Ephemeral patrol molecules leaking into beads

## Problem

Ephemeral patrol orchestration molecules (e.g., mol-deacon-patrol, wisp step issues) keep appearing in `bd ready` output in gastown beads.

These are ephemeral/wisp issues that should:
1. Never be synced to the beads-sync branch
2. Live only in .beads-wisp/ (ephemeral storage)
3. Be squashed to digests, not persisted as regular beads

## Examples found

- gt-wisp-6ue: mol-deacon-patrol
- gt-pacdm: mol-deacon-patrol
- gt-wisp-mpm: Check own context limit
- gt-wisp-lkc: Clean dead sessions

## Investigation needed

1. Where are these being created? (gt mol bond? manual bd create?)
2. Why are they using the gt- prefix instead of staying ephemeral?
3. Is the wisp storage (.beads-wisp/) being used correctly?
4. Is bd sync accidentally picking up ephemeral issues?

## Expected behavior

Patrol molecules and their steps should be ephemeral and never appear in `bd ready` or `bd list`.


Create release tag

Create annotated git tag.

```bash
git tag -a v0.39.0 -m "Release v0.39.0"
```

Verify: `git tag -l | tail -5`


Test hooked status


Agent beads: structured labels for filtering

## Agent Beads Need Queryable Labels

Currently agent beads have role_type/rig in description text, not as labels. This breaks @group resolution in gt mail.

## Current State
```json
{
  "id": "gt-gastown-witness",
  "issue_type": "agent",
  "description": "...\\nrole_type: witness\\nrig: gastown\\n..."
}
```

Cannot query: `bd list --type=agent --label=role_type:witness` returns nothing.

## Required
Agent bead creation should add labels:
- `role_type:<type>` (witness, refinery, crew, polecat, dog, mayor, deacon)
- `rig:<rig>` (gastown, beads, or "town" for town-level)

## Where to Fix
gt polecat/crew/agent creation commands should add labels.

## Acceptance
- New agent beads created with role_type/rig labels
- @group patterns work in gt mail router


Merge: bd-n386

branch: polecat/immortan
target: main
source_issue: bd-n386
rig: beads


Blocking logic: Include 'hooked' in blocking statuses

Update the blocked_cache.go SQL to treat 'hooked' as a blocking status.

## Current Logic (line ~163)

```sql
blocker.status IN ('open', 'in_progress', 'blocked', 'deferred')
```

## Updated Logic

```sql
blocker.status IN ('open', 'in_progress', 'blocked', 'deferred', 'hooked')
```

## Files to Update

- internal/storage/sqlite/blocked_cache.go

## Test Cases

1. Issue A (hooked) blocks Issue B → B should NOT appear in bd ready
2. Issue A (pinned, type=agent) → B should appear in bd ready
3. Issue A (hooked) closed → B should appear in bd ready


wish: a 'continue' or similar cmd/flag which means alter last issue

so many time I create an issue and then have another thought: 'oh, before I did X and it crashed there was ZZZ happening' or 'actually that is P4 not P2'. It would be nice if when `bd {cmd}` is used without a {title} or {id} it just adds or updates the most recently touched issue.


Merge: bd-d28c

branch: polecat/testcat
target: main
source_issue: bd-d28c
rig: beads


Move cook to formula subcommand

## Task
Move `bd cook` → `bd formula cook`

## Implementation

### 1. Update formula.go
- Add `cookCmd` as subcommand of `formulaCmd`
- Import necessary packages from cook.go if not already present

### 2. Update cook.go
- Remove `rootCmd.AddCommand(cookCmd)` from init()
- Keep the command implementation as-is

### 3. Create hidden alias for backwards compatibility
- In main.go or aliases file, add:
  ```go
  aliasCmd := &cobra.Command{
    Use:    "cook",
    Hidden: true,
    Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
      // Forward to formula cook
    },
  }
  ```

### 4. Update docs
- docs/MOLECULES.md - if `bd cook` mentioned
- CHANGELOG.md - add deprecation notice

## Files to modify
- cmd/bd/formula.go (add subcommand)
- cmd/bd/cook.go (change registration)
- cmd/bd/main.go (add hidden alias)


Work on beads-2nh: Fix gt spawn --issue to find issues in...

Work on beads-2nh: Fix gt spawn --issue to find issues in rig's beads database. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Phase 1.2: Separate bdt executable - Initial structure

Create minimal bdt command structure completely separate from bd. Must not share code, config, or database.

## Subtasks
1. Create cmd/bdt/ directory with main.go
2. Implement bdt version, help, and status commands
3. Configure separate database location: $HOME/.bdt/ (not $HOME/.beads/)
4. Create separate issues file: issues.toon (not issues.jsonl)
5. Update build system:
   - Makefile: Add bdt target
   - .goreleaser.yml: Add bdt binary config

## Files to Create
- cmd/bdt/main.go - Entry point
- cmd/bdt/version.go - Version handling
- cmd/bdt/help.go - Help text (separate from bd)

## Success Criteria
- `make build` produces both `bd` and `bdt` executables
- `bdt version` shows distinct version output from bd
- `bdt --help` shows distinct help text
- bdt uses $HOME/.bdt/ directory (verify with `bdt info`)
- bd and bdt completely isolated (no shared imports beyond stdlib)


Explore wiki-style documentation structure

Our docs are growing into a book. Evaluate options for wiki-like structure:

**Options to evaluate:**
- GitHub Wiki (built-in, limited features)
- mdBook (Rust, CLI-friendly, produces HTML/PDF/ePub)
- MkDocs / Material for MkDocs (Python, beautiful themes)
- Docusaurus (React, powerful but complex)
- Plain markdown with good structure (current approach)

**Requirements:**
- Git-backed (version control)
- Markdown-native (agents can edit)
- Table of contents / navigation
- Cross-linking between pages
- Searchable
- Can be hosted on GitHub Pages

**Deliverables:**
- Recommendation with pros/cons
- If switching: migration plan
- If staying with markdown: structure guidelines for wiki-like organization

References:
- https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/alternatives/
- https://www.archbee.com/blog/gitbook-alternatives


Investigate incremental blocked_issues_cache updates at scale

Current blocked_issues_cache strategy does full DELETE + INSERT on every dependency/status change.

**Problem at scale:**
- 10K issues: ~50ms rebuild (acceptable)
- 100K issues: ~500ms rebuild (noticeable)
- 1M issues: multi-second rebuilds (problematic)

**Current implementation (blocked_cache.go:104-154):**
- DELETE FROM blocked_issues_cache
- INSERT with recursive CTE

**Potential optimizations:**
1. **Incremental updates:** Only add/remove affected issue IDs instead of full rebuild
2. **Dirty tracking:** Skip rebuild if cache is already valid
3. **Async rebuild:** Rebuild in background, serve stale cache briefly
4. **Partial invalidation:** Only invalidate affected subtree

**Decision needed:** Is this premature optimization? Current target is <100K issues.

**Benchmark:** Add benchmark for cache rebuild at 100K scale to measure actual impact.


Code smell: Storage interface has 50+ methods - consider interface segregation

The Storage interface in internal/storage/storage.go has 50+ methods covering:

- Issue CRUD (CreateIssue, GetIssue, UpdateIssue, DeleteIssue, SearchIssues)
- Dependencies (AddDependency, RemoveDependency, GetDependencies, GetDependents, etc.)
- Labels (AddLabel, RemoveLabel, GetLabels, etc.)
- Ready work (GetReadyWork, GetBlockedIssues, etc.)
- Events/Comments
- Statistics
- Dirty tracking
- Export hash tracking
- ID generation
- Config/Metadata
- Transactions
- Lifecycle

While this is a valid design for a storage abstraction, consider the Interface Segregation Principle:

1. Split into smaller interfaces: IssueStorage, DependencyStorage, LabelStorage, etc.
2. Compose them: `type Storage interface { IssueStorage; DependencyStorage; ... }`
3. This allows more focused testing and clearer API contracts

Location: internal/storage/storage.go:79-197


Update info.go versionChanges

Add entry to versionChanges in cmd/bd/info.go with agent-actionable changes for {{version}}


HOP-compatible schema additions

Add optional fields to Beads schema to enable future HOP integration.
All fields are backwards-compatible (optional, omitted if empty).

## Reference
See ~/gt/docs/hop/BEADS-SCHEMA-CHANGES.md for full specification.

## P1 Changes (Must Have Before Launch)

### 1. EntityRef type
Structured entity reference that can become HOP URI:
```go
type EntityRef struct {
    Name     string // "polecat/Nux"
    Platform string // "gastown"
    Org      string // "steveyegge"
    ID       string // "polecat-nux"
}
```

### 2. creator field
Every issue tracks who created it (EntityRef).

### 3. assignee_ref field
Structured form alongside existing string assignee.

### 4. validations array
Track who validated work completion:
```go
type Validation struct {
    Validator *EntityRef
    Outcome   string    // accepted, rejected, revision_requested
    Timestamp time.Time
    Score     *float32  // Future
}
```

## P2 Changes (Should Have)

### 5. work_type field
"mutex" (default) or "open_competition"

### 6. crystallizes field
Boolean - does this work compound (true) or evaporate (false)?

### 7. cross_refs field
Array of URIs to beads in other repos:
- "beads://github/anthropics/claude-code/bd-xyz"

## P3 Changes (Nice to Have)

### 8. skill_vector placeholder
Reserved for future embeddings: []float32

## Implementation Notes
- All fields optional in JSONL serialization
- Empty/null fields omit from output
- No migration needed for existing data
- CLI additions: --creator, --validated-by filters

Scope reduced after review. P1 only: EntityRef type, creator field, validations array. Deferred: assignee_ref, work_type, crystallizes, cross_refs, skill_vector (YAGNI - semantics unclear, can add later when needed).


Verify npm package

Confirm npm package published.

```bash
npm show @beads/bd version
```

Should show 0.99.0-test.

Also check: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@beads/bd


sync branch not match config

./bd sync
→ Exporting pending changes to JSONL...
→ No changes to commit
→ Pulling from sync branch 'gh-386'...
Error pulling from sync branch: failed to create worktree: failed to create worktree parent directory: mkdir /var/home/matt/dev/beads/worktree-db-fail/.git: not a directory
matt@blufin-framation ~/d/b/worktree-db-fail (worktree-db-fail) [1]> bd config list

Configuration:
  auto_compact_enabled = false
  compact_batch_size = 50
  compact_model = claude-3-5-haiku-20241022
  compact_parallel_workers = 5
  compact_tier1_days = 30
  compact_tier1_dep_levels = 2
  compact_tier2_commits = 100
  compact_tier2_days = 90
  compact_tier2_dep_levels = 5
  compaction_enabled = false
  issue_prefix = worktree-db-fail
  sync.branch = worktree-db-fail


test hook pin fix


Add date and priority filters to bd search for parity with bd list.

## Current State
bd search supports: --status, --type, --assignee, --label, --limit
bd list supports: all of the above PLUS date ranges and priority filters

## Filters to Add

### Priority Filters
```bash
bd search "query" --priority 1           # Exact priority
bd search "query" --priority-min 0       # P0 and above (higher priority)
bd search "query" --priority-max 2       # P2 and below (lower priority)
```

### Date Filters
```bash
bd search "query" --created-after 2025-01-01
bd search "query" --created-before 2025-12-31
bd search "query" --updated-after 2025-01-01
bd search "query" --closed-after 2025-01-01
```

### Content Filters
```bash
bd search "query" --desc-contains "bug"
bd search "query" --notes-contains "todo"
bd search "query" --empty-description    # Issues with no description
bd search "query" --no-assignee          # Unassigned issues
bd search "query" --no-labels            # Issues without labels
```

## Files to Modify

### 1. cmd/bd/search.go
Add flag definitions in init():
```go
searchCmd.Flags().IntP("priority", "p", -1, "Filter by exact priority (0-4)")
searchCmd.Flags().Int("priority-min", -1, "Filter by minimum priority")
searchCmd.Flags().Int("priority-max", -1, "Filter by maximum priority")
searchCmd.Flags().String("created-after", "", "Filter by creation date (YYYY-MM-DD)")
searchCmd.Flags().String("created-before", "", "Filter by creation date")
searchCmd.Flags().String("updated-after", "", "Filter by update date")
searchCmd.Flags().String("updated-before", "", "Filter by update date")
searchCmd.Flags().String("closed-after", "", "Filter by close date")
searchCmd.Flags().String("closed-before", "", "Filter by close date")
searchCmd.Flags().String("desc-contains", "", "Filter by description content")
searchCmd.Flags().String("notes-contains", "", "Filter by notes content")
searchCmd.Flags().Bool("empty-description", false, "Filter issues with empty description")
searchCmd.Flags().Bool("no-assignee", false, "Filter unassigned issues")
searchCmd.Flags().Bool("no-labels", false, "Filter issues without labels")
```

### 2. internal/rpc/protocol.go
Update SearchArgs struct:
```go
type SearchArgs struct {
    Query             string
    Filter            types.IssueFilter
    // Already has most fields via IssueFilter
}
```

Note: types.IssueFilter already has these fields - just need to wire them up!

### 3. cmd/bd/search.go Run function
Parse flags and populate filter:
```go
if priority, _ := cmd.Flags().GetInt("priority"); priority >= 0 {
    filter.Priority = &priority
}
if createdAfter, _ := cmd.Flags().GetString("created-after"); createdAfter != "" {
    t, err := time.Parse("2006-01-02", createdAfter)
    if err != nil {
        FatalError("invalid date format for --created-after: %v", err)
    }
    filter.CreatedAfter = &t
}
// ... similar for other flags
```

## Implementation Steps

1. **Check types.IssueFilter** - verify all needed fields exist
2. **Add flags to search.go** init()
3. **Parse flags** in Run function
4. **Pass to SearchIssues** via filter
5. **Test all combinations**

## Testing
```bash
# Create test issues
bd create "Test P1" -p 1
bd create "Test P2" -p 2 --description "Has description"

# Test filters
bd search "" --priority 1
bd search "" --priority-min 0 --priority-max 1
bd search "" --empty-description
bd search "" --desc-contains "description"
```

## Success Criteria
- All filters work in both direct and daemon mode
- Date parsing handles YYYY-MM-DD format
- --json output includes filtered results
- Help text documents all new flags


bd activity: Real-time molecule state feed

Implement activity feed command for watching molecule state transitions.

## Commands
```bash
bd activity --follow              # Real-time streaming
bd activity --mol <id>            # Activity for specific molecule
bd activity --since 5m            # Last 5 minutes
bd activity --type step           # Only step transitions
```

## Output Format
```
[14:32:01] ✓ patrol-x7k.inbox-check completed
[14:32:03] ✓ patrol-x7k.check-refinery completed
[14:32:08] + patrol-x7k.arm-ace bonded (5 steps)
[14:32:09] → patrol-x7k.arm-ace.capture in_progress
[14:32:10] ✓ patrol-x7k.arm-ace.capture completed
[14:32:14] ✓ patrol-x7k.arm-ace.decide completed (action: nudge-1)
[14:32:17] ✓ patrol-x7k.arm-ace COMPLETE
[14:32:23] ✓ patrol-x7k SQUASHED → digest-x7k
```

## Event Types
- `+` bonded - New molecule/step created
- `→` in_progress - Step started
- `✓` completed - Step/molecule finished
- `✗` failed - Step failed
- `⊘` burned - Wisp discarded
- `◉` squashed - Wisp condensed to digest

## Implementation
- Could use SQLite triggers or polling
- --follow uses OS file watching or polling
- Filter by mol ID, type, time range


bd repair: Handle .beads/redirect files

The bd repair command hardcodes .beads/beads.db path but doesn't follow .beads/redirect files like other commands do. This means repair won't work on clones that use redirected beads directories.

Fix: Check for .beads/redirect file and follow it to find the actual database location.


RemoveDependency fails on external deps - FK violation in dirty_issues

In dependencies.go:225, RemoveDependency marks BOTH issueID and dependsOnID as dirty. For external refs (e.g., external:project:capability), dependsOnID doesn't exist in the issues table. This causes FK violation since dirty_issues.issue_id has FK constraint to issues.id.

Fix: Check if dependsOnID starts with 'external:' and only mark source issue as dirty, matching the logic in AddDependency (lines 162-170).

Repro: bd dep rm <issue> external:project:capability


Restart running daemons

Kill and restart any running bd daemons to pick up new version: pkill -f 'bd daemon' && bd daemon --start


Push release v0.33.2 to remote

Push the commit and tag:

```bash
git push && git push --tags
```

Verify on GitHub that the tag appears in releases.


Merge: bd-io8c

branch: polecat/Syncer
target: main
source_issue: bd-io8c
rig: beads


Default to YES for git hooks and merge driver installation

Currently bd init prompts user to install git hooks and merge driver, but setup is incomplete if user declines. Change to install by default unless --skip-hooks or --skip-merge-driver flags are passed. Better safe defaults. If installation fails, warn user and suggest bd doctor --fix.


Git merge driver uses invalid placeholders (%L, %R instead of %A, %B)

## Problem

The beads git merge driver is configured with invalid Git placeholders:

```
git config merge.beads.driver "bd merge %A %O %L %R"
```

Git doesn't recognize `%L` or `%R` as valid merge driver placeholders. The valid placeholders are:
- `%O` = base (common ancestor)
- `%A` = current version (ours)
- `%B` = other version (theirs)

## Impact

- Affects ALL users when they have `.beads/beads.jsonl` merge conflicts
- Automatic JSONL merge fails with error: "error reading left file: failed to open file: open 7: no such file or directory"
- Users must manually resolve conflicts instead of getting automatic merge

## Root Cause

The `bd init` command (or wherever the merge driver is configured) is using non-standard placeholders. When Git encounters `%L` and `%R`, it either passes them literally or interprets them incorrectly.

## Fix

Update the merge driver configuration to:
```
git config merge.beads.driver "bd merge %A %O %A %B"
```

Where:
- 1st `%A` = output file (current file, will be overwritten)
- `%O` = base (common ancestor)
- 2nd `%A` = left/current version
- `%B` = right/other version

## Action Items

1. Fix `bd init` (or equivalent setup command) to use correct placeholders
2. Add migration/warning for existing users with misconfigured merge driver
3. Update documentation with correct merge driver setup
4. Consider adding validation when `bd init` is run


Split monolithic sqlite.go into focused files

internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go is 1050 lines containing initialization, 20+ CRUD methods, query building, and schema management.

Split into:
- store.go: Store struct & initialization (150 lines)
- bead_queries.go: Bead CRUD (300 lines)
- work_queries.go: Work queries (200 lines)
- stats_queries.go: Statistics (150 lines)
- schema.go: Schema & migrations (150 lines)
- helpers.go: Common utilities (100 lines)

Impact: Impossible to understand at a glance; hard to find specific functionality; high cognitive load

Effort: 6-8 hours


Pinned issues: persistent context markers

Add ability to pin issues so they remain visible and are excluded from work-finding commands. Pinned issues serve as persistent context markers (handoffs, architectural notes, recovery instructions) that should not be claimed as work items.

Use Cases:
1. Handoff messages - Pin session handoffs so new agents always see them
2. Architecture decisions - Pin ADRs or design notes for reference
3. Recovery context - Pin amnesia-cure notes that help agents orient

Core commands: bd pin, bd unpin, bd list --pinned/--no-pinned


Code smell: Long function flushToJSONLWithState (~280 lines)

The flushToJSONLWithState() function in cmd/bd/autoflush.go (lines 490-772) is ~280 lines with:

1. Multiple nested conditionals
2. Inline helper function definitions (recordFailure, recordSuccess)
3. Complex multi-repo filtering logic
4. Mixed concerns (validation, export, error handling)

Consider breaking into:
- validateJSONLIntegrity() - already exists but could absorb more
- getIssuesToExport(fullExport bool) - determines what to export
- mergeWithExistingJSONL(issueMap, dirtyIDs) - handles incremental merge
- filterByPrefix(issues) - multi-repo prefix filtering
- performExport(issues, jsonlPath) - the actual write
- updateMetadataAfterExport() - hash/timestamp updates

Location: cmd/bd/autoflush.go:490-772


Work on beads-rs0: Namepool configuration for themed pole...

Work on beads-rs0: Namepool configuration for themed polecat names. See bd show beads-rs0 for full details.


Review changes since last release

Understand what's being released.

```bash
git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline
```

Categorize changes:
- Features (feat:)
- Fixes (fix:)
- Breaking changes
- Documentation


Preflight: Pull latest

Ensure we're up to date with origin.

```bash
git pull --rebase
```

Resolve any conflicts before proceeding.


Work on beads-7jl: Fix Windows installer file locking iss...

Work on beads-7jl: Fix Windows installer file locking issue (GH#652). Close file handle before extraction in postinstall.js. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Review SQLite indexes and scaling bottlenecks

Audit the beads SQLite schema for:

## Index Review
- Are all frequently-queried columns indexed?
- Are compound indexes needed for common query patterns?
- Any missing indexes on foreign keys or filter columns?

## Scaling Bottlenecks
- How does performance degrade with 10k, 100k, 1M issues?
- Full table scans in hot paths?
- JSONL export/import performance at scale
- Transaction contention in multi-agent scenarios

## Common Query Patterns to Optimize
- bd ready (status + blocked_by resolution)
- bd list with filters (status, type, priority, labels)
- bd show with dependency graph traversal
- bd sync import/export

## Deliverables
- Document current indexes
- Identify missing indexes
- Benchmark key operations at scale
- Recommend schema improvements


Add BD_AGENT_MODE for ultra-compact output

Optional agent-optimized output mode triggered by BD_AGENT_MODE=1 env var:

- Compact format: just ID and title per line
- Default to open/in_progress only
- No colors, no emojis
- Lower default limit (~20)
- One-line summaries

This is independent but benefits from TTY detection infrastructure.

Consider auto-detecting agent context via CLAUDE_CODE or similar env vars.

## Implementation Plan

### Trigger
```bash
BD_AGENT_MODE=1 bd list
```

Or auto-detect common agent environments:
```go
func IsAgentMode() bool {
    if os.Getenv("BD_AGENT_MODE") != "" {
        return true
    }
    // Auto-detect known agent contexts
    if os.Getenv("CLAUDE_CODE") != "" {
        return true
    }
    // Add other agent env vars as discovered
    return false
}
```

### Code Changes

1. **Add agent output format** (cmd/bd/list.go):
```go
if ui.IsAgentMode() {
    // Ultra-compact: just ID and title
    for _, issue := range issues {
        fmt.Printf("%s: %s\n", issue.ID, issue.Title)
    }
    return
}
```

2. **Agent mode defaults**:
```go
if ui.IsAgentMode() {
    if limit == 0 {
        limit = 20 // Lower default for agents
    }
    if status == "" {
        // Only actionable work
        filter.Status = []types.Status{"open", "in_progress"}
    }
}
```

### Output Format (Agent Mode)
```
bd-mypl: Default bd list to non-closed issues
bd-v5fn: Add default limit to bd list (50 issues)
bd-jdz3: Add pager support to bd list
```

No colors, no emojis, no brackets, no priority display.
Just ID + title for maximum context efficiency.

### Testing
- `BD_AGENT_MODE=1 bd list` outputs compact format
- Verify no ANSI codes in output
- Verify default limit is 20
- Verify only open/in_progress shown by default


bd create -f crashes with nil pointer dereference

GitHub issue #674. The markdown import feature crashes at markdown.go:338 because global variables (store, ctx, actor) aren't initialized when createIssuesFromMarkdown is called. The function uses globals set by cobra command framework but is being called before they're ready. Need to either initialize globals at start of function or pass them as parameters.


Daemon should be singleton and aggressively kill stale instances

Found 2 bd daemons running (PIDs 76868, 77515) during shutdown. The daemon should:

1. Be a singleton - only one instance per rig allowed
2. On startup, check for existing daemon and kill it before starting
3. Use a PID file or lock file to enforce this

Currently stale daemons can accumulate, causing confusion and resource waste.

**Investigation 2025-12-21:**

The singleton mechanism is already implemented and working correctly:

1. **daemon.lock** uses flock (exclusive non-blocking) to prevent duplicate daemons
2. **bd.sock.startlock** coordinates concurrent auto-starts via O_CREATE|O_EXCL
3. **Registry** tracks all daemons globally in ~/.beads/registry.json

Testing shows:
- Trying to start a second daemon gives: 'Error: daemon already running (PID X)'
- Multiple daemons for *different* rigs is expected/correct behavior

The original report ('Found 2 bd daemons running PIDs 76868, 77515') was likely:
1. Two daemons for different rigs (expected), OR
2. An edge case that's since been fixed

Consider closing as RESOLVED or clarifying the original scenario.


Deacon Patrol

Mayor's daemon patrol loop for handling callbacks, health checks, and cleanup.


Improve test coverage for cmd/bd/doctor/fix (23.9% → 50%)

The doctor/fix package has only 23.9% test coverage. The doctor fix functionality is important for troubleshooting.

Current coverage: 23.9%
Target coverage: 50%


Implement bd gate create/show/list/close/wait commands

Implement the gate CLI commands.

## Commands
```bash
# Create gate (returns gate ID)
bd gate create --await <type>:<id> --timeout <duration> --notify <addr>

# Check gate status
bd gate show <id>

# List open gates
bd gate list

# Close gate (usually done by Deacon)
bd gate close <id> --reason "completed"

# Add waiter to existing gate
bd gate wait <id> --notify <addr>
```

## Implementation
- Add cmd/bd/gate.go with subcommands
- Gate create creates wisp issue of type gate
- Gate list filters for open gates
- Gate wait adds to waiters[] array
- All support --json output


Improve clean vs cleanup command naming/documentation

Clarify the difference between bd clean and bd cleanup to reduce user confusion.

**Current state:**
- bd clean: Remove temporary artifacts (.beads/bd.sock, logs, etc.)
- bd cleanup: Delete old closed issues from database

**Options:**
1. Rename for clarity:
   - bd clean → bd clean-temp
   - bd cleanup → bd cleanup-issues

2. Keep names but improve help text and documentation

3. Add prominent warnings in help output

**Preferred approach:** Option 2 (improve documentation)
- Update short/long descriptions in commands
- Add examples to help text
- Update README.md
- Add cross-references in help output

**Files to modify:**
- cmd/bd/clean.go
- cmd/bd/cleanup.go
- README.md or ADVANCED.md


Code cleanup: Search for leftover debugging code

Scan the beads codebase for debugging artifacts that should be removed before release:

## Patterns to search for:
- `fmt.Printf` debugging statements (vs proper logging)
- `// DEBUG`, `// TODO: remove`, `// TEMP` comments
- `log.Printf` that should use structured logging
- Hardcoded test values or paths
- `panic()` calls that should be proper error handling
- Commented-out code blocks
- `time.Sleep` debugging delays

## Files to check:
- cmd/bd/*.go
- internal/**/*.go

## Acceptance:
- Remove or convert all debugging artifacts
- Ensure no test pollution in production code


Update CHANGELOG.md for {{version}}

In CHANGELOG.md:

1. Change `## [Unreleased]` section header to `## [{{version}}] - {{date}}`
2. Add new empty `## [Unreleased]` section above it
3. Review and clean up the changes list

Format:
```markdown
## [Unreleased]

## [{{version}}] - {{date}}

### Added
- ...

### Changed
- ...

### Fixed
- ...
```


Consider using types.Status in merge package for type safety

The merge package uses string for status comparison (e.g., result.Status == closed, issue.Status == StatusTombstone). The types package defines Status as a type alias with validation. While the merge package needs its own Issue struct for JSONL flexibility, it could import and use types.Status for constants to get compile-time type checking. Current code: if left == closed || right == closed. Could be: if left == string(types.StatusClosed). This is low priority since string comparison works correctly. Files: internal/merge/merge.go:44, 488, 501-521


Code smell: ComputeContentHash() is 100+ lines of repetitive code

attached_args: Refactor ComputeContentHash repetitive code

The ComputeContentHash() method in internal/types/types.go (lines 87-190) is over 100 lines of repetitive code:

```go
h.Write([]byte(i.Title))
h.Write([]byte{0}) // separator
h.Write([]byte(i.Description))
h.Write([]byte{0})
h.Write([]byte(i.Design))
// ... repeated 40+ times
```

Consider:
1. Using reflection to iterate over struct fields tagged for hashing
2. Creating a helper function that takes field name and value
3. Using a slice of fields to hash and iterating over it
4. At minimum, extracting the repetitive pattern into a helper

Location: internal/types/types.go:87-190


Test Agent


bd delete --from-file should add deleted issues to deletions manifest

When using bd delete --from-file to bulk delete issues, the deleted issue IDs are not being added to the deletions.jsonl manifest.

This causes those issues to be resurrected during bd sync when git history scanning finds them in old commits.

Expected: All deleted issues should be added to deletions.jsonl so they wont be reimported from git history.

Workaround: Manually add deletion records to deletions.jsonl.


Test body-file

This is a test description from a file.

It has multiple lines.


Create bd admin parent command and nest cleanup/compact/reset

## Task
Create new `bd admin` parent command and move:
- `bd cleanup` → `bd admin cleanup`
- `bd compact` → `bd admin compact`
- `bd reset` → `bd admin reset`

## Implementation

### 1. Create admin.go
New file with parent command:
```go
var adminCmd = &cobra.Command{
    Use:   "admin",
    Short: "Administrative commands for database maintenance",
    Long: `Administrative commands for beads database maintenance.

These commands are for advanced users and should be used carefully:
  cleanup   Delete closed issues and prune expired tombstones
  compact   Compact old closed issues to save space
  reset     Remove all beads data and configuration

For routine operations, prefer 'bd doctor --fix'.`,
}

func init() {
    rootCmd.AddCommand(adminCmd)
    adminCmd.AddCommand(cleanupCmd)
    adminCmd.AddCommand(compactCmd)
    adminCmd.AddCommand(resetCmd)
}
```

### 2. Update cleanup.go, compact.go, reset.go
- Remove `rootCmd.AddCommand()` from each init()
- Keep all existing functionality

### 3. Create hidden aliases for backwards compatibility
Top-level hidden commands that forward to admin subcommands.

### 4. Update docs (major updates)
- docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md - cleanup, compact references
- docs/QUICKSTART.md - compact, cleanup references
- docs/FAQ.md - compact references
- docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md - compact references
- docs/DELETIONS.md - compact reference
- docs/CONFIG.md - compact reference
- skills/beads/SKILL.md - compact reference
- commands/compact.md - update all examples
- examples/compaction/README.md - update examples

## Files to create
- cmd/bd/admin.go

## Files to modify
- cmd/bd/cleanup.go
- cmd/bd/compact.go
- cmd/bd/reset.go
- cmd/bd/main.go (aliases)
- Multiple docs (see list above)


Push commit and tag to origin

```bash
git push origin main
git push origin v0.30.4
```

This triggers GitHub Actions:
- GoReleaser build
- PyPI publish
- npm publish

```verify
git ls-remote origin refs/tags/v0.30.4 | grep -q 'v0.30.4'
```


Test message

This is a test message body


getLocalSyncBranch silently ignores YAML parse errors

In autoimport.go:170-172, YAML parsing errors are silently ignored. If a user has malformed YAML in config.yaml, sync-branch will just silently be empty with no feedback.

Recommendation: Add debug logging since this function is only called during auto-import, and debugging silent failures is painful.

Add: debug.Logf("Warning: failed to parse config.yaml: %v", err)


Add external_projects to config schema

Add external_projects mapping to .beads/config.yaml:

```yaml
external_projects:
  beads: ../beads
  gastown: ../gastown
  other: /absolute/path/to/project
```

Used by bd ready and other commands to resolve external: references.

Part of cross-project dependency system.
See: gastown/docs/cross-project-deps.md


Run bd doctor at end of bd init to verify setup

Run bd doctor diagnostics at end of bd init (after line 398 in init.go). If issues found, warn user immediately: '⚠ Setup incomplete. Run bd doctor --fix to complete setup.' Catches configuration problems before user encounters them in normal workflow.


Work on gt-8tmz.34: Expansion var overrides not implement...

Work on gt-8tmz.34: Expansion var overrides not implemented. The ExpandRule.Vars field exists in internal/formula/types.go but is ignored during expansion in internal/formula/expand.go. Implement: 1) Pass rule.Vars to expandStep in ApplyExpansions, 2) Merge vars with formula defaults (rule.Vars wins), 3) Substitute vars in template placeholders, 4) Add test in expand_test.go. When done, commit and push to main.


> bd sync --no-daemon
→ Exporting pending changes to JSONL...
→ Committing changes to sync branch 'beads-sync'...
Error committing to sync branch: failed to create worktree: failed to create worktree parent directory: mkdir /var/home/matt/dev/beads/fix-ci/.git: not a directory

**Problem Diagnosed**: The `bd sync` command was failing with "mkdir /var/home/matt/dev/beads/fix-ci/.git: not a directory" because it was being executed from the wrong directory.

**Root Cause**: The command was run from `/var/home/matt/dev/beads` (where the `fix-ci` worktree exists) instead of the main repository directory `/var/home/matt/dev/beads/main`. Since `fix-ci` is a git worktree with a `.git` file (not directory), the worktree creation logic failed when trying to create `<current_dir>/.git/beads-worktrees/<branch>`.

**Solution Verified**: Execute `bd sync` from the main repository directory:
```bash
cd main && bd sync --dry-run
```


Fix JSON errors in epic.go

Replace direct stderr writes with FatalErrorRespectJSON() in epic.go.

Commands affected:
- epicStatusCmd
- epicCloseEligibleCmd


Warn on invalid depends_on references in workflow templates

workflow.go:780-781 silently skips invalid dependency names. Should log a warning when a depends_on reference doesn't match any task ID in the template.


Integrate migration detection into bd doctor

Multiple migration commands (migrate_hash_ids.go, migrate_issues.go, migrate_sync.go, migrate_tombstones.go, migrate.go) have TODOs suggesting integration into 'bd doctor' for automatic migration detection. This would allow bd doctor to detect when migrations are needed and suggest running them.

Files:
- cmd/bd/migrate_hash_ids.go:24
- cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:15
- cmd/bd/migrate_sync.go:16
- cmd/bd/migrate_tombstones.go:72
- cmd/bd/migrate.go:22


Code review: bd mol bond implementation

Review the mol bond command implementation before shipping.

Focus areas:
1. runMolBond() - polymorphic dispatch logic correctness
2. bondProtoProto() - compound proto creation, dependency wiring
3. bondProtoMol() / bondMolProto() - spawn and attach logic
4. bondMolMol() - joining molecules, lineage tracking
5. BondRef usage - is lineage tracked correctly?
6. Error handling - are all failure modes covered?
7. Edge cases - what could go wrong?

File: cmd/bd/mol.go (lines 485-859)
Commit: 386b513e


Phase 2.5: TOON-based daemon sync

Implement TOON-native daemon sync (replaces JSONL sync machinery).

## Overview
Daemon sync is the final integration point. Replace export/import/merge machinery with TOON-native sync, building on deletion tracking (2.3) and merge optimization (2.4).

## Required Work

### 2.5.1 TOON-based Daemon Sync
- [ ] Understand current JSONL sync machinery (export.go, import.go, merge.go)
- [ ] Replace export step with TOON encoding (EncodeTOON)
- [ ] Replace import step with TOON decoding (DecodeTOON)
- [ ] Replace merge step with TOON-aware 3-way merge
- [ ] Update daemon auto-sync to read/write TOON
- [ ] Verify 5-second debounce still works

### 2.5.2 Deletion Sync Integration
- [ ] Load deletions.toon during import phase
- [ ] Apply deletions after merging issues
- [ ] Ensure deletion TTL respects daemon schedule

### 2.5.3 Testing
- [ ] Unit tests for daemon sync with TOON
- [ ] Integration tests with actual daemon operations
- [ ] Multi-clone sync scenarios with concurrent edits
- [ ] Performance comparison with JSONL sync
- [ ] Long-running daemon stability tests

## Success Criteria
- Daemon reads/writes TOON format (not JSONL)
- Sync latency comparable to JSONL (<100ms)
- All 70+ tests passing
- bdt commands work seamlessly with daemon
- Multi-clone sync scenarios work correctly


bd mail uses git user.name for sender instead of BEADS_AGENT_NAME

When sending mail via `bd mail send`, the sender field in the stored issue uses git config user.name instead of the BEADS_AGENT_NAME environment variable.

Reproduction:
1. Set BEADS_AGENT_NAME=gastown-alpha
2. Run: bd mail send mayor/ -s 'Test' -m 'Body'
3. Check the issue.jsonl: sender is 'Steve Yegge' (git user.name) not 'gastown-alpha'

Expected: The sender field should use BEADS_AGENT_NAME when set.

This breaks the mail system for multi-agent workflows where agents need to identify themselves by their role (polecat, refinery, etc.) rather than the human user's git identity.

Related: gt mail routing integration with Gas Town


Update info.go versionChanges

Add entry to versionChanges in cmd/bd/info.go.

This powers `bd info --whats-new` for agents.

```go
"0.99.0-test": {
    "summary": "Brief description",
    "changes": []string{
        "Key change 1",
        "Key change 2",
    },
},
```

Focus on workflow-impacting changes agents need to know.


Improve test coverage

The test suite reports less than 45% code coverage. Identify the specific uncovered areas of the codebase, including modules, functions, or features. Rank them by potential impact on system reliability and business value, from most to least, and provide actionable recommendations for improving coverage in each area.


Remove legacy MCP Agent Mail integration

## Summary

Remove the legacy MCP Agent Mail system that requires an external HTTP server. Keep the native `bd mail` system which stores messages as git-synced issues.

## Background

Two mail systems exist in the codebase:
1. **Legacy Agent Mail** (`bd message`) - External server dependency, complex setup
2. **Native bd mail** (`bd mail`) - Built-in, git-synced, no dependencies

The legacy system causes confusion and is no longer needed. Gas Town's Town Mail will use the native `bd mail` system.

## Files to Delete

### CLI Command
- [ ] `cmd/bd/message.go` - The `bd message` command implementation

### MCP Integration
- [ ] `integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/mail.py` - HTTP wrapper for Agent Mail server
- [ ] `integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/mail_tools.py` - MCP tool definitions
- [ ] `integrations/beads-mcp/tests/test_mail.py` - Tests for legacy mail

### Documentation
- [ ] `docs/AGENT_MAIL.md`
- [ ] `docs/AGENT_MAIL_QUICKSTART.md`
- [ ] `docs/AGENT_MAIL_DEPLOYMENT.md`
- [ ] `docs/AGENT_MAIL_MULTI_WORKSPACE_SETUP.md`
- [ ] `docs/adr/002-agent-mail-integration.md`

## Code to Update

- [ ] Remove `message` command registration from `cmd/bd/main.go`
- [ ] Remove mail tool imports/registration from MCP server `__init__.py` or `server.py`
- [ ] Check for any other references to Agent Mail in the codebase

## Verification

- [ ] `bd message` command no longer exists
- [ ] `bd mail` command still works
- [ ] MCP server starts without errors
- [ ] Tests pass


Add gate timeout tracking and notification

Implement timeout and notification logic for gates.

## Timeout Behavior
1. Gate created with timeout (e.g., 30m)
2. Deacon tracks elapsed time during patrol
3. If timeout reached:
   - Notify all waiters: "Gate timed out"
   - Close gate with timeout reason
   - Waiter can retry, escalate, or fail gracefully

## Notification
- Use gt mail send to notify waiters
- Include gate ID, await type, and reason in message
- Support multiple waiters notification

## Escalation Path
- Witness sees stuck worker, nudges them
- Worker can escalate to human if needed


Merge: bd-phtv

branch: polecat/Pinner
target: main
source_issue: bd-phtv
rig: beads


Restart daemons

Restart bd daemons to pick up new version.

```bash
bd daemons killall
```

Daemons will auto-restart with new version on next bd command.

Verify:
```bash
bd daemons list
```


Issue lifecycle hooks (on-close, on-complete)

Add hooks that fire on issue state transitions, enabling automation like closing linked GitHub issues.

## Problem

We have `external_ref` to link beads issues to external systems (GitHub, Linear, Jira), but no mechanism to trigger actions when issues close. Currently:

```
bd-u2sc (external_ref: gh-692) closes → nothing happens
```

## Proposed Solution

### Phase 1: Shell Hooks

Add `.beads-hooks/on-close.sh` (and similar lifecycle hooks):

```bash
# .beads-hooks/on-close.sh
# Called by bd close with issue JSON on stdin
#\!/bin/bash
issue=$(cat)
external_ref=$(echo "$issue" | jq -r '.external_ref // empty')
if [[ "$external_ref" == gh-* ]]; then
    number="${external_ref#gh-}"
    gh issue close "$number" --repo steveyegge/beads \
      --comment "Completed via beads epic $(echo $issue | jq -r .id)"
fi
```

### Lifecycle Events

| Event | Trigger | Use Cases |
|-------|---------|-----------|
| `on-close` | Issue closed | Close external refs, notify, archive |
| `on-complete` | Epic children all done | Roll-up completion, close parent refs |
| `on-status-change` | Any status transition | Sync to external systems |

### Phase 2: Molecule Completion Handlers

Molecules could define completion actions:

```yaml
name: github-issue-tracker
on_complete:
  - action: shell
    command: gh issue close {{external_ref}} --repo {{repo}}
  - action: mail
    to: mayor/
    subject: "Epic {{id}} completed"
```

### Phase 3: Gas Town Integration

For full Gas Town deployments:
- Witness observes closures via beads events
- Routes to integration agents via mail
- Agents handle external system interactions

## Implementation Notes

- Hooks should be async (don't block bd close)
- Pass full issue JSON to hook via stdin
- Support hook timeout and failure handling
- Consider `--no-hooks` flag for bulk operations

## Related

- `external_ref` field already exists (GH#142)
- Cross-project deps: bd-h807, bd-d9mu
- Git hooks: .beads-hooks/ pattern established

## Use Cases

1. **GitHub integration**: Close GH issues when beads epic completes
2. **Linear sync**: Update Linear status when beads status changes
3. **Notifications**: Send mail/Slack when high-priority issues close
4. **Audit**: Log all closures to external system


Code smell: Issue struct still has ~100 fields - consider composition

internal/types/types.go Issue struct (lines 14-100) still has approximately 100 fields across many categories despite prior cleanup:

- Core identification (ID, ContentHash)
- Content (Title, Description, Design)
- Status & Workflow
- Assignment, Timestamps
- External integration
- Compaction metadata
- Relational data (Labels, Dependencies, Comments)
- Tombstone, Messaging, Context markers
- Bonding, HOP, Gate, Source tracing, Agent identity fields

**Problem:**
- Very large struct is difficult to understand
- Hard to identify required vs optional fields
- High change risk

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Group related fields into embedded structs (IssueMetadata, IssueCompaction, IssueAgent, etc.)
- [ ] Use composition instead of single flat struct
- [ ] Maintain backward compatibility for serialization
- [ ] Tests pass


gt mail send: support reading message body from stdin

Currently gt mail send -m requires the message as a command-line argument, which causes shell escaping issues with backticks, quotes, and special characters.

Add support for reading message body from stdin:
- gt mail send addr -s 'Subject' --stdin  # Read body from stdin
- echo 'body' | gt mail send addr -s 'Subject' -m -  # Convention: -m - means stdin

This would allow:
cat <<'EOF' | gt mail send addr -s 'Subject' --stdin
Message with `backticks` and 'quotes' safely
EOF

Without this, agents struggle to send handoff messages containing code snippets.


Wait for CI to pass

Monitor GitHub Actions - all checks must pass before release artifacts are built


bd swarm validate command

Add bd swarm validate to check epic structure for swarming.

## Context
Before running a swarm, we need to validate the epic structure:
- Are dependencies correct (not inverted)?
- Are there orphaned issues?
- Is the DAG well-formed?

The Ready Front model (not phases!) means dependencies define execution order.
Common mistake: 'Phase 1 before Phase 2' → inverted deps.
Correct thinking: 'Phase 2 needs Phase 1' → bd dep add phase2 phase1

## Implementation
1. New command: bd swarm validate <epic-id>
2. Walk the dependency DAG from epic children
3. Detect issues:
   - Root issues with no dependents (orphans?)
   - Leaf issues depending on nothing (missing deps?)
   - Cycles (impossible)
   - Disconnected subgraphs
4. Report:
   - Ready fronts (waves of parallel work)
   - Estimated worker-sessions
   - Max parallelism
   - Warnings for potential issues

## Reference
~/gt/docs/swarm-architecture.md - 'The Ready Front Model' section

## Acceptance
- bd swarm validate <epic> runs
- Reports ready fronts accurately
- Warns about structural issues
- Returns success/failure exit code


Release complete

Release v0.99.0-test is complete!

Summary:
- All version files updated
- Git tag pushed
- CI artifacts built
- npm and PyPI packages published
- Local installation updated
- Daemons restarted

Optional next steps:
- Announce on social media
- Update documentation site
- Close related milestone


Correction: Pinned field already in v0.31.0

Quick correction - the Pinned field is already in the current bd v0.31.0:

```go
// In beads internal/types/types.go
Pinned bool `json:"pinned,omitempty"`
```

So you just need to:
1. Add `Pinned bool `json:"pinned,omitempty"`` to BeadsMessage in types.go
2. Sort pinned messages first in listBeads() after fetching

No migration needed - the field is already there.

-- Mayor


Wait for CI

Monitor GitHub Actions for release completion.

https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/actions

Expected time: 5-10 minutes

Watch for:
- Build artifacts (all platforms)
- Test suite pass
- npm publish
- PyPI publish


Implement backup functionality for reset

Add backup capability that can be used by reset command.

## Functionality
- Copy .beads/ to .beads-backup-{timestamp}/
- Timestamp format: YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS
- Preserve file permissions
- Return backup path for user feedback

## Location
`internal/reset/backup.go` - keep with reset package for now (YAGNI)

## Interface
```go
func CreateBackup(beadsDir string) (backupPath string, err error)
```

## Notes
- Simple recursive file copy, no compression needed
- Error if backup dir already exists (unlikely with timestamp)
- Backup directories SHOULD be gitignored
- Add `.beads-backup-*/` pattern to .beads/.gitignore template in doctor package
- Consider: ListBackups() for future `bd backup list` command (not for this PR)


Code Review: PR #481 - Context Engineering Optimizations

Comprehensive code review of the merged context engineering PR (PR #481) that reduces MCP context usage by 80-90%.

## Summary
The PR successfully implements lazy tool schema loading and minimal issue models to reduce context window usage. Overall implementation is solid and well-tested.

## Positive Findings
✅ Well-designed models (IssueMinimal, CompactedResult)
✅ Comprehensive test coverage (28 tests, all passing)
✅ Clear documentation and comments
✅ Backward compatibility preserved (show() still returns full Issue)
✅ Sensible defaults (COMPACTION_THRESHOLD=20, PREVIEW_COUNT=5)
✅ Tool catalog complete with all 15 tools documented

## Issues Identified
See linked issues for specific followup tasks.

## Context Engineering Architecture
- discover_tools(): List tool names only (~500 bytes vs ~15KB)
- get_tool_info(name): Get specific tool details on-demand
- IssueMinimal: Lightweight model for list views (~80 bytes vs ~400 bytes)
- CompactedResult: Auto-compacts results with >20 issues
- _to_minimal(): Conversion function (efficient, no N+1 issues)


bd admin compact --older-than=0 ignores the flag, uses default 30 days

When running bd admin compact --prune --older-than=0, the output says 'No expired tombstones to prune (TTL: 30 days)' - the flag value is ignored.

Root cause: In runCompactPrune() in compact_tombstone.go:180, the check 'if compactOlderThan > 0' means that --older-than=0 is treated the same as not passing the flag, defaulting to 30 days.

Fix: Change the default flag value in compact.go:785 to -1 (sentinel for 'use default'), and treat 0 as 'expire all tombstones' by passing a negative TTL to pruneExpiredTombstones().

Moved from gt-65gwa (gastown) - was filed in wrong rig.


Refinery Patrol

Merge queue processor patrol loop with verification gates.


Deleted issues resurrect during bd sync (tombstones not propagating)

## Problem

When issues are deleted with bd delete --force, they get deleted from the local DB but resurrect during the next bd sync.

## Reproduction

1. Observe orphan warnings (bd-cb64c226.*, bd-cbed9619.*)
2. Delete them: bd delete bd-cb64c226.1 ... --force
3. Run bd sync
4. Orphan warnings reappear - issues were resurrected!

## Root Cause Hypothesis

The sync branch workflow (beads-sync) has the old state before deletions. When bd sync pulls from beads-sync and copies JSONL to main, the deleted issues are re-imported.

Tombstones may not be properly:
1. Written to beads-sync during export
2. Propagated during pull/merge
3. Honored during import

## Related

- bd-7b7h: chicken-and-egg sync.branch bug (same workflow)
- bd-ncwo: ID-based fallback matching to prevent ghost resurrection

## Files to Investigate

- cmd/bd/sync.go (export/import flow)
- internal/syncbranch/worktree.go (PullFromSyncBranch, copyJSONLToMainRepo)
- internal/importer/ (tombstone handling)


Merge: bd-w193

branch: polecat/nux
target: main
source_issue: bd-w193
rig: beads


Fix N+1 query pattern in swarm status blocked check

In getSwarmStatus, when checking if an issue is blocked, we query each dependency individually with GetIssue. With 100 issues and 5 deps each, thats 500 extra queries. Fix: Build a status map upfront from the already-fetched childIssues slice. File: cmd/bd/swarm.go:706-710


Tier 5 (Future): JSONL archive rotation

Periodic rotation of issues.jsonl for long-running repos.

## Design

.beads/
├── issues.jsonl           # Current (hot)
├── archive/
│   ├── issues-2025-12.jsonl.gz  # Archived (cold)
│   └── ...
└── index.jsonl            # Merged index for queries

## Commands

bd archive rotate [flags]
  --older-than N    Archive issues closed > N days
  --compress        Gzip archives
  --dry-run         Preview

bd archive list           # Show archived periods
bd archive restore <period>  # Restore from archive

## Config

bd config set archive.enabled true
bd config set archive.rotate_days 90
bd config set archive.compress true
bd config set archive.path '.beads/archive'

## Considerations

- Archives can be gitignored (local only) or committed (shared)
- Query layer must check index, hydrate from archive
- Cold storage tiering (S3/GCS) for enterprise
- Merkle proofs preserved for audit

## Priority

This is post-1.0 work. Current focus is on squash (removes ephemeral).
Archive helps with long-term history but is less critical.


Default bd list to non-closed issues

Change bd list default from showing all issues to showing only actionable issues (open, in_progress, blocked, deferred). This addresses GH#788 where agents get context blown out by closed issues.

Current: bd list shows everything including closed
Proposed: bd list shows non-closed by default

This is the core fix - other enhancements depend on this change.

## Implementation Plan

### Code Changes (cmd/bd/list.go)

1. **Add new filter logic in Run function** (~line 393-399):
```go
// Default to non-closed if no status filter specified
if status == "" && \!cmd.Flags().Changed("all") {
    // Show actionable issues by default (GH#788)
    filter.ExcludeStatus = []types.Status{"closed"}
}
```

2. **Need to add ExcludeStatus to IssueFilter** (internal/types/types.go):
```go
type IssueFilter struct {
    // ... existing fields ...
    ExcludeStatus []Status // Exclude these statuses
}
```

3. **Update SearchIssues query** (internal/storage/sqlite/issues.go):
```go
if len(filter.ExcludeStatus) > 0 {
    placeholders := make([]string, len(filter.ExcludeStatus))
    for i, s := range filter.ExcludeStatus {
        placeholders[i] = "?"
        args = append(args, string(s))
    }
    conditions = append(conditions,
        fmt.Sprintf("status NOT IN (%s)", strings.Join(placeholders, ",")))
}
```

### Testing
- Verify `bd list` shows open, in_progress, blocked, deferred (not closed)
- Verify `bd list --status=closed` still works
- Verify `bd list --all` shows everything (requires bd-34q1)

### Backwards Compatibility
- Scripts using `bd list | grep` may get fewer results
- Document in changelog: "bd list now defaults to non-closed issues"


Add daemon RPC endpoints for config and stale check

Two TODOs request daemon RPC endpoints:

1. cmd/bd/create.go:208 - Add RPC method to get config in daemon mode
2. cmd/bd/mol_stale.go:67 - Add RPC endpoint for stale check

These would allow the CLI to query the daemon for configuration and staleness checks instead of reading directly.

Files:
- cmd/bd/create.go:208
- cmd/bd/mol_stale.go:67


Exclude pinned issues from bd blocked

Update bd blocked to exclude pinned issues. Pinned issues are context markers and should not appear in the blocked work list.


mol-beads-release

Release checklist for beads version {{version}}.

This molecule ensures all release steps are completed properly.
Variable: {{version}} - target version (e.g., 0.35.0)

## Step: update-release-notes
Update cmd/bd/info.go with release notes for {{version}}.

Add a new VersionChange entry at the top of versionChanges slice:
```go
{
    Version: "{{version}}",
    Date:    "YYYY-MM-DD",
    Changes: []string{
        "NEW: Feature description",
        "FIX: Bug fix description",
        "IMPROVED: Enhancement description",
    },
},
```

Run `git log --oneline v<previous>..HEAD` to see what changed.

## Step: update-changelog
Update CHANGELOG.md with detailed release notes.

Add a new section after [Unreleased]:
```markdown
## [{{version}}] - YYYY-MM-DD

### Added
- **Feature name** (issue-id) - Description

### Changed
- **Change description** (issue-id)

### Fixed
- **Bug fix** (issue-id) - Description
```

Sort by importance, not chronologically.
Needs: update-release-notes

## Step: bump-version
Run the version bump script.

```bash
./scripts/bump-version.sh {{version}}
```

This updates version in all files:
- cmd/bd/version.go
- .claude-plugin/*.json
- integrations/beads-mcp/pyproject.toml
- npm-package/package.json
- Hook templates

Needs: update-changelog

## Step: run-tests
Run tests and verify lint passes.

```bash
go test -short ./...
```

CI will run full lint, but fix any obvious issues first.
Needs: bump-version

## Step: commit-release
Commit the release changes.

```bash
git add -A
git commit -m "chore: bump version to v{{version}}"
```

Needs: run-tests

## Step: push-and-tag
Push commit and create release tag.

```bash
git push origin main
git tag v{{version}}
git push origin v{{version}}
```

This triggers GitHub Actions release workflow.
Needs: commit-release

## Step: wait-for-ci
Wait for GitHub Actions to complete.

Monitor: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/actions

CI will:
- Build binaries via GoReleaser
- Create GitHub Release with assets
- Publish to npm (@beads/bd)
- Publish to PyPI (beads-mcp)
- Update Homebrew tap

Wait until all jobs succeed (~5-10 min).
Needs: push-and-tag

## Step: verify-release
Verify the release is complete.

```bash
# Check GitHub release
gh release view v{{version}}

# Check Homebrew
brew update && brew info steveyegge/beads/bd

# Check npm
npm view @beads/bd version

# Check PyPI
pip index versions beads-mcp
```

Needs: wait-for-ci

## Step: update-local
Update local installations with proper codesigning (macOS).

```bash
# Build from source in mayor/rig (canonical build location)
cd ~/gt/beads/mayor/rig
git pull
go build -o bd ./cmd/bd

# Sign and install (macOS requires codesigning to avoid "Killed: 9")
# Uses fix-gt script which handles both gt and bd binaries
fix-gt

# Or manually sign if fix-gt not available:
# xattr -cr bd && codesign -f -s - bd
# cp bd ~/go/bin/bd && codesign -f -s - ~/go/bin/bd
# cp bd ~/.local/bin/bd && codesign -f -s - ~/.local/bin/bd

# Install MCP locally
pip install -e integrations/beads-mcp

# Restart daemons
pkill -f "bd daemon" || true
```

Verify: `bd --version` shows {{version}}
Needs: verify-release

## Step: manual-publish
(Optional) Manual publish if CI failed.

```bash
# npm (requires npm login)
./scripts/bump-version.sh {{version}} --publish-npm

# PyPI (requires TWINE credentials)
./scripts/bump-version.sh {{version}} --publish-pypi

# Or both
./scripts/bump-version.sh {{version}} --publish-all
```

Only needed if CI publishing failed.
Needs: wait-for-ci


bd repair: Limit verbose output for large orphan counts

When there are thousands of orphaned references, bd repair prints them all, flooding the terminal.

Fix: Add --verbose flag; default to summary only (e.g., 'Found 1,234 orphaned dependencies'). Only print individual items with --verbose or when count is small (<20).


Protect pinned issues from bd cleanup/compact

Update bd cleanup and bd compact to never delete pinned issues, even if they are closed. Pinned issues should persist indefinitely as reference material.


gt nudge doesn't work with crew addresses

## Bug

`gt nudge beads/crew/dave "message"` fails because it uses the polecat session manager which produces wrong session names.

## Expected
Session name: `gt-beads-crew-dave` (hyphen)

## Actual
Session name: `gt-beads-crew/dave` (slash, from polecat manager)

## Root Cause

In nudge.go line 46-57:
```go
rigName, polecatName, err := parseAddress(target)  // beads, crew/dave
sessionName := mgr.SessionName(polecatName)        // gt-beads-crew/dave (WRONG)
```

Should detect `crew/` prefix in polecatName and use `crewSessionName(rigName, crewName)` instead.

## Fix

```go
if strings.HasPrefix(polecatName, "crew/") {
    crewName := strings.TrimPrefix(polecatName, "crew/")
    sessionName = crewSessionName(rigName, crewName)
} else {
    sessionName = mgr.SessionName(polecatName)
}
```


Push release tag

Push the version tag to trigger CI release.

```bash
git push origin v0.39.0
```

This triggers GitHub Actions to build artifacts and publish.


Review changes since last release

Understand what's being released.

```bash
git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline
```

Categorize changes:
- Features (feat:)
- Fixes (fix:)
- Breaking changes
- Documentation


Implement Jira issue timestamp comparison for sync

In cmd/bd/jira.go:633, there's a TODO for a full implementation that would fetch the Jira issue and compare timestamps to detect conflicts during sync.

File: cmd/bd/jira.go:633


Update CHANGELOG.md for 0.30.4

1. Change `## [Unreleased]` to `## [0.30.4] - 2025-12-17`
2. Add new empty `## [Unreleased]` section at top
3. Ensure all changes since 0.30.3 are documented


Add GetMoleculeProgress RPC endpoint

New RPC endpoint to get detailed progress for a specific molecule. Returns: moleculeID, title, assignee, and list of steps with their status (done/current/ready/blocked), start/close times. Used when user expands a worker in the activity feed TUI.


Add 'tracks' relation type for convoy tracking

Add a new relation type 'tracks' for convoy → issue relationships.

Unlike 'depends_on':
- Non-blocking (tracked issue doesn't block convoy)
- Cross-prefix capable (convoy in hq-* tracks issues in gt-*, bd-*)
- Supports reverse lookup ('what convoys track this issue?')

Used by convoys to track issues across project chains without creating dependencies.

Related: hq-7h8jx (Convoy System epic in town beads)


Add composite index (issue_id, type) on dependencies table

GetBlockedIssues uses EXISTS clauses that filter by issue_id AND type together.

**Query pattern (ready.go:427-429):**
```sql
EXISTS (
  SELECT 1 FROM dependencies d2
  WHERE d2.issue_id = i.id AND d2.type = 'blocks'
)
```

**Problem:** Only idx_dependencies_issue exists. SQLite must filter type after index lookup.

**Solution:** Add migration:
```sql
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_dependencies_issue_type ON dependencies(issue_id, type);
```

**Note:** This complements the existing idx_dependencies_depends_on_type for the reverse direction.


--parent flag reports success but doesn't persist to JSONL

The --parent flag for bd update reports success but the change doesn't persist.

Reported by: Mayor
Location: show.go:810-814 handles the logic

Symptoms:
- bd update <id> --parent=<new-parent> returns success
- But the parent change is not written to JSONL
- Subsequent bd show reveals parent unchanged

This shipped in v0.39.1 as part of bd-cj2e (--parent flag for reparenting).

Investigation: Check the update path from show.go through to JSONL export. The RPC/daemon layer may be dropping the parent field, or the storage layer isn't persisting it.


Create git tag v{{version}}

Create the release tag:

```bash
git tag v{{version}}
```

Verify: `git tag | grep {{version}}`


Work on beads-399: Add omitempty to JSONL fields for smal...

Work on beads-399: Add omitempty to JSONL fields for smaller notifications. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Consolidate duplicate path-finding utilities (findJSONLPath, findBeadsDir, findGitRoot)

Code health review found these functions defined in multiple places:

- findJSONLPath() in autoflush.go:45-73 and doctor/fix/migrate.go
- findBeadsDir() in autoimport.go:197-239 (with git worktree handling)
- findGitRoot() in autoimport.go:242-269 (Windows path conversion)

The beads package has public FindBeadsDir() and FindJSONLPath() APIs that should be used consistently.

Impact: Bug fixes need to be applied in multiple places. Git worktree handling may not be replicated everywhere.

Fix: Consolidate all implementations to use the beads package APIs. Remove duplicates.


Audit Current Cache Usage

**Summary:** Comprehensive audit of storage cache usage revealed minimal dependency across server components, with most calls following a consistent pattern. Investigation confirmed cache was largely unnecessary in single-repository daemon architecture.

**Key Decisions:**
- Remove all cache-related environment variables
- Delete server struct cache management fields
- Eliminate cache-specific test files
- Deprecate req.Cwd routing logic

**Resolution:** Cache system will be completely removed, simplifying server storage access and reducing unnecessary complexity with negligible performance impact.

AUDIT COMPLETE

getStorageForRequest() callers: 17 production + 11 test
- server_issues_epics.go: 8 calls
- server_labels_deps_comments.go: 4 calls
- server_export_import_auto.go: 2 calls
- server_compact.go: 2 calls
- server_routing_validation_diagnostics.go: 1 call
- server_eviction_test.go: 11 calls (DELETE entire file)

Pattern everywhere: store, err := s.getStorageForRequest(req) → store := s.storage

req.Cwd usage: Only for multi-repo routing. Local daemon always serves 1 repo, so routing is unused.

MCP server: Uses separate daemons per repo (no req.Cwd usage found). NOT affected by cache removal.

Cache env vars to deprecate:
- BEADS_DAEMON_MAX_CACHE_SIZE (used in server_core.go:63)
- BEADS_DAEMON_CACHE_TTL (used in server_core.go:72)
- BEADS_DAEMON_MEMORY_THRESHOLD_MB (used in server_cache_storage.go:47)

Server struct fields to remove:
- storageCache, cacheMu, maxCacheSize, cacheTTL, cleanupTicker, cacheHits, cacheMisses

Tests to delete:
- server_eviction_test.go (entire file - 9 tests)
- limits_test.go cache assertions

Special consideration: ValidateDatabase endpoint uses findDatabaseForCwd() outside cache. Verify if used, then remove or inline.

Safe to proceed with removal - cache always had 1 entry in local daemon model.


Create release tag

Create annotated git tag.

```bash
git tag -a v0.99.0-test -m "Release v0.99.0-test"
```

Verify: `git tag -l | tail -5`


Code Review Followup Summary: PR #481 + PR #551

## Merged PRs Summary

### PR #551: Persist close_reason to issues table
- ✅ Merged successfully
- ✅ Bug fix: close_reason now persisted in database column (not just events table)
- ✅ Comprehensive test coverage added
- ✅ Handles reopen case (clearing close_reason)

**Followup Issues Filed:**
- bd-lxzx: Document close_reason in JSONL export format
- bd-077e: Update CLI documentation for close_reason field

---

### PR #481: Context Engineering Optimizations (80-90% context reduction)
- ✅ Merged successfully
- ✅ Lazy tool discovery: discover_tools() + get_tool_info()
- ✅ Minimal issue models: IssueMinimal (~80% smaller than full Issue)
- ✅ Result compaction: Auto-compacts results >20 items
- ✅ All 28 tests passing
- ⚠ Breaking change: ready() and list() return type changed

**Followup Issues Filed:**
- bd-b318: Add integration tests for CompactedResult
- bd-4u2b: Make compaction settings configurable (THRESHOLD, PREVIEW_COUNT)
- bd-2kf8: Document CompactedResult response format in CONTEXT_ENGINEERING.md
- bd-pdr2: Document backwards compatibility considerations

---

## Overall Assessment

Both PRs are production-ready with solid implementations. All critical functionality works and tests pass. Followup issues focus on:
1. Documentation improvements (5 issues)
2. Integration test coverage (1 issue)
3. Configuration flexibility (1 issue)
4. Backwards compatibility guidance (1 issue)

No critical bugs or design issues found.

## Review Completed By
Code review process completed. Issues auto-created for tracking improvements.


Implement bd mol stale command

Add command to detect complete-but-unclosed molecules.

**Definition of stale:**
A molecule is stale if:
1. All children are closed (Completed >= Total)
2. Root issue is still open
3. Not assigned to anyone
4. Not pinned to any hook
5. AND it's blocking other assigned work (graph pressure)

**Command design:**
```bash
bd mol stale              # List stale mols
bd mol stale --json       # Machine-readable
bd mol stale --blocking   # Only show those blocking other work
bd mol stale --all        # Include orphaned-but-not-blocking
```

**Output:**
```
Stale molecules (complete but unclosed, blocking work):

  bd-xyz  "Version bump v0.36.0"  (blocking: bd-abc, bd-def)
    → Close with: bd close bd-xyz
    → Or squash: bd mol squash bd-xyz

Orphaned molecules (complete but unclosed, not blocking):
  bd-uvw  "Old patrol cycle"
    → Consider: bd mol burn bd-uvw
```

**Implementation:**
1. Query all open issues with children (potential mols)
2. Compute progress for each (Completed vs Total)
3. Filter to complete ones
4. Check assigned_to field
5. Check pinned status (may need gt integration)
6. Check if blocking other assigned work

Does NOT use time-based staleness. Graph pressure only.


bd doctor --fix destroys child→parent dependencies without confirmation

GH#740: User reports that `bd doctor --fix` removed their intentional child→parent dependencies, calling them an 'anti-pattern'.

The fix in `cmd/bd/doctor/fix/validation.go` (ChildParentDependencies function) automatically deletes dependencies where a child issue depends on its parent epic.

**Problem**: This assumes all such dependencies are mistakes, but users may intentionally want children blocked by their parent (e.g., 'don't start subtasks until parent is fully scoped').

**Solution options**:
1. Remove this fix entirely (let users manage their own deps)
2. Require explicit opt-in flag like `--fix-child-parent`
3. Add confirmation prompt before destructive action
4. Add `--dry-run` to preview what would be removed
5. Only warn, never auto-fix

**Files involved**:
- `cmd/bd/doctor/validation.go:311-382` (check)
- `cmd/bd/doctor/fix/validation.go:165-227` (fix)


bd mol publish: Push formula to GitHub repo

Publish a formula to a GitHub repository for sharing.

## Usage
```bash
# Create new repo and publish
bd mol publish mol-my-workflow --repo github.com/myorg/mol-my-workflow

# Update existing repo
bd mol publish mol-my-workflow --repo github.com/myorg/mol-my-workflow --tag v1.1.0
```

## Implementation
1. Export proto to formula.json (if not already a file)
2. Validate formula structure
3. Create GitHub repo if --create flag (uses `gh repo create`)
4. Copy formula.json to repo
5. Generate README.md from formula description
6. Commit and push
7. Create git tag if --tag specified
8. Add mol-formula topic to repo

## Flags
- `--repo <url>` - Target GitHub repo (required)
- `--tag <version>` - Create version tag
- `--create` - Create repo if doesn't exist
- `--private` - Create as private repo

## Workflow
```bash
# Full publish flow
bd mol distill my-epic --name my-workflow
bd mol promote bd-proto-xxx --as my-workflow
bd mol publish mol-my-workflow --repo github.com/me/mol-my-workflow --create --tag v1.0.0
```


Merge: bd-m8ro

branch: polecat/max
target: main
source_issue: bd-m8ro
rig: beads


Implement bd pin/unpin commands

Add 'bd pin <id>' and 'bd unpin <id>' commands to toggle the pinned status of issues. Should support multiple IDs like other bd commands.


Create and push git tag v{{version}}

Create the release tag and push it:

```bash
git tag v{{version}}
git push origin v{{version}}
```

This triggers the GoReleaser GitHub Action to build release binaries.


Merge: bd-9usz

branch: polecat/slit
target: main
source_issue: bd-9usz
rig: beads


Verify release artifacts

Check GitHub releases page - binaries for darwin/linux/windows should be available


Merge: bd-dxtc

branch: polecat/cheedo
target: main
source_issue: bd-dxtc
rig: beads


Code smell: show.go is 1592 lines - needs splitting

cmd/bd/show.go is 1592 lines mixing data fetching, transformation, output formatting, and thread reconstruction.

**Problem:**
- Too large to understand and maintain
- Poor separation of concerns
- Hard to test individual components

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Extract formatting into show_formatter.go
- [ ] Extract thread reconstruction into show_threads.go
- [ ] Each file under 500 lines
- [ ] No functionality changes
- [ ] Tests pass


Feature: bd swarm list - discover existing swarm molecules

No command to list existing swarm molecules.

Add `bd swarm list` to show all swarm molecules:

```
bd swarm list

Active swarms:
  bd-xyz: Swarm: Feature X (3/10 complete, 2 active)
  bd-abc: Swarm: Bug fixes (0/5 complete)
```

Could also be achieved via `bd list --mol-type=swarm` but dedicated command would show richer info.


Unify template.go and mol.go under bd mol

Consolidate the two DAG-template systems into one under the mol command. mol.go (on rictus branch) has the right UX (catalog/show/bond), template.go has the mechanics. Merge them, deprecate bd template commands.


Run go install

go install ./cmd/bd


Review PR #512: clarify bd ready docs

Review and merge PR #512 from aspiers. This PR clarifies what bd ready does after git pull in README.md. Simple 1-line change. URL: https://github.com/anthropics/beads/pull/512


Update git hooks

Install the updated hooks:
```bash
bd hooks install
```

Verify hook version:
```bash
grep 'bd-hooks-version' .git/hooks/pre-commit
```

```verify
grep -q 'bd-hooks-version: 0.30.4' .git/hooks/pre-commit 2>/dev/null || echo 'Hooks may not be installed - verify manually'
```


Run tests and verify build

Run the test suite to verify nothing is broken:

```bash
./scripts/test.sh
```

Or manually:
```bash
go build ./cmd/bd/...
go test ./...
```

Fix any failures before proceeding.


Remove unreachable RPC methods

Several RPC server and client methods are unreachable and should be removed:

Server methods (internal/rpc/server.go):
- `Server.GetLastImportTime` (line 2116)
- `Server.SetLastImportTime` (line 2123)
- `Server.findJSONLPath` (line 2255)

Client methods (internal/rpc/client.go):
- `Client.Import` (line 311) - RPC import not used (daemon uses autoimport)

Evidence:
```bash
go run golang.org/x/tools/cmd/deadcode@latest -test ./...
```

Impact: Removes ~80 LOC of unused RPC code


bd sync deleted non-.beads files (skills/beads/*)

On 2025-12-23, commit 7b671662 (bd sync) inadvertently deleted 5 files from skills/beads/ that were added by PR #722 (commit e432fcc8). These files are outside .beads/ and should never be touched by bd sync.

Files deleted:
- skills/beads/README.md
- skills/beads/references/INTEGRATION_PATTERNS.md
- skills/beads/references/MOLECULES.md
- skills/beads/references/PATTERNS.md
- skills/beads/references/TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Investigation needed:
1. How did bd sync stage/commit files outside .beads/?
2. Was this a one-time accident or is there a systematic bug?
3. Add safeguards to prevent bd sync from touching non-.beads paths

Reported via GH#738.


Remove unreachable utility functions

Several small utility functions are unreachable:

Files to clean:
1. `internal/storage/sqlite/hash.go` - `computeIssueContentHash` (line 17)
   - Check if entire file can be deleted if only contains this function

2. `internal/config/config.go` - `FileUsed` (line 151)
   - Delete unused config helper

3. `cmd/bd/git_sync_test.go` - `verifyIssueOpen` (line 300)
   - Delete dead test helper

4. `internal/compact/haiku.go` - `HaikuClient.SummarizeTier2` (line 81)
   - Tier 2 summarization not implemented
   - Options: implement feature OR delete method

Impact: Removes 50-100 LOC depending on decisions


Install 0.30.4 Go binary locally

Rebuild and install the Go binary:
```bash
go install ./cmd/bd
# OR
make install
```

Verify:
```bash
bd --version
```

```verify
bd --version 2>&1 | grep -q '0.30.4'
```


CLI API Audit for OSS Launch

Comprehensive CLI API audit before OSS launch.

## Tasks
1. Review gt command groupings - propose consolidation
2. Review bd command groupings
3. Document gt vs bd ownership boundaries
4. Identify naming inconsistencies
5. Document flag vs subcommand criteria

## Context
- Pre-OSS launch cleanup
- Goal: clean, consistent, discoverable CLI surface


Pinned field available in beads v0.37.0

Hey max,

Heads up on your mail overhaul work:

1. **Pinned field is available** - beads v0.37.0 (released by dave earlier) includes the pinned field on issues. You'll want to add this to BeadsMessage in types.go.

2. **Database migration** - Check if existing .beads databases need migration to support the pinned field. Run `bd doctor` to see if it flags anything.

3. **Sorting task** - Once you have the pinned field, gt-ngu1 (pinned beads first in mail inbox) needs implementing. Since messages now come from `bd list --type=message`, you'll need to either:
   - Sort in listBeads() after fetching, or
   - Ensure bd list returns pinned items first (may already do this?)

Check what version of bd you're building against.

-- Mayor


Distinct prefixes for protos, molecules, wisps

Template/workflow entities should have visually distinct prefixes from regular issues.

**Problem:**
- Protos (bd-7bs4) look like regular issues - invites squashing
- Molecules (poured instances) also use bd- prefix
- Wisps are in separate DB but still use bd- when referenced

**Proposed Prefixes:**
- `proto-` for templates (e.g., proto-release, proto-review)
- `mol-` for active molecules (poured from protos)
- `wisp-` for ephemeral wisps (vapor phase)

**Benefits:**
- Instant visual recognition of entity type
- Prevents accidental modification of templates
- Clear lifecycle: proto → mol → wisp → digest

**Implementation options:**
1. Separate databases with different prefixes
2. Issue type determines prefix generation
3. Naming convention enforced by bd pour/wisp commands


bd mol current: soft cursor showing current/next step

Add bd mol current command for molecule navigation orientation.

## Usage

bd mol current [mol-id]

If mol-id given, show status for that molecule.
If not given, infer from in_progress issues assigned to current agent.

## Output

You're working on molecule gt-abc (Feature X)

  [done] gt-abc.1: Design
  [done] gt-abc.2: Scaffold
  [done] gt-abc.3: Implement
  [current] gt-abc.4: Write tests [in_progress] <- YOU ARE HERE
  [pending] gt-abc.5: Documentation
  [pending] gt-abc.6: Exit decision

Progress: 3/6 steps complete

## Key behaviors
- Shows full molecule structure with status indicators
- Highlights current in_progress step
- If no in_progress, highlights first ready step
- Works without explicit cursor tracking (inferred from state)

## Implementation notes
- Query children of mol-id
- Sort by dependency order
- Find first in_progress or first ready
- Format with status indicators

## Gas Town integration
- gt-lz13: Update templates with nav workflow
- gt-um6q: Update docs with nav workflow


test pin issue


gt mq list shows empty when MRs exist


Implement transaction retry logic for SQLITE_BUSY

BEGIN IMMEDIATE fails immediately on SQLITE_BUSY instead of retrying with exponential backoff.

Location: internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go:223-225

Problem:
- Under concurrent write load, BEGIN IMMEDIATE can fail with SQLITE_BUSY
- Current implementation fails immediately instead of retrying
- Results in spurious failures under normal concurrent usage

Solution: Implement exponential backoff retry:
- Retry up to N times (e.g., 5)
- Backoff: 10ms, 20ms, 40ms, 80ms, 160ms
- Check for context cancellation between retries
- Only retry on SQLITE_BUSY/database locked errors

Impact: Spurious failures under concurrent write load

Effort: 3 hours


rpc: Rich mutation events not emitted

The activity command (activity.go) references rich mutation event types (MutationBonded, MutationSquashed, MutationBurned, MutationStatus) that include metadata like OldStatus, NewStatus, ParentID, and StepCount.

However, the emitMutation() function in server_core.go:141 only accepts (eventType, issueID) and only populates Type, IssueID, and Timestamp. The additional metadata fields are never set.

Need to either:
1. Add an emitRichMutation() function that accepts the additional metadata
2. Update call sites (close, bond, squash, burn operations) to emit rich events

Without this fix, the activity feed will never show:
- Status transitions (in_progress -> closed)
- Bonded events with step counts
- Parent molecule relationships

Discovered during code review of bd-xo1o implementation.


Fix or remove TestFindJSONLPathDefault (issue #356)

Code health review found .test-skip permanently skips TestFindJSONLPathDefault.

The test references issue #356 about wrong JSONL filename expectations (issues.jsonl vs beads.jsonl).

Test file: internal/beads/beads_test.go

The underlying migration from beads.jsonl to issues.jsonl may be complete, so either:
1. Fix the test expectations
2. Remove the test if no longer needed
3. Document why it remains skipped


Test pinned issue


Commit and push release

git add -A && git commit && git push to trigger CI


Add pinned field to issue schema

Add boolean 'pinned' field to the issue schema. When true, the issue is marked as a persistent context marker that should not be treated as a work item.


Code smell: runCook function is ~275 lines

attached_args: Refactor runCook function (~275 lines)

The runCook() function in cmd/bd/cook.go (lines 83-357) is ~275 lines handling:

1. Flag parsing and validation
2. Mode determination (compile vs runtime)
3. Formula parsing and resolution
4. Control flow, advice, and expansion application
5. Dry-run output
6. Ephemeral mode JSON output
7. Persist mode database operations
8. Result display

Consider extracting:
- parseAndValidateFlags() - flag handling
- loadAndResolveFormula() - parse, resolve, apply transformations
- outputDryRun() - dry run display logic
- outputEphemeral() - ephemeral JSON output
- persistFormula() - database persistence logic

The function has multiple exit points and nested conditionals that make it hard to follow.

Location: cmd/bd/cook.go:83-357


Fix checkExistingBeadsData to be worktree-aware

The checkExistingBeadsData function in cmd/bd/init.go checks for .beads in the current working directory, but for worktrees it should check the main repository root instead. This prevents proper worktree compatibility.


Swarm status doesn't update after task completions

During swarm bd-784c, the swarm status remained at '9% (1/11 tasks merged)' even after 5 tasks were completed and closed.

**Observed:**
```
gt swarm status bd-784c
Progress: 9% (1/11 tasks merged)
```

But bd list showed 4+ issues closed:
- bd-j3dj, bd-kkka, bd-1tkd, bd-9btu all closed

**Expected:**
Swarm status should reflect actual completion count, either by:
1. Polling issue status from beads
2. Updating when polecats close issues
3. Updating when commits are pushed to integration branch

**Impact:**
Coordinator (me) had to manually check bd list to know actual progress.


Remove all deletions.jsonl code except migration

There's deletions manifest code spread across the entire codebase that should have been removed after tombstone migration:

Files with deletions code (non-migration):
- internal/deletions/ - entire package
- cmd/bd/sync.go - 25+ references, auto-compact, sanitize
- cmd/bd/delete.go - dual-writes to deletions.jsonl
- internal/importer/importer.go - checks deletions manifest
- internal/syncbranch/worktree.go - merges deletions.jsonl
- cmd/bd/doctor/fix/sync.go - cleanupDeletionsManifest
- cmd/bd/doctor/fix/deletions.go - HydrateDeletionsManifest
- cmd/bd/integrity.go - checks deletions for data loss
- cmd/bd/deleted.go - entire command
- cmd/bd/compact.go - pruneDeletionsManifest
- cmd/bd/doctor.go - checkDeletionsManifest
- Plus many more

Action: Aggressively remove all non-migration deletions code. Tombstones are the only deletion mechanism now.


Test pinned for stats


Code review: bd mol bond --ref and bd activity (bd-xo1o work)

Review dave's recent commits for bd-xo1o (Dynamic Molecule Bonding):

## Commits to Review
- ee04b1ea: feat: add dynamic molecule bonding with --ref flag (bd-xo1o.1)
- be520d90: feat: add bd activity command for real-time state feed (bd-xo1o.3)

## Review Focus
1. Code quality and correctness
2. Error handling
3. Edge cases
4. Test coverage
5. Documentation

## Deliverables
- File beads for any issues found
- Note any concerns or suggestions
- Verify the implementation matches the bd-xo1o epic requirements


Dead code: fetchAndRebaseInWorktree() marked DEPRECATED but still exists

attached_args: Remove dead code fetchAndRebaseInWorktree

The function fetchAndRebaseInWorktree() in internal/syncbranch/worktree.go (lines 811-830) is marked as DEPRECATED with a comment:

```go
// fetchAndRebaseInWorktree is DEPRECATED - kept for reference only.
// Use contentMergeRecovery instead to avoid tombstone resurrection.
```

Since contentMergeRecovery() is the replacement and is being used, this dead code should be removed to reduce maintenance burden.

Location: internal/syncbranch/worktree.go:811-830


bd cook: Proto ID prefix should match project prefix

When `bd cook` creates a proto, it uses the formula name as the proto ID:

```yaml
formula: mol-deacon-patrol
```

Creates proto with ID `mol-deacon-patrol`.

## Problem

If the project uses a different prefix (e.g., `gt-`), the cooked protos have
a different prefix (`mol-`), causing:

1. `bd sync` import warnings about prefix mismatch
2. Mixed prefix lists in `bd mol list`
3. Confusion about naming conventions

## Options

1. **Use project prefix**: Cook as `gt-mol-deacon-patrol`
2. **Allow mol- as special prefix**: Recognize mol-* as valid for protos
3. **Make prefix configurable**: `bd cook --prefix gt-`
4. **Keep current behavior**: Document that formulas use their own namespace

## Current Workaround

The prefix mismatch warning can be ignored, but `bd sync` fails the import step.

## Related

gt-i6k1: Duplicate proto cleanup


Deprecate bd mol run after gt absorbs its semantics

bd mol run is a convenience combo (pour + update + pin) that feels like orchestration but lives in the data layer. This blurs the bd/gt architectural boundary.

## Current State
- bd mol run = bd pour + bd update --status=in_progress + bd pin --for me
- gt spawn depends on bd mol run (shells out to it)

## Proposed Change
Once gt spawn inlines the pour+assign+pin logic:
1. Deprecate bd mol run with a warning pointing to gt spawn
2. Eventually remove bd mol run entirely

## Why
- bd should be pure data operations (pour, update, pin, close)
- gt should own orchestration (spawn, sling, hook, handoff)
- Standalone bd users can run the three commands separately or script them

## Blocked By
gastown issue gt-r7jj2 (Move mol run semantics from bd into gt spawn)


Commit changes and create v0.30.4 tag

```bash
git add -A
git commit -m "chore: Bump version to 0.30.4"
git tag -a v0.30.4 -m "Release v0.30.4"
```

```verify
git describe --tags --exact-match HEAD 2>/dev/null | grep -q 'v0.30.4'
```


bd pin: pinned field overwritten by subsequent bd commands

## Summary

The `bd pin` command correctly sets `pinned=1` in SQLite, but any subsequent `bd` command (including read-only commands like `bd show`) resets `pinned` to 0.

## Reproduction Steps

```bash
bd --no-daemon pin <issue-id> --for=max
sqlite3 .beads/beads.db "SELECT id, pinned FROM issues WHERE id=\"<issue-id>\""
# Shows pinned=1 ✓

bd --no-daemon show <issue-id> --json
sqlite3 .beads/beads.db "SELECT id, pinned FROM issues WHERE id=\"<issue-id>\""
# Shows pinned=0 ✗ WRONG
```

## Root Cause Investigation

### Prime Suspects

1. **JSONL import overwrites DB** - The `pinned` field has `omitempty` so false values arent in JSONL. When JSONL is imported, it overwrites the DB pinned=1 with default pinned=0.

2. **Files to check:**
   - `internal/importer/importer.go` - ImportIssue() may unconditionally set all fields
   - `internal/storage/sqlite/issues.go` - UpsertIssue() may not preserve pinned
   - `cmd/bd/main.go` - ensureStoreActive() may trigger import

### Debug Steps

```bash
# Add debug logging to track what is writing pinned=0
grep -rn "pinned" internal/storage/sqlite/*.go
grep -rn "Pinned" internal/importer/*.go
```

## Likely Fix

In `internal/importer/importer.go` or `internal/storage/sqlite/issues.go`:

```go
// When upserting from JSONL, preserve pinned field if already set
func (s *SQLiteStorage) UpsertIssue(ctx context.Context, issue *types.Issue) error {
    // Check if issue exists and is pinned
    existing, _ := s.GetIssue(ctx, issue.ID)
    if existing != nil && existing.Pinned && !issue.Pinned {
        // Preserve existing pinned status
        issue.Pinned = existing.Pinned
    }
    // ... rest of upsert
}
```

OR the import should skip fields that are omitempty and not present in JSONL:

```go
// In importer, only update fields that are explicitly set in JSONL
// Pinned with omitempty means absent = dont change, not absent = false
```

## Testing

```bash
# After fix:
bd --no-daemon pin <issue-id> --for=max
bd --no-daemon show <issue-id> --json  # Should not reset pinned
bd list --pinned  # Should show the pinned issue
bd hook --agent max  # Should show pinned work
```

## Files to Modify

1. **internal/importer/importer.go** - Preserve pinned on import
2. **internal/storage/sqlite/issues.go** - UpsertIssue preserve pinned
3. **Add test** in internal/importer/importer_test.go

## Success Criteria
- `bd pin` survives subsequent bd commands
- `bd list --pinned` shows pinned issues
- `bd hook --agent X` shows pinned work
- Existing tests still pass


Final release verification

Verify all release artifacts are accessible:

- [ ] `bd --version` shows 0.30.4
- [ ] `bd version --daemon` shows 0.30.4
- [ ] GitHub release exists: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/releases/tag/v0.30.4
- [ ] `brew upgrade beads && bd --version` shows 0.30.4 (if using Homebrew)
- [ ] `pip show beads-mcp` shows 0.30.4
- [ ] npm package available at 0.30.4
- [ ] `bd info --whats-new` shows 0.30.4 notes

Run final checks:
```bash
bd --version
bd version --daemon
pip show beads-mcp | grep Version
bd info --whats-new
```


Bug: bd swarm create allows duplicate swarm molecules

Running `bd swarm create <epic>` twice creates two swarm molecules for the same epic.

Should check for existing swarm molecule linked to the epic and either:
1. Error with 'swarm already exists: <id>'
2. Warn and return existing swarm ID
3. Add --force flag to allow creating another

Check by querying for molecules with mol_type=swarm that have a relates-to dependency to the epic.


Upgrade local Homebrew installation

Upgrade bd via Homebrew:

```bash
brew update
brew upgrade bd
/opt/homebrew/bin/bd version  # Verify shows 0.33.2
```


Optimize GetReadyWork performance - 752ms on 10K database (target: <50ms)

# Performance Analysis (10K Issue Database)

Analyzed using CPU profiles from benchmark suite on Apple M2 Pro.

## Operation Performance

| Operation                        | Time    | Allocations | Memory |
|----------------------------------|---------|-------------|--------|
| bd ready (GetReadyWork)          | ~752ms  | 167,466     | 16MB   |
| bd list (SearchIssues no filter) | ~11.6ms | 89,214      | 5.8MB  |
| bd list (SearchIssues filtered)  | ~9.2ms  | 62,365      | 3.5MB  |
| bd create (CreateIssue)          | ~2.6ms  | 146         | 8.6KB  |
| bd update (UpdateIssue)          | ~0.32ms | 364         | 15KB   |
| bd close (UpdateIssue)           | ~0.32ms | 364         | 15KB   |

**Target: <50ms for all operations on 10K database**

**Current issue: GetReadyWork is 15x over target (752ms vs 50ms)**

## Root Cause

GetReadyWork (internal/storage/sqlite/ready.go:90-128) uses recursive CTE to propagate blocking:
- 65x slower than SearchIssues
- Recalculates entire blocked issue tree on every call
- Algorithm:
  1. Find directly blocked issues via 'blocks' dependencies
  2. Recursively propagate blockage to descendants (max depth: 50)
  3. Exclude all blocked issues from results

## CPU Profile Analysis

- Database syscalls (pthread_cond_signal, syscall6): ~75%
- SQLite engine overhead: inherent to recursive CTE
- Application code (query construction): <1%

**Bottleneck is the recursive CTE query execution, not application code.**

## Optimization Recommendations

### High Impact (Likely to achieve <50ms target)

1. **Cache blocked issue calculation**
   - Add `blocked_issues` table updated on dependency changes
   - Trade write complexity for read speed (ready called >> dependency changes)
   - Eliminates recursive CTE on every read

2. **Add/verify database indexes**
   ```sql
   CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_dependencies_blocked
     ON dependencies(issue_id, type, depends_on_id);
   CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_issues_status
     ON issues(status);
   ```

### Medium Impact

3. **Reduce allocations** (167K allocations for GetReadyWork)
   - Profile `scanIssues()` for object pooling opportunities
   - Reuse slice capacity for repeated calls

### Low Impact (Not recommended)
- Query optimization for CRUD operations (already <3ms)
- Connection pooling tuning (not showing in profiles)

## Verification

Run benchmarks to validate optimization:
```bash
make bench-quick
go tool pprof -http=:8080 internal/storage/sqlite/bench-cpu-*.prof
```

Profile files automatically generated in `internal/storage/sqlite/`.


Merge: onyx-1767083477016

branch: polecat/onyx-1767083477016
target: main
source_issue: onyx-1767083477016
rig: beads


Edge Schema Consolidation: Unify all edges in dependencies table

Consolidate all edge types into the dependency table per decision 004.

## Changes
- Add metadata column to dependencies table
- Add thread_id column for conversation grouping
- Remove redundant Issue fields: replies_to, relates_to, duplicate_of, superseded_by
- Update all code to use dependencies API
- Migration script for existing data
- JSONL format change (breaking)

Reference: ~/gt/hop/decisions/004-edge-schema-consolidation.md


Witness Patrol

Per-rig worker monitor patrol loop with progressive nudging.


Test cross-rig issue creation

Testing --rig flag from town root


Work on gt-8tmz.10: Rename Engineer in Box to Shiny. Rena...

Work on gt-8tmz.10: Rename Engineer in Box to Shiny. Rename mol-engineer-in-box references to mol-shiny or just 'shiny'. Update docs and code in internal/formula/ and .beads/formulas/. When done: 1) bd close gt-8tmz.10, 2) bd sync, 3) git push, 4) gt mq submit


beads-release

Beads release workflow - from version bump to verified release.

This formula orchestrates a complete release cycle:
1. Preflight checks (clean git, up to date)
2. Documentation updates (CHANGELOG, info.go)
3. Version bump (all components)
4. Git operations (commit, tag, push)
5. CI verification (GitHub Actions)
6. Artifact verification (GitHub, npm, PyPI)
7. Local installation update
8. Daemon restart

## Usage

```bash
bd wisp create beads-release --var version=0.37.0
```

Or assign to a polecat:
```bash
gt sling beads/polecats/p1 --formula beads-release --var version=0.37.0
```


Update hook templates to 0.30.4

Update bd-hooks-version comment in all 4 hook templates:
- cmd/bd/templates/hooks/pre-commit
- cmd/bd/templates/hooks/post-merge
- cmd/bd/templates/hooks/pre-push
- cmd/bd/templates/hooks/post-checkout

Each should have:
```bash
# bd-hooks-version: 0.30.4
```

```verify
grep -l 'bd-hooks-version: 0.30.4' cmd/bd/templates/hooks/* | wc -l | grep -q '4'
```


Merge: bd-c7y5

branch: polecat/toast
target: main
source_issue: bd-c7y5
rig: beads


Move relate/unrelate under dep command

Make relate and unrelate subcommands of dep (dep relate, dep unrelate). They're dependency operations and belong there.


Fix JSON error output consistency across all commands

## Problem

When `--json` flag is specified, error output should return JSON format, not plain text. Currently only `bd show` uses `FatalErrorRespectJSON` - all other commands use direct `fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, ...)`.

## Audit Findings (bd-au0.7)

| File | stderr writes | Commands affected |
|------|---------------|-------------------|
| show.go | 51 | update, close, edit |
| dep.go | 41 | dep add/remove/tree/cycles |
| label.go | 19 | label add/remove/list |
| comments.go | ~10 | comments add/list |
| epic.go | ~5 | epic status/close-eligible |

## Solution

Replace `fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, ...) + os.Exit(1)` patterns with `FatalErrorRespectJSON()` in all commands that support `--json` flag.

## Pattern

```go
// Before (inconsistent)
fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
os.Exit(1)

// After (respects --json)
FatalErrorRespectJSON("%v", err)
```

## Success Criteria

- All commands return JSON errors when `--json` flag is set
- Error format: `{"error": "message"}`
- Exit code 1 preserved for errors


Update molecular chemistry docs with discoveries

Document recent discoveries about molecule/epic relationship and lifecycle:

**Layer Cake (corrected order):**
```
Formulas (YAML compile-time macros)
    ↓
Protos (template label, read-only)
    ↓
Molecules (pour, bond, squash, burn)
    ↓
Epics (parent-child, dependencies) ← DATA PLANE
    ↓
Issues (JSONL, git-backed) ← STORAGE
```

**Key insight:** Molecules work without protos - you can create ad-hoc molecules.
Protos are templates FOR molecules, not the other way around.

**New concepts to document:**
1. Orphan vs Stale matrix (blocking × assigned dimensions)
2. Graph pressure as staleness indicator (not time)
3. Parallelism via absence of depends_on (default parallel, opt-in sequential)
4. progress.Completed/Total are computed, not stored
5. WaitsFor: all-children for dynamic fanout gates

**Common pitfalls for agents:**
- Thinking phases/steps imply sequence (NO - deps do)
- Confusing protos with molecules
- Temporal language inverting dependencies
- Forgetting to squash/burn wisps

**Consider splitting docs:**
- molecules.md → conceptual overview
- formulas.md → YAML syntax reference
- lifecycle.md → pour/squash/burn/bond operations
- patterns.md → Christmas Ornament, factory assembly, etc.


Optimization: Tombstones still synced, adding overhead

Tombstoned (deleted) issues are still processed during sync, adding overhead.

## Evidence
```
Import complete: 0 created, 0 updated, 407 unchanged, 100 skipped
```
Those 100 skipped are tombstones - they're read from JSONL, parsed, then filtered out.

## Current State (Beads repo)
- 408 total issues
- 99 tombstones (24% of database)
- Every sync reads and skips these 99 entries

## Impact
- Sync time increases with tombstone count
- JSONL file size grows indefinitely
- Git history accumulates tombstone churn

## Proposed Solutions

### 1. JSONL Compaction (`bd compact`)
Periodically rewrite JSONL without tombstones:
```bash
bd compact  # Removes tombstones, rewrites issues.jsonl
```
Trade-off: Loses delete history, but that's in git anyway.

### 2. Tombstone TTL
Auto-remove tombstones older than N days during sync:
```go
if issue.Deleted && time.Since(issue.UpdatedAt) > 7*24*time.Hour {
    // Skip writing to new JSONL
}
```

### 3. Archive File
Move old closed issues to `issues-archive.jsonl`:
- Not synced regularly
- Available for historical queries
- Main JSONL stays small

### 4. Lazy Tombstone Handling
Don't write tombstones to JSONL at all - just remove the line:
- Simpler, but loses cross-clone delete propagation
- Would need different delete propagation mechanism

## Recommendation
Start with `bd compact` command - simple, explicit, user-controlled.

## Related
- gt-tnss: Analysis - Beads database size and hygiene strategy
- gt-ox67: Maintenance - Regular cleanup of closed MR/gate beads


gt polecat done should auto-stop running session

Currently 'gt polecat done' fails if session is running, requiring a separate 'gt session stop' first. This is unnecessary friction - done should just stop the session automatically since that's always what you want.


Code Review: PR #551 - Persist close_reason to issues table

Code review of PR #551 which fixes close_reason persistence bug.

## Summary
The PR correctly fixes a bug where close_reason was only stored in the events table, not in the issues.close_reason column. This caused `bd show --json` to return empty close_reason.

## What Was Fixed
- ✅ CloseIssue now updates both close_reason and closed_at
- ✅ ReOpenIssue clears both close_reason and closed_at
- ✅ Comprehensive tests added for both storage and CLI layers
- ✅ Clear documentation in queries.go about dual storage strategy

## Quality Assessment
✅ Tests cover both storage layer and CLI JSON output
✅ Handles reopen case (clearing close_reason)
✅ Good comments explaining dual-storage design
✅ No known issues

## Potential Followups
See linked issues for suggestions.