Core Concepts

June 4, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

This page follows the first direct Agent runs.

It gives the mental model before the reference pages introduce schemas, memory, storage, subclass hooks, and legacy compatibility surfaces.

Agent

An Agent is the smallest useful AgentForge unit.

It loads a prompt template from .agentforge/prompts/, resolves model settings, renders prompt variables, calls a provider or debug response, and returns the result.

The direct Agent path is the first beginner workflow because it has the fewest moving pieces.

Prompt Template

Prompt templates are YAML files under .agentforge/prompts/.

They define the system and user prompt sections an Agent renders at runtime.

The detailed prompt reference lives in Agent Prompts.

Settings

Settings live under .agentforge/settings/.

Beginners mostly need system.yaml for the debug smoke test and models.yaml for the provider used after debug mode.

The detailed settings reference lives in Settings.

Cog

A Cog is a YAML workflow under .agentforge/cogs/.

It connects one or more Agents into a declarative flow with transitions, branching, optional memory, and return-value rules.

The beginner Cog path should start with a small no-memory workflow before adding branch/loop behavior.

Advanced Context Systems

Memory, personas, storage internals, custom APIs, custom Agents, utilities, and legacy Tools/Actions are useful after the basic Agent and Cog flow works.

Use Advanced Reference when you are ready for those surfaces.