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The Visual Builder

Not everyone wants to write YAML by hand. CmdForge includes a modern desktop application that lets you create, edit, and manage tools with a visual interface—no text editor required.

What You'll Learn

  • How to launch and navigate the desktop application
  • Creating and editing tools with the visual builder
  • Browsing and installing tools from the registry
  • Managing AI providers
  • Testing tools before deploying them

Launching the Application

Start the desktop application with a single command:

cmdforge

The application opens with a clean, modern interface featuring a sidebar for navigation and a main content area:

Sidebar Navigation

  • My Tools - View and manage your tools
  • Registry - Browse and install community tools
  • Providers - Configure AI backends
  • Profiles - Manage account connections

Features

  • Light and dark themes
  • Keyboard shortcuts for power users
  • One-click registry connection
  • Real-time status syncing

Pro Tip: Theme Switching

Use the View menu to switch between light and dark themes. Your preference is saved automatically.

The My Tools Page

The My Tools page shows all your installed tools organized by category in a tree view:

  • Category grouping - Tools are organized under categories like Text Processing, Developer, Data, etc.
  • Tool details panel - Select a tool to see its description, arguments, and processing steps
  • Publish status - Icons indicate whether a tool is published, pending review, or local-only

From this page you can:

Create

New tool

Edit

Existing tool

Publish

To registry

Delete

Remove tool

Creating Tools with the Visual Builder

Click New Tool to open the tool builder. It has a form-based interface split into sections:

Basic Information

  • Name - Unique identifier (lowercase, hyphens allowed)
  • Description - Brief summary for listings
  • Category - Select or create a category

Arguments

  • Add custom flags (--format, --max, etc.)
  • Set default values and help text
  • Arguments become variables in your prompts

Processing Steps

Build your tool's logic by adding steps:

  • Prompt Steps - Send input to an AI provider with a template
  • Code Steps - Process data with Python code
  • Reorder steps by dragging or using move buttons
  • Each step can pass its output to the next via variables

Step-by-Step: Creating a Summarizer

  1. Launch: Run cmdforge to open the application
  2. Navigate: Click My Tools in the sidebar
  3. Create: Click the New Tool button
  4. Basic Info: Enter name summarize and a description
  5. Add Argument: Click Add Argument, set flag to --length with default 100
  6. Add Step: Click Add Step and choose Prompt Step
  7. Configure Step: Select your AI provider and enter the prompt template
  8. Save: Click Save to create your tool

Browsing the Registry

The Registry page lets you discover and install tools created by the community:

  • Search - Find tools by name or keyword
  • Filter by category - Browse Text Processing, Developer, Data tools, etc.
  • Sort - Order by downloads, newest, or alphabetically
  • Tool details - View description, author, version history, and download count
  • One-click install - Install any tool to your local machine

Version Selection

When installing a tool, you can choose a specific version or get the latest. This is useful when you need a particular version for compatibility.

Managing Providers

The Providers page shows all configured AI backends in a table view:

Column Description
Name Provider identifier used in tool configs
Command The CLI command that's executed
Description What this provider does

From this page you can:

  • Add Provider - Create a new provider with name, command, and description
  • Edit - Modify an existing provider's configuration
  • Delete - Remove a provider you no longer need
  • Test - Send a test prompt to verify the provider works

Testing Tools

Test your tools before deploying them using the step-by-step test feature:

  1. In the Tool Builder, click Test on any step
  2. Enter sample input text
  3. Set any argument values
  4. Run the test to see the output

This lets you verify prompts and variable substitution. For quick tests without API calls, configure a mock provider that echoes input back.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Power users can navigate quickly with these shortcuts:

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+1 to Ctrl+4 Switch to page (Tools, Registry, Providers, Profiles)
Ctrl+N Create new tool
Ctrl+S Save current tool
Escape Cancel / go back
Ctrl+Q Quit the application

CLI vs Visual Builder

When should you use each?

Use the Visual Builder when... Use CLI/YAML when...
You're new to CmdForge You're comfortable with YAML
Building your first few tools Making quick edits to configs
Browsing the registry Scripting tool installation
Managing providers visually Copying tools between machines
Publishing tools to the registry CI/CD integration

Next Up

Now that you know how to use the Visual Builder:

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