Custom Binary Path

When you install ForgeCode normally, the binary lands in your $PATH as forge. The ZSH plugin assumes that name and calls it directly. That works until it doesn't — when you're testing a local build, running a binary at an absolute path, or keeping multiple versions side by side.

FORGE_BIN lets you tell the ZSH plugin exactly which binary to use instead.

What It Controls

The ZSH plugin sources its shell integration at startup:

source <($FORGE_BIN extension zsh)

Every time you invoke ForgeCode from the shell, $FORGE_BIN is the command that runs. Change it and you change which binary answers.

The default is forge — whatever which forge resolves to on your system.

When to Change It

Local build from source. You've compiled ForgeCode locally and want to test your changes without installing the binary system-wide:

export FORGE_BIN=/path/to/forgecode/target/debug/forge

Non-standard install path. The binary is on disk but not in a directory on your $PATH:

export FORGE_BIN=/opt/forgecode/bin/forge

Multiple versions. You have a stable release as forge and want to test a nightly build without replacing it:

export FORGE_BIN=~/bin/forge-nightly

In each case, the ZSH plugin picks up the change and routes every invocation through the specified binary.

Setting It

~/.zshrc — persistent

This is the right place for FORGE_BIN. It must be set before the ZSH plugin is sourced, so it belongs in your shell profile rather than ~/.env:

# ~/.zshrc
export FORGE_BIN=/path/to/your/forge

# This line sources the ZSH integration using $FORGE_BIN
source <($FORGE_BIN extension zsh)

Reload your shell after editing:

source ~/.zshrc

Current session — temporary

To switch binaries for just the current terminal session:

export FORGE_BIN=~/builds/forge-dev
source <($FORGE_BIN extension zsh)

The change disappears when the session ends. This is useful for one-off testing without touching your permanent configuration.

Verifying the Change

After setting FORGE_BIN, confirm the right binary is being used:

echo $FORGE_BIN          # shows the path you set
$FORGE_BIN --version     # confirms the binary responds and shows its version

If $FORGE_BIN --version fails, the path is wrong or the binary isn't executable. Double-check the path and run chmod +x $FORGE_BIN if needed.

Reverting to the Default

Unset the variable to go back to the system-installed forge:

unset FORGE_BIN
source <(forge extension zsh)

Or remove the export FORGE_BIN=... line from your ~/.zshrc and reload.

For everything else the ZSH integration can do — agent selection, multiline input, file tagging — see the ZSH Support reference.