open-forge
Automate self-hosting of open-source apps on cloud infrastructure the user owns. Use when the user asks to "self-host", "deploy to my own cloud", "install X on AWS / Lightsail / EC2 / Azure / Hetzner / DigitalOcean / GCP / Oracle Cloud / Hostinger / Raspberry Pi / Kubernetes / Fly.io / Render / Railway / Northflank / exe.dev", "set up my own Ghost blog / Mastodon / WordPress / Nextcloud", wants to deploy the self-hosted personal AI agent **OpenClaw** (openclaw.ai — NOT the Captain Claw platformer game) or **Hermes-Agent** (Nous Research's self-improving AI agent at github.com/NousResearch/herm
Profile →npx skills add zhangqi444/open-forge --skill open-forge --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
What it does
Automates self-hosting of open-source apps on cloud infrastructure the user owns. It walks the user from choosing software and infra to provisioning, DNS, TLS, outbound/inbound email, and final exposure at a domain. It supports multiple target apps (Ghost, OpenClaw, Hermes-Agent, Ollama, Open WebUI, Stable Diffusion WebUI, ComfyUI, Dify, LibreChat, AnythingLLM, Aider, vLLM, Langfuse) and infra adapters (AWS, Azure, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, GCP, Oracle Cloud, Hostinger, Raspberry Pi, macOS VM, BYO Linux, localhost, Fly.io, Render, Railway, Northflank, exe.dev). It retains progress in a state file at ~/.open-forge/deployments/<name>.yaml so sessions can resume later.
How it works
Claude runs the provisioning steps described by the recipes. For each recipe, Claude may execute bash blocks directly, announce actions before running, and prompt the user only for inputs that require credentials or choices (e.g., AWS profile name, domain, SMTP key). It installs dependencies when needed (asking for approval before using sudo). It loads the appropriate project recipe and infra adapter based on the user’s stated intent, then runs phases sequentially, recording progress to the state file.
When to use it
Use when the user wants to self-host open-source apps on their own cloud account and domain, including setups like Ghost on AWS Lightsail or OpenClaw with various upstream paths. Use when the user needs a guided, resumable deployment flow that covers provisioning, DNS, TLS, and mail, and when multiple software and infra options are involved.
What it can touch
Clauses reference supported software and infra adapters, and it coordinates with tools like AWS CLI, domain DNS config, and mail SMTP as part of the deployment workflow. The state is stored at ~/.open-forge/deployments/<name>.yaml.
Caveats
Licensing is MIT. The skill delegates execution to user-owned environments via recipes and does not guarantee successful deployment; outcomes depend on user inputs and upstream project readiness. No promises of completion beyond stated steps.
# open-forge ## Overview Walk a user from "I have a cloud account and a domain" to "working app at `https://my.domain` with TLS and mail." Load the appropriate project recipe and infra adapter based on the user's stated intent; run phases sequentially; record state so the user can resume later. > **Platform note:** this skill is designed for Claude Code but the content is platform-agnostic. Tool n
What does the open-forge skill do?
Automate self-hosting of open-source apps on cloud infrastructure the user owns. Use when the user asks to "self-host", "deploy to my own cloud", "install X on AWS / Lightsail / EC2 / Azure / Hetzner / DigitalOcean / GCP / Oracle Cloud / Hostinger / Raspberry Pi / Kubernetes / Fly.io / Render / Railway / Northflank / exe.dev", "set up my own Ghost blog / Mastodon / WordPress / Nextcloud", wants to deploy the self-hosted personal AI agent **OpenClaw** (openclaw.ai — NOT the Captain Claw platformer game) or **Hermes-Agent** (Nous Research's self-improving AI agent at github.com/NousResearch/herm
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add zhangqi444/open-forge --skill open-forge --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From zhangqi444/open-forge, a repository with 89 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.