Applications

Applications provide user-facing interfaces built on M3 Forge’s document intelligence and workflow capabilities. Create custom apps, conversational AI assistants, and review interfaces without writing code.

Application Types

M3 Forge supports three primary application patterns:

Chat Assistant

Conversational AI interface with persistent memory and tool integration:

• Thread-based conversations — Persistent chat history across sessions
• Assistant selection — Choose specialized assistants for different tasks
• Memory integration — mem0 memory for contextual, personalized responses
• Image support — Attach images for visual question answering
• Skill/tool palette — Invoke specialized capabilities via Cmd+K
• Real-time streaming — Token-by-token response generation

Use for customer support, internal Q&A, document analysis, and knowledge exploration.

App Builder

Visual wizard for creating custom applications:

• Template-based creation — Start from pre-built templates
• Drag-and-drop configuration — No-code interface building
• Workflow integration — Connect to existing workflows
• Custom branding — Logo, colors, and styling
• Deployment options — Share links or embed in websites

Use for customer portals, data collection forms, approval interfaces, and specialized tools.

Review Apps

Embedded HITL and submission interfaces:

• HITL review — Review queue and panel within app context
• Submissions — Document submission and tracking
• Customizable workflows — Tailor review process to use case
• White-label options — Branded for customer-facing use

Use for client portals, partner integrations, and external document submission.

When to Build Apps

Applications extend M3 Forge capabilities to end users:

Internal Use Cases:

• Employee self-service portals
• Department-specific tools
• Specialized review interfaces
• Knowledge base search interfaces

External Use Cases:

• Customer document submission portals
• Partner integration interfaces
• Public-facing AI assistants
• Client-specific review tools

Embedded Use Cases:

• In-app chat assistants
• Workflow-triggered interfaces
• Integrated review panels
• Custom dashboards

App Capabilities

Authentication and Access Control

Apps inherit M3 Forge’s security model:

• SSO integration — SAML, OAuth, OpenID Connect
• Role-based access — Control features per user role
• Tenant isolation — Multi-tenant data separation
• API key authentication — For programmatic access

Customization

Tailor apps to your brand and use case:

• Visual branding — Logo, colors, fonts
• Layout customization — Rearrange UI elements
• Feature toggles — Enable/disable capabilities
• Custom fields — Add app-specific data
• Localization — Multi-language support

Integration

Connect apps to broader ecosystem:

• Workflows — Trigger workflows from app actions
• Knowledge Base — Search across RAG indices
• Processors — Invoke document intelligence
• External APIs — Connect to third-party services
• Webhooks — Push events to external systems

Deployment

Multiple deployment options:

• Hosted URLs — M3 Forge-hosted with custom subdomain
• Embedded — iFrame embedding in your website
• White-label — Fully branded, no M3 Forge references
• API-only — Headless mode for custom frontends

App Architecture

Applications run on M3 Forge’s infrastructure:

[User Browser] ↔ [App Frontend] ↔ [M3 API] ↔ [Workflows/Processors/Knowledge Base]
                                     ↓
                                [External APIs]

Frontend:

• React-based UI
• Real-time updates via WebSocket
• Responsive design for mobile/desktop

Backend:

• tRPC API for type-safe communication
• Workflow orchestration
• Document processing
• Knowledge base queries

Data Layer:

• PostgreSQL for structured data
• Vector database for semantic search
• Object storage for documents

Common App Patterns

Document Submission Portal

Customer-facing interface for document upload:

1. User uploads documents via drag-and-drop
2. AI classifies and extracts data
3. User reviews and corrects if needed
4. Approved documents route to backend systems
5. User receives confirmation and tracking

Use App Builder to create without code.

Conversational Knowledge Base

AI assistant for internal knowledge:

1. Employee asks question in chat
2. Assistant searches knowledge base semantically
3. Assistant synthesizes answer from relevant docs
4. User can request sources or clarifications
5. Conversation history persists for follow-up

Use Chat Assistant with knowledge base integration.

Approval Interface

Custom review app for specific workflow:

1. Items requiring approval appear in queue
2. Reviewer sees context and decision options
3. Reviewer approves/rejects with notes
4. Decision routes workflow appropriately
5. Metrics track approval rates and times

Use HITL review app with custom workflow.

Data Collection Form

Guided form for structured data entry:

1. User completes form fields
2. Validation ensures data quality
3. Optional document attachment
4. Submit triggers workflow processing
5. User receives confirmation

Use App Builder with form template.

App Lifecycle

Applications follow standard lifecycle:

1. Design

Define app requirements:

• Target users and use cases
• Required features and integrations
• Branding and customization needs
• Deployment and access requirements

2. Build

Create app using builder or code:

• Configure using App Builder wizard
• Customize UI and workflows
• Integrate with knowledge base and processors
• Test with sample data

3. Test

Validate app functionality:

• User acceptance testing
• Load testing for expected usage
• Security review
• Accessibility compliance

4. Deploy

Launch app to users:

• Publish to production environment
• Configure DNS and custom domain (if applicable)
• Set up monitoring and alerts
• Train users and provide documentation

5. Maintain

Ongoing app management:

• Monitor usage and performance
• Collect user feedback
• Update content and workflows
• Evolve based on usage patterns

App Management

Versioning

Apps support versioning for safe updates:

• Draft versions — Work in progress, not visible to users
• Published versions — Live to users
• Version history — Roll back if needed
• A/B testing — Compare versions with split traffic

Monitoring

Track app health and usage:

• User activity — Sessions, page views, actions
• Performance — Response times, errors
• Business metrics — Submissions, approvals, completions
• User feedback — Ratings and comments

Analytics

Understand how apps are used:

• User flows — Common paths through app
• Feature usage — Which capabilities are used most
• Drop-off points — Where users abandon
• Conversion rates — Task completion rates

Access analytics in app dashboard.

Webhooks and Events

Apps can push events to external systems:

Webhook Configuration

Set up webhooks for app events:

1. Navigate to app Settings → Webhooks
2. Add webhook URL
3. Select events to trigger webhook
4. Configure authentication (headers, tokens)
5. Test webhook with sample payload

Event Types

Common webhook events:

• Document submitted — New document uploaded
• Review completed — HITL review finished
• Approval granted/denied — Approval decision made
• Workflow completed — End-to-end processing done
• Error occurred — Processing or app error

Payload Format

Webhooks deliver JSON payloads:

{
  "event": "document.submitted",
  "timestamp": "2024-03-19T10:30:00Z",
  "appId": "app-123",
  "userId": "user-456",
  "data": {
    "documentId": "doc-789",
    "filename": "invoice.pdf",
    "metadata": { ... }
  }
}

Use webhooks to trigger external workflows or notifications.

Security Considerations

Apps must protect sensitive data:

Authentication

• Require authentication for all apps
• Support MFA for high-security apps
• Implement session timeouts
• Audit authentication attempts

Authorization

• Enforce role-based access control
• Validate permissions on every request
• Prevent privilege escalation
• Log authorization decisions

Data Protection

• Encrypt data in transit (TLS)
• Encrypt sensitive data at rest
• Sanitize user inputs
• Prevent XSS and CSRF attacks

Compliance

• GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA compliance
• Data retention policies
• Right to erasure
• Audit trails for compliance

See Security for detailed guidance.

Next Steps

Explore application creation and management:

Integration Points

Applications connect across M3 Forge:

• Workflows — Trigger and monitor workflows from apps
• Processors — Invoke document intelligence
• HITL — Embedded review interfaces
• Knowledge Base — Semantic search and retrieval
• Agents — Conversational AI capabilities

Apps are the user-facing layer that makes M3 Forge’s capabilities accessible to non-technical users.