--- title: "forge vs agency" type: "comparison" canonical_url: "https://www.graphcanon.com/compare/antoinezambelli-forge-vs-neurocult-agency" tools: ["antoinezambelli-forge", "neurocult-agency"] --- # forge vs agency *GraphCanon updated Aug 21, 2026* ## 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. [forge](https://github.com/antoinezambelli/forge) reports 2.2k GitHub stars, 173 forks, and 4 open issues, last pushed Aug 13, 2026. [agency](https://github.com/neurocult/agency) has 514 stars, 36 forks, and 4 open issues, last pushed Jan 8, 2025. Figures are from public GitHub metadata via [forge's repository](https://github.com/antoinezambelli/forge) and [agency's repository](https://github.com/neurocult/agency). | | [forge](/tools/antoinezambelli-forge.md) | [agency](/tools/neurocult-agency.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Tagline | A Python framework for self-hosted LLM tool-calling and multi-step agentic workflows | Library for exploring Large Language Models and generative AI in Go | | Stars | 2,217 | 514 | | Forks | 173 | 36 | | Open issues | 4 | 4 | | Language | Python | Go | | Adopt for | 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 is a Go-idiomatic library aimed at developers looking to work with Large Language Models and generative AI techniques. | | Persona | - | - | | Runtime | - | - | | License | MIT | MIT | | Categories | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | AI Agents, LLM Frameworks | ## Trust and health _Sourced signals - not a safety guarantee. No winner column._ | | [forge](/tools/antoinezambelli-forge.md) | [agency](/tools/neurocult-agency.md) | | --- | --- | --- | | Maintenance | Very active (96%) | Dormant (18%) | | Days since push | 0d | 589d | | Stars delta | Unknown | +2 (30d) | | Open issues delta | Unknown | 0 (30d) | | Owner type | User | Organization | | Full report | [trust report](/tools/antoinezambelli-forge/trust.md) | [trust report](/tools/neurocult-agency/trust.md) | ## Decision facts: forge - **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. - **Adopt for:** 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. ## Decision facts: agency - **Pricing:** freemium - 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. - **Adopt for:** Agency is a Go-idiomatic library aimed at developers looking to work with Large Language Models and generative AI techniques. ## Choose when ### 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. ### 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 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 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. ## 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 514). 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](/tools/antoinezambelli-forge/alternatives) and [agency alternatives](/tools/neurocult-agency/alternatives) ([forge markdown twin](/tools/antoinezambelli-forge/alternatives.md), [agency markdown twin](/tools/neurocult-agency/alternatives.md)), 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](/compare/antoinezambelli-forge-vs-neurocult-agency.md) 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](/tools/antoinezambelli-forge/trust); [agency trust report](/tools/neurocult-agency/trust). --- **Machine-readable endpoints** - JSON: [`/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=antoinezambelli-forge`](/api/graphcanon/graph?tool=antoinezambelli-forge) - LLM index: [/llms.txt](/llms.txt) - Full corpus: [/llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt) _GraphCanon - The knowledge graph for AI development. https://www.graphcanon.com/_