On July 6, 2025, Forge v0.98.0 introduces browser-based authentication, tool failure limits, and enhanced file operations to improve reliability and user experience.
What's New
Browser-Based Authentication
v0.98.0 replaces manual API key configuration with browser-based authentication that integrates with app.forgecode.dev.
Setup Process
- Run npx forgecode@latest
- Forge opens your browser to app.forgecode.dev
- Sign in with Google or GitHub
- Authorize the app
- Return to terminal - authentication is complete
Complete authentication setup in under 30 seconds
The system waits for the authentication server until login completes.
Terminal shows authentication progress with clear status updates
Migration from API Keys
Existing users: Your current API key configuration will continue working. The browser-based auth is optional and can be used alongside existing setups.
For automation/CI: API key authentication remains available for scripts and automated environments where browser access isn't available.
Safety Limits and Auto-Stop
Forge now includes automatic safety limits to prevent infinite loops and runaway processes. There are two separate systems that work together to keep things under control.
System 1: Consecutive Tool Failure Limit (Hard Stop)
What it does: Tracks tool failures in a row and terminates the conversation when too many happen consecutively.
Default limit: 5 consecutive failures What triggers it: File permission errors, invalid parameters, network issues - anything that makes tools fail repeatedly What happens: Forge asks: "Do you want to continue anyway?"
Tool execution failure limit exceeded - terminating conversation
to prevent infinite retry loops.
Key point: This counter resets when any tool succeeds. It only cares about failures happening back-to-back.
Hard stop when consecutive failures hit the limit
System 2: Overall Turn Limits (User Intervention)
What it does: Monitors the total activity in a single conversation turn and asks if you want to continue when limits are hit.
Default limits:
50 total requests per turn
What happens: Forge asks: "Do you want to continue anyway?"
Configuration in forge.yaml:
max_requests_per_turn: 50 # Total requests before asking user
max_tool_failure_per_turn: 3 # Total failures before asking user
Problem solved: Prevents scenarios where agents get stuck in retry cycles due to environmental issues, permission problems, or invalid parameters that require human intervention rather than continued automated attempts.
Safety mechanism activates when operational limits are reached
Enhanced File Operations
Replace-All Patch Operation
The file patching system now supports replace_all operations for comprehensive refactoring tasks.
Previous behavior: replace operation only modified the first occurrence New behavior: replace_all operation modifies all occurrences in the target file
Replace-all operation updating multiple function names across a file
This is particularly useful for:
- Variable and function renaming
- Import statement updates
- Consistent refactoring across large files
Breaking Changes
None. v0.98.0 maintains backward compatibility with existing API key configurations.
Troubleshooting
Authentication Issues
Browser doesn't open: Manually navigate to the URL displayed in the terminal Login timeout: Check network connectivity and retry Permission errors: Ensure Forge has permission to write to config directory
Safety Limits and Auto-Stop
Frequent limit hits: Check file permissions. Need higher limits: Adjust configuration in forge.yaml Unexpected failures: Review error messages for specific tool issues
Getting Started
New Users
npx forgecode@latest
# Follow browser authentication prompts
Complete setup experience for first-time users
Existing Users
npx forgecode@latest
# Optionally set up browser auth (by removing API keys from .env)
# Continue using existing API key if preferred
Smooth transition options for users with existing API key setups
Automation/CI
Continue using API key authentication for automated environments:
export FORGE_KEY=your_key
npx forgecode@latest
Resources
Documentation - Setup guides and API reference
GitHub Repository - Source code and issues
Discord Community - Support and discussions
Release Notes - Complete changelog
v0.98.0 focuses on reliability and ease of use while maintaining the flexibility developers need for various workflows. The browser-based authentication removes setup friction for new users while preserving API key support for automation and power users.
Top comments (3)
How can I try Forgecode?
Checkout this documentation - forgecode.dev/docs/
very cool, the attention to making auth easy without locking me in is huge
thoughts on where that line is between making setup frictionless and still keeping power users happy
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