CodeForge DevContainer

A curated development environment optimized for AI-powered coding with Claude Code. CodeForge comes pre-configured with language servers, code intelligence tools, and official Anthropic plugins to streamline your development workflow.

Why CodeForge?

Claude Code is powerful out of the box, but getting the most from it takes significant configuration — custom agents, safety plugins, code quality hooks, system prompts, and development tools that aren't obvious from the docs. CodeForge is a Claude Code power user's personal development environment, packaged so anyone can use it.

Instead of spending hours discovering and configuring advanced features like built-in agent replacement, automated code quality pipelines, or spec-driven workflows, you get a production-tested setup in one command. It's opinionated by design — every default reflects real daily use, not theoretical best practices.

Installation

Add CodeForge to any project:

npx @coredirective/cf-container

This copies the .devcontainer/ directory to your project. Then open in VS Code and select "Reopen in Container".

Options

npx @coredirective/cf-container --force    # Smart update (preserves your customizations)
npx @coredirective/cf-container -f         # Short form
npx @coredirective/cf-container --reset    # Fresh install (wipes .devcontainer, keeps .codeforge)

Alternative Install Methods

# Install globally
npm install -g @coredirective/cf-container
codeforge-dev

# Run specific version
npx @coredirective/[email protected]

Prerequisites

• Docker Desktop (or compatible container runtime like Podman)
• A DevContainer client — any of:
  • VS Code with the Dev Containers extension
  • DevContainer CLI — npm install -g @devcontainers/cli (docs)
  • GitHub Codespaces — zero local setup
  • JetBrains Gateway with Dev Containers plugin
  • DevPod — open-source, editor-agnostic (devpod.sh)
• Claude Code authentication — run claude on first start to authenticate

What's Included

Languages & Runtimes

Python 3.14, Node.js LTS, TypeScript, Rust, Bun, Go (optional)

Package Managers

uv, npm, bun, pip / pipx

Development Tools

gh (GitHub CLI), docker, git, jq, curl, tmux, biome, ruff, ccms, agent-browser

Code Intelligence

tree-sitter (JS/TS/Python), ast-grep, Pyright, TypeScript LSP

Claude Code Tools

claude, cc (wrapper), ccw (writing mode wrapper), ccusage, ccburn, ccstatusline, claude-monitor

Custom Features (21)

tmux, agent-browser, claude-monitor, ccusage, ccburn, ccstatusline, ast-grep, tree-sitter, lsp-servers, biome, ruff, shfmt, shellcheck, hadolint, dprint, ccms, notify-hook, mcp-qdrant, chromaterm, kitty-terminfo, claude-session-dashboard

Agents (19) & Skills (34)

The agent-system plugin includes 19 specialized agents (architect, explorer, test-writer, security-auditor, etc.). The skill-engine plugin provides 23 general coding skills, spec-workflow adds 3 spec lifecycle skills, and ticket-workflow provides 4 ticket management skills. 4 plugins are official Anthropic contributions.

Architecture

CodeForge operates in three layers, each building on the one below:

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 Claude Code                   │
│   AI assistant, tool execution, Agent Teams   │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│               CodeForge Layer                 │
│   Plugins · Agents · Skills · Hooks · Rules   │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                DevContainer                   │
│   Runtimes · CLI Tools · LSP Servers          │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

DevContainer — The foundation. A Python 3.14 container with Node.js, Rust, and Bun runtimes, plus 23 custom features that install development tools (ast-grep, tree-sitter, biome, ruff, and others).

CodeForge Layer — The intelligence. 17 plugins register hooks that validate commands, inject context, and enforce safety. 19 agents provide specialized personas. 34 skills offer on-demand reference material. System prompts and rules shape behavior.

Claude Code — The AI assistant, executing tools and coordinating work. CodeForge enhances it through configuration — replacing built-in subagents, adding safety guardrails, and wiring up quality checks that run automatically.

For the full architecture breakdown — hook pipeline, agent routing, skill loading, and design principles — see the Architecture Reference.

Configuration

All configuration lives in .devcontainer/ and deploys automatically on container start. Key files:

| File | What It Configures | User-Modifiable? | |------|--------------------|------------------| | .codeforge/config/settings.json | Model, plugins, permissions, environment variables | Yes | | .codeforge/config/main-system-prompt.md | Claude's behavioral guidelines and directives | Yes | | .codeforge/config/keybindings.json | Keyboard shortcuts | Yes | | .codeforge/config/ccstatusline-settings.json | Terminal status bar widgets and layout | Yes | | .codeforge/file-manifest.json | Which config files deploy and how they update | Yes | | devcontainer.json | Container image, features, runtimes, ports | Yes | | .env | Setup phase toggles (auth, plugins, aliases, etc.) | Yes |

Config files use SHA-256 change detection — your edits persist across container rebuilds unless the source changes. Set a file's overwrite mode to "never" in file-manifest.json to permanently preserve your customizations.

For the complete configuration guide, see the documentation site.

Quick Start

1. Install: npx @coredirective/cf-container
2. Open in Container:
   • VS Code: "Reopen in Container" from the Command Palette
   • CLI: devcontainer up --workspace-folder . then docker exec -it <container> zsh
   • Codespaces: Create a Codespace from the repo
3. Authenticate: Run claude and follow prompts
4. Start coding: Run cc

CodeForge uses the open Dev Containers specification — any compatible client works. For full usage documentation — authentication, configuration, tools, agents, and keybindings — see .devcontainer/README.md.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please read our Contributing Guide before submitting a pull request. All contributions require signing our Contributor License Agreement.

License

This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Commercial licensing is available for organizations that need to use CodeForge without GPL-3.0 obligations. Contact [email protected] or open a GitHub issue for terms.

Development

Testing Locally

git clone https://github.com/AnExiledDev/CodeForge.git
cd CodeForge
npm test

Publishing

# Bump version in package.json, then:
npm publish

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for release history. Current version: 2.1.0.

Further Reading

• Full Usage Guide
• Changelog
• Claude Code Documentation
• Dev Containers Specification
• GitHub CLI Manual