This document covers installing the ThinkForge desktop application, where it puts things on disk, how to update it, and what uninstalling does and does not remove. For what to do after the app is running, see Getting Started. For installing the browser extension, see Chrome Extension / Installation.
Requirements
Windows version — Windows 10 or later. The installer refuses to run on older releases.
Architecture — 64-bit only.
Privileges — Administrator. The installer writes to Program Files and adds Windows Firewall rules.
.NET runtime — Not required separately. Everything ThinkForge needs ships inside the install directory.
There is no macOS or Linux build. Several integrations depend on Windows behavior, including the global hotkeys and Power Strip's foreground-application detection.
Installing
The closed beta ships as an installer named ThinkForge-Setup-<version>.exe. The current beta version is 0.9.0-beta.4.
Run the installer and accept the elevation prompt. The default install directory is:
C:\Program Files\Think Forge
The installer creates a Think Forge Start menu group containing the application and an uninstall entry. A desktop icon is offered as an optional task and is unchecked by default. When setup finishes it offers to launch the app.
The application executable is named Fire.exe, which is what you will see in Task Manager.
The splash screen displays CLOSED BETA, the exact application version, and Think Forge's copyright notice. Before other background services start, the released app checks the unauthenticated beta-status file described in Editions and Licensing.
Firewall rules
Setup adds two inbound Windows Firewall rules for the Mobile Dashboard, both scoped to the local subnet on private and public profiles:
ThinkForge Mobile Dashboard HTTPS— TCP port 19223ThinkForge Mobile Dashboard Discovery— UDP port 19224
These are added whether or not you intend to use the Mobile Dashboard. The feature itself stays off until enabled in Settings. If the rules are later removed by policy or cleanup software, the Mobile Dashboard settings section reports that it could not start and points at the firewall.
The bundled Chrome extension
The extension ships inside the install directory at:
C:\Program Files\Think Forge\ThinkForgeExtension
After the main window opens, ThinkForge shows a Chrome extension setup dialog with that exact path and a Copy Path button, until Don't show again is selected. Unpacked installation is a temporary beta arrangement pending Chrome Web Store publication.
Load it through chrome://extensions with Developer mode enabled and Load unpacked. Full steps and troubleshooting are in Chrome Extension / Installation.
First Launch
A genuine first installation opens a projects-folder dialog. The release default is:
Documents\Think Forge\Projects
Any writable folder can be selected instead. Installations that already have settings or projects skip this dialog. The location can be changed later under Settings, General. See Settings and Preferences.
The installer includes this complete User Docs project. On a fresh setup, ThinkForge copies it into the selected projects root together with the bundled Meta Agent Documents project. Generated search indexes, workspace databases, internal trash, and _captured intake material are not part of the bundled documentation.
After the projects root is ready, the Help system reconciles and indexes User Docs once for that application process. Help queries stay scoped to that project and never change the active project. If the project is missing or cannot be indexed, Help directs you to download or reinstall it rather than attempting an automatic repair.
Where ThinkForge Stores Data
Read-only files shipped by the installer live under the install directory. Everything the app writes lives under a separate data root.
Data root
In a release build the data root is:
Documents\Think Forge
It is created on startup if missing. It contains:
settings.json — Application settings.
Databases\ — Application databases, including search indexes that are not project-local, Smart Clipboard, activity tracking, and workspace state.
Cache\ — Regenerable and transient data. Safe to delete when the app is closed, at the cost of rebuilding it.
ProjectSettings\ — Project settings.
Projects\ — The default projects root, unless you changed it.
Install directory
The install directory holds files the app ships with and should not be edited. These include the AI provider and model definitions, the known MCP client list, the bundled embedding model, the Chrome extension, and the editor payloads.
Project data
Project documents are ordinary files in the project folder, not inside any application database. Each initialized project also carries a hidden .fire\ folder holding its configuration, workspace state, project-local search index, cache, and internal trash. See Projects and Documents.
Local Services and Ports
While ThinkForge is running it listens on four local ports. All are bound locally; none are exposed to the internet by ThinkForge itself.
19222 — Desktop Bridge, used by the Chrome extension.
19223 — Mobile Dashboard HTTPS, local subnet only, only when enabled.
19224 — Mobile Dashboard discovery, local subnet only, only when enabled.
3001 — ThinkForge MCP server.
The Chrome extension, MCP clients, and paired mobile devices all require ThinkForge to be running. Nothing on these ports works when the app is closed.
Updating
There is no in-app updater in the beta. ThinkForge does not download or install updates automatically. It checks a small beta-status file at startup and every four hours while running so a defective build can be paused and testers can be directed to the current beta route. Updates themselves are distributed as a new installer.
To update, run the newer ThinkForge-Setup installer over the existing installation. It recognizes the previous install and upgrades in place rather than creating a second copy. Close ThinkForge first.
An upgrade replaces the contents of the install directory. It does not touch the data root, so settings, databases, and projects carry across.
After updating, reload the Chrome extension. The bundled extension under the install directory is replaced by the upgrade, and Chrome keeps running the previously loaded copy until you reload it from chrome://extensions.
Uninstalling
Uninstall from the Start menu entry or through Windows Apps & features.
Uninstall removes the install directory and both Mobile Dashboard firewall rules.
Uninstall does not remove your data. The data root at Documents\Think Forge — including settings.json, all databases, the cache, and every project stored under the default projects root — is left in place. Reinstalling picks it back up.
To remove everything, delete Documents\Think Forge manually after uninstalling. Projects stored outside the projects root, including linked external projects, live wherever you put them and are unaffected either way.
Remove the Chrome extension separately from chrome://extensions. Uninstalling the desktop app does not unload it, and an extension left loaded will simply fail to reach the desktop.
Backup
Project content is ordinary files, so a normal file backup or version control covers your documents. Back up the project folders themselves rather than relying on .fire\ state.
Two beta behaviors are worth knowing before you move data around. Removing a project with Delete all files unchecked still removes that project's .fire\ and _captured\ folders. Changing the projects root through Move Folder… copies rather than moves, leaving the original as a backup you delete manually once you have verified the new location.
Deleting a document moves it to an internal capped trash folder holding a limited number of recent items, and the beta exposes no restore interface. Do not treat it as a safety net. See Projects and Documents.