forge-ingest

Read-only Git forge repository packer for AI context.

forge-ingest turns private Git repositories into model-ready Markdown bundles and lightweight manifests. It is designed for workflows where an AI assistant needs fresh source context without direct Git credentials, write access, or a manual copy-paste workflow.

Built by INTRAC.NET as part of the local-forge-to-universal-AI-context stack:

https://intrac.net/articles/local-git-universal-ai-context

What It Does

• Clones a requested repository over SSH.
• Packs the repository into Markdown with Repomix.
• Returns a manifest with file sizes, token estimates, and commit SHA.
• Supports include/exclude glob filters.
• Uses a capability token in the URL path.
• Redacts token-like paths from application logs.
• Deletes temporary clones after each request.

Architecture

AI client or MCP wrapper
  |
  v
HTTPS edge / reverse proxy
  |
  v
forge-ingest container
  |
  v
Git forge over SSH

forge-ingest has no write endpoints, no sessions, and no database. Each request clones fresh, packs the requested ref, returns the result, and removes the temporary clone.

API

Health:

curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:8092/healthz

Packed repository context:

curl -fsS "https://ingest.example.net/${INGEST_TOKEN}/org/repo"

Manifest:

curl -fsS "https://ingest.example.net/${INGEST_TOKEN}/org/repo/manifest" | jq .

Scoped context:

curl -fsS "https://ingest.example.net/${INGEST_TOKEN}/org/repo?include=README.md,src/**"
curl -fsS "https://ingest.example.net/${INGEST_TOKEN}/org/repo?exclude=.github/**,tests/**"

Ref selection:

curl -fsS "https://ingest.example.net/${INGEST_TOKEN}/org/repo?ref=main"

Configuration

Copy .env.example to .env:

INGEST_TOKEN=
INGEST_MAX_BYTES=5242880
INGEST_TIMEOUT_SECONDS=60
INGEST_FORGE_HOST=forge
INGEST_FORGE_PORT=22
REPOMIX_VERSION=1.14.0

Generate a token:

openssl rand -hex 32

Generate an SSH deploy key and host pinning data:

./deploy/generate-deploy-key.sh

Add the generated public key to each repository that forge-ingest may read. Use read-only deploy keys.

Run

docker compose up -d --build
curl -fsS http://127.0.0.1:8092/healthz

Security Model

The URL path token is a capability secret. Anyone with the token can request any repository reachable by the configured deploy key.

Recommended boundaries:

• Use a dedicated read-only deploy key.
• Scope that key only to repositories intended for AI context.
• Keep access logs disabled or redacted at the reverse proxy.
• Rotate INGEST_TOKEN if a live URL is pasted into an untrusted system.
• Put OAuth or another authenticated gateway in front for multi-client use.

For cloud AI clients, pair this service with forge-mcp so clients authenticate with OAuth and never see the internal ingest token.

License

MIT