Cognitive Forge

A portable CLI reasoning engine that enforces structured thinking on top of LLMs.

What it does

Cognitive Forge transforms raw LLM output into disciplined, structured analysis using the RCCF framework (Reflect → Critique → Construct → Finalize). Instead of prompt → response, it enforces intent → structured analysis → critique → iteration → refined output. No chatbot wrapper — a reasoning engine.

Commands

cforge analyze <file>

Structured analysis producing a 7-field output: intent, constraints, assumptions, risks, options, decision logic, and final recommendation.

cforge analyze spec.md

cforge iterate <file>

3-round RCCF loop: Analyze → Critique → Refine. Produces initial analysis, harsh critique (weaknesses, gaps, blind spots), and a refined analysis that addresses the critique.

cforge iterate pitch.md

cforge compress <file>

Compresses large content into a structured abstraction: summary, architecture, core modules, risks, and open questions. Prints compression ratio.

cforge compress docs/architecture.md

cforge critique <file>

Harsh feedback engine — no flattery, no mercy. Produces counter-arguments, logical gaps, risk exposure, ego biases, and a blunt verdict.

cforge critique pitch.md

cforge chat

Interactive reasoning session with persistent context. Supports session commands: /harsh, /iterate, /compress, /inject <file>, /model <name>, /status, /clear, /exit. Harsh mode formats responses with structured critique output.

cforge chat

Architecture

Clean/Onion Architecture — 4 layers:

• Domain — Pure logic, models, interfaces. Zero external dependencies.
• Application — Use cases (StructuredAnalyzer, IterationEngine, ContextCompressor, HarshFeedbackEngine, ChatSession).
• Infrastructure — OpenRouterClient (implements LLMClient interface via native fetch).
• CLI — Argument parsing and output formatting. No business logic.

Setup

git clone https://github.com/Cognitive-Forge-Systems/cognitive-forge.git
cd cognitive-forge
npm install
npm run build
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=your_key
node dist/cli/index.js analyze <file>

Auto-compression

analyze, iterate, and critique automatically compress inputs exceeding 2000 words before processing. A notice is printed when compression is triggered.

Roadmap

• v0.1 ✅ — Scaffold + StructuredAnalyzer + CLI
• v0.2 ✅ — Iteration Engine (RCCF loop)
• v0.3 ✅ — Context Compression
• v0.4 ✅ — Harsh Feedback Engine + cforge critique
• v0.5 ✅ — Interactive Chat Mode + cforge chat
• v0.6 — Knowledge Gardening
• v1.0 — Plugin system + API + SDK

License

GPL-3.0-only