Install Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge with Git
Clone the original repository, let Forge build an isolated Python environment, and save the exact commit before you change anything.
The reproducible route
Use Git when you want to see exactly which source revision is installed and decide when it changes. The documented sequence is Git, Python, clone, then webui-user.bat; the current launcher builds venv for you.
Do not begin by swapping Torch, sharing an A1111 environment or adding extensions. First reach a stable local UI and write down the commit and environment that produced it.
Choose what must stay isolated.
The source route is useful because its state is visible—not because every environment modification becomes safe.
Use a new folder and let the launcher create its own venv.
This is the controlled path covered here: system Git, a 64-bit Python 3.10 interpreter, the original repository, and a Forge-local virtual environment.
Start the Git procedureDo not convert a working package in place.
Keep the package untouched as a fallback. Clone the Git installation into a different folder, validate it independently, then move only the data you deliberately choose to share.
Build a separate baselineShare model paths later—not the first baseline.
The Forge files expose advanced A1111 reference options, but a separate repository and venv make installation failures attributable. First reach the local UI; then configure shared model storage.
Review the migration boundaryA source checkout cannot make an unsupported PyTorch build support a GPU.
Use Git when you need to inspect or change the environment, but verify the exact GPU, driver, PyTorch and CUDA combination separately before replacing Forge’s defaults.
Read the version contractPin what the code actually says.
These are inspected defaults at Forge main commit dfdcbab, dated 26 June 2025 and checked here on 24 August 2026.
No project minimum published
Install a current Git for Windows build from the official distributor. Record git --version; do not copy a version requirement from a tutorial.
Windows: 3.10.x
The current check accepts minor version 3.10 and prints “tested with 3.10.6.” Use 64-bit Python. A later Python can satisfy python --version and still fail on pinned packages.
Forge-local venv
webui.bat defaults the environment to venv beside the launcher, creates it when missing, upgrades pip, then activates it.
2.3.1 · CUDA 12.1 wheels
This is the launcher’s default command, not a universal hardware guarantee. Changing it creates a custom environment that must be documented and tested separately.
Inspect launch_utils.py ↗Eight gates. One clean baseline.
Run these commands in Command Prompt or PowerShell. Commands that inspect state do not modify it.
Compare with the original README ↗- 01
Install Git for Windows
Use the official Git for Windows installer. Forge does not publish a minimum Git version; record the version you actually use instead of treating a tutorial’s number as a requirement.
git --version - 02
Install 64-bit Python 3.10
The inspected Windows launcher accepts Python 3.10.x and names 3.10.6 as tested. Avoid Python 3.11, 3.12 or 3.13 for this source snapshot unless you are prepared to resolve dependency failures.
python --version - 03
Verify both commands in a new terminal
Confirm that Git and the intended Python resolve before cloning. If several Python installations exist, configure the PYTHON line in webui-user.bat to the exact python.exe path.
where gitwhere pythonpython -c "import sys; print(sys.executable, sys.maxsize > 2**32)" - 04
Clone the original repository
Run the clone command from the parent directory where you want Forge to live. The command creates a new stable-diffusion-webui-forge folder and records the original repository as origin.
git clone https://github.com/lllyasviel/stable-diffusion-webui-forge.gitcd stable-diffusion-webui-forge - 05
Enter the checkout and verify its identity
Check the remote URL, current branch, clean working-tree state and exact HEAD. Save the commit hash; it is your first reproducible rollback point.
git remote get-url origingit status --short --branchgit rev-parse HEAD - 06
Run webui-user.bat
The batch file calls webui.bat. On the first run, webui.bat creates venv inside the Forge folder, upgrades pip in that environment, and starts launch.py. Keep the console open.
webui-user.bat - 07
Verify the environment and local server
Success means venv\Scripts\Python.exe exists, the console remains running, and it prints a local address that opens in your browser. The model list may still be empty.
DONE STATEvenv\Scripts\Python.exe+Running on local URL: … - 08
Record the working baseline
After the UI opens, stop Forge normally and capture Git, Python, Forge HEAD, GPU and driver details before adding models, extensions, custom packages or launch flags.
SOURCEgit rev-parse HEADTOOLSgit --version · python --versionHARDWAREGPU · driver · VRAM · RAMCHANGESnone · no extensions · no flags
Record the way back before moving forward.
Source, Python packages, configuration and extensions are separate kinds of state. A commit hash only pins the first one.
Stop and inspect
Close Forge, confirm the original remote, check for local changes, then save the complete current hash.
git remote get-url origingit status --short --branchgit rev-parse HEADAllow only a fast-forward
On a clean tracked main branch, this updates without inventing a merge commit. Failure is a stop signal, not permission to reset files.
git pull --ff-onlyCapture and retest
Save the new hash, launch without new extensions or flags, and repeat the same baseline test. Keep the old hash until the result is confirmed.
git rev-parse HEADRoute the first failed layer.
Do not repair a system Python problem with random pip commands inside the Forge environment—or a GPU mismatch with Git commands.
| Symptom | Minimum proof | Next action |
|---|---|---|
git is not recognized | Run where git in a newly opened terminal. | Install from Git for Windows or repair PATH, then reopen the terminal before cloning. |
| Wrong Python launches | Compare python --version, where python and sys.executable. | Set PYTHON in webui-user.bat to the intended Python 3.10 executable. Diagnose the interpreter → |
Unable to create venv | Check write access, free space, Python architecture, venv and pip availability. | Fix that prerequisite. If the folder is partial, rename the verified Forge-local venv and rerun. Use the recovery protocol → |
| Could not install Torch | Record Python, GPU, driver, wheel URL and the first package error. | Verify a compatible PyTorch build before overriding TORCH_COMMAND; a Git clone alone does not solve GPU support. Separate Torch from CUDA → |
git pull --ff-only fails | Save git status --short --branch and both local/remote branch identities. | Stop. Do not discard local changes or force a merge until every modified file is understood. |
| Localhost does not open | Check whether the console is still running and printed a local URL. | No URL means startup failed; capture the first traceback. A printed URL can be opened manually. Run the full startup diagnosis → |
Questions that change the environment.
Each answer keeps the original Forge checkout, its Python environment and your data as separate layers.
How do I install Stable Diffusion WebUI Forge with Git?
Install Git and 64-bit Python 3.10, verify both commands, clone the original lllyasviel repository, enter the new folder and run webui-user.bat. The launcher creates a local venv and prepares dependencies before starting the browser UI.
Which Python version should I use for Forge?
At the inspected main commit, the Windows launcher accepts Python 3.10.x and reports Python 3.10.6 as the tested version. That statement is code evidence dated 24 August 2026, not a promise for a different commit or fork.
Which Git version does Forge require?
The original Forge README says to install Git but does not publish a minimum version. Install Git for Windows from its official site, run git --version, and record the result with your baseline.
Do Git and Python need to be in PATH?
They must resolve somehow when webui-user.bat runs. Git can be found through PATH, while Python can either resolve as python or be set explicitly with set PYTHON=C:\path\to\python.exe in webui-user.bat.
Does Forge create the virtual environment automatically?
Yes on the inspected Windows launcher path. webui.bat defaults VENV_DIR to a venv folder beside the launcher, creates it with the selected Python when missing, upgrades pip, activates it and runs launch.py with that interpreter.
What is the official Forge Git clone URL?
The original repository URL is https://github.com/lllyasviel/stable-diffusion-webui-forge.git. After cloning, confirm that git remote get-url origin returns that owner and repository.
How can I tell which Forge commit I installed?
Run git rev-parse HEAD inside the Forge repository. Save the complete returned hash, not only a screenshot of the interface or a vague date.
How do I update a Git installation of Forge?
Stop Forge, verify the working tree with git status --short --branch, record git rev-parse HEAD, then run git pull --ff-only while on the tracked main branch. If Git reports local changes or divergence, stop and resolve that state deliberately.
How do I create a rollback point before updating Forge?
Save the full output of git rev-parse HEAD together with the date, branch and environment details before pulling. That commit hash identifies the exact source state; a complete rollback procedure must also protect configuration, extensions and environment state.
Can I install Forge beside AUTOMATIC1111?
Yes. Keep separate code folders and separate virtual environments for the baseline. Model directories can be referenced later, but sharing an existing venv makes dependency failures harder to isolate.
Can Forge and AUTOMATIC1111 share the same venv?
The source files expose an advanced option to reference an A1111 venv, but we do not recommend it for a clean diagnostic baseline. Separate environments prevent one application’s package changes from silently changing the other.
What should I do if Forge uses the wrong Python?
Stop before installing more packages. Set the PYTHON variable in webui-user.bat to the intended 64-bit Python 3.10 executable. If a venv was already created with the wrong interpreter, rename that verified venv folder and rerun the launcher to create a clean one.
Why does Forge say it could not create venv?
First run the exact selected Python with --version, check write access and free disk space in the Forge folder, and confirm that the Python installation includes venv and pip. Preserve the stderr shown by webui.bat before changing anything.
Why does Forge fail while installing Torch?
Record the first Torch error, Python version, GPU, driver and the TORCH_COMMAND or index shown in the console. The inspected launcher defaults to torch 2.3.1 and CUDA 12.1 wheels, which may not fit hardware introduced later.
What if webui-user.bat runs but localhost does not open?
Keep the console visible. If it never prints a local URL, the server did not start; capture the first error. If the process is running and printed an address, open that exact address manually. Use the startup decision tree for process, port, and browser isolation. An empty checkpoint list is a model setup task, not a Git installation failure.
Code defines the procedure. Tutorials reveal the questions.
The primary ledger sets versions and behavior. Every community item is dated context and cannot override the original repository.
Dated tutorial and community research · 7 records
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- Discussion #2830 · venv and pip cache Community diagnostic signal about where first-run packages live.