Beads - Persistent Task Memory for AI Agents

Graph-based issue tracker that survives conversation compaction. Provides persistent memory for multi-session work with complex dependencies.

bd vs TodoWrite

Decision test: "Will I need this context in 2 weeks?" YES = bd, NO = TodoWrite.

bd (persistent)	TodoWrite (ephemeral)
Multi-session, dependencies, compaction survival	Single-session linear tasks
Dolt-backed team sync	Conversation-scoped

See BOUNDARIES.md for detailed comparison.

Prerequisites

bd --version  # Requires v0.60.0+

• bd CLI installed and in PATH
• Git repository (optional — use BEADS_DIR + --stealth for git-free operation)
• Initialization: bd init run once (humans do this, not agents)

CLI Reference

Run bd prime for AI-optimized workflow context (auto-loaded by hooks). Run bd <command> --help for specific command usage.

Essential commands: bd ready, bd create, bd show, bd update, bd close, bd dolt push

Session Protocol

1. bd ready — Find unblocked work
2. bd show <id> — Get full context
3. bd update <id> --claim — Claim and start work atomically
4. Add notes as you work (critical for compaction survival)
5. bd close <id> --reason "..." — Complete task
6. bd dolt push — Push to Dolt remote (if configured)

Output

Append --json to any command for structured output. Use bd show <id> --long for extended metadata. Status icons: ○ open ◐ in_progress ● blocked ✓ closed ❄ deferred.

Error Handling

Error	Fix
database not found	bd init <prefix> in project root
not in a git repository	git init first
disk I/O error (522)	Move .beads/ off cloud-synced filesystem
Status updates lag	Use server mode: bd dolt start

See TROUBLESHOOTING.md for full details.

Examples

Track a multi-session feature:

bd create "OAuth integration" -t epic -p 1 --json
bd create "Token storage" -t task --deps blocks:oauth-id --json
bd ready --json                    # Shows unblocked work
bd update <id> --claim --json      # Claim and start
bd close <id> --reason "Implemented with refresh tokens" --json

Recover after compaction: bd list --status in_progress --json then bd show <id> --long

Discover work mid-task: bd create "Found bug" -t bug -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<current-id> --json

Advanced Features

Feature	CLI	Resource
Molecules (templates)	bd mol --help	MOLECULES.md
Chemistry (pour/wisp)	bd pour, bd wisp	CHEMISTRY_PATTERNS.md
Agent beads	bd agent --help	AGENTS.md
Async gates	bd gate --help	ASYNC_GATES.md
Worktrees	bd worktree --help	WORKTREES.md

Resources

Category	Files
Getting Started	BOUNDARIES.md, CLI_REFERENCE.md, WORKFLOWS.md
Core Concepts	DEPENDENCIES.md, ISSUE_CREATION.md, PATTERNS.md
Resilience	RESUMABILITY.md, TROUBLESHOOTING.md
Advanced	MOLECULES.md, CHEMISTRY_PATTERNS.md, AGENTS.md, ASYNC_GATES.md, WORKTREES.md
Reference	STATIC_DATA.md, INTEGRATION_PATTERNS.md

Validation

If bd --version reports newer than 0.60.0, this skill may be stale. Run bd prime for current CLI guidance — it auto-updates with each bd release and is the canonical source of truth (ADR-0001).