version: "1.0.0" name: forge-setup description: "Run first on any new project to initialize ValidationForge. Detects which platforms are present (iOS, web, API, CLI, design), picks an enforcement level (strict/standard/permissive), scaffolds .validationforge/ and e2e-evidence/ directories, copies 8 enforcement rules into .claude/rules/ with vf- prefix, and validates that MCP servers for detected platforms are reachable. Reach for it whenever someone says 'set up validation', 'initialize validationforge', 'vf setup', before the first /validate or /forge-execute call on a project, or when a project is missing .validationforge/config.json." triggers:

• "setup validation"
• "initialize validationforge"
• "vf setup"
• "forge setup"
• "first-time validation setup"
• "configure enforcement level"

context_priority: reference

forge-setup

Initialize ValidationForge for a project. Detects platforms, scaffolds directories, installs enforcement hooks, and configures validation posture.

Automated setup: bash skills/forge-setup/scripts/forge-init.sh --project-dir=/path/to/project --enforcement-level=standard runs the install idempotently and logs what it did (config status, rules copied, gitignore update). Re-run safely to repair. Phases below document the full manual flow.

When to use

Run this once per project before any other ValidationForge command. If .validationforge/config.json already exists, this skill becomes a repair / upgrade tool — use it to change enforcement level, reinstall missing rules, or re-scaffold evidence directories.

Process

Phase 1: Platform Detection

Scan the project root for platform indicators:

Detection is priority-ordered: first match wins (iOS > react-native > flutter > cli > api > web > django > fullstack > generic). Multiple platforms can coexist — fullstack wins when both frontend and backend are present.

Phase 2: Enforcement Configuration

Select enforcement level based on project maturity:

Default: standard

Phase 3: Directory Scaffold

Create the validation infrastructure:

.validationforge/
  config.json          # Platform detection results + enforcement level
  forge-state.json     # Execution state (idle initially)
  benchmark-history.json  # Benchmark trend data
e2e-evidence/
  .gitkeep

Run scripts/forge-init.sh to initialize the forge state directory:

bash scripts/forge-init.sh

This creates .validationforge/forge-state.json with status idle if it does not already exist. Output confirms the file path and initial state.

Phase 4: Rules Installation

Copy ValidationForge rules to .claude/rules/vf-*. The vf- prefix avoids conflicts with rules from other plugins.

Phase 5: Verification

Confirm setup by checking each item. If any fails, the fix is listed inline — don't proceed past Phase 5 until all pass.

Config Schema

{
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "platforms": ["web", "api"],
  "enforcement": "standard",
  "evidence_dir": "e2e-evidence",
  "max_fix_attempts": 3,
  "mcp_servers": {
    "playwright": true,
    "chrome-devtools": false,
    "xcode": false,
    "stitch": false
  },
  "created_at": "2026-03-07T20:00:00Z"
}

Output

Print setup summary:

ValidationForge initialized
  Platforms: web, api
  Enforcement: standard
  Evidence: e2e-evidence/
  Rules: 8 installed to .claude/rules/
  MCP: playwright (available), chrome-devtools (not configured)