forge (kenn-io)

Table of Contents

forge (kenn-io) is a local-first maintainer console that aggregates pull requests, issues, CI status, and code reviews from multiple git platforms into a single interface served from a single binary. Once synced, the full forge context is available offline.

Note: this is an unrelated project to the DataLad extension also named “forge.”

Supported Platforms #

GitHub
GitLab
Forgejo
Gitea

Capability coverage varies by platform.

How It Works #

forge syncs the repositories you maintain into a local SQLite database and serves a web UI at http://127.0.0.1:8091. After an initial sync, PRs, issues, CI context, and review comments are accessible without network connectivity.

From any issue or PR, forge can create a local worktree session linked to a coding agent, turning triage into an interactive implementation session on your machine.

Agent Workspaces #

A notable feature for agentic workflows: forge converts any issue or PR into an agent workspace with a git worktree pre-populated with relevant context (PR diff, issue description, CI failures). This provides a structured handoff between human triage and AI implementation.

License Note #

forge is licensed under the Elastic License 2.0, which restricts managed-service/SaaS redistribution. The repository notes that prior contributions were made under MIT and those portions are preserved.

Relation to Other kenn-io Tools #

forge provides the outer triage layer; kata provides a local parallel issue tracker that agents can update during implementation; roborev adds code review accountability.

Relevance to Archival #

Like github-backup, forge’s local SQLite sync is a form of offline archival of forge artifacts. The key difference is that forge is designed for active use (triage, agent handoff) rather than preservation – it syncs on demand and does not maintain immutable history.

For long-term preservation of forge artifacts, tools like github-backup (JSON snapshots) or git-bug (git-native storage) are more appropriate. forge complements them as the access and workflow layer.