diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index bcc27f2f..8fcc8e5a 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -23,9 +23,12 @@ bd create "Issue title" --id worker1-100 -p 1 --json
 # Update issue status
 bd update <id> --status in_progress --json
 
-# Link discovered work
+# Link discovered work (old way)
 bd dep add <discovered-id> <parent-id> --type discovered-from
 
+# Create and link in one command (new way)
+bd create "Issue title" -t bug -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<parent-id> --json
+
 # Complete work
 bd close <id> --reason "Done" --json
 
@@ -46,8 +49,8 @@ bd import -i .beads/issues.jsonl --resolve-collisions  # Auto-resolve
 2. **Claim your task**: `bd update <id> --status in_progress`
 3. **Work on it**: Implement, test, document
 4. **Discover new work**: If you find bugs or TODOs, create issues:
-   - `bd create "Found bug in auth" -t bug -p 1 --json`
-   - Link it: `bd dep add <new-id> <current-id> --type discovered-from`
+   - Old way (two commands): `bd create "Found bug in auth" -t bug -p 1 --json` then `bd dep add <new-id> <current-id> --type discovered-from`
+   - New way (one command): `bd create "Found bug in auth" -t bug -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<current-id> --json`
 5. **Complete**: `bd close <id> --reason "Implemented"`
 6. **Export**: Changes auto-sync to `.beads/issues.jsonl` (5-second debounce)
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 473ed911..592b0b64 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -313,8 +313,12 @@ Only `blocks` dependencies affect the ready work queue.
 - **discovered-from**: Use when you discover new work while working on an issue
   ```bash
   # While working on bd-20, you discover a bug
+  # Old way (two commands):
   bd create "Fix edge case bug" -t bug -p 1
   bd dep add bd-21 bd-20 --type discovered-from  # bd-21 discovered from bd-20
+
+  # New way (single command with --deps):
+  bd create "Fix edge case bug" -t bug -p 1 --deps discovered-from:bd-20
   ```
 
 The `discovered-from` type is particularly useful for AI-supervised workflows, where the AI can automatically create issues for discovered work and link them back to the parent task.
diff --git a/cmd/bd/main.go b/cmd/bd/main.go
index 7ccc7152..984d26c4 100644
--- a/cmd/bd/main.go
+++ b/cmd/bd/main.go
@@ -538,6 +538,7 @@ var createCmd = &cobra.Command{
 		labels, _ := cmd.Flags().GetStringSlice("labels")
 		explicitID, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("id")
 		externalRef, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("external-ref")
+		deps, _ := cmd.Flags().GetStringSlice("deps")
 
 		// Validate explicit ID format if provided (prefix-number)
 		if explicitID != "" {
@@ -585,6 +586,43 @@ var createCmd = &cobra.Command{
 			}
 		}
 
+		// Add dependencies if specified (format: type:id or just id for default "blocks" type)
+		for _, depSpec := range deps {
+			var depType types.DependencyType
+			var dependsOnID string
+
+			// Parse format: "type:id" or just "id" (defaults to "blocks")
+			if strings.Contains(depSpec, ":") {
+				parts := strings.SplitN(depSpec, ":", 2)
+				if len(parts) != 2 {
+					fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: invalid dependency format '%s', expected 'type:id' or 'id'\n", depSpec)
+					continue
+				}
+				depType = types.DependencyType(parts[0])
+				dependsOnID = parts[1]
+			} else {
+				// Default to "blocks" if no type specified
+				depType = types.DepBlocks
+				dependsOnID = depSpec
+			}
+
+			// Validate dependency type
+			if !depType.IsValid() {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: invalid dependency type '%s' (valid: blocks, related, parent-child, discovered-from)\n", depType)
+				continue
+			}
+
+			// Add the dependency
+			dep := &types.Dependency{
+				IssueID:     issue.ID,
+				DependsOnID: dependsOnID,
+				Type:        depType,
+			}
+			if err := store.AddDependency(ctx, dep, actor); err != nil {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: failed to add dependency %s -> %s: %v\n", issue.ID, dependsOnID, err)
+			}
+		}
+
 		// Schedule auto-flush
 		markDirtyAndScheduleFlush()
 
@@ -610,6 +648,7 @@ func init() {
 	createCmd.Flags().StringSliceP("labels", "l", []string{}, "Labels (comma-separated)")
 	createCmd.Flags().String("id", "", "Explicit issue ID (e.g., 'bd-42' for partitioning)")
 	createCmd.Flags().String("external-ref", "", "External reference (e.g., 'gh-9', 'jira-ABC')")
+	createCmd.Flags().StringSlice("deps", []string{}, "Dependencies in format 'type:id' or 'id' (e.g., 'discovered-from:bd-20,blocks:bd-15' or 'bd-20')")
 	rootCmd.AddCommand(createCmd)
 }