Make MCP compaction settings configurable (COMPACTION_THRESHOLD, PREVIEW_COUNT)

Currently COMPACTION_THRESHOLD (20) and PREVIEW_COUNT (5) are hardcoded constants at the module level. This prevents users from tuning context engineering behavior.

## Current State
```python
COMPACTION_THRESHOLD = 20  # Compact results with more than 20 issues
PREVIEW_COUNT = 5          # Show first 5 issues in preview
```

## Problems
1. No way for MCP clients to request different preview sizes
2. No way to disable compaction for debugging
3. No way to adapt to different context window sizes
4. Values are not documented in tool schema

## Recommended Solution
Add environment variables or MCP tool parameters:
- `BEADS_MCP_COMPACTION_THRESHOLD` env var (default: 20)
- `BEADS_MCP_PREVIEW_COUNT` env var (default: 5)
- Optional `compact_threshold` and `preview_size` parameters to list/ready tools

## Implementation Notes
- Keep current defaults for backward compatibility
- Read from environment at server initialization
- Document in CONTEXT_ENGINEERING.md
- Add tests verifying env var behavior


Optimize cmd/bd test suite performance (currently 30+ minutes)

CLI test suite is extremely slow (~30+ minutes for full run). Tests are poorly designed and need performance optimization before expanding coverage.

Current coverage: 24.8% (improved from 20.2%)

**Problem**: Tests take far too long to run, making development iteration painful.

**Priority**: Fix test performance FIRST, then consider increasing coverage.

**Investigation needed**:
- Profile test execution to identify bottlenecks
- Look for redundant git operations, database initialization, or daemon operations
- Identify opportunities for test parallelization
- Consider mocking or using in-memory databases where appropriate
- Review test design patterns

**Related**: bd-ktng mentions 13 CLI tests with redundant git init calls (31s total)

**Goal**: Get full test suite under 1-2 minutes before adding more tests.


Auto-detect scenarios and prompt users

Detect when user is in fork/contributor scenario and prompt with helpful suggestions. Check: git remote relationships, existing .beads config, repo ownership. Suggest appropriate wizard.


GH#523: Fix closed issues missing closed_at timestamp during db upgrade

Old beads databases may have closed issues without closed_at timestamps, causing 'closed issues must have closed_at timestamp' validation errors on upgrade to 0.29.0. Need defensive handling during import. See: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/523


GH#505: Add bd reset/wipe command

Add command to cleanly reset/wipe beads database. User reports painful manual process to start fresh. See GitHub issue #505.


False positive detection by Kaspersky Antivirus (Trojan)

Kaspersky Antivirus falsely detects beads (bd.exe v0.23.1) as a Trojan (PDM:Trojan.Win32.Generic) and removes it.
Event: Malicious object detected
Component: System Watcher
Object name: bd.exe


Centralize error handling patterns in storage layer

80+ instances of inconsistent error handling across sqlite.go with mix of %w, %v, and no wrapping.

Location: internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go (throughout)

Problem:
- Some use fmt.Errorf("op failed: %w", err) - correct wrapping
- Some use fmt.Errorf("op failed: %v", err) - loses error chain
- Some return err directly - no context
- Hard to debug production issues
- Can't distinguish error types

Solution: Create internal/storage/sqlite/errors.go:
- Define sentinel errors (ErrNotFound, ErrInvalidID, etc.)
- Create wrapDBError(op string, err error) helper
- Convert sql.ErrNoRows to ErrNotFound
- Always wrap with operation context

Impact: Lost error context; inconsistent messages; hard to debug

Effort: 5-7 hours


Create npm package structure with package.json

Set up initial npm package structure for @beads/bd:

## Files to create
- npm/package.json - Package metadata, dependencies, scripts
- npm/bin/bd - CLI wrapper script that invokes native binary
- npm/.gitignore - Ignore downloaded binaries
- npm/README.md - Installation and usage instructions

## package.json structure
- Name: @beads/bd (scoped package)
- Main: index.js (exports binary path)
- Bin: bin/bd (CLI entry point)
- Scripts: postinstall (download binary)
- Keywords: issue-tracker, cli, beads, bd
- License: MIT

## Bin wrapper
Simple Node.js script that:
- Spawns native binary with child_process.spawn
- Passes through all arguments and stdio
- Exits with binary's exit code


Change default JSONL filename from beads.jsonl back to issues.jsonl throughout codebase


bd config set succeeds but doesn't persist to config.toml

Commands like `bd config set daemon.auto_push true` return "Set daemon.auto_push = true" but the config file is never created and `bd info --json | jq '.config'` returns null.

**Steps to reproduce:**
1. Run `bd config set daemon.auto_push true`
2. See success message: "Set daemon.auto_push = true"
3. Check `cat .beads/config.toml` → file doesn't exist
4. Check `bd info --json | jq '.config'` → returns null

**Expected:**
- .beads/config.toml should be created with the setting
- bd info should show the config value

**Impact:**
Users can't enable auto-push/auto-commit via CLI as documented in AGENTS.md


Implement bd migrate command

Add bd migrate command to move issues between repos with filtering. Should support: filtering by status/priority/labels, dry-run mode, preserving dependencies, handling source_repo field updates.


Use -short flag in CI for PR checks

Update CI configuration to use -short flag for PR checks, run full tests nightly.

The slow tests already support testing.Short() and will be skipped.

Expected savings: ~20 seconds for PR checks (fast tests only)

Implementation:
- Update .github/workflows/ci.yml to add -short flag for PR tests
- Create/update nightly workflow for full test runs
- Update README/docs about test strategy

File: .github/workflows/ci.yml:30


Improve CheckStaleness error handling

## Problem

CheckStaleness returns 'false' (not stale) for multiple error conditions instead of returning errors. This masks problems.

**Location:** internal/autoimport/autoimport.go:253-285

## Edge Cases That Return False

1. **Invalid last_import_time format** (line 259-262)
   - Corrupted metadata returns 'not stale'
   - Could show stale data

2. **No JSONL file found** (line 267-277)
   - If glob fails, falls back to 'issues.jsonl'
   - If that's empty, returns 'not stale'

3. **JSONL stat fails** (line 279-282)
   - Permission denied, file missing
   - Returns 'not stale' even though can't verify

## Current Code

```go
lastImportTime, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, lastImportStr)
if err \!= nil {
    return false, nil  // ← Should return error
}

// ...

if jsonlPath == "" {
    return false, nil  // ← Should return error
}

stat, err := os.Stat(jsonlPath)
if err \!= nil {
    return false, nil  // ← Should return error
}
```

## Fix

```go
lastImportTime, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, lastImportStr)
if err \!= nil {
    return false, fmt.Errorf("corrupted last_import_time: %w", err)
}

// ...

if jsonlPath == "" {
    return false, fmt.Errorf("no JSONL file found")
}

stat, err := os.Stat(jsonlPath)
if err \!= nil {
    return false, fmt.Errorf("cannot stat JSONL: %w", err)
}
```

## Impact
Medium - edge cases are rare but should be handled

## Effort
30 minutes - requires updating callers in RPC server

## Dependencies
Requires: bd-n4td (warning on errors)


Fix silent error handling in RPC response writing

Marshal and write errors silently ignored in writeResponse, can send partial JSON and hang clients.

Location: internal/rpc/server_lifecycle_conn.go:228-232

Problem:
- json.Marshal error ignored - cyclic reference sends corrupt JSON
- Write error ignored - connection closed, no indication to caller
- WriteByte error ignored - client hangs waiting for newline
- Flush error ignored - partial data buffered

Current code:
func (s *Server) writeResponse(writer *bufio.Writer, resp Response) {
    data, _ := json.Marshal(resp)  // Ignored!
    _, _ = writer.Write(data)      // Ignored!
    _ = writer.WriteByte('\n')     // Ignored!
    _ = writer.Flush()             // Ignored!
}

Solution: Return errors, handle in caller, close connection on error

Impact: Client hangs waiting for response; corrupt JSON sent

Effort: 1 hour


bd message: Add input validation for --importance flag

The --importance flag accepts any string without validation, leading to confusing server errors.

**Location:** cmd/bd/message.go:256-258

**Fix:**
- Add flag validation for: low, normal, high, urgent
- Add shell completion support
- Validate in runMessageSend before sending

**Impact:** Better UX, prevents confusing errors


DetectCycles SQL query has bug preventing cycle detection

The DetectCycles function's SQL query has a bug in the LIKE filter that prevents it from detecting cycles.

Current code (line 571):
```sql
AND p.path NOT LIKE '%' || d.depends_on_id || '→%'
```

This prevents ANY revisit to nodes, including returning to the start node to complete a cycle.

Fix:
```sql
AND (d.depends_on_id = p.start_id OR p.path NOT LIKE '%' || d.depends_on_id || '→%')
```

This allows revisiting the start node (to detect the cycle) while still preventing intermediate node revisits.

Impact: Currently DetectCycles cannot detect any cycles, but this hasn't been noticed because AddDependency prevents cycles from being created. The function would only matter if cycles were manually inserted into the database.


Extract computeJSONLHash helper to eliminate code duplication

SHA256 hash computation is duplicated in 3 places:
- cmd/bd/integrity.go:50-52
- cmd/bd/sync.go:611-613
- cmd/bd/import.go:318-319

Extract to shared helper function computeJSONLHash(jsonlPath string) (string, error) that includes proper #nosec comment and error handling.


Create examples for common workflows

Add examples/ subdirectories: OSS contributor workflow, team branch workflow, multi-phase development, multiple personas (architect/implementer). Each with README and sample configs.


GH#405: Fix prefix parsing with hyphens - multi-hyphen prefixes parsed incorrectly

Fixed: ExtractIssuePrefix was falling back to first-hyphen for word-like suffixes, breaking multi-hyphen prefixes like 'hacker-news' and 'me-py-toolkit'.


Benchmark Helper Functions

Extend existing benchmark helpers in internal/storage/sqlite/bench_helpers_test.go (or create if organizing separately).

Existing helper (in compact_bench_test.go):
- setupBenchDB(tb) - Creates temp SQLite database with basic config
  * Used by compact and cycle benchmarks
  * Returns (*SQLiteStorage, cleanup func())

New helpers to add:
- setupLargeBenchDB(b *testing.B) storage.Storage
  * Creates 10K issue database using LargeSQLite fixture
  * Returns configured storage instance

- setupXLargeBenchDB(b *testing.B) storage.Storage
  * Creates 20K issue database using XLargeSQLite fixture
  * Returns configured storage instance

Implementation options:
1. Add to existing compact_bench_test.go (co-located with setupBenchDB)
2. Create new bench_helpers_test.go for organization

Both approaches:
- Build tag: //go:build bench
- Uses fixture generator from internal/testutil/fixtures
- Follows existing setupBenchDB() pattern
- Handles database cleanup

These helpers reduce duplication across new benchmark functions and provide consistent large-scale database setup.


Delete skipped tests for "old buggy behavior"

Three test functions are permanently skipped with comments indicating they test behavior that was fixed in GH#120. These tests will never run again and should be deleted.

Test functions to remove:

1. `cmd/bd/import_collision_test.go:228`
   ```go
   t.Skip("Test expects old buggy behavior - needs rewrite for GH#120 fix")
   ```

2. `cmd/bd/import_collision_test.go:505`
   ```go
   t.Skip("Test expects old buggy behavior - needs rewrite for GH#120 fix")
   ```

3. `internal/storage/sqlite/collision_test.go:919`
   ```go
   t.Skip("Test expects old buggy behavior - needs rewrite for GH#120 fix")
   ```

Impact: Removes ~150 LOC of permanently skipped tests


bd sync should not stage gitignored snapshot files

## Problem

`gitCommitBeadsDir` in `cmd/bd/sync.go` runs `git add .beads/` which stages all files in the directory, including snapshot files that are listed in `.beads/.gitignore`.

If a snapshot file (e.g., `beads.left.meta.json`) was ever committed before being added to `.gitignore`, git continues to track it. This causes merge conflicts when multiple polecats run `bd sync` concurrently, since each one modifies and commits these temporary files.

## Root Cause

Line ~568 in sync.go:
```go
addCmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "git", "add", beadsDir)
```

This stages everything in `.beads/`, but `.gitignore` only prevents *untracked* files from being added - it doesn't affect already-tracked files.

## Suggested Fix

Option A: After `git add .beads/`, run `git reset` on snapshot files:
```go
exec.Command("git", "reset", "HEAD", ".beads/beads.*.jsonl", ".beads/*.meta.json")
```

Option B: Stage only specific files instead of the whole directory:
```go
exec.Command("git", "add", ".beads/issues.jsonl", ".beads/deletions.jsonl", ".beads/metadata.json")
```

Option C: Detect and untrack snapshot files if they're tracked:
```go
// Check if file is tracked: git ls-files --error-unmatch <file>
// If tracked, run: git rm --cached <file>
```

Option B is probably cleanest - explicitly add only the files that should be committed.


Add tests for DetectCycles to improve coverage from 29.6%

DetectCycles currently has 29.6% coverage. Need comprehensive tests for:
- Simple cycles (A->B->A)
- Complex multi-node cycles
- Acyclic graphs (should not detect cycles)
- Self-loops
- Multiple independent cycles
- Edge cases (empty graph, single node)


Add tests for extracted modules

Create tests for migrations.go, hash_ids.go, batch_ops.go, and validators.go


Investigate and optimize test suite performance

Test suite is taking very long to run (>45s for cmd/bd tests, full suite timing unknown but was cancelled).

This impacts development velocity and CI/CD performance.

Investigation needed:
- Profile which tests are slowest
- Identify bottlenecks (disk I/O, network, excessive setup/teardown?)
- Consider parallelization opportunities
- Look for redundant test cases
- Check if integration tests can be optimized


bd-hv01: Storage backend extensibility broken by type assertion

Problem: deletion_tracking.go:69-82 uses type assertion for DeleteIssue which breaks if someone adds a new storage backend.

Fix: Check capability before starting merge or add DeleteIssue to Storage interface.

Files: cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go:69-82, internal/storage/storage.go


Add tests for bd init --contributor wizard

Write integration tests for the contributor wizard:
- Test fork detection logic
- Test planning repo creation
- Test config setup
- Test with/without upstream remote
- Test with SSH vs HTTPS origins


Testing & Validation

Ensure reliability through comprehensive testing.

Completed comprehensive Agent Mail test coverage analysis and implementation.

**Test Coverage Summary:**
- 66 total tests across 5 files
- 51 unit tests for HTTP adapter (0.02s)
- 15 integration tests for multi-agent scenarios (~55s total)

**New Tests Added:**
Created `test_multi_agent_coordination.py` (4 tests, 11s) covering:
1. Fairness: 10 agents competing for 5 issues → exactly 1 claim per issue
2. Notifications: End-to-end message delivery between agents
3. Handoff: Clean reservation transfer from agent1 to agent2
4. Idempotency: Double reserve/release by same agent

**Coverage Quality:**
✅ Collision prevention (race conditions)
✅ Graceful degradation (7 failure modes)
✅ TTL/expiration behavior
✅ Multi-agent coordination
✅ JSONL consistency
✅ HTTP error handling
✅ Authorization and configuration

**Intentionally Skipped:**
- Path traversal (validated elsewhere)
- Retry policies (nice-to-have)
- HTTPS/TLS (out of scope)
- Slow tests (50+ agents, soak tests)

See `tests/integration/AGENT_MAIL_TEST_COVERAGE.md` for details.

All tests pass. Agent Mail integration is well-tested and reliable for multi-agent scenarios.


Parameterize SQLite busy_timeout in store.go

Modify sqlite.New() to accept configurable busy_timeout.

## Current State
`internal/storage/sqlite/store.go` hardcodes:
```go
connStr = "file:" + path + "?_pragma=foreign_keys(ON)&_pragma=busy_timeout(30000)&..."
```

## Implementation Options

### Option A: Add timeout parameter to New()
```go
func New(ctx context.Context, path string, busyTimeout time.Duration) (*SQLiteStorage, error)
```
Pro: Simple, explicit
Con: Changes function signature (breaking change for callers)

### Option B: Options struct pattern
```go
type Options struct {
    BusyTimeout time.Duration // default 30s
}
func New(ctx context.Context, path string, opts *Options) (*SQLiteStorage, error)
```
Pro: Extensible, nil means defaults
Con: More boilerplate

### Recommendation: Option A with default
```go
func New(ctx context.Context, path string) (*SQLiteStorage, error) {
    return NewWithOptions(ctx, path, 30*time.Second)
}

func NewWithOptions(ctx context.Context, path string, busyTimeout time.Duration) (*SQLiteStorage, error)
```

## Acceptance Criteria
- busy_timeout is parameterized in connection string
- 0 timeout means no waiting (immediate SQLITE_BUSY)
- All existing callers continue to work (via default wrapper)

Part of bd-olc1


Improve CheckStaleness error handling

## Problem

CheckStaleness returns 'false' (not stale) for multiple error conditions instead of returning errors. This masks problems.

**Location:** internal/autoimport/autoimport.go:253-285

## Edge Cases That Return False

1. **Invalid last_import_time format** (line 259-262)
2. **No JSONL file found** (line 267-277)
3. **JSONL stat fails** (line 279-282)

## Fix

Return errors for abnormal conditions:

```go
lastImportTime, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, lastImportStr)
if err != nil {
    return false, fmt.Errorf("corrupted last_import_time: %w", err)
}

if jsonlPath == "" {
    return false, fmt.Errorf("no JSONL file found")
}

stat, err := os.Stat(jsonlPath)
if err != nil {
    return false, fmt.Errorf("cannot stat JSONL: %w", err)
}
```

## Impact
Medium - edge cases are rare but should be handled

## Effort
30 minutes - requires updating callers in RPC server


GH#509: bd fails to find .beads from nested worktrees

findDatabaseInTree stops at worktree git root, missing .beads in parent repo. Should check git-common-dir and search past worktree root. See: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/509


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


Final validation test


Create Docker image for Agent Mail

Containerize Agent Mail server for easy deployment.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Dockerfile with Python 3.14
- Health check endpoint
- Volume mount for storage
- Environment variable configuration
- Multi-arch builds (amd64, arm64)

File: deployment/agent-mail/Dockerfile


Need --no-git-history flag to disable git history backfill during import

During JSONL migration (beads.jsonl → issues.jsonl), the git history backfill mechanism causes data loss by finding issues in the old beads.jsonl git history and incorrectly treating them as deleted.

A --no-git-history flag for 'bd import' and 'bd sync' would allow users to disable the git history fallback when it's causing problems.

Use cases:
- JSONL filename migrations
- Repos with complex git history
- Debugging import issues
- Performance (skip slow git scans)

Related: bd-0gh (migration causes spurious deletions)


TestHooksCheckGitHooks failing - version mismatch (0.23.0 vs 0.23.1)

The test is checking embedded hook versions and expecting 0.23.1, but got 0.23.0. This appears to be a version consistency issue that needs investigation.

Test output:
```
Hook pre-commit version mismatch: got 0.23.0, want 0.23.1
Hook post-merge version mismatch: got 0.23.0, want 0.23.1
Hook pre-push version mismatch: got 0.23.0, want 0.23.1
```

This is blocking the landing of GH #274 fix.


Add simple cleanup command to delete closed issues

Users want a simple command to delete all closed issues without requiring Anthropic API key (unlike compact). Requested in GH #243.


bd cleanup should also prune expired tombstones

## Problem

`bd cleanup` deletes closed issues (converting them to tombstones) but does NOT prune expired tombstones. Users expect 'cleanup' to do comprehensive cleanup.

## Current Behavior

1. `bd cleanup --force` → converts closed issues to tombstones
2. Expired tombstones (>30 days) remain in issues.jsonl
3. User must separately run `bd compact` to prune tombstones
4. `bd doctor` warns about expired tombstones: 'Run bd compact to prune'

## Expected Behavior

`bd cleanup` should also prune expired tombstones from issues.jsonl.

## Impact

With v0.30.0 making tombstones the default migration path, this UX gap becomes more visible. Users cleaning up their database shouldn't need to know about a separate `bd compact` command.

## Proposed Solution

Call `pruneExpiredTombstones()` at the end of the cleanup command (same function used by compact). Report results:

```
✓ Deleted 15 closed issue(s)
✓ Pruned 3 expired tombstone(s) (older than 30 days)
```

## Files to Modify

- `cmd/bd/cleanup.go` - Add call to pruneExpiredTombstones after deleteBatch
- May need to move pruneExpiredTombstones to shared location if not already accessible

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] `bd cleanup --force` prunes expired tombstones after deleting closed issues
- [ ] `bd cleanup --dry-run` shows what tombstones would be pruned
- [ ] JSON output includes tombstone prune results


Implement `bd setup cursor` for Cursor IDE integration

Create a `bd setup cursor` command that integrates Beads workflow into Cursor IDE via .cursorrules file. Unlike Claude Code (which has hooks), Cursor uses a static rules file to provide context to its AI.


Refactor duplicate JSONL-from-git parsing code

Both readFirstIssueFromGit() in init.go and importFromGit() in autoimport.go have similar code patterns for:
1. Running git show <ref>:<path>
2. Scanning the output with bufio.Scanner
3. Parsing JSON lines

Could be refactored to share a helper like:
- readJSONLFromGit(gitRef, path string) ([]byte, error)
- Or a streaming version: streamJSONLFromGit(gitRef, path string) (io.Reader, error)

Files:
- cmd/bd/autoimport.go:225-256 (importFromGit)
- cmd/bd/init.go:1212-1243 (readFirstIssueFromGit)

Priority is low since code duplication is minimal and both functions work correctly.


Consider consolidating config.yaml parsing into shared utility

Multiple places parse config.yaml with custom structs:

1. **autoimport.go:148** - `localConfig{SyncBranch}`
2. **main.go:310** - strings.Contains for no-db (fragile, see bd-r6k2)
3. **doctor.go:863** - strings.Contains for no-db (fragile, see bd-r6k2)
4. **internal/config/config.go** - Uses viper (but caches at startup, problematic for tests)

Consider creating a shared utility in `internal/configfile/` or extending the viper config:

```go
// internal/configfile/yaml.go
type YAMLConfig struct {
    SyncBranch string `yaml:"sync-branch"`
    NoDb       bool   `yaml:"no-db"`
    IssuePrefix string `yaml:"issue-prefix"`
    Author     string `yaml:"author"`
}

func LoadYAML(beadsDir string) (*YAMLConfig, error) {
    // Parse config.yaml with proper YAML library
}
```

Benefits:
- Single source of truth for config.yaml structure
- Proper YAML parsing everywhere
- Easier to add new config fields

Trade-off: May add complexity for simple one-off reads.


Extract validation functions to validators.go

Move validatePriority, validateStatus, validateIssueType, validateTitle, validateEstimatedMinutes, validateFieldUpdate to validators.go


JSON test issue

Line 1
Line 2
Line 3


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


Daemon crashes silently when multiple .db files exist in .beads/

When daemon detects multiple .db files (after filtering out .backup and vc.db files), it writes error details to .beads/daemon-error file before exiting.

The error file is checked when:
1. Daemon discovery fails to connect (internal/daemon/discovery.go)
2. Auto-start fails to yield a running daemon (cmd/bd/main.go)
3. Daemon list shows 'daemon not responding' error

This makes the error immediately visible to users without requiring them to check daemon logs.

File created:  cmd/bd/daemon.go (writes daemon-error on multiple .db detection)
Files modified:
- internal/daemon/discovery.go (reads daemon-error and surfaces in DaemonInfo.Error)
- cmd/bd/main.go (displays daemon-error when auto-start fails)

Testing: Create multiple .db files in .beads/, start daemon, verify error file created and shown in bd daemons list

Root cause: Daemon exits with os.Exit(1) when multiple .db files detected (daemon.go:1381), but error only goes to daemon log file. User sees 'daemon not responding' without knowing why.

Current detection:
- daemon.go filters out .backup and vc.db files
- bd doctor detects multiple databases
- Error message tells user to run 'bd init' or manually remove

Problem: Error is not user-visible unless they check daemon logs.

Proposed fix options:
1. Surface the error in 'bd info' and 'bd daemons list' output
2. Add a hint in error messages to run 'bd doctor' when daemon fails
3. Make daemon write error to a .beads/daemon-error file that gets checked
4. Improve 'bd doctor' to run automatically when daemon is unhealthy


bd init should stop running daemon to avoid stale cache

When running bd init, any running daemon continues with stale cached data, causing bd stats and other commands to show old counts.

Repro:
1. Have daemon running with 788 issues cached
2. Clean JSONL to 128 issues, delete db, run bd init
3. bd stats still shows 788 (daemon cache)
4. Must manually run bd daemon --stop

Fix: bd init should automatically stop any running daemon before reinitializing.


Investigate jujutsu VCS as potential solution for conflict-free merging

## Context
Current N-way collision resolution struggles with Git line-based merge model. When 5+ clones create issues with same ID, Git merge conflicts require manual resolution, and our collision resolver can fail during convergence rounds.

## Research Question
Could jujutsu (jj) provide better conflict handling for JSONL files?

## Jujutsu Overview
- Next-gen VCS built on libgit2
- Designed to handle conflicts as first-class citizens
- Supports conflict-free replicated data types (CRDTs) in some scenarios
- Better handling of concurrent edits
- Can work with Git repos (compatible with existing infrastructure)

## Investigation Tasks
1. JSONL Merge Behavior - How does jj handle line-by-line JSONL conflicts?
2. Integration Feasibility - Can beads use jj as backend while maintaining Git compatibility?
3. Conflict Resolution Model - Does jj conflict model map to our collision resolution?
4. Operational Transform Support - Does jj implement operational transforms?

## Deliverables
1. Technical report on jj merge algorithm for JSONL
2. Proof-of-concept: 5-clone collision test using jj instead of Git
3. Performance comparison: Git vs jj for beads workload
4. Recommendation: Adopt, experiment further, or abandon

## References
- https://github.com/martinvonz/jj
- Related to bd-e6d71828, bd-7a2b58fc


Add concurrent import race condition tests

Currently no tests verify behavior when multiple clones import simultaneously with external_ref matching.

Scenarios to test:
1. Two clones import same external_ref update at same time
2. Clone A imports while Clone B updates same issue
3. Verify transaction isolation prevents corruption
4. Document expected behavior (last-write-wins vs timestamp-based)

Related: bd-1022
Files: internal/importer/external_ref_test.go


Merge3Way public API does not expose TTL parameter

The public Merge3Way() function in merge.go does not allow callers to configure the tombstone TTL. It hard-codes the default via merge3WayWithTTL(). While merge3WayWithTTL() exists, it is unexported (lowercase). This means the CLI and tests cannot configure TTL at merge time. Use cases: testing with different TTL values, per-repository TTL configuration, debugging with short TTL, supporting --ttl flag in bd merge command (mentioned in design doc bd-zvg). Recommendation: Export Merge3WayWithTTL (rename to uppercase). Files: internal/merge/merge.go:77, 292-298


Add tests for helper functions (GetDirtyIssueHash, GetAllDependencyRecords, export hashes)

Several utility functions have 0% coverage:
- GetDirtyIssueHash (dirty.go)
- GetAllDependencyRecords (dependencies.go)
- GetExportHash, SetExportHash, ClearAllExportHashes (hash.go)

These are lower priority but should have basic coverage.


Add tests for internal/importer package

Currently 0.0% coverage. Need tests for JSONL import logic including collision detection and resolution.


Batch test 5


bd doctor doesn't detect version mismatches or stale daemons


Remove Cache-Related Tests

Delete or update tests that assume multi-repo caching


Post-merge hook silently fails on JSONL conflicts, poor UX

When git pull results in merge conflicts in .beads/issues.jsonl, the post-merge hook runs 'bd sync --import-only' which fails, but stderr was redirected to /dev/null. User only saw generic warning.

Fixed by capturing and displaying the actual error output, so users see 'Git conflict markers detected' message immediately.


Extract batch operations to batch_ops.go

Move validateBatchIssues, generateBatchIDs, bulkInsertIssues, bulkRecordEvents, bulkMarkDirty, CreateIssues to batch_ops.go


Updated title


Use stable repo identifiers instead of full paths in metadata keys

## Problem
bd-ar2.2 uses full absolute paths as metadata key suffixes:
```go
updateExportMetadata(exportCtx, store, path, log, path)
// Creates: last_import_hash:/Users/stevey/src/cino/beads/repo1/.beads/issues.jsonl
```

## Issues
1. Absolute paths differ across machines/clones
2. Keys are very long
3. If user moves repo or clones to different path, metadata becomes orphaned
4. Metadata won't be portable across team members

## Better Approach
Use source_repo identifiers from multi-repo config (e.g., ".", "../frontend"):
```go
// Get mapping of jsonl_path -> source_repo identifier
for _, path := range multiRepoPaths {
    repoKey := getRepoKeyForPath(path)  // e.g., ".", "../frontend"
    updateExportMetadata(exportCtx, store, path, log, repoKey)
}
```

This creates stable keys like:
- `last_import_hash:.`
- `last_import_hash:../frontend`

## Related
Depends on bd-ar2.10 (hasJSONLChanged update)


Add path normalization to getMultiRepoJSONLPaths()

From bd-xo6b code review: getMultiRepoJSONLPaths() does not handle non-standard paths correctly.

Problems:
- No tilde expansion: ~/repos/foo treated as literal path
- No absolute path conversion: ../other-repo breaks if working directory changes
- No duplicate detection: If Primary=. and Additional=[.], same JSONL processed twice
- No empty string handling: Empty paths create invalid /.beads/issues.jsonl

Impact:
Config with tilde or relative paths will fail

Fix needed:
1. Use filepath.Abs() for all paths
2. Add tilde expansion via os.UserHomeDir()
3. Deduplicate paths (use map to track seen paths)
4. Filter out empty strings
5. Validate paths exist and are readable

Files:
- cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go:333-358 (getMultiRepoJSONLPaths function)


Add unit tests for reset package

Comprehensive unit tests for internal/reset package.

## Test Cases

### ValidateState tests
- .beads/ exists → success
- .beads/ missing → appropriate error
- git dirty state detection

### CountImpact tests
- Empty .beads/ → zero counts
- With issues → correct count (open vs closed)
- With tombstones → correct count
- Returns HasUncommitted correctly

### Backup tests
- Creates backup with correct timestamp format
- Preserves all files and permissions
- Returns correct path
- Handles missing .beads/ gracefully
- Errors on pre-existing backup dir

### Git operation tests
- CheckGitState detects dirty, detached, not-a-repo
- GitRemoveBeads removes correct files
- GitCommitReset creates commit with message
- Operations skip gracefully when not in git repo

### Reset tests (with mocks/temp dirs)
- Soft reset removes files, calls init
- Hard reset includes git operations
- Dry run doesn't modify anything
- SkipInit flag prevents re-initialization
- Daemon killall is called
- Backup is created when requested

## Approach
- Can start with interface definitions (TDD style)
- Use testify for assertions
- Create temp directories for isolation
- Mock git operations where needed
- Test completion depends on implementation tasks

## File Location
`internal/reset/reset_test.go`
`internal/reset/backup_test.go`
`internal/reset/git_test.go`


Investigate database pollution - unexpected issue count increases

Two repositories showing unexpected issue counts:
- ~/src/beads: 280 issues (expected ~209-220)
- ~/src/dave/beads: 895 issues (675 open, 149 closed)

This suggests database pollution - issues from one repository leaking into another. Need to investigate:
1. Run bd detect-pollution on both repos
2. Check for cross-repo contamination
3. Identify source of pollution (daemon? multi-repo config? import issues?)
4. Clean up polluted databases
5. Prevent future pollution


PruneDeletions iterates map non-deterministically

## Problem

`PruneDeletions` iterates over `loadResult.Records` which is a map. Go maps iterate in random order, so:

1. `result.PrunedIDs` order is non-deterministic
2. `kept` slice order is non-deterministic → `WriteDeletions` output order varies

## Location
`internal/deletions/deletions.go:213`

## Impact
- Git diffs are noisy (file changes order on each prune)
- Tests could be flaky if they depend on order
- Harder to debug/audit

## Fix
Sort by ID or timestamp before iterating:

```go
// Convert map to slice and sort
var records []DeletionRecord
for _, r := range loadResult.Records {
    records = append(records, r)
}
sort.Slice(records, func(i, j int) bool {
    return records[i].ID < records[j].ID
})
```


CRITICAL: git-history-backfill purges entire database when JSONL reset

When a clone gets reset (git reset --hard origin/main), the git-history-backfill logic incorrectly adds ALL issues to the deletions manifest, then sync purges the entire database.\n\nFix adds safety guard: never delete more than 50% of issues via git-history-backfill. If threshold exceeded, abort with warning message.


Remove or fix ClearDirtyIssues() - race condition risk (bd-52)

Code health review found internal/storage/sqlite/dirty.go still exposes old ClearDirtyIssues() method (lines 103-108) which clears ALL dirty issues without checking what was actually exported.

Data loss risk: If export fails after some issues written to JSONL but before ClearDirtyIssues called, changes to remaining dirty issues will be lost.

The safer ClearDirtyIssuesByID() (lines 113-132) exists and clears only exported issues.

Fix: Either remove old method or mark it deprecated and ensure no code paths use it.


Fix TestTwoCloneCollision to compare content not timestamps

The test at beads_twoclone_test.go:204-207 currently compares full JSON output including timestamps, causing false negative failures.

Current behavior:
- Both clones converge to identical semantic content
- Clone A: test-2="Issue from clone A", test-1="Issue from clone B"
- Clone B: test-1="Issue from clone B", test-2="Issue from clone A"
- Titles match IDs correctly, no data corruption
- Only timestamps differ (expected and acceptable)

Fix needed:
- Replace exact JSON comparison with content-aware comparison
- Normalize or ignore timestamp fields when asserting convergence
- Test should PASS after this fix

This blocks completion of bd-71107098.


Add migration registry and simplify New()

Create migrations.go with Migration type and registry. Change New() to: openDB -> initSchema -> RunMigrations(db). This removes 8+ separate migrate functions from New().


Add index usage verification test for external_ref lookups

Currently we test that idx_issues_external_ref index exists, but we don't verify that it's actually being used by the query planner.

Proposed solution:
- Add test using EXPLAIN QUERY PLAN
- Verify that 'SEARCH TABLE issues USING INDEX idx_issues_external_ref' appears in plan
- Ensures O(1) lookup performance is maintained

Related: bd-1022
Files: internal/storage/sqlite/external_ref_test.go:260


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)


Respond to GitHub issue #479 with solution

Once bd reset is implemented and released, respond to GitHub issue #479.

## Response should include
- Announce the new bd reset command
- Show basic usage examples
- Link to any documentation
- Thank the user for the feedback

## Example response
```
Thanks for raising this! We've added a `bd reset` command to handle this case.

Usage:
- `bd reset` - Reset to clean state (prompts for confirmation)
- `bd reset --backup` - Create backup first
- `bd reset --hard` - Also clean up git history

This is available in version X.Y.Z.
```

## Notes
- Wait until feature is merged and released
- Consider if issue should be closed or left for user confirmation


Consider backwards compatibility for ready() and list() return type change

PR #481 changed the return types of `ready()` and `list()` from `list[Issue]` to `list[IssueMinimal] | CompactedResult`. This is a breaking change for MCP clients.

## Impact Assessment
Breaking change affects:
- Any MCP client expecting `list[Issue]` from ready()
- Any MCP client expecting `list[Issue]` from list()
- Client code that accesses full Issue fields (description, design, acceptance_criteria, timestamps, dependencies, dependents)

## Current Behavior
- ready() returns `list[IssueMinimal] | CompactedResult`
- list() returns `list[IssueMinimal] | CompactedResult`
- show() still returns full `Issue` (good)

## Considerations
**Pros of current approach:**
- Forces clients to use show() for full details (good for context efficiency)
- Simple mental model (always use show for full data)
- Documentation warns about this

**Cons:**
- Clients expecting list[Issue] will break
- No graceful degradation option
- No migration period

## Potential Solutions
1. Add optional parameter `full_details=false` to ready/list (would increase payload)
2. Create separate tools: ready_minimal/list_minimal + ready_full/list_full
3. Accept breaking change and document upgrade path (current approach)
4. Version the MCP server and document migration guide

## Recommendation
Current approach (solution 3) is reasonable if:
- Changelog clearly documents the breaking change
- Migration guide provided to clients
- Error handling is graceful for clients expecting specific fields


Add 'town report' command for aggregated swarm status

## Problem
Getting a full swarm status requires running 6+ commands:
- `town list <rig>` for each rig
- `town mail inbox` as Boss
- `bd list --status=open/in_progress` per rig

This is slow and error-prone for both humans and agents.

## Proposed Solution
Add `town report [RIG]` command that aggregates:
- All rigs with polecat states (running/stopped, awake/asleep)
- Boss inbox summary (unread count, recent senders)
- Aggregate issue counts per rig (open/in_progress/blocked)

Example output:
```
=== beads ===
Polecats: 5 (5 running, 0 stopped)
Issues: 20 open, 0 in_progress, 0 blocked

=== gastown ===
Polecats: 6 (4 running, 2 stopped)
Issues: 0 open, 0 in_progress, 0 blocked

=== Boss Mail ===
Unread: 10 | Total: 22
Recent: rictus (21:19), scrotus (21:14), immortanjoe (21:14)
```

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] `town report` shows all rigs
- [ ] `town report <rig>` shows single rig detail
- [ ] Output is concise and scannable
- [ ] Completes in <2 seconds


Import overwrites newer local issues with older remote versions

## Problem

During git pull + import, local issues with newer updated_at timestamps get overwritten by older versions from remote JSONL.

## What Happened

Timeline:
1. 17:52 - Closed bd-df190564 and bd-b501fcc1 locally (updated_at: 2025-10-31)
2. 17:51 - Remote pushed same issues with status=open (updated_at: 2025-10-30)
3. 17:52 - Local sync pulled remote commit and imported JSONL
4. Result: Issues reverted to open despite local version being newer

## Root Cause

DetectCollisions (internal/storage/sqlite/collision.go:67-79) compares fields but doesn't check timestamps:

```go
conflictingFields := compareIssues(existing, incoming)
if len(conflictingFields) == 0 {
    result.ExactMatches = append(result.ExactMatches, incoming.ID)
} else {
    // Same ID, different content - treats as UPDATE
    result.Collisions = append(result.Collisions, &CollisionDetail{...})
}
```

Import applies incoming version regardless of which is newer.

## Expected Behavior

Import should:
1. Compare updated_at timestamps when collision detected
2. Skip update if local version is newer
3. Apply update only if remote version is newer
4. Warn on timestamp conflicts

## Solution

Add timestamp checking to DetectCollisions or importIssues:

```go
if len(conflictingFields) > 0 {
    // Check timestamps
    if !incoming.UpdatedAt.After(existing.UpdatedAt) {
        // Local is newer or same - skip update
        result.ExactMatches = append(result.ExactMatches, incoming.ID)
        continue
    }
    // Remote is newer - apply update
    result.Collisions = append(result.Collisions, &CollisionDetail{...})
}
```

## Files
- internal/storage/sqlite/collision.go
- internal/importer/importer.go

## References
- Discovered during bd-df190564, bd-b501fcc1 re-opening


Add performance optimization to hasJSONLChanged with mtime fast-path

hasJSONLChanged() reads entire JSONL file to compute SHA256 hash on every check. For large databases (50MB+), this is expensive and called frequently by daemon.

Optimization: Check mtime first as fast-path. Only compute hash if mtime changed. This catches git operations (mtime changes but content doesn't) while avoiding expensive hash computation in common case (mtime unchanged = content unchanged).

Performance impact: 99% of checks will use fast path, only git operations need slow path.


Investigate performance issues in VS Code Copilot (Windows)

Beads unusable in Windows 11 VS Code Copilot chat with Sonnet 4.5.
Summary event happens every 3-4 turns, taking 3 minutes.
Copilot summarizes after ~125k tokens despite model supporting 1M.
Large context size of beads might be triggering aggressive summarization.
Need workaround or optimization for context size.


Add unit tests for import ordering

Test topological sort: import [child, parent] should succeed, import [parent.1.2, parent, parent.1] should sort correctly. Verify depth-based batching works. Test max depth limits.


Add "bd daemons" command for multi-daemon management

Add a new "bd daemons" command with subcommands to manage daemon processes across all beads repositories/worktrees. Should show all running daemons with metadata (version, workspace, uptime, last sync), allow stopping/restarting individual daemons, auto-clean stale processes, view logs, and show exclusive lock status.


Test Epic

## Overview

[Describe the high-level goal and scope of this epic]

## Success Criteria

- [ ] Criteria 1
- [ ] Criteria 2
- [ ] Criteria 3

## Background

[Provide context and motivation]

## Scope

**In Scope:**
- Item 1
- Item 2

**Out of Scope:**
- Item 1
- Item 2


Add WaitGroup tracking to FileWatcher goroutines

FileWatcher spawns goroutines without WaitGroup tracking, causing race condition on shutdown.

Location: cmd/bd/daemon_watcher.go:123-182, 215-291

Problem:
- Goroutines spawned without sync.WaitGroup
- Close() cancels context but doesn't wait for goroutines to exit
- Race condition: goroutine may access fw.debouncer during Close() cleanup
- No guarantee goroutine stopped before fw.watcher.Close() is called

Solution:
- Add sync.WaitGroup field to FileWatcher
- Track goroutines with wg.Add(1) and defer wg.Done()
- Call wg.Wait() in Close() before cleanup

Impact: Race condition on daemon shutdown; potential panic

Effort: 2 hours


Consolidate check-health DB opens into single connection

The --check-health flag opens the database 3 separate times (once per quick check). Consolidate into a single DB open for better performance, especially on slower filesystems.


Test integration issue

This is a real integration test


Add fallback to polling on watcher failure

Detect fsnotify.NewWatcher() errors and log warning. Auto-switch to polling mode with 5s ticker. Add BEADS_WATCHER_FALLBACK env var to control behavior.


RPC fast-fail: stat socket before dial, cap timeouts to 200ms

Eliminate 5s delay when daemon socket is missing by:
1. Add os.Stat(socketPath) check before dialing in TryConnect
2. Return (nil, nil) immediately if socket doesn't exist
3. Set default dial timeout to 200ms in TryConnect
4. Keep TryConnectWithTimeout for explicit health/status checks (1-2s)

This prevents clients from waiting through full timeout when no daemon is running.


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.


bd init UX Improvements

bd init leaves users with incomplete setup, requiring manual bd doctor --fix. Issues found: (1) git hooks not installed if user declines prompt, (2) no auto-migration when CLI is upgraded, (3) stale merge driver configs from old versions. Fix by making bd init more robust with better defaults and auto-migration.


Auth tokens expire too quickly

## Summary

[Brief description of the bug]

## Steps to Reproduce

1. Step 1
2. Step 2
3. Step 3

## Expected Behavior

[What should happen]

## Actual Behavior

[What actually happens]

## Environment

- OS: [e.g., macOS 15.7.1]
- Version: [e.g., bd 0.20.1]
- Additional context: [any relevant details]

## Additional Context

[Screenshots, logs, or other relevant information]


Replace Windows CI full test suite with smoke tests

## Problem

Windows CI tests consistently timeout at 30 minutes despite multiple optimization attempts:
- Split into parallel jobs (cmd vs internal) - still times out
- RAM disk for temp/cache - marginal improvement (~50%)
- RAM disk for workspace - breaks due to t.Chdir() incompatibility with ImDisk

Root cause: Windows I/O is fundamentally 20x slower than Linux:
- NTFS slow for small file operations
- Windows Defender scans every file access
- Git on Windows is 5-10x slower
- Process spawning is expensive

Linux tests complete in ~1.5 min with race detector. Windows takes 30+ min without.

## Current State

- Windows jobs have continue-on-error: true (don't block PRs)
- Tests timeout before completing, providing zero signal
- RAM disk experiments added complexity without solving the problem

## Solution: Smoke Tests Only

Replace full test suite with minimal smoke tests that verify Windows compatibility in < 2 minutes.

### What to Test
1. Binary builds - go build succeeds (already separate step)
2. Binary executes - bd version works
3. Init works - bd init creates valid database
4. Basic CRUD - create, list, show, update, close
5. Path handling - Windows backslash paths work

### Proposed CI Change

Replace test-windows-cmd and test-windows-internal with single smoke test job:
- Build bd.exe
- Run: bd version
- Run: bd init --quiet --prefix smoke
- Run: bd create --title "Windows smoke test" --type task
- Run: bd list
- Run: bd show smoke-001
- Run: bd update smoke-001 --status in_progress
- Run: bd close smoke-001

### Benefits
- Completes in < 2 minutes vs 30+ minute timeouts
- Provides actual pass/fail signal
- Verifies Windows binary works
- Removes RAM disk complexity
- Single job instead of two parallel jobs

### Files to Change
- .github/workflows/ci.yml - Replace test-windows-cmd and test-windows-internal jobs

### Migration Steps
1. Remove test-windows-cmd job
2. Remove test-windows-internal job
3. Add single test-windows job with smoke tests
4. Remove continue-on-error (tests should now pass reliably)
5. Clean up RAM disk remnants from previous attempts

### Context
- Parent issue: bd-5we (Use RAM disk for Windows CI tests)
- RAM disk approach proved insufficient
- This is the pragmatic solution after extensive experimentation


Extract Daemon struct and config into internal/daemonrunner

Create internal/daemonrunner with Config struct and Daemon struct. Move daemon runtime logic from cmd/bd/daemon.go Run function into Daemon.Start/Stop methods.

Refactoring complete! Created internal/daemonrunner package with:
- Config struct (config.go)
- Daemon struct with Start/Stop methods (daemon.go)
- RPC server lifecycle (rpc.go)
- Sync loop implementation (sync.go)
- Git operations (git.go)
- Process management (process.go, flock_*.go)
- Logger setup (logger.go)
- Platform-specific signal handling (signals_*.go)
- Database fingerprint validation (fingerprint.go)

Build succeeds and most daemon tests pass. Import functionality still delegated to cmd/bd (marked with TODO(bd-b5a3)).


Thread Test 2

Testing direct mode


Publish @beads/bd package to npm registry

Publish the npm package to the public npm registry:

## Prerequisites
- npm account created
- Organization @beads created (or use different namespace)
- npm login completed locally
- Package tested locally (bd-f282 completed)

## Publishing steps
1. Verify package.json version matches current bd version
2. Run npm pack and inspect tarball contents
3. Test installation from tarball one more time
4. Run npm publish --access public
5. Verify package appears on https://www.npmjs.com/package/@beads/bd
6. Test installation from registry: npm install -g @beads/bd

## Post-publish
- Add npm badge to README.md
- Update CHANGELOG.md with npm package release
- Announce in release notes

## Note
- May need to choose different name if @beads namespace unavailable
- Alternative: beads-cli, bd-cli, or unscoped beads-issue-tracker


Fix bd doctor --fix recursive message for deletions manifest

When running bd doctor --fix, if the deletions manifest check fails but there are no deleted issues in git history, the fix succeeds but doesn't create the file. The check then runs again and tells user to run bd doctor --fix - the same command they just ran.

Fix: Create empty deletions.jsonl when hydration finds no deletions, and recognize empty file as valid in the check.

Fixes: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/403


Update AGENTS.md with Agent Mail workflow

Update agent workflow section to include Agent Mail coordination as optional step.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Add Agent Mail to recommended workflow
- Show both with/without examples
- Update "Multi-Agent Patterns" section
- Cross-reference to AGENT_MAIL.md

File: AGENTS.md (lines 468-475)


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


Auto-invoke 3-way merge for JSONL conflicts

Currently when git pull encounters merge conflicts in .beads/issues.jsonl, the post-merge hook fails with an error message pointing users to manual resolution or the beads-merge tool.

This is a poor user experience - the conflict detection is working, but we should automatically invoke the advanced 3-way merging instead of just telling users about it.

**Current behavior:**
- Detect conflict markers in JSONL
- Display error with manual resolution options
- Exit with failure

**Desired behavior:**
- Detect conflict markers in JSONL
- Automatically invoke beads-merge 3-way merge
- Only fail if automatic merge cannot resolve the conflicts

**Reference:**
- beads-merge tool: https://github.com/neongreen/mono/tree/main/beads-merge
- Error occurs in post-merge hook during bd sync after git pull


Implement alias conflict resolution

Handle alias conflicts when multiple clones assign same alias to different issues.

## Scenario
```
Clone A: Creates bd-a1b2c3d4, assigns alias #42
Clone B: Creates bd-e5f6a7b8, assigns alias #42
After sync: Conflict! Which issue gets #42?
```

## Resolution Strategy: Content-Hash Ordering
Deterministic, same result on all clones:
```go
func ResolveAliasConflicts(conflicts []AliasConflict) []AliasRemapping {
    for _, conflict := range conflicts {
        // Sort by hash ID (lexicographic)
        sort.Strings(conflict.IssueIDs)

        // Winner: lowest hash ID (arbitrary but deterministic)
        winner := conflict.IssueIDs[0]

        // Losers: reassign to next available aliases
        for _, loser := range conflict.IssueIDs[1:] {
            newAlias := getNextAlias()
            remappings = append(remappings, AliasRemapping{
                IssueID:  loser,
                OldAlias: conflict.Alias,
                NewAlias: newAlias,
            })
        }
    }
    return remappings
}
```

## Detection During Import
File: internal/importer/importer.go
```go
func handleAliasConflicts(imported []Issue, existing []Issue) error {
    // Build alias map from imported issues
    aliasMap := make(map[int][]string)  // alias → issue IDs

    for _, issue := range imported {
        aliasMap[issue.Alias] = append(aliasMap[issue.Alias], issue.ID)
    }

    // Check against existing aliases
    for alias, importedIDs := range aliasMap {
        existingID := storage.GetIssueIDByAlias(alias)
        if existingID != "" {
            // Conflict! Resolve it
            allIDs := append(importedIDs, existingID)
            conflicts = append(conflicts, AliasConflict{
                Alias:    alias,
                IssueIDs: allIDs,
            })
        }
    }

    // Resolve and apply
    remappings := ResolveAliasConflicts(conflicts)
    applyAliasRemappings(remappings)
}
```

## Alternative Strategies (For Future Consideration)

### Priority-Based
```go
// Higher priority keeps alias
if issueA.Priority < issueB.Priority {
    winner = issueA
}
```

### Timestamp-Based (Last-Write-Wins)
```go
// Newer issue keeps alias
if issueA.UpdatedAt.After(issueB.UpdatedAt) {
    winner = issueA
}
```

### Manual Resolution
```bash
bd resolve-aliases --manual
# Interactive prompt for each conflict
```

## User Notification
```bash
$ bd sync
✓ Synced 5 issues
⚠ Alias conflicts resolved:
  - Issue bd-e5f6a7b8: alias changed from #42 to #100
  - Issue bd-9a8b7c6d: alias changed from #15 to #101
```

## Files to Create/Modify
- internal/storage/sqlite/alias_conflicts.go (new)
- internal/importer/importer.go (detect conflicts)
- cmd/bd/sync.go (show conflict notifications)

## Testing
- Test two clones assign same alias to different issues
- Test conflict resolution is deterministic (same on all clones)
- Test loser gets new alias
- Test winner keeps original alias
- Test multiple conflicts resolved in one import


Add transaction + retry logic for N-way collision resolution

## Problem
Current N-way collision resolution fails on UNIQUE constraint violations during convergence rounds when 5+ clones sync. The RemapCollisions function is non-atomic and performs operations sequentially:
1. Delete old issues (CASCADE deletes dependencies)
2. Create remapped issues (can fail with UNIQUE constraint)
3. Recreate dependencies
4. Update text references

Failure at step 2 leaves database in inconsistent state.

## Solution
Wrap collision resolution in database transaction with retry logic:
- Make entire RemapCollisions operation atomic
- Retry up to 3 times on UNIQUE constraint failures
- Re-sync counters between retries
- Add better error messages for debugging

## Implementation
Location: internal/storage/sqlite/collision.go:342 (RemapCollisions function)

```go
// Retry up to 3 times on UNIQUE constraint failures
for attempt := 0; attempt < 3; attempt++ {
    err := s.db.ExecInTransaction(func(tx *sql.Tx) error {
        // All collision resolution operations
    })
    if !isUniqueConstraintError(err) {
        return err
    }
    s.SyncAllCounters(ctx)
}
```

## Success Criteria
- 5-clone collision test passes reliably
- No partial state on UNIQUE constraint errors
- Automatic recovery from transient ID conflicts

## References
- See beads_nway_test.go:124 for the KNOWN LIMITATION comment
- Related to-7c5915ae (transaction support)

## Progress Made

1. Added `ExecInTransaction` helper to SQLiteStorage for atomic database operations
2. Added `IsUniqueConstraintError` function to detect UNIQUE constraint violations
3. Wrapped `RemapCollisions` with retry logic (up to 3 attempts) with counter sync between retries
4. Enhanced `handleRename` to detect and handle race conditions where target ID already exists
5. Added defensive checks for when old ID has been deleted by another clone

## Test Results

The changes improve N-way collision handling but don't fully solve the problem:
- Original error: `UNIQUE constraint failed: issues.id` during first convergence round
- With changes: Test proceeds further but encounters different collision scenarios
- New error: `target ID already exists with different content` in later convergence rounds

## Root Cause Analysis

The issue is more complex than initially thought. In N-way scenarios:
1. Clone A remaps bd-1c63eb84 → test-2 → test-4
2. Clone B remaps bd-1c63eb84 → test-3 → test-4
3. Both try to create test-4, but with different intermediate states
4. This creates legitimate content collisions that require additional resolution

## Next Steps

The full solution requires:
1. Making remapping fully deterministic across clones (same input → same remapped ID)
2. OR making `handleRename` more tolerant of mid-flight collisions
3. OR implementing full transaction support for multi-step collision resolution -7c5915ae)

The retry logic added here provides a foundation but isn't sufficient for complex N-way scenarios.


Fix variable shadowing in GetNextChildID resurrection code

## Problem
Minor variable shadowing in hash_ids.go:

```go
// Line 33: err declared here
err := s.db.QueryRowContext(ctx, `SELECT COUNT(*) FROM issues WHERE id = ?`, parentID).Scan(&count)

// Line 38: err reused/shadowed here
resurrected, err := s.TryResurrectParent(ctx, parentID)
```

While Go allows this, it can be confusing and some linters flag it.

## Solution
Use different variable name:

```go
resurrected, resurrectErr := s.TryResurrectParent(ctx, parentID)
if resurrectErr != nil {
    return "", fmt.Errorf("failed to resurrect parent %s: %w", parentID, resurrectErr)
}
```

## Files
- internal/storage/sqlite/hash_ids.go:38

## Priority
Low - code works correctly, just a style improvement


Fix Windows-specific test failures in CI

Several tests are failing on Windows but passing on Linux:

**Failing tests:**
- TestFindDatabasePathEnvVar
- TestHashIDs_MultiCloneConverge
- TestHashIDs_IdenticalContentDedup
- TestDatabaseReinitialization (all 5 subtests):
  - fresh_clone_auto_import
  - database_removal_scenario
  - legacy_filename_support
  - precedence_test
  - init_safety_check
- TestFindBeadsDir_NotFound
- TestMetricsSnapshot/uptime (in internal/rpc)

**CI Run:** https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/actions/runs/19015638968

These are likely path separator or filesystem behavior differences between Windows and Linux.

Fixed all Windows path issues:
1. TestFindDatabasePathEnvVar - expects canonicalized paths ✅
2. TestHashIDs tests - use platform-specific bd.exe command ✅
3. TestMetricsSnapshot/uptime - enforce minimum 1 second uptime ✅
4. TestFindBeadsDir_NotFound - allow finding .beads in parent dirs ✅
5. TestDatabaseReinitialization - fix git path conversion on Windows (git returns /c/Users/... but filepath needs C:\Users\...) ✅

CI run in progress to verify all fixes.


Add database maintenance commands section to QUICKSTART.md

**Problem:**
Users don't discover `bd compact` or `bd cleanup` commands until their database grows large. These maintenance commands aren't mentioned in quickstart documentation.

Related to issue #349 item #4.

**Current state:**
docs/QUICKSTART.md ends at line 217 with "See README.md for full documentation" but has no mention of maintenance operations.

**Proposed addition:**
Add a "Database Maintenance" section after line 140 (before "Advanced: Agent Mail" section) covering:
- When database grows (many closed issues)
- How to view compaction statistics
- How to compact old issues
- How to delete closed issues
- Warning about permanence

**Example content:**
```markdown
## Database Maintenance

As your project accumulates closed issues, the database grows. Use these commands to manage size:

```bash
# View compaction statistics
bd compact --stats

# Preview compaction candidates (30+ days closed)
bd compact --analyze --json

# Apply agent-generated summary
bd compact --apply --id bd-42 --summary summary.txt

# Immediately delete closed issues (use with caution!)
bd cleanup --force
```

**When to compact:**
- Database file > 10MB with many old closed issues
- After major project milestones
- Before archiving a project phase
```

**Files to modify:**
- docs/QUICKSTART.md (add section after line 140)


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


bd sync --squash: batch multiple syncs into single commit

For solo developers who don't need real-time multi-agent coordination, add a --squash option to bd sync that accumulates changes and commits them in a single commit rather than one commit per sync.

This addresses the git history pollution concern (many 'bd sync: timestamp' commits) while preserving the default behavior needed for orchestration.

**Proposed behavior:**
- `bd sync --squash` accumulates pending exports without committing
- Commits accumulated changes on session end or explicit `bd sync` (without --squash)
- Default behavior unchanged (immediate commits for orchestration)

**Use case:** Solo developers who want cleaner git history but don't need real-time coordination between agents.

**Related:** PR #411 (docs: reduce bd sync commit pollution)
**See also:** Multi-repo support as alternative solution (docs/MULTI_REPO_AGENTS.md)


CLI tests (cli_fast_test.go) are slow and should be integration tests

The TestCLI_* tests in cmd/bd/cli_fast_test.go are taking 4-5 seconds each (40+ seconds total), making them the slowest part of the fast test suite.

Current timings:
- TestCLI_Import: 4.73s
- TestCLI_Blocked: 4.33s
- TestCLI_DepTree: 4.15s
- TestCLI_Close: 3.59s
- TestCLI_DepAdd: 3.50s
- etc.

These tests compile the bd binary once in init(), but then execute it multiple times per test with filesystem operations. Despite being named "fast", they're actually end-to-end CLI integration tests.

Options:
1. Tag with //go:build integration (move to integration suite)
2. Optimize: Use in-memory databases, reduce exec calls, better parallelization
3. Keep as-is but understand they're the baseline for "fast" tests

Total test suite currently: 13.8s (cmd/bd alone is 12.8s, and most of that is these CLI tests)

Fixed by reusing existing bd binary from repo root instead of rebuilding.

Before: 15+ minutes (rebuilding binary for every test package)
After: ~12 seconds (reuses pre-built binary)

The init() function now checks for ../../bd first before falling back to building. This means `go build && go test` is now fast.


Performance Testing Framework

Add comprehensive performance testing for beads focusing on optimization guidance and validating 10K+ database scale. Uses standard Go tooling, follows existing patterns, minimal complexity.

Components:
- Benchmark suite for critical operations at 10K-20K scale
- Fixture generator for realistic test data (epic hierarchies, cross-links)
- User diagnostics via bd doctor --perf
- Always-on profiling integration

Goals:
- Identify bottlenecks for optimization work
- Validate performance at 10K+ issue scale
- Enable users to collect diagnostics for bug reports
- Support both SQLite and JSONL import paths


Windows binaries lack SQLite support (GH #253)

Windows users installing via install.ps1 get "sql: unknown driver sqlite" error. Root cause: GoReleaser was building with CGO_ENABLED=0, which excludes SQLite driver.

Fixed by:
1. Enabling CGO in .goreleaser.yml
2. Installing MinGW cross-compiler in release workflow
3. Splitting builds per platform to set correct CC for Windows

Needs new release to fix for users.


Implement TryResurrectParent function

Create internal/storage/sqlite/resurrection.go with TryResurrectParent(ctx, parentID) function. Parse JSONL history to find deleted parent, create tombstone with status=deleted and is_tombstone=true flag. Handle recursive resurrection for multi-level missing parents (bd-abc.1.2 with missing bd-abc and bd-abc.1).


GH#402: Add --parent flag documentation to bd onboard

bd onboard output is missing --parent flag for epic subtasks. Agents guess wrong syntax (--deps parent:). See GitHub issue #402.


GH#245: Windows MCP subprocess timeout for git rev-parse

User reports git detection timing out on Windows in MCP server, but CLI works fine.

Path: C:\Users\chris\Documents\DEV_R\quarto-cli
Error: Git repository detection timed out after 5s
Works fine in CLI: `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` succeeds

Hypothesis: subprocess.run() with asyncio.to_thread() may have Windows-specific issues or the MCP runtime environment may not have proper PATH/git access.

Potential fixes:
1. Add subprocess shell=True on Windows
2. Increase timeout further for Windows
3. Add better error logging to capture subprocess stderr
4. Skip git resolution entirely on timeout and just use provided path


Consider extracting error handling helpers

Evaluate creating FatalError() and WarnError() helpers as suggested in ERROR_HANDLING.md to reduce boilerplate and enforce consistency. Prototype in a few files first to validate the approach.


Add is_tombstone flag to schema

Optionally add is_tombstone boolean field to issues table. Marks resurrected parents that were deleted. Allows distinguishing tombstones from normal deleted issues. Update schema.go and create migration.


## Problem

bd cleanup deletes closed issues (converting them to tombstones) but does NOT prune expired tombstones. Users expect 'cleanup' to do comprehensive cleanup.

## Current Behavior

1. bd cleanup --force converts closed issues to tombstones
2. Expired tombstones (>30 days) remain in issues.jsonl
3. User must separately run bd compact to prune tombstones
4. bd doctor warns about expired tombstones: Run bd compact to prune

## Expected Behavior

bd cleanup should also prune expired tombstones from issues.jsonl.

## Impact

With v0.30.0 making tombstones the default migration path, this UX gap becomes more visible. Users cleaning up their database should not need to know about a separate bd compact command.

## Proposed Solution

Call pruneExpiredTombstones() at the end of the cleanup command (same function used by compact).

## Files to Modify

- cmd/bd/cleanup.go - Add call to pruneExpiredTombstones after deleteBatch

## Acceptance Criteria

- bd cleanup --force prunes expired tombstones after deleting closed issues
- bd cleanup --dry-run shows what tombstones would be pruned
- JSON output includes tombstone prune results


MCP server loses workspace context after Amp restart - causes silent failures

**CRITICAL BUG**: The beads MCP server loses workspace context when Amp restarts, leading to silent failures and potential data corruption.

## Reproduction
1. Start Amp with beads MCP server configured
2. Call `mcp__beads__set_context(workspace_root="/path/to/project")`
3. Use MCP tools successfully (e.g., `mcp__beads__show`, `mcp__beads__list`)
4. Restart Amp (new thread/session)
5. Try to use MCP tools without calling `set_context` again
6. **Result**: "Not connected" or "No workspace set" errors

## Impact
- Amp agents silently fail when trying to read/update beads issues
- May attempt to create duplicate issues because they can't see existing ones
- Potential for data corruption if operating on wrong database
- Breaks multi-session workflows
- Creates confusion: CLI works (`./bd`) but MCP tools don't

## Current Workaround
Manually call `mcp__beads__set_context()` at start of every Amp session.

## Root Cause
MCP server is stateful and doesn't persist workspace context across restarts.

## Proposed Fix
**Option 1 (Best)**: Auto-detect workspace from current working directory
- Match behavior of CLI `./bd` commands
- Check for `.beads/` directory in current dir or parents
- No manual context setting needed

**Option 2**: Persist context in MCP server state file
- Save last workspace_root to `~/.config/beads/mcp_context.json`
- Restore on server startup

**Option 3**: Require explicit context in every MCP call
- Add optional `workspace_root` parameter to all MCP tools
- Fall back to saved context if not provided

Acceptance:
- MCP tools work across Amp restarts without manual set_context()
- Auto-detection matches CLI behavior (walks up from CWD)
- Clear error message when no workspace found
- set_context() still works for explicit override
- BEADS_WORKING_DIR env var support
- Integration test validates restart behavior


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.


Add error handling guidance for export metadata update failures

## Problem
The bd-ymj fix treats all metadata update failures as warnings:

```go
if err := store.SetMetadata(ctx, "last_import_hash", currentHash); err != nil {
    log.log("Warning: failed to update last_import_hash: %v", err)
}
```

But if metadata updates fail, the NEXT export will fail with "JSONL content has changed since last import".

## Questions
1. Should metadata failures be critical (return error)?
2. Should we implement retry logic?
3. Is warning acceptable (safe, just requires import before next export)?

## Current Behavior
- Metadata failure is silent (only logged)
- User won't know until next export fails
- Next export requires import first (safe but annoying)

## Recommendation
Add clear comment explaining the trade-off:

```go
// Note: Metadata update failures are treated as warnings, not errors.
// This is acceptable because the worst case is the next export will
// require an import first, which is safe and prevents data loss.
// Alternative: Make this critical and fail the export if metadata
// updates fail (but this makes exports more fragile).
if err := store.SetMetadata(ctx, "last_import_hash", currentHash); err != nil {
    log.log("Warning: failed to update last_import_hash: %v", err)
    log.log("Next export may require running 'bd import' first")
}
```

## Files
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go

## Decision Needed
Choose approach based on failure mode preferences


Fix inconsistent error handling in multi-repo deletion tracking

From bd-xo6b code review: Multi-repo deletion tracking has mixed failure modes that can leave system in inconsistent state.

**Current behavior (daemon_sync.go):**
- Snapshot capture (L505-514): Hard fail → aborts sync
- Merge/prune (L575-584): Hard fail → aborts sync
- Base snapshot update (L613-619): Soft fail → logs warning, continues

**Critical problem:**
If merge fails on repo 3 of 5:
- Repos 1-2 have already merged and deleted issues (irreversible)
- Repos 3-5 are untouched
- Database is in partially-updated state
- No rollback mechanism

**Real-world scenario:**
```
Sync with repos [A, B, C]:
1. Capture snapshots A ✓, B ✓, C ✗ → ABORT (good)
2. Merge A ✓, B ✗ → ABORT but A already deleted issues (BAD - no rollback)
3. Update base A ⚠, B ⚠ → Warnings only (inconsistent with 1 & 2)
```

**Solution options:**
1. **Two-phase commit:**
   - Phase 1: Validate all repos (check files exist, readable, parseable)
   - Phase 2: Apply changes atomically (or fail entirely before any mutations)

2. **Fail-fast validation:**
   - Before any snapshot/merge operations, validate all repos upfront
   - Abort entire sync if any repo fails validation

3. **Make base snapshot update consistent:**
   - Either make it hard-fail like the others, or make all soft-fail

**Files:**
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go:505-514 (snapshot capture)
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go:575-584 (merge/prune)
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go:613-619 (base snapshot update)

**Recommendation:** Use option 1 (two-phase) or option 2 (fail-fast validation) + fix base snapshot inconsistency.


bd-hv01: No snapshot versioning or timestamps causes stale data usage

Problem: If sync is interrupted (crash, kill -9, power loss), stale snapshots persist indefinitely. Next sync uses stale data leading to incorrect deletions.

Fix: Add metadata to snapshots with timestamp, version, and commit SHA. Validate snapshots are recent (< 1 hour old), from compatible version, and from expected git commit.

Files: cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go (all snapshot functions)


Test update


Merge PR #300: gitignore upgrade feature

PR #300 is ready to merge but has rebase conflicts with main.

**Context:**
- PR implements 3 mechanisms for .beads/.gitignore upgrade (bd doctor --fix, daemon auto-upgrade, bd init idempotent)
- Conflicts resolved locally but diverged branches make push difficult
- All fixes applied: removed merge artifact, applied new gitignore template
- Clean scope: only 6 files changed (+194/-42)

**Next steps:**
1. Option A: Merge via GitHub UI (resolve conflicts in web interface)
2. Option B: Fresh rebase on main and force push
3. Verify CI passes
4. Squash and merge

PR URL: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/pull/300
Fixes: #274


WASM integration testing

Comprehensive testing of WASM build. Child of epic bd-44d0.

## Tasks
- [ ] Unit tests for WASM module
- [ ] Integration tests with real JSONL files
- [ ] Test all bd commands for parity
- [ ] Performance benchmarks
- [ ] Test in actual Claude Code Web sandbox
- [ ] Document any limitations

## Test Coverage Target
- >90% of bd CLI commands work identically


Fix compact --analyze/--apply error messages to clarify direct mode requirement

**Problem:**
When users run `bd compact --analyze` with daemon running, they get:
```
Error: compact requires SQLite storage
```

This is misleading because they ARE using SQLite (via daemon), but the command needs DIRECT SQLite access.

**Current behavior:**
- Error message suggests they don't have SQLite
- No hint about using --no-daemon flag
- Related to issue #349 item #1

**Proposed fix:**
1. Update error messages in cmd/bd/compact.go lines 106-114 (analyze) and 121-137 (apply)
2. Add explicit hint: "Use --no-daemon flag to bypass daemon"
3. Change SQLite check error from "requires SQLite storage" to "failed to open database in direct mode"

**Files to modify:**
- cmd/bd/compact.go (lines ~106-137)

**Testing:**
- Run with daemon: `bd compact --analyze` should show clear error + hint
- Run with --no-daemon: `bd compact --analyze --no-daemon` should work
- Verify error message is actionable


Stress test: event storm handling

Simulate 100+ rapid JSONL writes. Verify debouncer batches to single import. Verify no data loss. Test daemon stability.


Speed up main_test.go - tests hang indefinitely due to nil rootCtx

## Problem

main_test.go tests are hanging indefinitely, making them unusable and blocking development.

## Root Cause

Tests that call flushToJSONL() or autoImportIfNewer() hang forever because:
- rootCtx is nil in test environment (defined in cmd/bd/main.go:67)
- flushToJSONL() uses rootCtx for DB operations (autoflush.go:503)
- When rootCtx is nil, DB calls timeout/hang indefinitely

## Affected Tests (10+)

- TestAutoFlushOnExit
- TestAutoFlushJSONLContent
- TestAutoFlushErrorHandling
- TestAutoImportIfNewer
- TestAutoImportDisabled
- TestAutoImportWithUpdate
- TestAutoImportNoUpdate
- TestAutoImportMergeConflict
- TestAutoImportConflictMarkerFalsePositive
- TestAutoImportClosedAtInvariant

## Proof

```bash
# Before fix: TestAutoFlushJSONLContent HANGS (killed after 2+ min)
# After adding rootCtx init: Completes in 0.04s
# Speedup: ∞ → 0.04s
```

## Solution

See MAIN_TEST_OPTIMIZATION_PLAN.md for complete fix plan.

**Quick Fix (5 min)**: Add to each hanging test:
```go
ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second)
defer cancel()
oldRootCtx := rootCtx
rootCtx = ctx
defer func() { rootCtx = oldRootCtx }()
```

**Full Optimization (40 min total)**:
1. Fix rootCtx (5 min) - unblocks tests
2. Reduce sleep durations 10x (2 min) - saves ~280ms
3. Use in-memory DBs (10 min) - saves ~1s
4. Share test fixtures (15 min) - saves ~1.2s
5. Fix skipped debounce test (5 min)

## Expected Results

- Tests go from hanging → <5s total runtime
- Keep critical integration test coverage
- Tests caught real bugs: bd-270, bd-206, bd-160

## Files

- Analysis: MAIN_TEST_REFACTOR_NOTES.md
- Solution: MAIN_TEST_OPTIMIZATION_PLAN.md
- Tests: cmd/bd/main_test.go (18 tests, 1322 LOC)

## Priority

P1 - Blocking development, tests unusable in current state


Enhance bd doctor to suggest reset for broken states

Update bd doctor to detect severely broken states and suggest reset.

## Detection Criteria
Suggest reset when:
- Multiple unfixable errors detected
- Corrupted JSONL that can't be repaired
- Schema version mismatch that can't be migrated
- Daemon state inconsistent and unkillable

## Implementation
Add to doctor's check/fix flow:
```go
if unfixableErrors > threshold {
    suggest('State may be too broken to fix. Consider: bd reset')
}
```

## Output Example
```
✗ Found 5 unfixable errors

  Your beads state may be too corrupted to repair.
  Consider running 'bd reset' to start fresh.
  (Use 'bd reset --backup' to save current state first)
```

## Notes
- Don't auto-run reset, just suggest
- This is lower priority, can be done in parallel with main work


GH#483: Pre-commit hook fails unnecessarily when .beads removed

Pre-commit hook fails on bd sync when .beads directory exists but user is on branch without beads. Should exit gracefully. See GitHub issue #483.


bd detect-pollution - Test pollution detector

Detect test issues that leaked into production DB.

Pattern matching for:
- Titles starting with 'test', 'benchmark', 'sample'
- Sequential numbering (test-1, test-2)
- Generic descriptions
- Created in rapid succession

Optional AI scoring for confidence.

Files: cmd/bd/detect_pollution.go (new)


Doctor should exclude merge artifacts from 'multiple JSONL' warning

Doctor command warns about 'multiple JSONL files' when .base.jsonl and .left.jsonl merge artifacts exist. These are expected during/after merge operations and should be excluded from the warning.


Add programmatic tip injection API

Allow tips to be programmatically injected at runtime based on detected conditions. This enables dynamic tips (not just pre-defined ones) to be shown with custom priority and frequency.


Git history fallback has incorrect logic for detecting deletions

## Problem

The `wasInGitHistory` function in `internal/importer/importer.go:891` returns true if the ID is found **anywhere** in git history. But finding an ID in history doesn't necessarily mean it was deleted - it could mean:

1. The issue was added (appears in a commit adding it)
2. The issue was modified (appears in commits updating it)
3. The issue was deleted (appears in a commit removing it)

The current logic incorrectly treats all three cases as 'deleted'.

## Correct Logic

`git log -S` with `--oneline` shows commits where the string was added OR removed. To detect deletion specifically:

1. ID appears in git history (was once in JSONL)
2. ID is NOT currently in JSONL

The second condition is already checked by the caller (`purgeDeletedIssues`), so technically the logic is correct in context. But the function name and doc comment are misleading.

## Fix Options

1. **Rename function** to `wasEverInJSONL` and update doc comment to clarify
2. **Add explicit check** for current JSONL state in the function itself

Option 1 is simpler and correct since caller already filters.


Add unit tests for parent resurrection

Test resurrection with deleted parent (should succeed), resurrection with never-existed parent (should fail gracefully), multi-level resurrection (bd-abc.1.2 with both parents missing). Verify tombstone creation and is_tombstone flag.


GH#519: bd sync fails when sync.branch is currently checked-out branch

bd sync tries to create worktree for sync.branch even when already on that branch. Should commit directly instead. See GitHub issue #519.


Remove duplicate countIssuesInJSONLFile function

init.go and doctor.go both defined countIssuesInJSONLFile. Removed the init.go version which is now unused. The doctor.go version (which calls countJSONLIssues) is the canonical implementation.


Daemons don't exit when parent process dies, causing accumulation and race conditions

Multiple daemon processes accumulate over time because daemons don't automatically stop when their parent process (e.g., coding agent) is killed. This causes:

1. Race conditions: 8+ daemons watching same .beads/beads.db, each with own 30s debounce timer
2. Git conflicts: Multiple daemons racing to commit/push .beads/issues.jsonl
3. Resource waste: Orphaned daemons from sessions days/hours old still running

Example: User had 8 daemons from multiple sessions (12:37AM, 7:20PM, 7:22PM, 7:47PM, 9:19PM yesterday + 9:54AM, 10:55AM today).

Solutions to consider:
1. Track parent PID and exit when parent dies
2. Use single global daemon instead of per-session
3. Document manual cleanup: pkill -f "bd daemon"
4. Add daemon lifecycle management (auto-cleanup of stale daemons)

Implementation complete:

1. Added ParentPID field to DaemonLockInfo struct (stored in daemon.lock JSON)
2. Daemon now tracks parent PID via os.Getppid() at startup
3. Both event loops (polling and event-driven) check parent process every 10 seconds
4. Daemon gracefully exits if parent process dies (detected via isProcessRunning check)
5. Handles edge cases:
   - ParentPID=0: Older daemons without tracking (ignored)
   - ParentPID=1: Adopted by init means parent died (exits)
   - Otherwise checks if parent process is still running

The fix prevents daemon accumulation by ensuring orphaned daemons automatically exit within 10 seconds of parent death.


Configure database connection pool limits for daemon mode

Database connection pool not configured for file-based databases when running in daemon mode.

Location: internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go:108-116

Problem:
- Daemon is a long-running server handling concurrent RPC requests
- Multiple CLI commands hit same daemon simultaneously
- Go default: unlimited connections (MaxOpenConns=0)
- SQLite IMMEDIATE transactions serialize on write lock
- Can have 100+ goroutines blocked waiting, each holding connection
- Results in connection exhaustion and 'database is locked' errors

Current code only limits in-memory DBs:
if isInMemory {
    db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
    db.SetMaxIdleConns(1)
}
// File DBs: UNLIMITED connections!

Fix:
if !isInMemory {
    maxConns := runtime.NumCPU() + 1  // 1 writer + N readers
    db.SetMaxOpenConns(maxConns)
    db.SetMaxIdleConns(2)
    db.SetConnMaxLifetime(0)
}

Impact: 'database is locked' errors under concurrent load in daemon mode

Note: NOT an issue for direct CLI usage (each process isolated). Only affects daemon mode where multiple CLI commands share one database pool.

Effort: 1 hour


Sync validation false positive: legitimate deletions trigger 'data loss detected'

## Problem
`bd sync` fails with false positive data loss detection when legitimate deletions occur:
```
Post-import validation failed: import reduced issue count: 26 → 25 (data loss detected!)
```

## Root Cause
The validation in `sync.go:329-340` counts DB issues BEFORE import, but `purgeDeletedIssues()` in `importer.go:159` legitimately removes issues DURING import. The validation doesn't account for expected deletions.

**The Flow:**
```
sync.go:293     → beforeCount = countDBIssues() = 26
sync.go:310-319 → sanitizeJSONL removes deleted issues from JSONL (RemovedCount=N)
sync.go:323     → importFromJSONL() runs subprocess
                  └→ importer.go:159 purgeDeletedIssues() removes issues from DB
sync.go:331     → afterCount = countDBIssues() = 25
sync.go:335     → validatePostImport(26, 25) → ERROR
```

## Fix
Pass `sanitizeResult.RemovedCount` to validation and account for expected deletions:

```go
// sync.go around line 335
expectedDecrease := 0
if sanitizeResult != nil {
    expectedDecrease = sanitizeResult.RemovedCount
}
if err := validatePostImportWithDeletions(beforeCount, afterCount, expectedDecrease); err != nil {
    // ...
}
```

```go
// integrity.go - new or modified function
func validatePostImportWithDeletions(before, after, expectedDeletions int) error {
    if after < before - expectedDeletions {
        return fmt.Errorf("unexpected data loss: %d → %d (expected max decrease: %d)",
            before, after, expectedDeletions)
    }
    // ...
}
```

## Files
- cmd/bd/sync.go:329-340
- cmd/bd/integrity.go:289-301


Add bd deleted command for audit trail

Parent: bd-imj

Add command to view deletion history.

Usage:
  bd deleted              # Show recent deletions (last 7 days)
  bd deleted --since=30d  # Show deletions in last 30 days
  bd deleted --all        # Show all tracked deletions
  bd deleted bd-xxx       # Show deletion details for specific issue

Output format:
  bd-xxx  2025-11-25 10:00  stevey  duplicate of bd-yyy
  bd-yyy  2025-11-25 10:05  claude  cleanup

Acceptance criteria:
- List deletions with timestamp, actor, reason
- Filter by time range
- Lookup specific issue ID
- JSON output option for scripting


GetNextChildID doesn't attempt parent resurrection from JSONL history

When creating a child issue with --parent flag, GetNextChildID fails immediately if parent doesn't exist in DB, without attempting to resurrect it from JSONL history. This breaks the intended resurrection workflow and causes 'parent issue X does not exist' errors even when the parent exists in JSONL.

Related to GH #334 and #278.

Current behavior:
- GetNextChildID checks if parent exists in DB
- If not found, returns error immediately
- No resurrection attempt

Expected behavior:
- GetNextChildID should call TryResurrectParent before failing
- Parent should be restored as tombstone if found in JSONL history
- Child creation should succeed if resurrection succeeds

Impact: Users cannot create child issues for parents that were deleted but exist in JSONL history.


Add bd reset command for clean slate restart

Implement a `bd reset` command to reset beads to a clean starting state.

## Context
GitHub issue #479 - users sometimes get beads into an invalid state after updates, and there's no clean way to start fresh. The git backup/restore mechanism that protects against accidental deletion also makes it hard to intentionally reset.

## Design

### Command Interface
```
bd reset [--hard] [--force] [--backup] [--dry-run] [--no-init]
```

| Flag | Effect |
|------|--------|
| `--hard` | Also remove from git index and commit |
| `--force` | Skip confirmation prompt |
| `--backup` | Create `.beads-backup-{timestamp}/` first |
| `--dry-run` | Preview what would happen |
| `--no-init` | Don't re-initialize after clearing |

### Reset Levels
1. **Soft Reset (default)** - Kill daemons, clear .beads/, re-init. Git history unchanged.
2. **Hard Reset (`--hard`)** - Also git rm and commit the removal, then commit fresh state.

### Implementation Flow
1. Validate .beads/ exists
2. If not --force: show impact summary, prompt confirmation
3. If --backup: copy .beads/ to .beads-backup-{timestamp}/
4. Kill daemons
5. If --hard: git rm + commit
6. rm -rf .beads/*
7. If not --no-init: bd init (and git add+commit if --hard)
8. Print summary

### Safety Mechanisms
- Confirmation prompt (skip with --force)
- Impact summary (issue/tombstone counts)
- Backup option
- Dry-run preview
- Git dirty check warning

### Code Structure
- `cmd/bd/reset.go` - CLI command
- `internal/reset/` - Core logic package


Performance Validation

Confirm no performance regression from cache removal


Auto-configure git merge driver during `bd init`

Enhance `bd init` to optionally set up beads-merge as git merge driver.

**Tasks**:
- Prompt user to install git merge driver
- Configure `.git/config`: `merge.beads.driver "bd merge %A %O %L %R"`
- Create/update `.gitattributes`: `.beads/beads.jsonl merge=beads`
- Add `--skip-merge-driver` flag for non-interactive use
- Update AGENTS.md onboarding section

**Files**:
- `cmd/bd/init.go`
- `.gitattributes` template


Refactor cmd/bd/daemon.go for testability and maintainability


Vendor and integrate beads-merge tool

Incorporate @neongreen's beads-merge 3-way merge tool into bd to solve:
- Multi-workspace deletion sync (bd-hv01)
- Git merge conflicts in JSONL
- Field-level intelligent merging

**Repository**: https://github.com/neongreen/mono/tree/main/beads-merge

**Integration approach**: Vendor the Go code with attribution, pending @neongreen's approval (GitHub issue #240)

**Benefits**:
- Prevents deletion resurrection bug
- Smart dependency merging (union + dedup)
- Timestamp handling (max wins)
- Detects deleted-vs-modified conflicts
- Works as git merge driver

**Acceptance criteria**:
- beads-merge code vendored into bd codebase
- Available as `bd merge` command
- Git merge driver setup during `bd init`
- Tests verify 3-way merge logic
- Documentation updated
- @neongreen credited


Enforce daemon singleton per workspace with file locking

Agent in ~/src/wyvern discovered 4 simultaneous daemon processes running, causing infinite directory recursion (.beads/.beads/.beads/...). Each daemon used relative paths and created nested .beads/ directories.

Root cause: No singleton enforcement. Multiple `bd daemon` processes can start in same workspace.

Expected: One daemon per workspace (each workspace = separate .beads/ dir with bd.sock)
Actual: Multiple daemons can run simultaneously in same workspace

Note: Separate git clones = separate workspaces = separate daemons (correct). Git worktrees share .beads/ and have known limitations (documented, use --no-daemon).

## Fix Summary

Successfully prevented the nested .beads/.beads/ recursion bug by implementing two safeguards:

1. **Path Canonicalization in FindDatabasePath()** (beads.go):
   - Added filepath.Abs() + filepath.EvalSymlinks() to normalize all database paths
   - Prevents relative path edge cases that create nested directories
   - Ensures all daemons see the same canonical path

2. **Nested Directory Detection** (daemon_lifecycle.go):
   - Added explicit check for ".beads/.beads" pattern in setupDaemonLock()
   - Fails fast with clear error message if nested structure detected
   - Provides user hints about proper usage

## Root Cause

The daemon lock (added Oct 22, 2025) correctly prevents simultaneous daemons in the SAME workspace. However, when BEADS_DB used a relative path (e.g., ".beads/beads.db") from inside the .beads directory, FindDatabasePath() would resolve it to a nested path creating a separate workspace:
- First daemon: /workspace/.beads/beads.db
- Second daemon from .beads/: /workspace/.beads/.beads/beads.db ← Different lock file!

## Testing

All acceptance criteria passed:
✅ 1. Second daemon start fails with "daemon already running" error
✅ 2. Killing daemon releases lock, new daemon can start
✅ 3. No infinite .beads/ recursion possible (tested nested BEADS_DB path)
✅ 4. Works with auto-start mechanism

The fix addresses the edge case while maintaining the existing lock mechanism's correctness.


Audit all cmd/bd tests and group into suites

Analyze all 279 tests in cmd/bd and identify:
1. Which tests can share DB setup (most of them\!)
2. Which tests actually need isolation (export/import, git ops)
3. Optimal grouping into test suites

Create a mapping document showing:
- Current: 279 individual test functions
- Proposed: ~10-15 test suites with subtests
- Expected speedup per suite

Blocks all refactoring work.


Add integration tests for CompactedResult in MCP server

The CompactedResult model is used for list operations when results exceed COMPACTION_THRESHOLD (20 items), but there are no integration tests verifying the actual MCP server behavior with large result sets.

## What's Missing
- Integration test that mocks a large result set (>20 issues) and verifies CompactedResult is returned
- Verification that preview_count matches PREVIEW_COUNT (5)
- Verification that total_count reflects actual result size
- Test that compaction threshold is configurable (currently hardcoded COMPACTION_THRESHOLD=20)

## Why This Matters
The compaction logic is critical for preventing context overflow with large lists. Without integration tests, we can't verify it works correctly with the actual MCP protocol.

## Suggested Implementation
Create test_mcp_compaction.py with:
1. test_list_with_large_result_set_returns_compacted_result()
2. test_ready_work_respects_compaction_threshold()
3. test_compacted_result_structure_is_valid()


Fix bd sync race condition with daemon causing dirty working directory

After bd sync completes with sync.branch mode, subsequent bd commands or daemon file watcher would see a hash mismatch and trigger auto-import, which then schedules re-export, dirtying the working directory.

**Root cause:**
1. bd sync exports JSONL with NEW content (hash H1)
2. bd sync updates jsonl_content_hash = H1 in DB
3. bd sync restores JSONL from HEAD (OLD content, hash H0)
4. Now: file hash = H0, DB hash = H1 (MISMATCH)
5. Daemon or next CLI command sees mismatch, imports from OLD JSONL
6. Import triggers re-export → file is dirty

**Fix:**
After restoreBeadsDirFromBranch(), update jsonl_content_hash to match the restored file's hash. This ensures daemon and CLI see file hash = DB hash → no spurious import/export cycle.

Related: bd-c83r (multiple daemon prevention)


Implement "bd daemons logs" subcommand

Add command to view daemon logs for a specific workspace. Requires daemon logging to file (may need separate issue for log infrastructure).


Test issue


Test label update feature


Review PR #514: fix plugin install docs

Review and merge PR #514 from aspiers. This PR fixes incorrect docs for installing Claude Code plugin from source in docs/PLUGIN.md. Clarifies shell vs Claude Code commands and fixes the . vs ./beads argument issue. URL: https://github.com/anthropics/beads/pull/514


Polecats get stuck on interactive shell prompts (cp/mv/rm -i)

During swarm operations, polecats frequently get stuck waiting for interactive prompts from shell commands like:
- cp prompting 'overwrite file? (y/n)'
- mv prompting 'overwrite file? (y/n)'
- rm prompting 'remove file?'

This happens because macOS aliases or shell configs may have -i flags set by default.

Root cause: Claude Code runs commands that trigger interactive confirmation prompts, but cannot respond to them, causing the agent to hang indefinitely.

Observed in: Multiple polecats during GH issues swarm (Dec 2024)
- Derrick, Roustabout, Prospector, Warboy all got stuck on y/n prompts

Suggested fixes:
1. AGENTS.md should instruct agents to always use -f flag with cp/mv/rm
2. Polecat startup could set shell aliases to use non-interactive versions
3. bd prime hook could include guidance about non-interactive commands
4. Consider detecting stuck prompts and auto-recovering