1. Quick Start
Use this when Forge has just been installed and you want a clean first pass without trying to reorganize your entire vault in one afternoon.
Forge works best as a gradual maintenance workflow.
You do not need:
- a perfect schema
- strict metadata everywhere
- a fully organized vault
- complicated automation
Start small.
Improve consistency over time.
1. Install the Documentation
Run:
Forge: Install Documentation
Forge installs documentation into:
A-I/Forge/Engine/Docs
Examples install into:
A-I/Forge/Engine/Examples
The installer skips files that already exist.
If you want a fresh copy later, move or rename the previous installed docs first.
2. Explore the Installed Structure
Forge creates an operational workspace directly inside your vault.
Typical structure:
A-I/Forge/Engine/
├── Docs/
├── Examples/
├── Patches/
├── Schemas/
├── Shapes/
└── Exports/
3. Create Your Schema Note
Forge expects the schema at:
A-I/Forge/Schema/schema.md
Copy the starter schema from Starter Schema.
Schemas define the metadata rules and structure Forge uses throughout the vault.
A schema note needs:
- normal frontmatter
- a body line like:
version:: "1.0" - a
# Contractheading - one fenced YAML block under that heading
4. Validate the Schema
Run:
Forge: Validate Schema
This checks the schema itself for:
- malformed YAML
- invalid field definitions
- missing configuration
- invalid enum rules
- duplicate fields
Fix schema problems before linting the vault.
Vault linting depends on a readable schema.
5. Run Your First Vault Lint
Run:
Forge: Run Vault Lint
Forge scans your vault for issues such as:
- missing frontmatter
- inconsistent tags
- malformed metadata
- invalid field values
- stale review dates
- shape mismatches
- structural drift
Forge writes lint reports into:
A-I/Forge/Exports
6. Fix One Small Thing
Do not try to clean the entire vault at once.
Pick one narrow improvement, such as:
- add a missing
status - normalize tags in one folder
- repair malformed frontmatter
- standardize frontmatter ordering
- clean up one note type
Good early repair tools:
Forge: Normalize TagsForge: Normalize FrontmatterForge: Vault Repair
Useful repair examples:
7. Re-run Lint
After repairs, run lint again.
That feedback loop is the core Forge workflow:
schema → lint → review → repair → lint again
Over time, the vault becomes easier to:
- search
- query
- maintain
- export
- build dashboards from
- use with Dataview
- use with Bases
- use with AI workflows
8. Explore the Examples
Forge installs organized examples directly into your vault.
Examples include:
- starter schemas
- patch workflows
- repair examples
- export workflows
- shape systems
- maintenance routines
The examples are designed to be copied and adapted to your own workflows.
Good places to start:
