Skip to main content
You can run ForgeAI on your own infrastructure. This guide walks through cloning the repository, configuring environment variables, and starting the development server.

​
Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18 or later
  • PostgreSQL database (local or hosted, e.g. Neon)
  • pnpm package manager

​
Installation

1

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Atiqullah-Naemi/forgeai.git
cd forgeai
2

Install dependencies

pnpm install
This also runs prisma generate automatically via the postinstall script.
3

Configure environment variables

Copy the example below into a .env file at the project root and fill in your values:
# Database
DATABASE_URL=""

# File uploads
UPLOADTHING_TOKEN=""

# AI providers (OPENAI_API_KEY is required)
OPENAI_API_KEY=""
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=""
GEMINI_API_KEY=""

# Code execution sandbox
E2B_API_KEY=""

# Image search
UNSPLASH_API_KEY=""
UNSPLASH_SECRET=""

# Clerk authentication
CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=""
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=""
CLERK_SECRET_KEY=""

# Clerk redirect URLs
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_URL="/sign-in"
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_UP_URL="/sign-up"
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_FALLBACK_REDIRECT_URL="/"
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_UP_FALLBACK_REDIRECT_URL="/"
See Environment variables for a full description of each variable.
4

Run database migrations

pnpm prisma migrate deploy
This applies all pending Prisma migrations to your PostgreSQL database and creates the Project, Message, and CodeFragment tables.
5

Start the development server

pnpm dev
The application will be available at http://localhost:3000.

​
Environment variable reference

VariableRequiredDescription
DATABASE_URLYesPostgreSQL connection string
UPLOADTHING_TOKENYesUploadThing API token for file uploads
OPENAI_API_KEYYesOpenAI API key (required for the code agent)
ANTHROPIC_API_KEYNoAnthropic API key (for future model routing)
GEMINI_API_KEYNoGoogle Gemini API key (for future model routing)
E2B_API_KEYYesE2B Sandbox API key for code execution
UNSPLASH_API_KEYYesUnsplash access key for image search
UNSPLASH_SECRETYesUnsplash secret key
CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEYYesClerk publishable key (server-side)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEYYesClerk publishable key (client-side)
CLERK_SECRET_KEYYesClerk secret key
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_URLYesPath for the sign-in page (e.g. /sign-in)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_UP_URLYesPath for the sign-up page (e.g. /sign-up)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_FALLBACK_REDIRECT_URLYesRedirect path after sign-in (e.g. /)
NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_UP_FALLBACK_REDIRECT_URLYesRedirect path after sign-up (e.g. /)
You must create an E2B sandbox template before the code execution feature will work. Refer to the E2B Sandbox integration guide for setup instructions.
CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY and NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY must contain the same value. The NEXT_PUBLIC_ prefix makes the variable available in the browser bundle; the non-prefixed version is used by server-side Clerk middleware.

​
Next steps

Environment variables

Full reference for every configuration option.

Database setup

Configure and manage your PostgreSQL database with Prisma.

Auth & billing

Set up Clerk authentication and subscription plans.

E2B Sandbox

Create and configure the E2B sandbox template for code execution.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us