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Discovering Community Tools

Why build everything from scratch? The CmdForge Registry is a treasure trove of ready-to-use tools built by developers just like you. In minutes, you can have a fully-equipped command line without writing a single line of YAML.

What You'll Learn

  • How to search and browse the registry
  • Installing tools with a single command
  • Managing versions and updates
  • Using installed tools like a pro

Browsing the Registry

Think of the registry as an app store for your terminal. Every tool has been reviewed, tested, and is ready to use. There are two ways to explore:

Visual Builder

Run cmdforge and click Registry in the sidebar. Browse by category, search by keyword, and install with one click.

Command Line

Use cmdforge registry search for quick lookups when you know what you want.

Searching from the Command Line

# Search by keyword
cmdforge registry search "code review"

# Browse a category
cmdforge registry search --category Developer

# Find popular tools
cmdforge registry search --sort downloads

# Combine filters
cmdforge registry search "translate" --category Text --sort downloads

Each result shows you the tool name, author, description, and download count—everything you need to decide if it's right for you.

Installing Tools

Found something you like? Installation is one command:

# Install a tool
cmdforge registry install official/summarize

# Install a specific version
cmdforge registry install official/[email protected]

# Install multiple tools at once
cmdforge registry install official/summarize official/translate official/fix-grammar

That's it. The tool is now available as a command. Try it:

# Use your newly installed tool
echo "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" | summarize

What Just Happened?

CmdForge downloaded the tool config to ~/.cmdforge/summarize/ and created a wrapper script in ~/.local/bin/. The tool is now part of your system just like grep or cat.

Inspecting Tools Before Installing

Not sure what a tool does? Peek inside before you commit:

# View tool details
cmdforge registry info official/explain-code

# See what you'll get:
# - Description
# - Available arguments
# - Required providers
# - Version history
# - Download count

In the Visual Builder, just click on any tool to see its full details in the right panel.

Using Installed Tools

Every installed tool works like a Unix command. The universal pattern:

# Pipe input
cat file.txt | toolname

# Pass a file directly
toolname file.txt

# Use arguments
cat file.txt | toolname --flag value

# Chain tools together
cat article.txt | summarize | translate --lang Spanish

Discovering Arguments

Every tool comes with built-in help:

# See what arguments a tool accepts
summarize --help

# Output:
# Usage: summarize [OPTIONS] [INPUT]
#
# Summarize text using AI
#
# Options:
#   --max-length TEXT  Maximum summary length in words [default: 200]
#   --provider TEXT    Override the AI provider
#   --help             Show this message

Managing Your Tools

List Installed Tools

# See everything you have installed
cmdforge list

# Filter by category
cmdforge list --category Developer

Update Tools

# Check for updates
cmdforge registry check-updates

# Update a specific tool
cmdforge registry install official/summarize@latest

# Update all tools (coming soon)
cmdforge registry update-all

Remove Tools

# Remove a tool you no longer need
cmdforge delete summarize

A Note on Providers

Registry tools specify which AI provider they use. If you don't have that provider configured, you have two options:

Option 1: Configure the Provider

Follow our Providers Guide to set up the required provider.

Option 2: Override at Runtime

Use a provider you already have: cat file.txt | summarize --provider ollama

Quick Start: The Starter Collection

Not sure where to begin? Install our curated starter pack:

# Install the essentials
cmdforge collections install starter

This gives you:

Tool What It Does
summarize Condense long text into key points
translate Translate to any language
fix-grammar Fix spelling and grammar issues
explain-error Decode cryptic error messages
commit-msg Generate commit messages from diffs

What's Next?

Now that you've got tools from the registry:

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