Beads

Overview

bd is a graph-based issue tracker for persistent memory across sessions. Use for multi-session work with complex dependencies; use TodoWrite for simple single-session tasks.

When to Use bd vs TodoWrite

Use bd when:

• Multi-session work - Tasks spanning multiple compaction cycles or days
• Complex dependencies - Work with blockers, prerequisites, or hierarchical structure
• Knowledge work - Strategic documents, research, or tasks with fuzzy boundaries
• Side quests - Exploratory work that might pause the main task
• Project memory - Need to resume work after weeks away with full context

Use TodoWrite when:

• Single-session tasks - Work that completes within current session
• Linear execution - Straightforward step-by-step tasks with no branching
• Immediate context - All information already in conversation
• Simple tracking - Just need a checklist to show progress

Key insight: If resuming work after 2 weeks would be difficult without bd, use bd. If the work can be picked up from a markdown skim, TodoWrite is sufficient.

Test Yourself: bd or TodoWrite?

Ask these questions to decide:

Choose bd if:

• ❓ "Will I need this context in 2 weeks?" → Yes = bd
• ❓ "Could conversation history get compacted?" → Yes = bd
• ❓ "Does this have blockers/dependencies?" → Yes = bd
• ❓ "Is this fuzzy/exploratory work?" → Yes = bd

Choose TodoWrite if:

• ❓ "Will this be done in this session?" → Yes = TodoWrite
• ❓ "Is this just a task list for me right now?" → Yes = TodoWrite
• ❓ "Is this linear with no branching?" → Yes = TodoWrite

When in doubt: Use bd. Better to have persistent memory you don't need than to lose context you needed.

For detailed decision criteria and examples, read: references/BOUNDARIES.md

Surviving Compaction Events

Critical: Compaction events delete conversation history but preserve beads. After compaction, bd state is your only persistent memory.

What survives compaction:

• All bead data (issues, notes, dependencies, status)
• Complete work history and context

What doesn't survive:

• Conversation history
• TodoWrite lists
• Recent discussion context

Writing notes for post-compaction recovery:

Write notes as if explaining to a future agent with zero conversation context:

Pattern:

notes field format:
- COMPLETED: Specific deliverables ("implemented JWT refresh endpoint + rate limiting")
- IN PROGRESS: Current state + next immediate step ("testing password reset flow, need user input on email template")
- BLOCKERS: What's preventing progress
- KEY DECISIONS: Important context or user guidance

After compaction: bd show <issue-id> reconstructs full context from notes field.

Notes Quality Self-Check

Before checkpointing (especially pre-compaction), verify your notes pass these tests:

❓ Future-me test: "Could I resume this work in 2 weeks with zero conversation history?"

• What was completed? (Specific deliverables, not "made progress")
• What's in progress? (Current state + immediate next step)
• What's blocked? (Specific blockers with context)
• What decisions were made? (Why, not just what)

❓ Stranger test: "Could another developer understand this without asking me?"

• Technical choices explained (not just stated)
• Trade-offs documented (why this approach vs alternatives)
• User input captured (decisions that came from discussion)

Good note example:

COMPLETED: JWT auth with RS256 (1hr access, 7d refresh tokens)
KEY DECISION: RS256 over HS256 per security review - enables key rotation
IN PROGRESS: Password reset flow - email service working, need rate limiting
BLOCKERS: Waiting on user decision: reset token expiry (15min vs 1hr trade-off)
NEXT: Implement rate limiting (5 attempts/15min) once expiry decided

Bad note example:

Working on auth. Made some progress. More to do.

For complete compaction recovery workflow, read: references/WORKFLOWS.md

Session Start Protocol

bd is available when:

• Project has a .beads/ directory (project-local database), OR
• ~/.beads/ exists (global fallback database for any directory)

At session start, always check for bd availability and run ready check.

Session Start Checklist

Copy this checklist when starting any session where bd is available:

Session Start:
- [ ] Run bd ready --json to see available work
- [ ] Run bd list --status in_progress --json for active work
- [ ] If in_progress exists: bd show <issue-id> to read notes
- [ ] Report context to user: "X items ready: [summary]"
- [ ] If using global ~/.beads, mention this in report
- [ ] If nothing ready: bd blocked --json to check blockers

Pattern: Always check both bd ready AND bd list --status in_progress. Read notes field first to understand where previous session left off.

Report format:

• "I can see X items ready to work on: [summary]"
• "Issue Y is in_progress. Last session: [summary from notes]. Next: [from notes]. Should I continue with that?"

This establishes immediate shared context about available and active work without requiring user prompting.

For detailed collaborative handoff process, read: references/WORKFLOWS.md

Note: bd auto-discovers the database:

• Uses .beads/*.db in current project if exists
• Falls back to ~/.beads/default.db otherwise
• No configuration needed

When No Work is Ready

If bd ready returns empty but issues exist:

bd blocked --json

Report blockers and suggest next steps.

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Progress Checkpointing

Update bd notes at these checkpoints (don't wait for session end):

Critical triggers:

• ⚠️ Context running low - User says "running out of context" / "approaching compaction" / "close to token limit"
• 📊 Token budget > 70% - Proactively checkpoint when approaching limits
• 🎯 Major milestone reached - Completed significant piece of work
• 🚧 Hit a blocker - Can't proceed, need to capture what was tried
• 🔄 Task transition - Switching issues or about to close this one
• ❓ Before user input - About to ask decision that might change direction

Proactive monitoring during session:

• At 70% token usage: "We're at 70% token usage - good time to checkpoint bd notes?"
• At 85% token usage: "Approaching token limit (85%) - checkpointing current state to bd"
• At 90% token usage: Automatically checkpoint without asking

Current token usage: Check <system-warning>Token usage: messages to monitor proactively.

Checkpoint checklist:

Progress Checkpoint:
- [ ] Update notes with COMPLETED/IN_PROGRESS/NEXT format
- [ ] Document KEY DECISIONS or BLOCKERS since last update
- [ ] Mark current status (in_progress/blocked/closed)
- [ ] If discovered new work: create issues with discovered-from
- [ ] Verify notes are self-explanatory for post-compaction resume

Most important: When user says "running out of context" OR when you see >70% token usage - checkpoint immediately, even if mid-task.

Test yourself: "If compaction happened right now, could future-me resume from these notes?"

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Database Selection

bd automatically selects the appropriate database:

• Project-local (.beads/ in project): Used for project-specific work
• Global fallback (~/.beads/): Used when no project-local database exists

Use case for global database: Cross-project tracking, personal task management, knowledge work that doesn't belong to a specific project.

When to use --db flag explicitly:

• Accessing a specific database outside current directory
• Working with multiple databases (e.g., project database + reference database)
• Example: bd --db /path/to/reference/terms.db list

Database discovery rules:

• bd looks for .beads/*.db in current working directory
• If not found, uses ~/.beads/default.db
• Shell cwd can reset between commands - use absolute paths with --db when operating on non-local databases

For complete session start workflows, read: references/WORKFLOWS.md

Core Operations

All bd commands support --json flag for structured output when needed for programmatic parsing.

Essential Operations

Check ready work:

bd ready
bd ready --json              # For structured output
bd ready --priority 0        # Filter by priority
bd ready --assignee alice    # Filter by assignee

Create new issue:

IMPORTANT: Always quote title and description arguments with double quotes, especially when containing spaces or special characters.

bd create "Fix login bug"
bd create "Add OAuth" -p 0 -t feature
bd create "Write tests" -d "Unit tests for auth module" --assignee alice
bd create "Research caching" --design "Evaluate Redis vs Memcached"

# Examples with special characters (requires quoting):
bd create "Fix: auth doesn't handle edge cases" -p 1
bd create "Refactor auth module" -d "Split auth.go into separate files (handlers, middleware, utils)"

Update issue status:

bd update issue-123 --status in_progress
bd update issue-123 --priority 0
bd update issue-123 --assignee bob
bd update issue-123 --design "Decided to use Redis for persistence support"

Close completed work:

bd close issue-123
bd close issue-123 --reason "Implemented in PR #42"
bd close issue-1 issue-2 issue-3 --reason "Bulk close related work"

Show issue details:

bd show issue-123
bd show issue-123 --json

List issues:

bd list
bd list --status open
bd list --priority 0
bd list --type bug
bd list --assignee alice

For complete CLI reference with all flags and examples, read: references/CLI_REFERENCE.md

Field Usage Reference

Quick guide for when and how to use each bd field:

Field	Purpose	When to Set	Update Frequency
description	Immutable problem statement	At creation	Never (fixed forever)
design	Initial approach, architecture, decisions	During planning	Rarely (only if approach changes)
acceptance-criteria	Concrete deliverables checklist (- [ ] syntax)	When design is clear	Mark - [x] as items complete
notes	Session handoff (COMPLETED/IN_PROGRESS/NEXT)	During work	At session end, major milestones
status	Workflow state (open→in_progress→closed)	As work progresses	When changing phases
priority	Urgency level (0=highest, 3=lowest)	At creation	Adjust if priorities shift

Key pattern: Notes field is your "read me first" at session start. See WORKFLOWS.md for session handoff details.

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Issue Lifecycle Workflow

1. Discovery Phase (Proactive Issue Creation)

During exploration or implementation, proactively file issues for:

• Bugs or problems discovered
• Potential improvements noticed
• Follow-up work identified
• Technical debt encountered
• Questions requiring research

Pattern:

# When encountering new work during a task:
bd create "Found: auth doesn't handle profile permissions"
bd dep add current-task-id new-issue-id --type discovered-from

# Continue with original task - issue persists for later

Key benefit: Capture context immediately instead of losing it when conversation ends.

2. Execution Phase (Status Maintenance)

Mark issues in_progress when starting work:

bd update issue-123 --status in_progress

Update throughout work:

# Add design notes as implementation progresses
bd update issue-123 --design "Using JWT with RS256 algorithm"

# Update acceptance criteria if requirements clarify
bd update issue-123 --acceptance "- JWT validation works\n- Tests pass\n- Error handling returns 401"

Close when complete:

bd close issue-123 --reason "Implemented JWT validation with tests passing"

Important: Closed issues remain in database - they're not deleted, just marked complete for project history.

3. Planning Phase (Dependency Graphs)

For complex multi-step work, structure issues with dependencies before starting:

Create parent epic:

bd create "Implement user authentication" -t epic -d "OAuth integration with JWT tokens"

Create subtasks:

bd create "Set up OAuth credentials" -t task
bd create "Implement authorization flow" -t task
bd create "Add token refresh" -t task

Link with dependencies:

# parent-child for epic structure
bd dep add auth-epic auth-setup --type parent-child
bd dep add auth-epic auth-flow --type parent-child

# blocks for ordering
bd dep add auth-setup auth-flow

For detailed dependency patterns and types, read: references/DEPENDENCIES.md

Dependency Types Reference

bd supports four dependency types:

1. blocks - Hard blocker (issue A blocks issue B from starting)
2. related - Soft link (issues are related but not blocking)
3. parent-child - Hierarchical (epic/subtask relationship)
4. discovered-from - Provenance (issue B discovered while working on A)

For complete guide on when to use each type with examples and patterns, read: references/DEPENDENCIES.md

Integration with TodoWrite

Both tools complement each other at different timescales:

Temporal Layering Pattern

TodoWrite (short-term working memory - this hour):

• Tactical execution: "Review Section 3", "Expand Q&A answers"
• Marked completed as you go
• Present/future tense ("Review", "Expand", "Create")
• Ephemeral: Disappears when session ends

Beads (long-term episodic memory - this week/month):

• Strategic objectives: "Continue work on strategic planning document"
• Key decisions and outcomes in notes field
• Past tense in notes ("COMPLETED", "Discovered", "Blocked by")
• Persistent: Survives compaction and session boundaries

The Handoff Pattern

1. Session start: Read bead → Create TodoWrite items for immediate actions
2. During work: Mark TodoWrite items completed as you go
3. Reach milestone: Update bead notes with outcomes + context
4. Session end: TodoWrite disappears, bead survives with enriched notes

After compaction: TodoWrite is gone forever, but bead notes reconstruct what happened.

Example: TodoWrite tracks execution, Beads capture meaning

TodoWrite:

[completed] Implement login endpoint
[in_progress] Add password hashing with bcrypt
[pending] Create session middleware

Corresponding bead notes:

bd update issue-123 --notes "COMPLETED: Login endpoint with bcrypt password
hashing (12 rounds). KEY DECISION: Using JWT tokens (not sessions) for stateless
auth - simplifies horizontal scaling. IN PROGRESS: Session middleware implementation.
NEXT: Need user input on token expiry time (1hr vs 24hr trade-off)."

Don't duplicate: TodoWrite tracks execution, Beads captures meaning and context.

For patterns on transitioning between tools mid-session, read: references/BOUNDARIES.md

Common Patterns

Pattern 1: Knowledge Work Session

Scenario: User asks "Help me write a proposal for expanding the analytics platform"

What you see:

$ bd ready
# Returns: bd-42 "Research analytics platform expansion proposal" (in_progress)

$ bd show bd-42
Notes: "COMPLETED: Reviewed current stack (Mixpanel, Amplitude)
IN PROGRESS: Drafting cost-benefit analysis section
NEXT: Need user input on budget constraints before finalizing recommendations"

What you do:

1. Read notes to understand current state
2. Create TodoWrite for immediate work:

   - [ ] Draft cost-benefit analysis
   - [ ] Ask user about budget constraints
   - [ ] Finalize recommendations
   

3. Work on tasks, mark TodoWrite items completed
4. At milestone, update bd notes:

   bd update bd-42 --notes "COMPLETED: Cost-benefit analysis drafted.
   KEY DECISION: User confirmed $50k budget cap - ruled out enterprise options.
   IN PROGRESS: Finalizing recommendations (Posthog + custom ETL).
   NEXT: Get user review of draft before closing issue."
   

Outcome: TodoWrite disappears at session end, but bd notes preserve context for next session.

Pattern 2: Side Quest Handling

During main task, discover a problem:

1. Create issue: bd create "Found: inventory system needs refactoring"
2. Link using discovered-from: bd dep add main-task new-issue --type discovered-from
3. Assess: blocker or can defer?
4. If blocker: bd update main-task --status blocked, work on new issue
5. If deferrable: note in issue, continue main task

Pattern 3: Multi-Session Project Resume

Starting work after time away:

1. Run bd ready to see available work
2. Run bd blocked to understand what's stuck
3. Run bd list --status closed --limit 10 to see recent completions
4. Run bd show issue-id on issue to work on
5. Update status and begin work

For complete workflow walkthroughs with checklists, read: references/WORKFLOWS.md

Issue Creation

Quick guidelines:

• Ask user first for knowledge work with fuzzy boundaries
• Create directly for clear bugs, technical debt, or discovered work
• Use clear titles, sufficient context in descriptions
• Design field: HOW to build (can change during implementation)
• Acceptance criteria: WHAT success looks like (should remain stable)

Issue Creation Checklist

Copy when creating new issues:

Creating Issue:
- [ ] Title: Clear, specific, action-oriented
- [ ] Description: Problem statement (WHY this matters) - immutable
- [ ] Design: HOW to build (can change during work)
- [ ] Acceptance: WHAT success looks like (stays stable)
- [ ] Priority: 0=critical, 1=high, 2=normal, 3=low
- [ ] Type: bug/feature/task/epic/chore

Self-check for acceptance criteria:

❓ "If I changed the implementation approach, would these criteria still apply?"

• → Yes = Good criteria (outcome-focused)
• → No = Move to design field (implementation-focused)

Example:

• ✅ Acceptance: "User tokens persist across sessions and refresh automatically"
• ❌ Wrong: "Use JWT tokens with 1-hour expiry" (that's design, not acceptance)

For detailed guidance on when to ask vs create, issue quality, resumability patterns, and design vs acceptance criteria, read: references/ISSUE_CREATION.md

Alternative Use Cases

bd is primarily for work tracking, but can also serve as queryable database for static reference data (glossaries, terminology) with adaptations.

For guidance on using bd for reference databases and static data, read: references/STATIC_DATA.md

Statistics and Monitoring

Check project health:

bd stats
bd stats --json

Returns: total issues, open, in_progress, closed, blocked, ready, avg lead time

Find blocked work:

bd blocked
bd blocked --json

Use stats to:

• Report progress to user
• Identify bottlenecks
• Understand project velocity

Advanced Features

Issue Types

bd create "Title" -t task        # Standard work item (default)
bd create "Title" -t bug         # Defect or problem
bd create "Title" -t feature     # New functionality
bd create "Title" -t epic        # Large work with subtasks
bd create "Title" -t chore       # Maintenance or cleanup

Priority Levels

bd create "Title" -p 0    # Highest priority (critical)
bd create "Title" -p 1    # High priority
bd create "Title" -p 2    # Normal priority (default)
bd create "Title" -p 3    # Low priority

Bulk Operations

# Close multiple issues at once
bd close issue-1 issue-2 issue-3 --reason "Completed in sprint 5"

# Create multiple issues from markdown file
bd create --file issues.md

Dependency Visualization

# Show full dependency tree for an issue
bd dep tree issue-123

# Check for circular dependencies
bd dep cycles

Built-in Help

# Quick start guide (comprehensive built-in reference)
bd quickstart

# Command-specific help
bd create --help
bd dep --help

JSON Output

All bd commands support --json flag for structured output:

bd ready --json
bd show issue-123 --json
bd list --status open --json
bd stats --json

Use JSON output when you need to parse results programmatically or extract specific fields.

Troubleshooting

If bd command not found:

• Check installation: bd version
• Verify PATH includes bd binary location

If issues seem lost:

• Use bd list to see all issues
• Filter by status: bd list --status closed
• Closed issues remain in database permanently

If bd show can't find issue by name:

• bd show requires issue IDs, not issue titles
• Workaround: bd list | grep -i "search term" to find ID first
• Then: bd show issue-id with the discovered ID
• For glossaries/reference databases where names matter more than IDs, consider using markdown format alongside the database

If dependencies seem wrong:

• Use bd show issue-id to see full dependency tree
• Use bd dep tree issue-id for visualization
• Dependencies are directional: bd dep add from-id to-id means from-id blocks to-id
• See references/DEPENDENCIES.md

If database seems out of sync:

• bd auto-syncs JSONL after each operation (5s debounce)
• bd auto-imports JSONL when newer than DB (after git pull)
• Manual operations: bd export, bd import

Reference Files

Detailed information organized by topic:

Reference	Read When
references/BOUNDARIES.md	Need detailed decision criteria for bd vs TodoWrite, or integration patterns
references/CLI_REFERENCE.md	Need complete command reference, flag details, or examples
references/WORKFLOWS.md	Need step-by-step workflows with checklists for common scenarios
references/DEPENDENCIES.md	Need deep understanding of dependency types or relationship patterns
references/ISSUE_CREATION.md	Need guidance on when to ask vs create issues, issue quality, or design vs acceptance criteria
references/STATIC_DATA.md	Want to use bd for reference databases, glossaries, or static data instead of work tracking