# Looking for a Forestry alternative?

## AI agents & MCP: BCMS vs Forestry

BCMS is built for the agentic era. Connect Cursor, Claude Code, or any MCP client to manage entries, media, and schemas in plain English — with scoped keys and open-source bcms agent skills. Forestry was a Git-based static site CMS with no AI or MCP capabilities, and the platform has been discontinued since 2021.[bcms agent skills](https://www.thebcms.com/agents.md). Forestry is a schema-first developer CMS with no AI or MCP homepage messaging. BCMS adds MCP, agent skills, and visual modeling for mixed dev/marketing teams.

See the full setup guide - MCP config, install commands, and copy-paste prompts - on the[BCMS agents page](https://www.thebcms.com/agents.md).

### Summary: 7 things BCMS can do better than Forestry

BCMS delivers advanced features out of the box, including visual modeling, global search, automatic TypeScript typing, serverless functions, widget embedding, nested folders, granular permissions, and native MCP support. Forestry required YAML config files, stored content in Git, and offered no REST/GraphQL APIs — and is no longer maintained.Forestry alternative.

## It's time...

## What you should know about Forestry?

Quick answers to the most common questions about Forestry, explained simply.

### What is Forestry?

Forestry was a Git-based CMS for static site generators like Hugo, Jekyll, and Gatsby. It let editors manage Markdown and YAML content through a web UI while storing everything in a Git repository. Netlify acquired Forestry in 2020 and discontinued the service in 2021, migrating users to Netlify CMS (now Decap CMS).

### Is Forestry still available?

No. Forestry was shut down in 2021. Existing users were migrated to Netlify CMS. If you are looking for a Forestry alternative today, BCMS offers a modern headless CMS with visual modeling, REST/GraphQL APIs, and active development.

### Is Forestry free?

Forestry offered a free plan for small teams and open-source projects, with paid plans for larger teams. Since the platform is discontinued, new sign-ups are no longer possible.

### Forestry pros and cons?

Pros: Git-based workflow with version control built in; simple editor for Markdown content; preview via Git branches; free tier for small projects. Cons: Required YAML config files; no REST or GraphQL API; no multilingual support; discontinued with no active development; limited to static site generators.

### Forestry vs Decap CMS?

Decap CMS (formerly Netlify CMS) is the direct successor to Forestry after the Netlify acquisition. Both are Git-based and config-driven. BCMS takes a different approach: API-first delivery, visual content modeling, and no Git dependency for content storage.

### When should you switch from Forestry to BCMS?

Consider BCMS if you need a CMS that is actively maintained, want REST/GraphQL APIs for multi-channel delivery, require multilingual content out of the box, or prefer visual modeling over YAML config files.