SchemaSmith Documentation

Getting Started with Ask Forge

Install the CLI, set up your license, configure an LLM provider, and run your first schema review in minutes.

Prerequisites Installation Licensing First Run Quick Wins
Getting started with Ask Forge

Prerequisites

Ask Forge is a .NET application that requires a SchemaSmith license. Gather these before you begin.

Requirement Details
SchemaSmith License A valid SchemaSmith License.lic file. See Licensing below for details.
.NET 9.0 Runtime Download from dotnet.microsoft.com. Verify with dotnet --version.
Operating System Windows, macOS, or Linux
LLM Provider (optional) For AI-powered mode, you need an LLM provider. See all supported options. All commands work without one.

Installation

Windows Installer (Recommended)

AskForge is distributed as a Windows MSI installer (SetupAskForge-Enterprise.msi).

The installer:

  • Requires .NET 9.0 Runtime
  • Installs to C:\Program Files\SchemaSmith\ForgeBarrett\
  • Automatically adds the install directory to the system PATH
  • Includes both the ask-forge CLI and the ForgeBarrett.Mcp MCP server

During installation, two features are available:

  1. ForgeBarrett Core (required) — CLI and MCP Server binaries, PATH setup
  2. Claude Desktop Integration (optional) — Registers the MCP server in Claude Desktop's config at %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Cross-Platform ZIP Package

For macOS, Linux, or environments where an MSI is not suitable, AskForge is also available as a ZIP package, AskForge-Enterprise.zip. The package includes both ask-forge.exe and ForgeBarrett.Mcp.exe.

  1. Install the .NET 9.0 Runtime
  2. Extract the ZIP to your preferred location
  3. Add the extraction directory to your PATH
  4. Run the CLI: ask-forge

To use Ask Forge as an MCP server with Claude Desktop, VS Code, or other MCP clients, see MCP Server Setup for configuration instructions — the client launches ForgeBarrett.Mcp.exe automatically.

Verify Installation

After installing, open a new terminal and run:

ask-forge --version

To confirm configuration is working:

ask-forge show-config

Licensing

Ask Forge requires a valid SchemaSmith Enterprise or Evaluation license. The license file is located automatically by searching in this order:

  1. Path specified by the ASKFORGE_LICENSE environment variable (directory containing the license)
  2. The directory where ask-forge is installed
  3. Parent directories (walks up to the root)
  4. Directories in the system PATH
If the license is not found, Ask Forge will exit with an error. For most Windows installations, placing SchemaSmith License.lic in the install directory (C:\Program Files\SchemaSmith\ForgeBarrett\) is the simplest option.

First Run

Single Command Mode

Run a specific command and exit:

ask-forge list-tables --product ./MyProduct --template Default

Every command works without an LLM provider. See Console & Commands for the full reference.

Interactive Mode (REPL)

Launch Ask Forge without arguments to enter interactive mode:

ask-forge

In interactive mode you can type commands directly (e.g., list-tables, show-config) or ask natural language questions if an LLM provider is configured.

No LLM configured? All commands work in interactive mode without an LLM. Natural language queries require a configured provider — see the next section.

Configure Your LLM Provider (Optional)

An LLM provider enables natural language interaction but is not required for any command. Here are three ways to get started:

Option A: Ollama (local, no API key needed)

  1. Install Ollama from ollama.com
  2. Pull a model: ollama pull llama3:8b
  3. Ask Forge includes a default Ollama configuration — no config changes needed

Option B: Environment variables (any provider)

set FORGE_LLM_PROVIDER=OpenAI
set FORGE_LLM_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here
set FORGE_LLM_MODEL=gpt-4o
export FORGE_LLM_PROVIDER=OpenAI
export FORGE_LLM_API_KEY=sk-your-key-here
export FORGE_LLM_MODEL=gpt-4o

Option C: Config file

For full config reference, see Configuration.

See all supported LLM providers

Quick Wins

Try these commands to get productive immediately.

List Tables

List all tables in a schema package:

ask-forge list-tables \
  --product ./MyProduct \
  --template Default
Review a Schema

Run an instant schema review for issues:

ask-forge review-schema \
  --product ./MyProduct \
  --template Default
Search Knowledge Base

Search the built-in knowledge base:

ask-forge search-knowledge \
  --query "naming conventions"
Show a Table

Inspect a specific table's structure:

ask-forge show-table \
  --product ./MyProduct \
  --template Default \
  --table Users

Related Documentation

Configuration — Full config file reference and all settings. Config LLM Providers — Configure Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, and more. Config Console & Commands — Full CLI reference for all commands and flags. Usage Trust Levels — Understand the permission model. Security MCP Server Setup — Use Ask Forge with Claude Desktop, VS Code, and Cursor. Integration Enterprise Edition — Schema management tools for SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MySQL. Product