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bd - Beads

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https://github.com/gastownhall/beads
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2026-05-06
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bd - Beads

Distributed graph issue tracker for AI agents, powered by Dolt.

Platforms: macOS, Linux, Windows, FreeBSD

License Go Report Card Release npm version PyPI

Docs: https://gastownhall.github.io/beads/

Beads provides a persistent, structured memory for coding agents. It replaces messy markdown plans with a dependency-aware graph, allowing agents to handle long-horizon tasks without losing context.

Quick Start

# Install beads CLI (system-wide - don't clone this repo into your project)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gastownhall/beads/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

# Initialize in YOUR project
cd your-project
bd init

# Optional: install richer instructions for your agent
bd setup codex    # Codex CLI - creates/updates AGENTS.md
bd setup claude   # Claude Code - installs hooks/settings
bd setup factory  # Factory.ai Droid - creates/updates AGENTS.md

Note: Beads is a CLI tool you install once and use everywhere. You don't need to clone this repository into your project.

bd init creates or updates AGENTS.md by default so agents can discover the beads workflow. It skips agent files only when you pass --skip-agents or --stealth, or when you configure a custom agent file. Use bd setup --list to see supported integrations, including bd setup codex, bd setup factory, bd setup claude, bd setup mux, bd setup cursor, and more.

Manual copy-paste is only for unsupported agents, existing projects where you cannot rerun bd init/bd setup, or custom instruction files. In those cases, run bd onboard and paste the printed snippet into the file your agent reads.

If your agent is not covered by bd setup, add this minimal AGENTS.md section:

This project uses bd (beads) for issue tracking.

- Run `bd prime` for workflow context and command guidance.
- Use `bd ready`, `bd show <id>`, `bd update <id> --claim`, and `bd close <id>`.
- Use `bd remember "insight"` for persistent project memory; do not create MEMORY.md files.
- Do not use markdown TODO lists for task tracking.

Features

  • Dolt-Powered: Version-controlled SQL database with cell-level merge, native branching, and built-in sync via Dolt remotes.
  • Agent-Optimized: JSON output, dependency tracking, and auto-ready task detection.
  • Zero Conflict: Hash-based IDs (bd-a1b2) prevent merge collisions in multi-agent/multi-branch workflows.
  • Compaction: Semantic "memory decay" summarizes old closed tasks to save context window.
  • Messaging: Message issue type with threading (--thread), ephemeral lifecycle, and mail delegation.
  • Graph Links: relates_to, duplicates, supersedes, and replies_to for knowledge graphs.

Essential Commands

Command Action
bd ready List tasks with no open blockers.
bd create "Title" -p 0 Create a P0 task.
bd update <id> --claim Atomically claim a task (sets assignee + in_progress).
bd dep add <child> <parent> Link tasks (blocks, related, parent-child).
bd show <id> View task details and audit trail.
bd prime Print agent workflow context and persistent memories.
bd remember "insight" Store project memory that bd prime injects later.

Hierarchy & Workflow

Beads supports hierarchical IDs for epics:

  • bd-a3f8 (Epic)
  • bd-a3f8.1 (Task)
  • bd-a3f8.1.1 (Sub-task)

Stealth Mode: Run bd init --stealth to use Beads locally without committing files to the main repo.

Contributor vs Maintainer:

  • Contributors (forked repos): Run bd init --contributor to route planning issues to a separate repo (e.g., ~/.beads-planning).
  • Maintainers (write access): Beads auto-detects maintainer role via SSH URLs or HTTPS with credentials.

Installation

brew install beads           # macOS / Linux (recommended)
npm install -g @beads/bd     # Node.js users

Requirements: macOS, Linux, Windows, or FreeBSD.

Security And Verification

Before trusting any downloaded binary, verify its checksum against the release checksums.txt. The install scripts verify release checksums before install. On macOS, scripts/install.sh preserves the downloaded signature by default. Local ad-hoc re-signing is explicit opt-in via BEADS_INSTALL_RESIGN_MACOS=1.

Storage Modes

Beads uses Dolt as its database. Two modes available.

Embedded Mode (default)

bd init

Dolt runs in-process — no external server needed. Data lives in .beads/embeddeddolt/. Single-writer only (file locking enforced).

Server Mode

bd init --server

Connects to an external dolt sql-server. Data lives in .beads/dolt/. Supports multiple concurrent writers. Configurable via --server-host/BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_HOST (default 127.0.0.1), --server-port/BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_PORT (default 3307), --server-socket/BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_SOCKET, --server-user/BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_USER (default root), BEADS_DOLT_PASSWORD, and BEADS_DOLT_CLI_DIR.

Unix domain sockets via --server-socket avoid port conflicts and help in sandboxed environments (e.g., Claude Code) where file-level access control is simpler than network allowlists.

Backup & Migration

bd backup init /path/to/backup
bd backup sync

bd init           # or bd init --server
bd backup restore --force /path/to/backup

Git-Free Usage

export BEADS_DIR=/path/to/your/project/.beads
bd init --quiet --stealth

bd create "Fix auth bug" -p 1 -t bug
bd ready --json
bd update bd-a1b2 --claim
bd prime
bd close bd-a1b2 "Fixed"

BEADS_DIR tells bd where to put the .beads/ database directory, bypassing git repo discovery. --stealth sets no-git-ops: true in config.

Useful for: non-git VCS (Sapling, Jujutsu, Piper), monorepos (point BEADS_DIR at a subdirectory), CI/CD, ephemeral databases in /tmp.

For daemon mode without git, use bd daemon start --local.

Repo metadata

  • Stars: 23,236
  • Language: Go (94.3%), with Python (3.0%), Shell (2.0%), JavaScript (0.3%)
  • License: MIT
  • Created: 2025-10-12
  • Last push: 2026-05-06
  • Releases: 89 (through v1.0.3)
  • Distribution: Homebrew, npm (@beads/bd), PyPI (beads-mcp), install script
  • Author: gastownhall (Steve Yegge — Go Report Card badge points at github.com/steveyegge/beads)