bd - Beads
Distributed graph issue tracker for AI agents, powered by Dolt.
Platforms: macOS, Linux, Windows, FreeBSD
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
bash# 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. See Agent and IDE setup.
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:
markdownThis 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, andreplies_tofor 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. Perfect for personal use on shared projects. See Git-Free Usage below.
Contributor vs Maintainer: When working on open-source projects:
- Contributors (forked repos): Run
bd init --contributorto route planning issues to a separate repo (e.g.,~/.beads-planning). Keeps experimental work out of PRs. - Maintainers (write access): Beads auto-detects maintainer role via SSH URLs or HTTPS with credentials. Only need
git config beads.role maintainerif using GitHub HTTPS without credentials but you have write access.
📦 Installation
bashbrew install beads # macOS / Linux (recommended) npm install -g @beads/bd # Node.js users
Other methods: install script | go install | from source | Windows | Arch AUR
Requirements: macOS, Linux, Windows, or FreeBSD. See docs/INSTALLING.md for complete installation guide.
Security And Verification
Before trusting any downloaded binary, verify its checksum against the release checksums.txt.
The install scripts verify release checksums before install. For manual installs, do this verification yourself before first run.
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.
See docs/ANTIVIRUS.md for Windows AV false-positive guidance and verification workflow.
💾 Storage Modes
Beads uses Dolt as its database. Two modes are available:
Embedded Mode (default)
bashbd init
Dolt runs in-process — no external server needed. Data lives in
.beads/embeddeddolt/. Single-writer only (file locking enforced).
This is the recommended mode for most users.
When the git repo has an origin remote, bd init configures a Dolt remote
named origin automatically. Cross-machine sync uses bd dolt push and
bd dolt pull against refs/dolt/data; .beads/issues.jsonl is an export
for viewers, interchange, and backup, not the source of truth.
Server Mode
bashbd init --server
Connects to an external dolt sql-server. Data lives in .beads/dolt/.
Supports multiple concurrent writers. Configure the connection with flags
or environment variables:
| Flag | Env Var | Default |
|---|---|---|
--server-host | BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_HOST | 127.0.0.1 |
--server-port | BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_PORT | 3307 |
--server-socket | BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_SOCKET | (none; uses TCP) |
--server-user | BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_USER | root |
BEADS_DOLT_PASSWORD | (none) |
Unix domain sockets: Use --server-socket to connect via a Unix socket
instead of TCP. This avoids port conflicts between concurrent projects and
is useful in sandboxed environments (e.g., Claude Code) where file-level
access control is simpler than network allowlists. The Dolt server must be
started with dolt sql-server --socket <path>. Auto-start is not supported
in socket mode.
Backup & Migration
Back up your database and migrate between modes using bd backup:
bash# Set up a backup destination and push bd backup init /path/to/backup bd backup sync # Restore into a new project (any mode) bd init # or bd init --server bd backup restore --force /path/to/backup
See docs/DOLT.md for full migration instructions.
🌐 Community Tools
See docs/COMMUNITY_TOOLS.md for a curated list of community-built UIs, extensions, and integrations—including terminal interfaces, web UIs, editor extensions, and native apps.
🚀 Git-Free Usage
Beads works without git. The Dolt database is the storage backend — git integration (hooks, repo discovery, identity) is optional.
bash# Initialize without git export BEADS_DIR=/path/to/your/project/.beads bd init --quiet --stealth # All core commands work with zero git calls 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, disabling all git hook installation and git operations.
This is useful for:
- Non-git VCS (Sapling, Jujutsu, Piper) — no
.git/directory needed - Monorepos — point
BEADS_DIRat a specific subdirectory - CI/CD — isolated task tracking without repo-level side effects
- Evaluation/testing — ephemeral databases in
/tmp
For daemon mode without git, use bd daemon start --local
(see PR #433).
📝 Documentation
- Documentation site (versioned) | Installing | Sync Concepts | Agent Workflow | Copilot Setup | Articles | Sync Branch Mode | Troubleshooting | FAQ
