use the tool.
Export & self-host
Download full React source as a ZIP. Host it on your own infrastructure — no ongoing Forge dependency.
CSV import
Upload a spreadsheet and Forge auto-detects column names, types, and categories. Generated apps use your real data from the start.
10 built-in templates
Start from a battle-tested template for restaurants, salons, contractors, property management, and more — then customize with prompts.
Importing your data
The fastest way to get started is to upload your existing spreadsheet. Forge reads it, infers the structure, and builds a tool around your real data.
Supported formats
| Format | Notes |
|---|---|
| CSV (.csv) | Fully supported. UTF-8 and common encodings accepted. |
| Excel (.xlsx) | Export to CSV first: File → Save As → CSV in Excel or Google Sheets. |
How import works
Upload your CSV
Schema detection
Forge scans your headers and first several rows to detect:
- Column names and types (text, number, date, boolean)
- Likely categories or enumerations
- Numeric ranges and date formats
Generation with real data
Tips for clean imports
- Use clear, descriptive column headers (e.g.
unit_costnotcol_C) - Put column headers in the first row
- Remove merged cells and extra header rows before exporting
- For date columns, use a consistent format (ISO 8601 preferred:
2024-03-15) - Empty rows at the top or bottom are fine — Forge skips them
Iterating on your tool
The preview panel is a live, interactive app — not a screenshot. Use chat to refine it in plain English until it's exactly what you need.
Live preview
As soon as generation completes, the right panel runs your full React app in the browser. You can add rows, test search and filters, submit forms, and verify behavior — all backed by the real database. No deployment step needed.
Refining with chat
Type a change request in the prompt bar and click Update. Forge sends your request together with the existing code and full conversation history, so edits build on each other without re-explaining context.
"Add a search bar that filters by customer name." • "Change Status to a dropdown: Pending, In Progress, Done." • "Add a totals card above the table showing revenue and open items."
Version history
Every generation and update is saved as a named version. Open the History panel from the editor toolbar, browse previous snapshots, and restore any version with one click. No changes are ever permanently lost.
Exporting your code
Click Export to download a ZIP archive of the generated React source. The archive includes the full component tree and a package.json so you can deploy it anywhere or hand it off to a developer for further customization.
Frequently asked questions
How many credits do I need?
Each new project costs 1 credit. Follow-up edits cost ~0.25 credits each. A typical project — initial build plus 4–5 iterations — uses 2–3 credits total. Free plans start with 3 credits; Pro includes 30 per month.
Is my data secure?
Yes. Each project gets its own isolated table in your Supabase database with row-level security. Share links use a scoped token that only grants access to that specific project's data. Forge employees cannot access your project data.
Can I use Forge if I'm not technical?
Absolutely — that's the point. You never need to touch code. Describe what you want in plain English or upload a spreadsheet, and Forge handles the rest. If the result isn't quite right, use the prompt bar to describe the change you want.
What happens if I cancel my plan?
Your projects remain accessible in read-only mode. Share links revert to free-tier expiration rules. You can export your source code at any time before canceling.
Can I self-host the generated app?
Yes. Use the Export button to download the full React source code as a ZIP. Deploy it to Vercel, Netlify, or any Node-compatible host. The exported app does not depend on Forge at runtime.
What kinds of tools can Forge build?
Forge excels at data-driven tools: inventory trackers, client management, job tracking, scheduling boards, order management, directories, and similar CRUD applications. It's less suited for complex multi-step workflows, e-commerce storefronts, or deep third-party integrations.
Can my team members edit a project?
Project editing (changing the app's code or layout) requires a Forge account. Team members with a share link can fully read and write data in the tool — they just can't modify the app's structure. Full collaborative editing is on the roadmap for Team and Enterprise plans.
My generated app has a bug — what do I do?
Use the prompt bar to describe the issue: "The total column shows NaN when a row has an empty price." Forge's auto-fix loop catches many runtime errors automatically. If the issue persists, restore a previous version from version history and rephrase your request.
Ready to build?
3 free credits, no credit card. Your first tool in under a minute.
Get started for free