Most ChatGPT workspaces give you a place to chat. Project Forge gives you a way to open a project on purpose — from explicit files, closed scope, validated sources, and frozen artifacts rather than from whatever the model happens to remember from a previous conversation.Documentation Index
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What Project Forge does
Project Forge is a preparation system. It does not run the target project. It prepares the target project so it can open from a visible, controlled basis instead of reconstructing scope, sources, constraints, and decisions from chat history. The system is organized around a hard boundary between two surfaces:- The canonical core — four governing files that define system identity, rules, artifact grammar, and working procedure. These stay general and must never contain live case state.
- The project package — the external artifacts compiled for one specific target project. These carry the case.
- what project is being prepared
- what the project must do
- what is in scope and out of scope
- what sources or materials count as official basis
- what project-opening files must exist
- whether handoff or source transfer is actually needed
Project Forge is domain-agnostic. The system works equally well for research projects, product strategy, sports coverage, writing workspaces, and technical planning. It cares whether the project can open from explicit files — not what the project is about.
What Project Forge is not
Understanding the non-scope is as important as understanding the scope. According to00_SCOPE.md, Project Forge must not become:
- A live target project — Forge is the preparation room, not the destination
- A case archive — completed or historical case material does not belong in the canonical core
- A long-term mixed notebook — unclassified notes, draft ideas, and transient reasoning are not Forge artifacts
- A memory replacement — Forge externalizes state into files; it does not simulate or substitute for model memory
- A raw source dump — candidate material must be classified and validated before it becomes official basis
- A domain-shaped framework — the core must remain general; domain-specific logic belongs in the project package, not the canonicals
The opening package
The minimum useful opening package contains three files:| File / Artifact | Purpose |
|---|---|
ENTRY_POINT.md | Tells the target project how to read the package — what each surface is for, what counts as official basis, and when to stop and ask. |
TARGET_PROJECT_BRIEF_ARTIFACT | Defines the project’s objective, scope in, scope out, expected outputs, and project-specific constraints. |
INITIAL_SSOT_ARTIFACT | Freezes the initial official basis — approved sources, base constraints, and the version or date that defines the starting ground. |
| Optional Artifact | Use |
|---|---|
HANDOFF_ARTIFACT | Transfers current state when the next run cannot be reconstructed safely from the canonicals and stable artifacts alone. |
SOURCE_OR_MATERIAL_TRANSFER_ARTIFACT | Moves candidate materials to the target project without promoting them to official basis yet. |
Repository files
The Project Forge repository contains the following files and directories:| File / Directory | Purpose |
|---|---|
AI_START.md | Bootstrap routing file for the AI — sets startup hygiene, read order, and what not to assume. Not a canonical. |
00_SCOPE.md | Defines system identity, scope, non-scope, target, and final output. Highest authority. |
01_RULES.md | Defines criteria, authority, stability classes, residence classes, validation rules, readiness states, and handoff conditions. |
02_PROTOCOL.md | Defines the minimum working procedure, readiness states, output minimums, and stop conditions. |
03_ARTIFACTS.md | Defines artifact grammar, artifact classes, schemas, triggers, and freshness rules. |
operator_guide/ | Human operating rhythm — how to set up sessions, avoid drift, and apply the system correctly. |
artifact_templates/ | Startup template files for each artifact class. Help you fill required fields without inventing structure. |
smoke_test/ | Minimal operational checks — use to verify that Project Forge can produce a clean opening package from explicit files. |
Quickstart
Follow the 9-step flow to prepare your first opening package in a clean Project Forge session.
How It Works
Understand the core/state boundary, the five surfaces, and the standard 10-step working procedure.