FORGE Implementation Guide

Ready to create your own FORGE product? This guide walks through the complete process—from concept to delivery.

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Phase 1: Validate FORGE Fit (1-2 days)

Before investing months in creation, confirm your idea is FORGE-compatible.

The 6-Property Test

Can your product satisfy all 6 observable properties?

[ ] Self-contained — Runs without external dependencies
[ ] Complete documentation — Buyer can implement without you
[ ] One-time delivery — Download once, use forever
[ ] No ongoing costs — Zero subscriptions or recurring fees
[ ] Transferable ownership — Buyer owns the artifact
[ ] Observable implementation — Source/methodology visible

If you checked all 6: Proceed to Phase 2 If you missed any: Redesign or choose a different delivery model

Anti-Patterns (When NOT to Use FORGE)

❌ Live services — Real-time data feeds, monitoring dashboards ❌ Managed infrastructure — Hosting, databases, CDN ❌ Continuous updates required — Security patches, compliance tracking ❌ High-touch onboarding — Custom implementation, consulting-heavy ❌ Network effects critical — Marketplaces, social platforms, communities

FORGE is for static intelligence, not dynamic services.

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Phase 2: Deep R&D (4-12 weeks)

FORGE demands intensive upfront work. This is where the value is created.

Research Checklist

[ ] Domain analysis — What problem are you solving?
[ ] Competitive research — What exists? What gaps remain?
[ ] Methodology design — What's your unique approach?
[ ] Validation testing — Does it work in practice?
[ ] Edge case exploration — Where does it break?
[ ] Documentation scaffolding — Outline before building

Depth Over Speed

Time investment by product type:

• MCP Server: 4-8 weeks (research + implementation + testing)
• Framework/Library: 6-12 weeks (architecture + patterns + examples)
• Business Playbook: 3-6 weeks (templates + case studies + validation)
• Intelligence Blueprint: 8-16 weeks (methodology + implementation + research)

MillPond examples:

• ChirpIQX: 6 weeks (signal pattern research)
• BrowserLLM Terminal: 12 weeks (WebGPU integration, model optimization)
• PACE.js: 8 weeks (semantic matrix design, recursive acronym)

You're forging once. Make it count.

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Phase 3: Documentation as Product (2-4 weeks)

In FORGE, documentation IS the product. Incomplete docs = incomplete product.

Documentation Checklist

[ ] Quick Start — 5-minute "hello world"
[ ] Installation — Step-by-step setup
[ ] Core Concepts — Foundational understanding
[ ] Implementation Guide — Complete usage patterns
[ ] API Reference — Every function/method documented
[ ] Troubleshooting — Common issues + solutions
[ ] Examples — Real-world use cases
[ ] FAQ — Anticipated questions answered

Observable Implementation Requirement

Buyers must be able to implement without contacting you:

✅ Good: "Install via npm, configure API keys in .env, run npm start" ✅ Good: "Copy template to /templates, customize variables, export PDF" ✅ Good: "Open HTML file in browser, click 'Load Model', start chatting"

❌ Bad: "Contact us for implementation support" ❌ Bad: "Setup requires custom configuration (email for details)" ❌ Bad: "Installation guide coming soon"

Test this: Give docs to a stranger. Can they deploy without asking you anything?

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Phase 4: Packaging for One-Time Delivery (1 week)

FORGE products must be download once, use forever.

Packaging Checklist

[ ] Version number — Semantic versioning (1.0.0)
[ ] Complete bundle — All dependencies included (or documented)
[ ] LICENSE file — Perpetual use rights clearly stated
[ ] README — Overview + quick start
[ ] CHANGELOG — Version history
[ ] Release notes — What's included, what's changed
[ ] Delivery method — .zip, npm package, GitHub release, etc.

Delivery Methods by Product Type

MCP Servers:

# Option 1: npm package
npm install @millpond/chirpiqx

# Option 2: GitHub release
wget https://github.com/millpond/chirpiqx/releases/v1.0.0.zip

Frameworks:

# Option 1: npm
npm install @millpond/pace-js

# Option 2: CDN
<script src="https://cdn.millpond.ai/[email protected]"></script>

Business Playbooks:

# Option 1: Direct download
# board-brief-v1.0.0.zip (contains templates/ + docs/)

# Option 2: Google Drive link
# Buyer downloads once, owns forever

Intelligence Blueprints:

# Option 1: Repository clone
git clone https://github.com/millpond/blueprint-name

# Option 2: Release bundle
# blueprint-name-v1.0.0.zip (complete implementation)

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Phase 5: Pricing Strategy (1-2 days)

FORGE pricing is value-based, not cost-based.

Pricing Formula

Price = (DIY Cost × Time Saved) + (Risk Reduction × Confidence Premium)

Example: ChirpIQX ($99)

• DIY Cost: 6 weeks @ $150/hr = $36,000
• Time Saved: 6 weeks immediate delivery
• Risk Reduction: Battle-tested, validated patterns
• Market positioning: Accessible to solo developers
• Result: $99 = 0.27% of DIY cost, 99.73% savings

Example: Market Essentials Playbook ($499)

• DIY Cost: 4 weeks research @ $200/hr = $32,000
• Time Saved: 4 weeks immediate deployment
• Risk Reduction: Proven templates, case studies
• Market positioning: Enterprise consultants, strategists
• Result: $499 = 1.5% of DIY cost, 98.5% savings

Pricing Tiers by Complexity

Tier	Price Range	R&D Time	Target Buyer
Free/OSS	$0	2-8 weeks	Developers, community
Accessible	$49-$149	4-8 weeks	Solo creators, small teams
Professional	$199-$499	6-12 weeks	Consultants, agencies
Enterprise	$999+	12+ weeks	Organizations, enterprises

Rule of thumb: Charge 1-5% of buyer's DIY cost.

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Phase 6: Legal & Licensing (1 day)

FORGE requires clear ownership transfer and perpetual use rights.

License Checklist

[ ] Perpetual use rights — Buyer can use forever
[ ] Commercial use allowed — Buyer can profit from it
[ ] Transferable ownership — Buyer can resell (if applicable)
[ ] Modification rights — Buyer can fork/modify (if applicable)
[ ] Source code license — MIT, proprietary, or custom
[ ] No termination clause — License never expires

Common License Types

Open Source (Free FORGE):

MIT License — Maximum freedom
- Commercial use: ✅
- Modification: ✅
- Distribution: ✅
- Sublicense: ✅

Paid FORGE (Proprietary):

Perpetual Commercial License
- Buyer: Full commercial use rights
- Buyer: Can modify for own use
- Buyer: Cannot redistribute as standalone product
- Seller: Zero ongoing obligations

Paid FORGE (Resellable):

Transferable Commercial License
- Buyer: Full commercial use + resale rights
- Buyer: Can white-label and resell
- Buyer: Can include in client deliverables
- Seller: Zero ongoing obligations

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Phase 7: Distribution (1-2 days)

FORGE products need simple, permanent distribution.

Distribution Channels

Technical Products (MCP, frameworks):

• npm registry (versioned, cached forever)
• GitHub Releases (permanent URLs)
• Your own CDN (Cloudflare R2, AWS S3)

Business Products (playbooks, blueprints):

• Direct download (Gumroad, Lemon Squeezy)
• Email delivery (SendOwl, ConvertKit)
• GitHub private repos (for paid access)

MillPond Approach:

1. Stripe checkout → Payment
2. Cloudflare R2 → Download link generated
3. Email delivery → Permanent download URL
4. Buyer downloads → Owns forever

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Phase 8: Launch (1 week)

FORGE launches are simple: announce, deliver, exit.

Launch Checklist

[ ] Product page — Feature list, pricing, examples
[ ] Documentation site — VitePress, Docusaurus, or similar
[ ] Payment integration — Stripe, Gumroad, or direct
[ ] Download delivery — Automated, permanent URLs
[ ] Launch announcement — Blog post, Twitter, LinkedIn
[ ] Initial support plan — FAQ, email for first week only

Post-Launch Support Strategy

FORGE minimizes ongoing support:

✅ Documentation-first: Comprehensive docs answer 95% of questions ✅ Best-effort support: Email response within 3-5 days (not guaranteed) ✅ Community-driven: GitHub issues, discussions for bugs/features ✅ No SLA: Zero service-level agreements or guarantees

MillPond support policy:

• Week 1: Active email monitoring
• Week 2-4: Best-effort responses
• Month 2+: Documentation + GitHub issues only

Why this works: Buyers own the product. They control implementation. Your job was to forge it once—their job is to wield it.

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Success Metrics

FORGE Product Health

Metric	Target
Support tickets	<5 per 100 sales
Documentation clarity	Buyer can deploy in <30 min
Refund rate	<2%
Repeat purchases	20-40% (other products)
Revenue per R&D hour	10-100× (over 3 years)

MillPond Benchmarks

ChirpIQX:

• Support tickets: 2 per 100 sales
• Time to deploy: 15 minutes (npm install + config)
• Refund rate: 0.8%
• Revenue per R&D hour: 47× (after 18 months)

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Next Steps

Dive Deeper:

• Creation Checklist — Detailed phase-by-phase
• Technical Architecture — Stack decisions
• Pricing Strategy — Value-based pricing formulas

See Examples:

• ChirpIQX Case Study — $99 MCP server
• BrowserLLM Case Study — $149 offline AI
• PACE.js Case Study — Free framework

Understand the Pattern:

• Observable Properties — 6 criteria deep dive
• FORGE vs SaaS — Model differences
• When NOT to Use FORGE — Anti-patterns

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FORGE isn't fast—it's thorough. You invest months upfront to create perpetual value. Buyers pay once to own forever. You exit to build the next thing.

Intelligence forged once, wielded forever. 🪶