User guide · Getting started

Welcome to Hub Forge AI

This guide takes you from your first login to your first mission. Follow the steps in order — in 5 minutes, your environment is up and running.

Getting started

7 steps to take control

From your first login to supervising the agents: installation, BYOK configuration, first exchange and Zero-Trust governance.

STEP 01
First login
30 seconds

You have received your credentials (username + password) by email or from your administrator.

  • Open your browser and go to the Hub address
  • Enter your username and your password
  • You land on the Dashboard — your starting point
Tip: If you see an orange banner "Connect your AI", that's normal — move on to step 2.
STEP 02
Configure your AI (BYOK)
2 minutes

The Hub needs an AI engine to power the agents. Depending on your subscription, several options are available:

Option A — Your existing AI assistant (recommended):

  • Hub Forge AI integrates with the AI tool you already use
  • Go to Configuration → "AI Engine" section
  • Select your tool: Claude Code, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf or another
  • Hub Forge AI orchestrates your agents through your own subscription — no additional AI cost
  • Click Save

Option B — Direct cloud API:

  • Go to Configuration → "AI Engine" section
  • Select your provider: Anthropic (Claude), OpenAI (GPT), Google (Gemini) or Mistral
  • Paste your API key in the dedicated field
  • Click Save

Option C — Local AI (full sovereignty):

  • Go to Configuration → "Local AI" section
  • Compatible with: Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, any OpenAI-compatible server
  • Enter your server URL (e.g. http://localhost:11434/v1 for Ollama)
  • Enter the model name (e.g. llama3.3:70b, mistral-large)
  • Click Test connection then Save
Verification: Go back to the Dashboard. If the orange banner has disappeared, you're all set — your AI is connected.
STEP 03
Your first exchange with the agent
1 minute

Everything is configured. Launch your first mission:

  • From the Dashboard, click Workspace
  • You land on the workspace with the chat on the left and your missions on the right
  • Type your first question in the input field at the bottom
  • Examples: "Find me 5 cyber leads in Lyon" or "What are the NIS2 best practices?"
  • Press Enter or click Send
Style: The dropdown to the left of the input field lets you choose the agent's tone (formal, startup...). Leave "Default style" to begin.
STEP 04
Navigating the Hub
Discovery

The Hub is organized into 3 main areas:

  • Workspace — Your daily workspace. Chat with the agent, manage your missions, leads table, audit log.
  • Agent Monitor — Real-time supervision. Agent status, activity timeline, alerts, validation of critical actions. This is the view for the CISO or the administrator.
  • Configuration — Settings for your environment. AI engine, MCP connectors, integrations.

The expertise centers (CyberForge, OpsForge, CompliForge, DataForge, LeadForge) are accessible from the Dashboard. Each has its own overview page.

Shortcut: From any page, the "Hub" link at the top left brings you back to the Dashboard.
STEP 05
Managing your missions
Everyday use

The Workspace organizes your work into missions (independent chat sessions):

  • New mission — Click "+ New" in the left column. Each mission has its own conversation history.
  • Switch mission — Click a mission in the list to return to it.
  • Purge a mission — The trash button at the top of the chat completely resets the session (history, context, limits).
Good to know: The purge is irreversible. The mission's history is permanently deleted.
STEP 06
Understanding security alerts
Important

The Hub protects your environment with two visible mechanisms:

  • [SECURITY ALERT] — A message in red in the chat means suspicious external data has been blocked. The agent will not use it. This is the anti-injection shield (Pre-Hook) protecting you.
  • [SYSTEM RATE LIMIT] — A message in orange means the agent tried to call the same tool too many times. It must change its approach. This is the FinOps safeguard that avoids costly loops.

On the Agent Monitor, critical actions (sending an email, writing to a system) appear in a red "Pending actions" banner. An administrator must approve them before execution.

Principle: AI proposes, humans decide. No sensitive action runs without your validation.
STEP 07
Workspace tabs
Reference

The Workspace has 3 tabs at the top of the central area:

  • Agent Chat — The conversation with the AI. This is where you work day to day.
  • Leads — Table of your leads. Displays companies, decision-makers, emails and scores. Fills up as the agent generates Golden Records.
  • Audit log — History of all critical actions (approved or rejected). Complete traceability for compliance.

The right-hand column displays the active context: current session, loaded project directives, change tracking, applied style, context optimization and active defense.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Data sovereignty, BYOK, human governance and how the agents work.

Does my data leave the Hub?

No. The Hub runs on your infrastructure (or on your provider's server). Your conversations, your leads and your documents never pass through a third-party cloud. Only calls to the AI engine (Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Mistral) send the conversation content to the provider you have chosen. If you use a local AI (Ollama), nothing leaves your network.

Can I use my own Claude subscription?

Yes. Go to Configuration, paste your Claude API key (sk-ant-...), and the Hub will use it for all calls. Your subscription, your quota, your control.

What is a Golden Record?

A Golden Record is a complete lead profile generated by the LeadForge agent: company name, business registration number, industry, decision-maker's name (President, Manager or CEO), their verified professional email, and a relevance score. It's a ready-to-contact profile, not just a company name.

Why does the agent ask me to validate an action?

Certain sensitive actions (sending an email, modifying a system) are automatically intercepted by the Hub and held pending your approval on the Agent Monitor. It's a safeguard — AI proposes, you decide.

How do I change the agent's tone?

In the Workspace, the dropdown to the left of the input field lists the available styles (B2B formal, B2B startup...). Select a style before sending your message. The tone applies immediately.

Can I have several missions in parallel?

Yes. Each mission is independent with its own history. Click "+ New" to create a new mission, and click an existing mission to return to it. Your conversations are saved.

What does the "Active context" panel on the right mean?

It shows what the agent "knows" before answering: the current session, the loaded project directives, change tracking, the communication style, and the state of the defense system. It's informational — you don't have to do anything.

Go further

Deploy your sovereign team of agents

A 30-minute demo is enough to scope your on-premise installation, your MCP connectors and your Zero-Trust governance.

Book a deployment →