diff --git a/hive-forge/src/client.rs b/hive-forge/src/client.rs
index 289d1037..2ec8b41d 100644
--- a/hive-forge/src/client.rs
+++ b/hive-forge/src/client.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use anyhow::{Context, Result, bail};
 use forgejo_api::{Auth, ForgejoError};
 use reqwest::blocking::{Client as HttpClient, Response};
 use reqwest::header::{ACCEPT, AUTHORIZATION, CONTENT_TYPE, HeaderMap, HeaderValue};
-use serde::Serialize;
+use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
 use serde_json::Value;
 
 /// Default Forgejo URL when `HIVE_FORGE_URL` is unset.
@@ -54,12 +54,18 @@ impl Client {
     /// priority over `HIVE_FORGE_REPO`; the env var is the fallback
     /// default. `json_mode` comes from the global `--json` flag —
     /// per-verb output formatters key off it via `Client::json_mode`.
-    pub fn from_env(repo_override: Option<String>, json_mode: bool) -> Result<Self> {
-        let base = std::env::var("HIVE_FORGE_URL").unwrap_or_else(|_| DEFAULT_URL.to_owned());
+    /// `forge_label` (from the global `-f/--forge` flag) targets a
+    /// dashboard-provisioned external forge account instead of the
+    /// internal forge — see [`resolve_credentials`].
+    pub fn from_env(
+        repo_override: Option<String>,
+        json_mode: bool,
+        forge_label: Option<String>,
+    ) -> Result<Self> {
+        let (base, token) = resolve_credentials(forge_label.as_deref())?;
         let default_repo = repo_override
             .or_else(|| std::env::var("HIVE_FORGE_REPO").ok())
             .unwrap_or_else(|| DEFAULT_REPO.to_owned());
-        let token = read_token().context("read forge-token")?;
 
         let url = url::Url::parse(&base).with_context(|| format!("parse HIVE_FORGE_URL {base}"))?;
         let api = forgejo_api::sync::Forgejo::new(Auth::Token(&token), url)
@@ -225,15 +231,93 @@ pub fn index(n: u64) -> Result<i64> {
     i64::try_from(n).with_context(|| format!("number {n} out of range"))
 }
 
+/// Resolve the `(base_url, token)` pair the client authenticates with.
+/// `None` (the default) resolves the internal forge exactly as before:
+/// `HIVE_FORGE_URL` (default [`DEFAULT_URL`]) + `read_token()`.
+/// `Some(label)` (from `-f/--forge <label>`) instead resolves a
+/// dashboard-provisioned external forge account: the token comes from
+/// `${HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR}/forge-<label>-token` and the base URL from
+/// the `base_url` key of the sibling `forge-<label>.json` sidecar —
+/// the exact same two files `dashboard/extra_forges.rs` writes, so the
+/// read side can't drift from the write side. An unknown label (either
+/// file missing) is a clear error listing the labels actually found in
+/// the state dir, not a raw file-not-found.
+fn resolve_credentials(forge_label: Option<&str>) -> Result<(String, String)> {
+    let Some(label) = forge_label else {
+        let base = std::env::var("HIVE_FORGE_URL").unwrap_or_else(|_| DEFAULT_URL.to_owned());
+        let token = read_token().context("read forge-token")?;
+        return Ok((base, token));
+    };
+
+    let dir = state_dir();
+    let token_path = dir.join(format!("forge-{label}-token"));
+    let sidecar_path = dir.join(format!("forge-{label}.json"));
+
+    let token = std::fs::read_to_string(&token_path).map(|s| s.trim().to_owned());
+    let sidecar = std::fs::read_to_string(&sidecar_path)
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|s| serde_json::from_str::<ForgeSidecar>(&s).ok());
+
+    if let (Ok(token), Some(sidecar)) = (token, sidecar) {
+        return Ok((sidecar.base_url, token));
+    }
+    let known = provisioned_labels(&dir);
+    let known = if known.is_empty() {
+        "(none provisioned)".to_owned()
+    } else {
+        known.join(", ")
+    };
+    bail!("hive-forge: no such forge {label:?} — provisioned forges: {known}");
+}
+
+/// Sidecar shape `dashboard/extra_forges.rs` writes alongside each
+/// `forge-<label>-token` file: just the base URL, pinned to the same
+/// `base_url` JSON key the write side uses.
+#[derive(Deserialize)]
+struct ForgeSidecar {
+    base_url: String,
+}
+
+/// Scan the state dir for every `forge-<label>-token` file (mirroring
+/// `dashboard/extra_forges.rs`'s own listing logic) and return the
+/// labels found, sorted. Used to build a helpful "did you mean one of
+/// these" error when `--forge <label>` doesn't resolve. Best-effort:
+/// an unreadable state dir yields an empty list rather than erroring
+/// (the caller already has its own error to report).
+fn provisioned_labels(dir: &std::path::Path) -> Vec<String> {
+    let Ok(entries) = std::fs::read_dir(dir) else {
+        return Vec::new();
+    };
+    let mut labels: Vec<String> = entries
+        .flatten()
+        .filter(|e| e.file_type().is_ok_and(|ft| ft.is_file()))
+        .filter_map(|e| {
+            e.file_name()
+                .to_str()?
+                .strip_prefix("forge-")?
+                .strip_suffix("-token")
+                .filter(|label| !label.is_empty())
+                .map(str::to_owned)
+        })
+        .collect();
+    labels.sort();
+    labels
+}
+
+/// The configured `HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR`, falling back to `$PWD` when
+/// unset — matches `read_token`'s fallback for the plain internal-forge
+/// path.
+fn state_dir() -> PathBuf {
+    match std::env::var("HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR") {
+        Ok(s) if !s.is_empty() => PathBuf::from(s),
+        _ => PathBuf::from("."),
+    }
+}
+
 /// Locate and read the forge token. Falls back to `$PWD/forge-token`
 /// when `HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR` isn't set, matching the bash helper.
 fn read_token() -> Result<String> {
-    let state_dir = std::env::var("HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR").unwrap_or_default();
-    let path = if state_dir.is_empty() {
-        PathBuf::from("forge-token")
-    } else {
-        PathBuf::from(state_dir).join("forge-token")
-    };
+    let path = state_dir().join("forge-token");
     let raw = std::fs::read_to_string(&path)
         .with_context(|| format!("hive-forge: no forge-token at {}", path.display()))?;
     Ok(raw.trim().to_owned())
diff --git a/hive-forge/src/main.rs b/hive-forge/src/main.rs
index 795176bd..6e8c07d4 100644
--- a/hive-forge/src/main.rs
+++ b/hive-forge/src/main.rs
@@ -5,6 +5,11 @@
 //!   `HIVE_FORGE_REPO`     — default repo, e.g. `hyperhive/hyperhive`
 //!   `HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR` — state dir; `forge-token` lives here
 //!
+//! The global `-f/--forge <label>` flag targets a dashboard-provisioned
+//! external forge account instead: it reads `forge-<label>-token` +
+//! `forge-<label>.json` (base URL) from the state dir rather than
+//! `HIVE_FORGE_URL`/`forge-token`. See `client::Client::from_env`.
+//!
 //! Single binary with verb subcommands. Replaces the prior bash
 //! script (`hive-forge-tools.nix`) so that agents and operators get
 //! the same error handling, exit codes, and JSON shapes regardless
@@ -36,6 +41,15 @@ struct Cli {
     /// positional the bash helper used.
     #[arg(short = 'r', long, global = true)]
     repo: Option<String>,
+    /// Target an external forge account provisioned via the dashboard's
+    /// FORGES tab, by label, instead of the internal forge. Reads
+    /// `${HYPERHIVE_STATE_DIR}/forge-<label>-token` for the token and
+    /// `forge-<label>.json` for the base URL (the same two files the
+    /// dashboard writes) instead of `HIVE_FORGE_URL`/`forge-token`.
+    /// Orthogonal to `-r/--repo`, which still just picks which repo on
+    /// whichever forge is selected.
+    #[arg(short = 'f', long, global = true)]
+    forge: Option<String>,
     /// Emit JSON output instead of the verb's default human-readable
     /// shape, for verbs that support both. Verbs whose
     /// only output is already JSON (`issue`, `pr`, etc.) ignore this
@@ -181,7 +195,8 @@ enum Verb {
 
 fn main() -> Result<()> {
     let cli = Cli::parse();
-    let client = client::Client::from_env(cli.repo, cli.json).context("initialize forge client")?;
+    let client = client::Client::from_env(cli.repo, cli.json, cli.forge)
+        .context("initialize forge client")?;
     match cli.verb {
         Verb::View(a) => verbs::view::run(&client, a),
         Verb::Issue(a) => verbs::issue_cmd::run(&client, a),