Comparison
forge vs agency
Verdict
Pick forge if developers working on self-hosted LLM tooling who need flexibility in backend setup and seamless integration of function calling in multi-step workflows might benefit from Forge; pick agency if agency is a Go-idiomatic library aimed at developers looking to work with Large Language Models and generative AI techniques.
Markdown twin · forge alternatives · agency alternatives
GraphCanon updated 5d
Trust & integrity
| Signal | forge | agency |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of 5d · github_public_v1 | Dormant (559d since push) As of 4w · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of 5d · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of 4w · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of 1mo · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- forge
- A Python framework for self-hosted LLM tool-calling and multi-step agentic workflows
- agency
- Library for exploring Large Language Models and generative AI in Go
Stars
- forge
- 2.2k
- agency
- 512
Forks
- forge
- 173
- agency
- 36
Open issues
- forge
- 4
- agency
- 4
Language
- forge
- Python
- agency
- Go
Adopt for
- forge
- Developers working on self-hosted LLM tooling who need flexibility in backend setup and seamless integration of function calling in multi-step workflows might benefit from Forge.
- agency
- Agency is a Go-idiomatic library aimed at developers looking to work with Large Language Models and generative AI techniques.
Persona
- forge
- -
- agency
- -
Runtime
- forge
- -
- agency
- -
License
- forge
- MIT
- agency
- MIT
Last pushed
- forge
- Aug 13, 2026
- agency
- Jan 8, 2025
Categories
- forge
- AI Agents, LLM Frameworks
- agency
- AI Agents, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- forge
- Very active (96%)
- agency
- Dormant (18%)
Days since push
- forge
- 0d
- agency
- 559d
Owner type
- forge
- User
- agency
- Organization
Full report
- forge
- Trust report
- agency
- Trust report
Choose forge if…
- forge is primarily Python; agency is Go.
- Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires Python 3.12+ and a running LLM backend.; Can be set up with local backends (e.g., llama.cpp) or Anthropic via its API, requiring an API key for the latter case..
- Tags unique to forge: agentic-ai, function-calling, multi-step-workflows, python-framework.
- forge ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- - You require an agnostic backend setup, such as local LLM backends like llama.cpp or cloud-based services with Anthropic.
When NOT to use forge
- - If your application does not require flexibility in backend selection, and you prefer a single cloud provider like Anthropic without local setup.
- - For scenarios where simplicity of setup outweighs the need for customization in function calling and workflow management.
- - When working within environments strictly regulated against self-hosted infrastructure or requiring fully managed services.
Choose agency if…
- agency is primarily Go; forge is Python.
- Pricing: Agency is available under MIT license and is free for use, modification, and distribution. Additional services or integrations might involve costs not outlined within the repository..
- Tags unique to agency: agents, generative-ai, go, language-models.
- If you're proficient in Go and want to implement LLMs within a familiar ecosystem, consider agency.
When NOT to use agency
- Avoid agency if your primary programming expertise lies outside of the Go ecosystem.
- Not recommended if you require real-time performance characteristics that surpass what typical LLM exploration libraries can provide.
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (antoinezambelli/forge) · observed Aug 14, 2026
- GitHub forks (antoinezambelli/forge) · observed Aug 14, 2026
- Last push (antoinezambelli/forge) · observed Aug 13, 2026
- License file (MIT) · observed Aug 14, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- GitHub stars (neurocult/agency) · observed Jul 21, 2026
- GitHub forks (neurocult/agency) · observed Jul 21, 2026
- Last push (neurocult/agency) · observed Jan 8, 2025
- License file (MIT) · observed Jul 21, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 11, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: forge 2.2k · agency 512 (synced Aug 14, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between forge and agency?
- forge: A Python framework for self-hosted LLM tool-calling and multi-step agentic workflows. agency: Library for exploring Large Language Models and generative AI in Go. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose forge over agency?
- Choose forge over agency when forge is primarily Python; agency is Go; Requirements: Min 4 GB RAM; Requires Docker; Requires Python 3.12+ and a running LLM backend.; Can be set up with local backends (e.g., llama.cpp) or Anthropic via its API, requiring an API key for the latter case.; Tags unique to forge: agentic-ai, function-calling, multi-step-workflows, python-framework; forge ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; - You require an agnostic backend setup, such as local LLM backends like llama.cpp or cloud-based services with Anthropic.
- When should I choose agency over forge?
- Choose agency over forge when agency is primarily Go; forge is Python; Pricing: Agency is available under MIT license and is free for use, modification, and distribution. Additional services or integrations might involve costs not outlined within the repository.; Tags unique to agency: agents, generative-ai, go, language-models; If you're proficient in Go and want to implement LLMs within a familiar ecosystem, consider agency.
- When should I avoid forge?
- - If your application does not require flexibility in backend selection, and you prefer a single cloud provider like Anthropic without local setup. - For scenarios where simplicity of setup outweighs the need for customization in function calling and workflow management. - When working within environments strictly regulated against self-hosted infrastructure or requiring fully managed services.
- When should I avoid agency?
- Avoid agency if your primary programming expertise lies outside of the Go ecosystem. Not recommended if you require real-time performance characteristics that surpass what typical LLM exploration libraries can provide.
- Is forge or agency more popular on GitHub?
- forge has more GitHub stars (2,217 vs 512). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are forge and agency open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (forge: MIT, agency: MIT).
- Where can I find alternatives to forge or agency?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at forge alternatives and agency alternatives (forge markdown twin, agency markdown twin), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.
- Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?
- Yes. The markdown twin at this comparison mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, forge or agency?
- forge: Very active. agency: Dormant. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.
- Where are the full trust reports for forge and agency?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: forge trust report; agency trust report.