# ForgeDesigner Alpha: an AI assistant that builds websites on your own machine

> Source: <https://dev.to/artanidos/forgedesigner-alpha-an-ai-assistant-that-builds-websites-on-your-own-machine-2mdg>
> Published: 2026-09-24 06:49:12+00:00

Today I'm releasing the first **alpha of ForgeDesigner** for **macOS (Apple Silicon)** and **Linux (x86_64)**.

ForgeDesigner is a small desktop app where you describe a website in plain words and an AI assistant builds it: it creates the pages, writes the Markdown, and shows you a live preview. The result is plain files in a folder on your disk. You don't need a hosting account, you don't get locked into a page builder, and nothing lives in somebody else's cloud unless you put it there.

👉 **Download:** [https://codeberg.org/CrowdWare/Forge4D/releases/tag/v2026.9.23-forgedesigner-linux](https://codeberg.org/CrowdWare/Forge4D/releases/tag/v2026.9.23-forgedesigner-linux)

I wanted something between "hand-write HTML" and "rent a website builder". The things people use today, WordPress, website builders and IDEs, all ask you to learn their world first. I wanted a single place where I can say *"make me a landing page with a short intro and a contact section"*, then look at the files, change a sentence by hand, and ask for the next step.

ForgeDesigner is built on **[Forge 4D](https://codeberg.org/CrowdWare/Forge4D)**, an open platform where apps are written in two small languages:

The whole designer UI, including the docks, the file tree, the editor and the assistant tab, is itself an SML/SMS app running on the native Forge runner (C++ on top of Godot 4.6). A few lines from its layout:

```
DockingContainer {
    id: rightDock
    dockSide: right

    VBoxContainer {
        id: preview
        rightDock.title: @Strings.tabPreview
    }
}
```

`list_files`, `read_file`, `write_file` and `run_command` inside your workspace folder (`~/ForgeWorkspace/...`). You watch it work in the transcript, and the file tree updates as files appear.
An AI that can write files and run commands on your machine needs guard rails. ForgeDesigner has these:

`openrouter.ai`), and the runner asks you once on first start.` git`, `ls`, `cat`, `ssh`, `scp`) runs directly. Everything else opens a dialog where you decide, once or for good.`chmod 600` file in the runner's data folder and is never handed to the app or the model.
Prompt injection is still a real risk. The trusted commands can reach whatever your user can. That's a big part of why this is an alpha.

**macOS (Apple Silicon):** unzip, then remove the quarantine flag once. The alpha is only ad-hoc signed.

```
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ForgeDesigner.app
```

**Linux (x86_64):**

```
tar xzf ForgeDesigner-2026.9.23-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
./ForgeDesigner/ForgeDesigner.x86_64
```

`:free` need no credit.`~/Library/Application Support/Godot/app_userdata/ForgeDesigner/`
`~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/ForgeDesigner/`
`forge_ai_keys.sml` and run `chmod 600 forge_ai_keys.sml`:

```
   Keys {
       openrouter: "sk-or-v1-..."
   }
```

`forge_ai.sml`, switch the provider:

```
   Ai {
       provider: "openrouter"
       chatModels: "qwen/qwen3.8-27b:free, nvidia/nemotron-3-super-120b-a12b:free"
   }
```

The first model is used, and the others are fallbacks. Free models come and go, so check the current ones [with tool support](https://openrouter.ai/models?max_price=0&supported_parameters=tools).

The code is open source (GPLv3, with a commercial license available) on Codeberg: [https://codeberg.org/CrowdWare/Forge4D](https://codeberg.org/CrowdWare/Forge4D)

If you try it, I'd love to hear what broke, what felt wrong, and what you'd build with it. Issues and comments welcome! 🌱