From c2bcf19c6503e8ea426c9a10d0c1b3ac15983685 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rex Raphael <rex.raphael@outlook.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2026 15:53:33 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 1/3] docs: rewrite the README against what the repo actually
 contains

The old README linked 17 paths that no longer exist, listed the licence
three different ways, and described the AI extension at length after that
extension had been deleted.

- Licence is Apache 2.0, which is what LICENSE has always said. The badge
  claimed MIT and a second licence section claimed MIT plus a commercial
  source-available licence for extensions/ai, pointing at a LICENSE file
  that does not exist.
- Dropped every AI extension reference. The directory is gone.
- Extension table now lists all 22 that exist, with cron, dashboard,
  discovery, features and security added from their own READMEs. Queue,
  Search and orpc are marked in progress, as the old status section had it.
- Fixed every documentation and example link against the tree.
- Removed the duplicate licence section, the Links section that repeated
  the docs list, and the Why Forge section that restated Key Features.

557 lines to 258, with no information dropped that was still true.
---
 README.md | 583 +++++++++++++-----------------------------------------
 1 file changed, 142 insertions(+), 441 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 762c34c2..115171a5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,43 +1,28 @@
-# 🔨 Forge
+# Forge
 
-Forge™ is a backend framework, and Forge Cloud™ is its AI cloud offering, maintained by XRAPH™.
-
-**Enterprise-Grade Web Framework for Go**
+A Go framework for backend services, with dependency injection, an extension system, and observability built in.
 
-> Build scalable, maintainable, and observable Go applications with Forge—the modern framework that brings clean architecture, dependency injection, and powerful extensions to your production services.
+Forge™ is a backend framework, and Forge Cloud™ is its AI cloud offering, maintained by XRAPH™.
 
 [![Go Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/Go-1.24+-00ADD8?style=flat&logo=go)](https://golang.org/)
 [![Go Report Card](https://goreportcard.com/badge/github.com/xraph/forge)](https://goreportcard.com/report/github.com/xraph/forge)
-[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
+[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-Apache%202.0-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
 [![GitHub Stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/xraph/forge)](https://github.com/xraph/forge)
 [![CI](https://github.com/xraph/forge/actions/workflows/go.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/xraph/forge/actions/workflows/go.yml)
 
----
-
-
-## 🚀 Quick Start
-
-### Installation
+## Quick start
 
 ```bash
-# Install the Forge CLI
 go install github.com/xraph/forge/cmd/forge@latest
-
-# Verify installation
 forge --version
 ```
 
-### Forge Your First App
-
 ```bash
-# Initialize a new project
 forge init my-app
-
-# Start the development server
 forge dev
 ```
 
-### Minimal Example
+A minimal service:
 
 ```go
 package main
@@ -45,7 +30,6 @@ package main
 import "github.com/xraph/forge"
 
 func main() {
-    // Create app with default configuration
     app := forge.NewApp(forge.AppConfig{
         Name:        "my-app",
         Version:     "1.0.0",
@@ -53,7 +37,6 @@ func main() {
         HTTPAddress: ":8080",
     })
 
-    // Register routes
     router := app.Router()
     router.GET("/", func(ctx forge.Context) error {
         return ctx.JSON(200, map[string]string{
@@ -61,144 +44,75 @@ func main() {
         })
     })
 
-    // Run the application (blocks until SIGINT/SIGTERM)
+    // Blocks until SIGINT or SIGTERM.
     app.Run()
 }
 ```
 
-**Built-in endpoints:**
-- `/_/info` - Application information
-- `/_/metrics` - Prometheus metrics
-- `/_/health` - Health checks
-
----
-
-## ✨ Key Features
-
-### 🏗️ Core Framework
-
-- **✅ Dependency Injection** - Type-safe container with service lifecycle
-- **✅ HTTP Router** - Fast, lightweight routing with middleware support
-- **✅ Middleware** - Auth, CORS, logging, rate limiting, and more
-- **✅ Configuration** - YAML/JSON/TOML support with environment variable override
-- **✅ Observability** - Structured logging, metrics, distributed tracing
-- **✅ Health Checks** - Automatic discovery and reporting
-- **✅ Lifecycle Management** - Graceful startup and shutdown
-
-### 🔌 Extensions
-
-| Extension | Description | Status |
-|-----------|-------------|--------|
-| **AI** | LLM integration, agents, inference engine | ✅ |
-| **Auth** | Multi-provider authentication (OAuth, JWT, SAML) | ✅ |
-| **Cache** | Multi-backend caching (Redis, Memcached, In-Memory) | ✅ |
-| **Consensus** | Raft consensus for distributed systems | ✅ |
-| **Database** | SQL (Postgres, MySQL, SQLite) + MongoDB support | ✅ |
-| **Events** | Event bus and event sourcing | ✅ |
-| **GraphQL** | GraphQL server with schema generation | ✅ |
-| **gRPC** | gRPC server with reflection | ✅ |
-| **HLS** | HTTP Live Streaming | ✅ |
-| **Kafka** | Apache Kafka integration | ✅ |
-| **MCP** | Model Context Protocol | ✅ |
-| **MQTT** | MQTT broker and client | ✅ |
-| **orpc** | ORPC transport protocol | ✅ |
-| **Queue** | Message queue management | ✅ |
-| **Search** | Full-text search (Elasticsearch, Typesense) | ✅ |
-| **Storage** | Multi-backend storage (S3, GCS, Local) | ✅ |
-| **Streaming** | WebSocket, SSE, WebRTC | ✅ |
-| **WebRTC** | Real-time peer-to-peer communication | ✅ |
-
-### 🛠️ CLI Tools
-
-- **✅ Project Scaffolding** - Initialize new projects with templates
-- **✅ Code Generation** - Generate handlers, controllers, and services
-- **✅ Database Migrations** - Schema management with versioning
-- **✅ Interactive Prompts** - Arrow-key navigation, multi-select
-- **✅ Server Management** - Development server with hot reload
-- **✅ Testing** - Built-in test runner and coverage reports
-
----
-
-## 📖 Documentation
-
-### Getting Started
-
-- [**Installation Guide**](docs/content/docs/getting-started/installation.mdx)
-- [**Quick Start**](docs/content/docs/getting-started/quick-start.mdx)
-- [**Architecture**](docs/content/docs/architecture/index.mdx)
-- [**Examples**](examples/)
-
-### Core Concepts
-
-- [**Application Lifecycle**](docs/content/docs/core/lifecycle.mdx)
-- [**Dependency Injection**](docs/content/docs/core/dependency-injection.mdx)
-- [**Routing**](docs/content/docs/core/routing.mdx)
-- [**Middleware**](docs/content/docs/core/middleware.mdx)
-- [**Configuration**](docs/content/docs/core/configuration.mdx)
-- [**Observability**](docs/content/docs/core/observability.mdx)
-
-### Extensions
-
-- [**AI Extension**](extensions/ai/README.md) - LLM integration and AI agents
-- [**Auth Extension**](extensions/auth/README.md) - Authentication providers
-- [**Database Extension**](extensions/database/) - SQL and NoSQL databases
-- [**GraphQL Extension**](extensions/graphql/README.md) - GraphQL server
-- [**gRPC Extension**](extensions/grpc/README.md) - gRPC services
-- [**Streaming Extension**](extensions/streaming/) - WebSocket and SSE
-
-### CLI Reference
-
-- [**CLI Documentation**](cli/README.md)
-- [**Commands Reference**](cmd/forge/COMMANDS.md)
-
----
-
-## 🌟 Why Forge?
-
-### Production-Ready
-
-Forge is built for production from day one:
-
-- **✅ Graceful Shutdown** - Proper resource cleanup on SIGTERM
-- **✅ Health Monitoring** - Automatic discovery and reporting
-- **✅ Observability** - Metrics, logging, and distributed tracing
-- **✅ Error Handling** - Comprehensive error management
-- **✅ Security** - Built-in security best practices
-
-### Developer Experience
-
-- **✅ Type Safety** - Generics and compile-time guarantees
-- **✅ Zero Config** - Sensible defaults with full customization
-- **✅ Hot Reload** - Instant feedback during development
-- **✅ CLI Tools** - Fast project scaffolding and generation
-- **✅ Rich Docs** - Comprehensive documentation and examples
-
-### Performance
-
-- **✅ Low Latency** - Optimized HTTP router and middleware
-- **✅ Efficient Routing** - Trie-based path matching
-- **✅ Concurrent Safe** - Thread-safe components
-- **✅ Memory Efficient** - Minimal allocations
-
-### Extensible
-
-- **✅ Extension System** - Modular, composable extensions
-- **✅ Plugin Architecture** - Easy to add custom functionality
-- **✅ Multi-Backend** - Switch implementations without code changes
-- **✅ Middleware Chain** - Powerful middleware composition
-
----
-
-## 🏛️ Architecture
+Every app serves three endpoints without configuration: `/_/info` for application
+metadata, `/_/metrics` for Prometheus, and `/_/health` for health checks.
+
+## What you get
+
+The core framework handles the parts most services need before they can do
+anything interesting:
+
+- A type-safe dependency injection container with service lifecycles
+- An HTTP router with trie-based path matching and middleware support
+- Middleware for auth, CORS, logging and rate limiting
+- Configuration from YAML, JSON or TOML, overridable by environment variables
+- Structured logging, Prometheus metrics and distributed tracing
+- Health checks that discover and report themselves
+- Graceful startup and shutdown, so SIGTERM cleans up rather than drops work
+
+The CLI scaffolds projects, generates handlers and services, runs migrations,
+and serves your app with hot reload. See [cli/README.md](cli/README.md) and the
+[commands reference](cmd/forge/COMMANDS.md).
+
+## Extensions
+
+Extensions are modules you compose into an app. Most are production ready; three
+are still being built.
+
+| Extension | What it does |
+|---|---|
+| [auth](extensions/auth/README.md) | Multi-provider authentication (OAuth, JWT, SAML) |
+| cache | Multi-backend caching (Redis, Memcached, in-memory) |
+| [consensus](extensions/consensus/README.md) | Raft consensus for distributed systems |
+| [cron](extensions/cron/README.md) | Distributed cron scheduling with execution history |
+| [dashboard](extensions/dashboard/README.md) | Micro-frontend shell for admin dashboards |
+| database | SQL (Postgres, MySQL, SQLite) and MongoDB |
+| [discovery](extensions/discovery/README.md) | Service discovery and registry |
+| events | Event bus and event sourcing |
+| [features](extensions/features/README.md) | Feature flags and A/B testing |
+| [graphql](extensions/graphql/README.md) | GraphQL server with schema generation |
+| [grpc](extensions/grpc/README.md) | gRPC server with reflection |
+| [hls](extensions/hls/README.md) | HTTP Live Streaming |
+| [kafka](extensions/kafka/README.md) | Apache Kafka integration |
+| [mcp](extensions/mcp/README.md) | Model Context Protocol |
+| [mqtt](extensions/mqtt/README.md) | MQTT broker and client |
+| [security](extensions/security/README.md) | Security hardening for production apps |
+| [storage](extensions/storage/README.md) | Object storage (S3, GCS, local) |
+| [streaming](extensions/streaming/README.md) | WebSocket and SSE |
+| [webrtc](extensions/webrtc/README.md) | Peer-to-peer real-time communication |
+| [orpc](extensions/orpc/README.md) | ORPC transport protocol (in progress) |
+| [queue](extensions/queue/README.md) | Message queue management (in progress) |
+| search | Full-text search, Elasticsearch and Typesense (in progress) |
+
+The [complete catalog](docs/content/docs/extensions/complete-catalog.mdx) covers
+configuration for each one.
+
+## Composing an application
+
+Extensions are declared in the app config. Services register against the
+container, and handlers resolve them from it:
 
 ```go
-// Application Structure
 app := forge.NewApp(forge.AppConfig{
     Name:        "my-service",
     Version:     "1.0.0",
     Environment: "production",
-    
-    // Extensions
+
     Extensions: []forge.Extension{
         database.NewExtension(database.Config{
             Databases: []database.DatabaseConfig{
@@ -209,15 +123,13 @@ app := forge.NewApp(forge.AppConfig{
                 },
             },
         }),
-        
+
         auth.NewExtension(auth.Config{
             Provider: "oauth2",
-            // ... auth configuration
         }),
     },
 })
 
-// Dependency Injection
 forge.RegisterSingleton(app.Container(), "userService", func(c forge.Container) (*UserService, error) {
     db, err := database.GetSQL(c)
     if err != nil {
@@ -227,331 +139,120 @@ forge.RegisterSingleton(app.Container(), "userService", func(c forge.Container)
     return NewUserService(db, logger), nil
 })
 
-// Routing
 router := app.Router()
 router.GET("/users/:id", getUserHandler)
 router.POST("/users", createUserHandler)
 
-// Run
 app.Run()
 ```
 
----
-
-## 🧩 Extension Example
-
-### Using the AI Extension
-
-```go
-package main
-
-import (
-    "github.com/xraph/forge"
-    "github.com/xraph/forge/extensions/ai"
-)
-
-func main() {
-    app := forge.NewApp(forge.AppConfig{
-        Extensions: []forge.Extension{
-            ai.NewExtension(ai.Config{
-                LLMProviders: map[string]ai.LLMProviderConfig{
-                    "openai": {
-                        APIKey: os.Getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY"),
-                        Model:  "gpt-4",
-                    },
-                },
-            }),
-        },
-    })
-
-    // Access AI service via DI using helper function
-    aiService, err := ai.GetAIService(app.Container())
-    if err != nil {
-        log.Fatal(err)
-    }
-
-    // Use in your handlers
-    router := app.Router()
-    router.POST("/chat", func(ctx forge.Context) error {
-        result, err := aiService.Chat(ctx, ai.ChatRequest{
-            Messages: []ai.Message{
-                {Role: "user", Content: "Hello!"},
-            },
-        })
-        if err != nil {
-            return err
-        }
-        return ctx.JSON(200, result)
-    })
-
-    app.Run()
-}
-```
-
----
+Switching a backend is a config change rather than a code change: the same
+`database.GetSQL(c)` call works whether it resolves to Postgres or SQLite.
 
-## 🛠️ Development
+## Documentation
 
-### Prerequisites
+- [Installation](docs/content/docs/forge/installation.mdx)
+- [Quick start](docs/content/docs/forge/quick-start.mdx)
+- [Architecture](docs/content/docs/forge/architecture.mdx)
+- [Application lifecycle](docs/content/docs/forge/lifecycle.mdx)
+- [Dependency injection](docs/content/docs/forge/dependency-injection.mdx)
+- [Routing](docs/content/docs/forge/%28router%29/router.mdx) and [middleware](docs/content/docs/forge/%28router%29/middleware.mdx)
+- [Configuration](docs/content/docs/forge/configuration.mdx)
+- [Observability](docs/content/docs/forge/observability.mdx)
 
-- **Go 1.24+** - Latest Go compiler
-- **Make** - Build tool (optional but recommended)
+Full docs are at [forge.dev](https://forge.dev). Questions and ideas go in
+[Discussions](https://github.com/xraph/forge/discussions); bugs go in
+[Issues](https://github.com/xraph/forge/issues).
 
-### Build
+## Examples
 
-```bash
-# Build the CLI
-make build
+The [examples](examples/) directory has runnable services. Some worth starting
+with:
 
-# Build with debug symbols
-make build-debug
+- [di-patterns](examples/di-patterns/) for container registration
+- [lifecycle-hooks](examples/lifecycle-hooks/) for startup and shutdown ordering
+- [observability](examples/observability/) for metrics, logging and tracing
+- [simple-extension](examples/simple-extension/) and [runnable-extension](examples/runnable-extension/) for writing your own
+- [openapi-demo](examples/openapi-demo/) for generated API specs
+- [sse-streaming](examples/sse-streaming/) and [webtransport](examples/webtransport/) for streaming transports
+- [auth](extensions/auth/examples/auth_example/) and [graphql](extensions/graphql/examples/graphql-basic/) for those extensions
 
-# Build for all platforms
-make release
-```
+## Development
 
-### Run Tests
+You need Go 1.24 or later. Make is optional but the targets below assume it.
 
 ```bash
-# Run all tests
-make test
-
-# Run with coverage
-make test-coverage
-
-# Run specific package
-go test ./extensions/ai/...
+make build          # build the CLI
+make build-debug    # build with debug symbols
+make release        # build for all platforms
 ```
 
-### Code Quality
-
 ```bash
-# Format code
-make fmt
-
-# Run linter
-make lint
-
-# Fix linting issues
-make lint-fix
-
-# Run security scan
-make security-scan
-
-# Check vulnerabilities
-make vuln-check
+make test           # all tests
+make test-coverage  # with coverage
+go test ./extensions/graphql/...
 ```
 
-### Development Server
-
-```bash
-# Start development server
-forge dev
-
-# Start with hot reload
-forge dev --watch
-
-# Start on custom port
-forge dev --port 3000
-```
-
----
-
-## 📊 Project Status
-
-### Core Framework
-
-- **✅ Dependency Injection** - Production ready
-- **✅ HTTP Router** - Fast, lightweight
-- **✅ Middleware System** - Comprehensive
-- **✅ Configuration** - Multi-format support
-- **✅ Observability** - Metrics, logging, tracing
-- **✅ Health Checks** - Automatic discovery
-- **✅ CLI Tools** - Full-featured CLI
-
-### Extensions (17 total)
-
-**Production Ready (14):**
-- ✅ AI - LLM integration and agents
-- ✅ Auth - Multi-provider authentication
-- ✅ Cache - Multi-backend caching
-- ✅ Consensus - Raft consensus
-- ✅ Database - SQL and NoSQL
-- ✅ Events - Event bus and sourcing
-- ✅ GraphQL - GraphQL server
-- ✅ gRPC - gRPC services
-- ✅ HLS - HTTP Live Streaming
-- ✅ Kafka - Apache Kafka
-- ✅ MCP - Model Context Protocol
-- ✅ MQTT - MQTT broker
-- ✅ Storage - Multi-backend storage
-- ✅ Streaming - WebSocket, SSE, WebRTC
-
-**In Progress (3):**
-- 🔄 Queue - Message queue management
-- 🔄 Search - Full-text search
-- 🔄 orpc - ORPC transport protocol
-
----
-
-## 🧪 Examples
-
-The `examples/` directory contains production-ready examples:
-
-- **[Minimal App](examples/minimal-app/)** - Hello World
-- **[Configuration](examples/config-example/)** - Config management
-- **[Database](examples/database-demo/)** - Database integration
-- **[Auth](extensions/auth/examples/auth_example/)** - Authentication
-- **[GraphQL](extensions/graphql/examples/graphql-basic/)** - GraphQL server
-- **[gRPC](examples/grpc-basic/)** - gRPC services
-- **[WebRTC](examples/webrtc/)** - Real-time communication
-- **[MCP](examples/mcp-basic/)** - Model Context Protocol
-- **[AI Agents](examples/ai-agents-demo/)** - AI agent system
-
----
-
-## 🤝 Contributing
-
-We welcome contributions! Please see [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines.
-
-### Development Workflow
-
 ```bash
-# Fork and clone
-git clone https://github.com/your-username/forge.git
-cd forge
-
-# Install tools
-make install-tools
-
-# Make changes
-# ...
-
-# Run tests
-make test
-
-# Check code quality
-make ci
-
-# Commit with conventional commits
-git commit -m "feat: add new feature"
+make fmt            # format
+make lint           # lint
+make lint-fix       # lint and fix
+make security-scan  # security scan
+make vuln-check     # check dependencies for known vulnerabilities
+make ci             # everything CI runs
 ```
 
-### Conventional Commits
+The dev server takes `--watch` for hot reload and `--port` to override the
+address:
 
 ```bash
-feat: add new feature
-fix: fix bug in router
-docs: update documentation
-style: format code
-refactor: refactor DI container
-perf: optimize routing performance
-test: add tests for middleware
-chore: update dependencies
+forge dev --watch --port 3000
 ```
 
-### Releasing
-
-Releases are managed by [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please) and a unified GitHub Actions workflow.
-
-**Automated releases** — Push to `main` with conventional commits. Release Please opens a PR with version bumps and changelogs. Merging the PR creates a tag, which triggers the release pipeline.
-
-**Manual releases** — Go to [Actions > Release](../../actions/workflows/release.yml), click **Run workflow**, select the module and version, and optionally enable dry-run mode.
-
-The release workflow supports:
-- **Main module + CLI**: Builds cross-platform binaries, Docker images, and publishes to Homebrew/Scoop/NFPM via GoReleaser.
-- **Extension modules**: Creates a GitHub release and notifies the Go module proxy.
-- **Dry run**: Validates the full pipeline without publishing.
-- **Skip tests**: For hotfixes when tests have already passed on CI.
-
----
-
-## 📄 License
-This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.
-
----
-
-## 🙏 Acknowledgments
-
-Built with ❤️ by [Rex Raphael](https://github.com/juicycleff)
-
-**Special thanks to:**
-- [Bun](https://github.com/uptrace/bun) - SQL ORM
-- [Uptrace](https://github.com/uptrace/uptrace) - Observability platform
-- [Chi](https://github.com/go-chi/chi) - Router inspiration
-- All contributors and maintainers
-
----
-
-## 🔗 Links
-
-- **[Documentation](https://forge.dev)** - Comprehensive docs
-- **[GitHub](https://github.com/xraph/forge)** - Source code
-- **[Issues](https://github.com/xraph/forge/issues)** - Bug reports
-- **[Discussions](https://github.com/xraph/forge/discussions)** - Questions and ideas
-- **[Examples](examples/)** - Code examples
-- **[CLI Reference](cli/README.md)** - CLI documentation
-
----
-
-## 📜 License
-
-Forge uses a **dual-licensing approach**:
-
-### Forge Core & Most Extensions: MIT License
-
-The core framework and most extensions are licensed under the **MIT License** - one of the most permissive open source licenses.
-
-✅ **Use freely for:**
-- Commercial products and services
-- Personal projects
-- Closed-source applications
-- Modifications and distributions
-
-See the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for full terms.
-
-### AI Extension: Commercial Source-Available License
-
-The AI Extension (`extensions/ai/`) uses a more restrictive **Commercial Source-Available License**.
+## Contributing
 
-✅ **Free for:**
-- Personal projects
-- Educational purposes
-- Research and academic use
-- Internal evaluation (90 days)
+Fork, branch, and open a pull request. Run `make install-tools` once, then
+`make test` and `make ci` before you push.
 
-❌ **Commercial license required for:**
-- Production deployments
-- Commercial products/services
-- Revenue-generating applications
+Commits follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/):
+`feat:`, `fix:`, `docs:`, `style:`, `refactor:`, `perf:`, `test:`, `chore:`.
+The release tooling reads them, so the prefix decides the version bump.
 
-See [extensions/ai/LICENSE](extensions/ai/LICENSE) for full terms or [LICENSING.md](LICENSING.md) for the complete licensing guide.
+## Releases
 
-**Need a commercial license?** Contact: licensing@xraph.com
+Releases run through [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please)
+and a GitHub Actions workflow.
 
----
+Push to `main` with conventional commits and Release Please opens a PR carrying
+the version bumps and changelog. Merging that PR creates a tag, and the tag
+triggers the release pipeline. For a release you need to cut by hand, go to
+[Actions > Release](../../actions/workflows/release.yml) and run the workflow
+against a chosen module and version.
 
-## 📈 Roadmap
+The pipeline builds cross-platform binaries and Docker images for the main
+module and CLI and publishes them to Homebrew, Scoop and NFPM through
+GoReleaser. Extension modules get a GitHub release and a notification to the Go
+module proxy. Dry-run mode validates the whole pipeline without publishing, and
+tests can be skipped for a hotfix that CI has already verified.
 
-### v2.1 (Q1 2025)
-- [ ] Complete remaining extensions (Queue, Search, orpc)
-- [ ] Enhanced AI agent orchestration
-- [ ] Real-time collaboration features
-- [ ] Advanced monitoring dashboard
+## Roadmap
 
-### v2.2 (Q2 2025)
-- [ ] Kubernetes operator
-- [ ] Helm charts and deployment automation
-- [ ] Advanced caching strategies
-- [ ] Performance optimization pass
+- Finish the Queue, Search and orpc extensions
+- Real-time collaboration features
+- A monitoring dashboard
+- A Kubernetes operator, with Helm charts and deployment automation
+- Caching strategies beyond the current backends
+- A performance optimization pass
+- A TypeScript and Node.js runtime, with multi-language code generation
+- Enterprise features: SLA reporting, auditing and compliance
 
-### v3.0 (Q3 2025)
-- [ ] TypeScript/Node.js runtime
-- [ ] Multi-language code generation
-- [ ] Enhanced observability platform
-- [ ] Enterprise features (SLA, auditing, compliance)
+## License
 
----
+Apache License 2.0. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
 
-**Ready to build?** [Get Started →](docs/content/docs/getting-started/quick-start.mdx)
+## Acknowledgments
 
+Built by [Rex Raphael](https://github.com/juicycleff), with thanks to
+[Bun](https://github.com/uptrace/bun) for the SQL ORM,
+[Uptrace](https://github.com/uptrace/uptrace) for observability, and
+[Chi](https://github.com/go-chi/chi), whose router shaped the design of this one.

From 6f783cce0396f83dd2354d736200a21b92ffa0b0 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rex Raphael <rex.raphael@outlook.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2026 15:57:44 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 2/3] docs: delete LICENSING.md, add CONTRIBUTING.md, drop the
 roadmap

LICENSING.md documented a dual-licensing scheme that does not exist: MIT
for core and a Commercial Source-Available Licence for extensions/ai.
LICENSE is Apache 2.0, and extensions/ai was deleted. llm.txt repeated the
same claim and advertised the extension in two other places; both are now
corrected to Apache 2.0.

CONTRIBUTING.md now exists. The README linked to it and had done for some
time. It carries the workflow the README described, plus what each
conventional-commit prefix does to the release, since that is the part a
first contributor gets wrong.

The roadmap is gone rather than redated. It listed v2.1 for Q1 2025, v2.2
for Q2 2025 and v3.0 for Q3 2025, all long past, and a roadmap nobody
maintains is worse than none.
---
 LICENSING.md | 209 ---------------------------------------------------
 README.md    |  19 +----
 llm.txt      |   9 +--
 3 files changed, 8 insertions(+), 229 deletions(-)
 delete mode 100644 LICENSING.md

diff --git a/LICENSING.md b/LICENSING.md
deleted file mode 100644
index dc029aae..00000000
--- a/LICENSING.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,209 +0,0 @@
-# Forge Framework - Licensing Guide
-
-This document explains the licensing structure for the Forge framework and its extensions.
-
-## 📜 Overview
-
-Forge uses a **dual-licensing approach**:
-
-1. **Forge Core Framework**: MIT License (permissive, open source)
-2. **AI Extension**: Commercial Source-Available License (restrictive)
-3. **All Other Extensions**: MIT License (permissive, open source)
-
-## 🎯 Quick Reference
-
-| Component | License | Commercial Use | Redistribution |
-|-----------|---------|----------------|----------------|
-| Forge Core | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Auth Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Cache Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Consensus Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Dashboard Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Database Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Events Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| GraphQL Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| gRPC Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| HLS Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Kafka Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| MCP Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| MQTT Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| oRPC Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Queue Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Search Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Storage Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| Streaming Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| WebRTC Extension | MIT | ✅ Free | ✅ Yes |
-| **AI Extension** | **Commercial** | **❌ License Required** | **❌ No** |
-
-## 📖 License Details
-
-### Forge Core & Most Extensions (MIT License)
-
-**Location**: `LICENSE` (root directory)
-
-The MIT License is one of the most permissive open source licenses. You can:
-
-- ✅ Use for commercial purposes
-- ✅ Modify the code
-- ✅ Distribute copies
-- ✅ Sublicense
-- ✅ Use in proprietary software
-
-**Requirements**:
-- Include the original copyright notice
-- Include the license text
-
-**No Warranty**: The software is provided "as is" without warranty.
-
-### AI Extension (Commercial Source-Available License)
-
-**Location**: `extensions/ai/LICENSE`
-
-The AI Extension uses a more restrictive license because it contains proprietary algorithms and represents significant R&D investment.
-
-#### Free Use Cases
-
-You CAN use the AI Extension for FREE for:
-- Personal projects
-- Educational purposes
-- Research and academic use
-- Internal evaluation (90 days)
-- Learning and studying the code
-
-#### Commercial License Required
-
-You NEED a paid commercial license for:
-- Production deployments in commercial environments
-- SaaS products or services
-- Internal tools that generate revenue or cost savings
-- Any commercial advantage use
-
-#### Prohibited Without Permission
-
-You CANNOT:
-- Redistribute the AI Extension
-- Build competing AI products
-- Extract and reuse the AI models or algorithms
-- Remove copyright notices
-
-**See**: `extensions/ai/LICENSE_NOTICE.md` for detailed summary
-
-## 🤝 Why This Licensing Structure?
-
-### Open Core Model
-
-We believe in open source and want to provide a powerful, free framework for the community. The MIT license for Forge core and most extensions ensures:
-
-- Maximum adoption and community growth
-- No barriers for startups and small projects
-- Transparent, auditable code
-- Community contributions and improvements
-
-### Protecting Innovation
-
-The AI Extension represents specialized work that required significant investment in:
-
-- AI model integration research
-- Team coordination algorithms
-- Training pipeline development
-- Production-grade inference systems
-
-The commercial license for the AI Extension allows us to:
-
-- Continue investing in R&D
-- Provide enterprise support
-- Maintain the extension long-term
-- Build a sustainable business model
-
-## 💼 Getting a Commercial License
-
-### Pricing
-
-Contact us for pricing information. We offer:
-
-- **Startup Plans**: Affordable pricing for early-stage companies
-- **Enterprise Plans**: Unlimited use with SLA and support
-- **Custom Agreements**: Tailored licensing for specific needs
-
-### What's Included
-
-Commercial licenses include:
-
-- ✅ Production deployment rights
-- ✅ Commercial use authorization
-- ✅ Priority email and chat support
-- ✅ Security patch notifications
-- ✅ Upgrade assistance
-- ✅ Optional: Custom SLAs
-- ✅ Optional: Integration consulting
-
-### Contact
-
-- **Email**: licensing@xraph.com
-- **Web**: https://github.com/xraph/forge
-- **Sales**: Schedule a call via the website
-
-## ❓ FAQ
-
-### Can I use Forge Core with the AI Extension together?
-
-Yes! You can use Forge Core (MIT) in any project. If you want to add the AI Extension:
-- Free for personal/evaluation use
-- Commercial license required for production use
-
-### What if I only use Forge Core without the AI Extension?
-
-Perfect! The core framework is MIT licensed—use it freely for any purpose, including commercial products.
-
-### Can I contribute to the AI Extension?
-
-Yes! We welcome contributions. By contributing, you grant us a license to use your contribution under any license terms, including the commercial license. Contributors are recognized and appreciated.
-
-### Can I fork and modify Forge Core?
-
-Absolutely! The MIT license allows you to fork, modify, and redistribute the core framework.
-
-### Can I fork and modify the AI Extension?
-
-You can fork and modify for personal use, but you cannot redistribute your fork. See the AI Extension license for details.
-
-### What happens if I violate the AI Extension license?
-
-License termination and potential legal action. We prefer to work with users to ensure compliance—contact us if you have questions.
-
-### Can I get a trial commercial license?
-
-The 90-day evaluation period lets you test the AI Extension internally. Contact us to extend the evaluation or discuss trial licensing.
-
-### Do students/researchers need a commercial license?
-
-No! Academic and research use is explicitly allowed under the free tier.
-
-### What if I'm building an open source project?
-
-For open source projects:
-- Forge Core: Use freely (MIT)
-- AI Extension: Personal/educational use is free; if the project generates revenue, a commercial license is needed
-
-## 📚 Additional Resources
-
-- **Main License (MIT)**: `/LICENSE`
-- **AI Extension License**: `/extensions/ai/LICENSE`
-- **AI Extension Summary**: `/extensions/ai/LICENSE_NOTICE.md`
-- **Contributing Guide**: `/CONTRIBUTING.md` (if available)
-- **Code of Conduct**: `/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md` (if available)
-
-## 🔄 License Changes
-
-We reserve the right to change licensing terms for future versions. Existing versions remain under their original licenses.
-
-- Current version licensing is locked
-- Future versions may have different terms
-- You can continue using the version you acquired under its original license
-
----
-
-**Last Updated**: October 28, 2025
-
-For questions about licensing, contact: licensing@xraph.com
-
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 115171a5..ef90ccf7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -212,11 +212,11 @@ forge dev --watch --port 3000
 ## Contributing
 
 Fork, branch, and open a pull request. Run `make install-tools` once, then
-`make test` and `make ci` before you push.
+`make ci` before you push.
 
-Commits follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/):
-`feat:`, `fix:`, `docs:`, `style:`, `refactor:`, `perf:`, `test:`, `chore:`.
-The release tooling reads them, so the prefix decides the version bump.
+Commits follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/),
+which the release tooling reads to decide the version bump. See
+[CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md) for the rest.
 
 ## Releases
 
@@ -235,17 +235,6 @@ GoReleaser. Extension modules get a GitHub release and a notification to the Go
 module proxy. Dry-run mode validates the whole pipeline without publishing, and
 tests can be skipped for a hotfix that CI has already verified.
 
-## Roadmap
-
-- Finish the Queue, Search and orpc extensions
-- Real-time collaboration features
-- A monitoring dashboard
-- A Kubernetes operator, with Helm charts and deployment automation
-- Caching strategies beyond the current backends
-- A performance optimization pass
-- A TypeScript and Node.js runtime, with multi-language code generation
-- Enterprise features: SLA reporting, auditing and compliance
-
 ## License
 
 Apache License 2.0. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
diff --git a/llm.txt b/llm.txt
index 0b89beac..7fa29ca7 100644
--- a/llm.txt
+++ b/llm.txt
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Forge is an enterprise-grade web framework for Go that provides a complete found
 - **Configuration**: Multi-format config management with auto-discovery and environment overrides
 - **Observability**: Built-in metrics, structured logging, and distributed tracing
 - **Health Checks**: Automatic health monitoring and status aggregation
-- **Extensions**: Modular extension system for adding capabilities (Database, Cache, AI, etc.)
+- **Extensions**: Modular extension system for adding capabilities (Database, Cache, Events, etc.)
 - **Middleware**: Comprehensive middleware stack (CORS, logging, rate limiting, recovery)
 
 ## Architecture
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ Infrastructure Layer
 └── Lifecycle Manager
 
 Extension Layer
-└── Pluggable extensions (DB, Cache, Events, AI, etc.)
+└── Pluggable extensions (DB, Cache, Events, Storage, etc.)
 ```
 
 ## Public API
@@ -308,7 +308,6 @@ router.Use(forge.RequestID())
 - No secrets in logs (automatic scrubbing)
 
 ### License
-MIT License (core framework and most extensions)
-Note: AI Extension uses a Commercial Source-Available License
-See LICENSE and LICENSING.md for details
+Apache License 2.0
+See LICENSE for details
 

From b9eb15402f28c211630a50b5160fb1a55eac8503 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Rex Raphael <rex.raphael@outlook.com>
Date: Sun, 9 Aug 2026 15:58:48 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 3/3] chore: allow CONTRIBUTING.md past the blanket markdown
 ignore

.gitignore line 121 is `**/*.md`, with an allowlist of exceptions under
it. CONTRIBUTING.md was written in the previous commit and silently not
staged, which left the README linking to a file the repo did not carry.

Adding the exception rather than forcing the add, so the next person to
write it does not hit the same silence.
---
 .gitignore      |  1 +
 CONTRIBUTING.md | 85 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 86 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 CONTRIBUTING.md

diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 53a16b69..fce003a9 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ METRICS_DEADLOCK_FIX.md
 
 **/*.md
 !**/README.md
+!/CONTRIBUTING.md
 !docs/**/*.md
 !extensions/dashboard/contract/*.md
 !extensions/dashboard/contract/shell/*.md
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..40ec7455
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
+# Contributing to Forge
+
+Thanks for taking the time. This covers the mechanics; open a
+[discussion](https://github.com/xraph/forge/discussions) if you want to talk
+through an idea before writing code.
+
+## Setting up
+
+You need Go 1.24 or later. Make is optional, but every command below assumes it.
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/your-username/forge.git
+cd forge
+make install-tools
+```
+
+## Making a change
+
+Work on a branch, not on `main`.
+
+```bash
+make test           # all tests
+make test-coverage  # with coverage
+go test ./extensions/graphql/...
+```
+
+Before you push, run what CI runs:
+
+```bash
+make ci
+```
+
+That covers formatting, linting and tests together. The individual targets are
+there when you want to iterate faster:
+
+```bash
+make fmt            # format
+make lint           # lint
+make lint-fix       # lint and fix what can be fixed
+make security-scan  # security scan
+make vuln-check     # check dependencies for known vulnerabilities
+```
+
+## Commit messages
+
+Commits follow [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/).
+The prefix is not cosmetic: Release Please reads it to decide the next version
+and to build the changelog, so a mislabelled commit produces a wrong release.
+
+```
+feat:     a new feature, bumps the minor version
+fix:      a bug fix, bumps the patch version
+docs:     documentation only
+style:    formatting, no behaviour change
+refactor: neither a fix nor a feature
+perf:     a performance change
+test:     adding or correcting tests
+chore:    build, tooling, dependencies
+```
+
+Add a scope when it narrows things usefully, for example `fix(router):` or
+`feat(client):`.
+
+## Pull requests
+
+Open the PR against `main`. Describe what changes and why; if the reason is a
+bug, say what the bug did rather than only that it existed.
+
+A PR is ready to review when `make ci` passes and the change is covered by
+tests. If part of the work is deliberately left out, say so in the description
+rather than leaving a reviewer to notice.
+
+## Releases
+
+You do not need to do anything to release your change. Merging to `main` with a
+conventional commit message is enough: Release Please opens a PR with the
+version bump and changelog, and merging that PR tags and publishes.
+
+See the [README](README.md#releases) for the full pipeline, including how to cut
+a release by hand.
+
+## Licence
+
+Forge is Apache 2.0. By contributing you agree that your contribution is
+licensed under the same terms. See [LICENSE](LICENSE).