feat: Add bd search command for efficient text queries (#347)

Adds a new `bd search` command optimized for quick text searches,
addressing the issue where Claude using MCP bd list consumes 30k tokens.

Features:
- Searches across title, description, and ID with OR logic
- Default limit of 50 results (vs unlimited for bd list)
- Supports key filters: --status, --assignee, --type, --label
- Works in both daemon and direct modes
- Provides --json and --long output formats

Examples:
  bd search "performance" --status open
  bd search "database" --label backend --limit 10
  bd search "bd-5q"  # Search by partial ID

This provides a more efficient alternative to bd list when users
just want to find issues quickly without loading all results.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

cmd/bd/search.go

@@ -0,0 +1,253 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/rpc"
+	"github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/types"
+	"github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/util"
+)
+
+var searchCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "search [query]",
+	Short: "Search issues by text query",
+	Long: `Search issues across title, description, and ID.
+
+Examples:
+  bd search "authentication bug"
+  bd search "login" --status open
+  bd search "database" --label backend --limit 10
+  bd search --query "performance" --assignee alice
+  bd search "bd-5q" # Search by partial ID`,
+	Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
+		// Get query from args or --query flag
+		queryFlag, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("query")
+		var query string
+		if len(args) > 0 {
+			query = strings.Join(args, " ")
+		} else if queryFlag != "" {
+			query = queryFlag
+		}
+
+		// If no query provided, show help
+		if query == "" {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: search query is required\n")
+			cmd.Help()
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+
+		// Get filter flags
+		status, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("status")
+		assignee, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("assignee")
+		issueType, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("type")
+		limit, _ := cmd.Flags().GetInt("limit")
+		labels, _ := cmd.Flags().GetStringSlice("label")
+		labelsAny, _ := cmd.Flags().GetStringSlice("label-any")
+		longFormat, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("long")
+
+		// Normalize labels
+		labels = util.NormalizeLabels(labels)
+		labelsAny = util.NormalizeLabels(labelsAny)
+
+		// Build filter
+		filter := types.IssueFilter{
+			Limit: limit,
+		}
+
+		if status != "" && status != "all" {
+			s := types.Status(status)
+			filter.Status = &s
+		}
+
+		if assignee != "" {
+			filter.Assignee = &assignee
+		}
+
+		if issueType != "" {
+			t := types.IssueType(issueType)
+			filter.IssueType = &t
+		}
+
+		if len(labels) > 0 {
+			filter.Labels = labels
+		}
+
+		if len(labelsAny) > 0 {
+			filter.LabelsAny = labelsAny
+		}
+
+		ctx := rootCtx
+
+		// Check database freshness before reading (skip when using daemon)
+		if daemonClient == nil {
+			if err := ensureDatabaseFresh(ctx); err != nil {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
+				os.Exit(1)
+			}
+		}
+
+		// If daemon is running, use RPC
+		if daemonClient != nil {
+			listArgs := &rpc.ListArgs{
+				Query:     query, // This will search title/description/id with OR logic
+				Status:    status,
+				IssueType: issueType,
+				Assignee:  assignee,
+				Limit:     limit,
+			}
+
+			if len(labels) > 0 {
+				listArgs.Labels = labels
+			}
+
+			if len(labelsAny) > 0 {
+				listArgs.LabelsAny = labelsAny
+			}
+
+			resp, err := daemonClient.List(listArgs)
+			if err != nil {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
+				os.Exit(1)
+			}
+
+			if jsonOutput {
+				var issuesWithCounts []*types.IssueWithCounts
+				if err := json.Unmarshal(resp.Data, &issuesWithCounts); err != nil {
+					fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error parsing response: %v\n", err)
+					os.Exit(1)
+				}
+				outputJSON(issuesWithCounts)
+				return
+			}
+
+			var issues []*types.Issue
+			if err := json.Unmarshal(resp.Data, &issues); err != nil {
+				fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error parsing response: %v\n", err)
+				os.Exit(1)
+			}
+
+			outputSearchResults(issues, query, longFormat)
+			return
+		}
+
+		// Direct mode - search using store
+		// The query parameter in SearchIssues already searches across title, description, and id
+		issues, err := store.SearchIssues(ctx, query, filter)
+		if err != nil {
+			fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
+			os.Exit(1)
+		}
+
+		// If no issues found, check if git has issues and auto-import
+		if len(issues) == 0 {
+			if checkAndAutoImport(ctx, store) {
+				// Re-run the search after import
+				issues, err = store.SearchIssues(ctx, query, filter)
+				if err != nil {
+					fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
+					os.Exit(1)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		if jsonOutput {
+			// Get labels and dependency counts
+			issueIDs := make([]string, len(issues))
+			for i, issue := range issues {
+				issueIDs[i] = issue.ID
+			}
+			labelsMap, _ := store.GetLabelsForIssues(ctx, issueIDs)
+			depCounts, _ := store.GetDependencyCounts(ctx, issueIDs)
+
+			// Populate labels
+			for _, issue := range issues {
+				issue.Labels = labelsMap[issue.ID]
+			}
+
+			// Build response with counts
+			issuesWithCounts := make([]*types.IssueWithCounts, len(issues))
+			for i, issue := range issues {
+				counts := depCounts[issue.ID]
+				if counts == nil {
+					counts = &types.DependencyCounts{DependencyCount: 0, DependentCount: 0}
+				}
+				issuesWithCounts[i] = &types.IssueWithCounts{
+					Issue:           issue,
+					DependencyCount: counts.DependencyCount,
+					DependentCount:  counts.DependentCount,
+				}
+			}
+			outputJSON(issuesWithCounts)
+			return
+		}
+
+		// Load labels for display
+		issueIDs := make([]string, len(issues))
+		for i, issue := range issues {
+			issueIDs[i] = issue.ID
+		}
+		labelsMap, _ := store.GetLabelsForIssues(ctx, issueIDs)
+		for _, issue := range issues {
+			issue.Labels = labelsMap[issue.ID]
+		}
+
+		outputSearchResults(issues, query, longFormat)
+	},
+}
+
+// outputSearchResults formats and displays search results
+func outputSearchResults(issues []*types.Issue, query string, longFormat bool) {
+	if len(issues) == 0 {
+		fmt.Printf("No issues found matching '%s'\n", query)
+		return
+	}
+
+	if longFormat {
+		// Long format: multi-line with details
+		fmt.Printf("\nFound %d issues matching '%s':\n\n", len(issues), query)
+		for _, issue := range issues {
+			fmt.Printf("%s [P%d] [%s] %s\n", issue.ID, issue.Priority, issue.IssueType, issue.Status)
+			fmt.Printf("  %s\n", issue.Title)
+			if issue.Assignee != "" {
+				fmt.Printf("  Assignee: %s\n", issue.Assignee)
+			}
+			if len(issue.Labels) > 0 {
+				fmt.Printf("  Labels: %v\n", issue.Labels)
+			}
+			fmt.Println()
+		}
+	} else {
+		// Compact format: one line per issue
+		fmt.Printf("Found %d issues matching '%s':\n", len(issues), query)
+		for _, issue := range issues {
+			labelsStr := ""
+			if len(issue.Labels) > 0 {
+				labelsStr = fmt.Sprintf(" %v", issue.Labels)
+			}
+			assigneeStr := ""
+			if issue.Assignee != "" {
+				assigneeStr = fmt.Sprintf(" @%s", issue.Assignee)
+			}
+			fmt.Printf("%s [P%d] [%s] %s%s%s - %s\n",
+				issue.ID, issue.Priority, issue.IssueType, issue.Status,
+				assigneeStr, labelsStr, issue.Title)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func init() {
+	searchCmd.Flags().String("query", "", "Search query (alternative to positional argument)")
+	searchCmd.Flags().StringP("status", "s", "", "Filter by status (open, in_progress, blocked, closed)")
+	searchCmd.Flags().StringP("assignee", "a", "", "Filter by assignee")
+	searchCmd.Flags().StringP("type", "t", "", "Filter by type (bug, feature, task, epic, chore)")
+	searchCmd.Flags().StringSliceP("label", "l", []string{}, "Filter by labels (AND: must have ALL)")
+	searchCmd.Flags().StringSlice("label-any", []string{}, "Filter by labels (OR: must have AT LEAST ONE)")
+	searchCmd.Flags().IntP("limit", "n", 50, "Limit results (default: 50)")
+	searchCmd.Flags().Bool("long", false, "Show detailed multi-line output for each issue")
+
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(searchCmd)
+}

commands/search.md

@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+---
+description: Search issues by text query
+argument-hint: <query> [--status] [--label] [--assignee]
+---
+
+Search issues across title, description, and ID with a simple text query.
+
+**Note:** The `search` command is optimized for quick text searches and uses less context than `list` when accessed via MCP. For advanced filtering options, use `bd list`.
+
+## Basic Usage
+
+```bash
+bd search "authentication bug"
+bd search login --status open
+bd search database --label backend
+bd search "bd-5q"  # Search by partial issue ID
+```
+
+## How It Works
+
+The search command finds issues where your query appears in **any** of:
+- Issue title
+- Issue description
+- Issue ID (supports partial matching)
+
+Unlike `bd list`, which requires you to specify which field to search, `bd search` automatically searches all text fields, making it faster and more intuitive for exploratory searches.
+
+## Filters
+
+- **--status, -s**: Filter by status (open, in_progress, blocked, closed)
+- **--assignee, -a**: Filter by assignee
+- **--type, -t**: Filter by type (bug, feature, task, epic, chore)
+- **--label, -l**: Filter by labels (must have ALL specified labels)
+- **--label-any**: Filter by labels (must have AT LEAST ONE)
+- **--limit, -n**: Limit number of results (default: 50)
+- **--long**: Show detailed multi-line output for each issue
+- **--json**: Output results in JSON format
+
+## Examples
+
+### Basic Search
+```bash
+# Find all issues mentioning "auth" or "authentication"
+bd search auth
+
+# Search for performance issues
+bd search performance --status open
+
+# Find database-related bugs
+bd search database --type bug
+```
+
+### Filtered Search
+```bash
+# Find open backend issues about login
+bd search login --status open --label backend
+
+# Search Alice's tasks for "refactor"
+bd search refactor --assignee alice --type task
+
+# Find recent bugs (limited to 10 results)
+bd search bug --status open --limit 10
+```
+
+### JSON Output
+```bash
+# Get JSON results for programmatic use
+bd search "api error" --json
+
+# Use with jq for advanced filtering
+bd search memory --json | jq '.[] | select(.priority <= 1)'
+```
+
+## Comparison with bd list
+
+| Command | Best For | Default Limit | Context Usage |
+|---------|----------|---------------|---------------|
+| `bd search` | Quick text searches, exploratory queries | 50 | Low (efficient for LLMs) |
+| `bd list` | Advanced filtering, precise queries | None | High (all results) |
+
+**When to use `bd search`:**
+- You want to find issues quickly by keyword
+- You're exploring the issue database
+- You're using an LLM/MCP and want to minimize context usage
+
+**When to use `bd list`:**
+- You need advanced filters (date ranges, priority ranges, etc.)
+- You want all results without a limit
+- You need special output formats (digraph, dot)