Version Bump: {{version}}

Release checklist for version {{version}}. This molecule ensures all release steps are completed properly.


Verify MCP Server Compatibility

Ensure MCP server works with cache-free daemon


No logging/debugging for tombstone resurrection events

Per the design document bd-zvg Open Question 1: Should resurrection log a warning? Recommendation was Yes. Currently, when an expired tombstone loses to a live issue (resurrection), there is no logging or debugging output. This makes it hard to understand why an issue reappeared. Recommendation: Add optional debug logging when resurrection occurs, e.g., Issue bd-abc resurrected (tombstone expired). Files: internal/merge/merge.go:359-366, 371-378, 400-405, 410-415


Create and push tag

git tag v{{version}} && git push origin main && git push origin v{{version}}


Move relate/unrelate under dep command

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


Update documentation for CLI consolidation

## Task
Update all documentation to reflect CLI consolidation changes.

## Files requiring updates

### Primary docs
- docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md - Major updates
  - Add admin section (cleanup, compact, reset)
  - Update migrate section (subcommands)
  - Update formula section (add cook)
  - Remove/update standalone command references

### Secondary docs
- docs/DELETIONS.md - migrate-tombstones → migrate tombstones, compact → admin compact
- docs/FAQ.md - compact → admin compact
- docs/QUICKSTART.md - compact, cleanup → admin compact, admin cleanup
- docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md - compact → admin compact
- docs/CONFIG.md - compact → admin compact
- docs/INSTALLING.md - quickstart reference
- docs/EXTENDING.md - quickstart reference

### Skills docs
- skills/beads/SKILL.md - compact, quickstart references
- skills/beads/references/CLI_REFERENCE.md - mirror main CLI_REFERENCE.md

### Other docs
- commands/quickstart.md - update or remove
- commands/compact.md - update to admin compact
- examples/compaction/README.md - update examples
- README.md - quickstart reference
- CHANGELOG.md - add consolidation changes section

## Implementation notes
- Keep backwards compatibility notices where aliases exist
- Update command examples to use new paths
- Consider adding deprecation warnings section


Work on beads-ocs: Thin shim hooks to eliminate version d...

Work on beads-ocs: Thin shim hooks to eliminate version drift (GH#615). Replace full hook scripts with thin shims that call bd hooks run. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Auto-repair stale merge driver configs with invalid placeholders

Old bd versions (<0.24.0) installed merge driver with invalid placeholders %L %R instead of %A %B. Add detection to bd doctor --fix: check if git config merge.beads.driver contains %L or %R, auto-repair to 'bd merge %A %O %A %B'. One-time migration for users who initialized with old versions.


bd: Add town-level activity signal in PersistentPreRun

Add activity signaling to beads so Gas Town daemon can detect bd usage.

In cmd/bd/main.go PersistentPreRun, add a call to write activity to
the Gas Town daemon directory if running inside a Gas Town workspace.

The signal file is ~/gt/daemon/activity.json (or detected town root).

Format:
{
  "last_command": "bd create ...",
  "actor": "gastown/crew/max",
  "timestamp": "2025-12-26T19:30:00Z"
}

Should be best-effort (silent failure) to avoid breaking bd outside Gas Town.

Cross-rig ref: gastown gt-ws8ol (Deacon exponential backoff epic)


Work on beads-1ra: Add molecules.jsonl as separate catalo...

Work on beads-1ra: Add molecules.jsonl as separate catalog file for template molecules


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

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

## Filters to Add

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

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

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

## Files to Modify

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

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

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

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

## Implementation Steps

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

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

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

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


Run bump-version.sh

Update all component versions atomically.

```bash
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.39.0
```

This updates:
- cmd/bd/version.go
- .claude-plugin/*.json
- integrations/beads-mcp/pyproject.toml
- integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/__init__.py
- npm-package/package.json
- Hook templates
- README.md
- CHANGELOG.md (adds date)


Sync branch integrity guards

Track sync branch parent commit. If sync branch was force-pushed, warn user and require confirmation before proceeding. Add option to reset to remote if user accepts rebase. Prevents silent corruption from forced pushes.


Optimization: Tombstones still synced, adding overhead

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

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

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

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

## Proposed Solutions

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

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

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

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

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

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


Update CHANGELOG.md with release notes

Add meaningful release notes to CHANGELOG.md describing what changed in 0.30.7


Test Child Task


Commit release

Stage and commit all version changes.

```bash
git add -A
git commit -m "chore: Bump version to 0.39.0"
```

Review the commit to ensure all expected files are included.


Consolidate daemon/daemons commands

Merge daemons functionality into daemon command with subcommands. Currently have both 'daemon' and 'daemons' at top level.


Add GetMoleculeProgress RPC endpoint

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


Code review: bd mol bond implementation

Review the mol bond command implementation before shipping.

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

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


Investigate JSONL hash mismatch warnings (bd-160)

During v0.39.1 release, saw repeated warnings:

WARNING: JSONL file hash mismatch detected (bd-160)
  This indicates JSONL and export_hashes are out of sync.
  Clearing export_hashes to force full re-export.

This appeared multiple times during wisp close operations. Questions:
1. What causes export_hashes to drift from actual JSONL content?
2. Is this expected during wisp operations (since wisps do not export)?
3. Should wisp operations skip the hash check entirely?
4. Is there actual data integrity risk or just noise?

The warning references bd-160 - may need to check that issue for context.


Final release verification

Verify all release artifacts are accessible:

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

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


Review and document rarely-used commands

Document use cases or consider deprecation for infrequently-used commands.

**Commands to review:**
1. bd rename-prefix - How often is this used? Document use cases
2. bd detect-pollution - Consider integrating into bd validate
3. bd migrate-hash-ids - One-time migration, keep but document as legacy

**For each command:**
- Document typical use cases
- Add examples to help text
- Consider if it should be a subcommand instead
- Add deprecation warning if appropriate

**Not changing:**
- duplicates ✓ (useful for data quality)
- repair-deps ✓ (useful for fixing broken refs)
- restore ✓ (critical for compacted issues)
- compact ✓ (performance feature)

**Deliverable:**
- Updated help text
- Documentation in ADVANCED.md
- Deprecation plan if needed


Verify PyPI package

Confirm PyPI package published.

```bash
pip index versions beads-mcp 2>/dev/null | head -3
```

Or check: https://pypi.org/project/beads-mcp/

Should show 0.39.0.


Update .claude-plugin/marketplace.json to 0.30.4

Update version field in .claude-plugin/marketplace.json:
```json
"version": "0.30.4"
```

```verify
jq -e '.plugins[0].version == "0.30.4"' .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
```


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

Implement the gate CLI commands.

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

# Check gate status
bd gate show <id>

# List open gates
bd gate list

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

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

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


Test stdin 2

Description from stdin test


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


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


Improve test coverage for internal/daemon (27.3% → 60%)

The daemon package has only 27.3% test coverage. The daemon is critical for background operations and reliability.

Key areas needing tests:
- Daemon autostart logic
- Socket handling
- PID file management
- Health checks

Current coverage: 27.3%
Target coverage: 60%


Rename 'wisp' back to 'ephemeral' in beads API

The beads API uses 'wisp' terminology (Wisp field, bd wisp command) but the underlying SQLite column is 'ephemeral'.

This creates cognitive overhead since wisp is a Gas Town concept.

Rename to use 'ephemeral' consistently:
- types.Issue.Wisp → types.Issue.Ephemeral
- JSON field: wisp → ephemeral
- CLI: bd wisp → bd ephemeral (or just use flags on existing commands)

The SQLite column already uses 'ephemeral' so no schema migration needed.


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


Tests for messaging and graph links

Comprehensive test coverage for all new features.

Test files:
- cmd/bd/mail_test.go - mail command tests
- internal/storage/sqlite/graph_links_test.go - graph link tests
- internal/hooks/hooks_test.go - hook execution tests

Test cases:
- Mail send/inbox/read/ack lifecycle
- Thread creation and traversal (replies_to)
- Bidirectional relates_to
- Duplicate marking and queries
- Supersedes chains
- Ephemeral cleanup
- Identity resolution priority
- Hook execution (mock hooks)
- Schema migration preserves data

Target: >80% coverage on new code


activity --follow: Silent error handling

In activity.go:175-179, when the daemon is down or errors occur during polling in --follow mode, errors are silently ignored:

```go
newEvents, err := fetchMutations(lastPoll)
if err != nil {
    // Daemon might be down, continue trying
    continue
}
```

This means:
- Users won't know if the daemon is unreachable
- Could appear frozen when actually failing
- No indication of lost events

Should at least show a warning after N consecutive failures, or show '...' indicator to show polling status.

Discovered during code review of bd-xo1o implementation.


gt handoff deadlock at handoff.go:125

When running 'gt handoff -m "message"' after successful MR submit, go panics with 'fatal error: all goroutines are asleep - deadlock\!' at handoff.go:125. The shutdown request still appears to be sent successfully but the command crashes. Stack trace shows issue is in runHandoff select statement.


gt polecat done should auto-stop running session

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


Work on beads-2vn: Add simple built-in beads viewer (GH#6...

Work on beads-2vn: Add simple built-in beads viewer (GH#654). Add bd list --pretty with --watch flag, tree view with priority/status symbols. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Protos should have distinct prefix (e.g., proto-)

Currently protos use the same bd- prefix as regular issues, making them visually indistinguishable. When you see bd-7bs4 it looks like work to squash, not a reusable template.

**Problem:**
- Protos look like regular issues
- No visual signal that something is a template vs active work
- Easy to accidentally close/modify protos thinking they're issues

**Proposed Solution:**
- Protos should have their own prefix (e.g., `proto-`, `mol-`, or `tpl-`)
- Could be a separate database/storage for the proto library
- Or a convention where proto IDs are generated differently

**Alternatives:**
1. Separate proto database with `proto-` prefix
2. Special ID format for protos (e.g., `bd:proto:release`)
3. Visual indicator in bd list/show output (already have labels, but not enough)

**Current workaround:** Label with `template` and `molecule`, but IDs still look like regular issues.


GH#517: Claude sets priority wrong on new install

Claude uses 'medium/high/low' for priority instead of P0-P4. Update bd prime/onboard output to be clearer about priority syntax. See GitHub issue #517.


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


Merge: bd-14ie

branch: polecat/toast
target: main
source_issue: bd-14ie
rig: beads


Polymorphic bond command: bd mol bond A B

Implement proto-to-proto bonding to create compound protos.

COMMAND: bd mol bond proto-feature proto-testing [--as proto-feature-tested] [--type sequential]

BEHAVIOR:
- Load both proto subgraphs
- Create new compound proto with combined structure
- B's root becomes child of A's root (sequential) or sibling (parallel)
- Wire dependencies: B depends on A's leaf nodes (sequential) or runs parallel
- Store bonded_from metadata for lineage tracking

FLAGS:
- --as NAME: Custom ID for compound proto (default: generates hash)
- --type: sequential (default) or parallel
- --dry-run: Preview compound structure

OUTPUT:
- New compound proto in catalog
- Shows combined variable requirements

UPDATE: bond is now polymorphic - handles proto+proto, proto+mol, and mol+mol based on operand types. Separate 'attach' command eliminated.


Relocate thanks command to bd info --thanks

## Task
Move `bd thanks` → `bd info --thanks`

## Implementation

### 1. Update info.go
- Add `--thanks` flag
- Import thanks.go display logic
- When --thanks flag set, call thanks display function

### 2. Update thanks.go
- Export the display function (rename to public)
- Remove rootCmd.AddCommand()
- Optionally keep as hidden alias

### 3. Update docs
- README.md if mentioned
- CHANGELOG.md - deprecation notice

## Files to modify
- cmd/bd/info.go
- cmd/bd/thanks.go


Add gate timeout tracking and notification

Implement timeout and notification logic for gates.

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

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

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


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

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

Current coverage: 23.9%
Target coverage: 50%


Add timeout message for long-running git push operations

When git push hangs waiting for credential/browser auth, show a periodic message to the user instead of appearing frozen. Add timeout messaging after N seconds of inactivity during git operations.


Add --hard flag to bd cleanup to permanently cull tombstones before cutoff date

Currently tombstones persist for 30 days before cleanup prunes them. Need an official way to force-cull tombstones earlier than the default TTL, for scenarios like cleaning house after extended absence where resurrection from old clones is not a concern. Proposed: bd cleanup --hard --older-than N to bypass the 30-day tombstone TTL.


Add pinned field to issue schema

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


Code smell: Duplicated step collection functions in cook.go

attached_args: Fix duplicated step collection functions in cook.go

Two pairs of nearly identical functions exist in cook.go:

1. collectStepsRecursive() (line 754) vs collectStepsToSubgraph() (line 415)
   - Both iterate over steps and create issues
   - Main difference: one writes to DB, one builds in-memory subgraph

2. collectDependencies() (line 833) vs collectDependenciesToSubgraph() (line 502)
   - Both collect dependencies from steps
   - Nearly identical logic

Consider:
1. Extract common step/dependency processing logic
2. Use a strategy pattern or callback for the DB vs in-memory difference
3. Create a single function that returns data, then have callers decide how to persist

Location: cmd/bd/cook.go:415-567 and cmd/bd/cook.go:754-898


Monitor GoReleaser CI job

Watch the GoReleaser action:
https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/actions/workflows/release.yml

Should complete in ~10 minutes and create:
- GitHub Release with binaries for all platforms
- Checksums and signatures

Check status:
```bash
gh run list --workflow=release.yml -L 1
gh run watch  # to monitor live
```

Verify release exists:
```bash
gh release view v0.30.4
```

```verify
gh release view v0.30.4 --json tagName -q .tagName | grep -q 'v0.30.4'
```


Support external: prefix in blocked_by field

Allow blocked_by to include external project references:

```bash
bd update gt-xyz --blocked-by="external:beads:mol-run-assignee"
```

Syntax: `external:<project>:<capability>`
- project: name from external_projects config
- capability: matches provides:<capability> label in target project

Storage: Store as-is in blocked_by array. Resolution happens at query time.

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


Update molecular chemistry docs with discoveries

Document recent discoveries about molecule/epic relationship and lifecycle:

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

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

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

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

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


Remove Cache-Related Tests

Delete or update tests that assume multi-repo caching


Add bd daemon --stop-all command to kill all daemon processes

Currently there's no easy way to stop all running bd daemon processes. Users must resort to pkill -f 'bd daemon' or similar shell commands.

Add a --stop-all flag to bd daemon that:
1. Finds all running bd daemon processes (not just the current repo's daemon)
2. Gracefully stops them all
3. Reports how many were stopped

This is useful when:
- Multiple daemons are running and causing race conditions
- User wants a clean slate before running bd sync
- Debugging daemon-related issues


bd mol bond --ephemeral flag

Add --ephemeral flag to bd mol bond command.

## Behavior
- `bd mol bond <proto> --ephemeral` creates molecule in .beads-ephemeral/
- Without flag, creates in .beads/ (current behavior)
- Ephemeral molecules have `ephemeral: true` in their issue record

## Implementation
- Add --ephemeral bool flag to mol bond command
- Route to EphemeralStore when flag set
- Set ephemeral:true on created issue

## Testing
- Test mol bond creates in correct location
- Test ephemeral flag is persisted
- Test regular mol bond still works


Gate eval: Add error visibility for gh CLI failures

Currently evalGHRunGate and evalGHPRGate silently swallow errors when the gh CLI fails (lines 738-741, 780-783 in gate.go).

This makes debugging difficult - if gh isn't installed, auth fails, or network issues occur, gates silently stall forever with no indication of why.

Options:
1. Add debug logging when gh fails
2. Return error info in the skipped list for aggregate reporting
3. Add a --verbose flag to gate eval that shows failures

Low priority since the fail-safe behavior (don't close gate on error) is correct.


bd ship command for publishing capabilities

Add `bd ship <capability>` command that:

1. Finds issue with `export:<capability>` label
2. Validates issue is closed (or --force to override)
3. Adds `provides:<capability>` label
4. Protects `provides:*` namespace (only bd ship can add these labels)

Example:
```bash
bd ship mol-run-assignee
# Output: Shipped mol-run-assignee (bd-xyz)
```

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


Update CHANGELOG.md with detailed release notes.

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

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

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

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

Sort by importance, not chronologically.

instantiated_from: bd-mol-xga
step: update-changelog


Update hook templates to 0.30.4

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

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

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


Add prefix-based routing with routes.jsonl

## Summary

When running `bd show gt-xyz` from a location where that bead doesn't exist locally,
bd should check a `routes.jsonl` file to find where beads with that prefix live.

## Problem

From ~/gt (town root):
- `bd show hq-xxx` works (hq-* beads are local)
- `bd show gt-xxx` fails (gt-* beads live in gastown/mayor/rig)

This breaks `gt hook`, `gt handoff`, and `gt prime` which need to verify beads exist.

## Solution

Add `.beads/routes.jsonl` for prefix-based routing:

\`\`\`json
{"prefix": "gt-", "path": "gastown/mayor/rig"}
{"prefix": "hq-", "path": "."}
{"prefix": "bd-", "path": "beads/crew/dave"}
\`\`\`

### Lookup Algorithm

1. Try local .beads/ first (current behavior)
2. If not found, check for routes.jsonl in current .beads/
3. Match ID prefix against routes
4. If match found, resolve path relative to routes file location and retry
5. If still not found, error as usual

### Affected Commands

Read operations that take a bead ID:
- bd show <id>
- bd update <id>
- bd close <id>
- bd dep add <id> <dep> (both IDs)

Write operations (bd create) still go to local .beads/ - no change needed.

## Implementation Notes

1. New file: routes.jsonl in .beads/ directory
2. New function: resolveBeadsPath(id string) (string, error)
3. Update: beads.Show(), beads.Update(), beads.Close(), etc. to use resolver
4. Caching: Can cache routes in memory since file rarely changes

## Context

This unblocks the gt handoff flow for Mayor. Currently gt handoff gt-xyz fails
because it can't verify the bead exists when running from town root.


Witness Patrol

Per-rig worker monitor patrol loop with progressive nudging.


Ephemeral issue cleanup and history compaction

## Problem

Beads history grows without bound. Every message, handoff, work assignment
stays in issues.jsonl forever. Enterprise users will balk at "git as database."

## Solution: Two-Tier Cleanup

### Tier 1: Ephemeral Cleanup (v1)

bd cleanup --ephemeral --closed

- Deletes closed issues where ephemeral=true from issues.jsonl
- Safe: only removes explicitly marked ephemeral + closed
- Preserves git history (commits still exist)
- Run after swarm completion

### Tier 2: History Compaction (v2)

bd compact --squash

- Rewrites issues.jsonl to remove tombstones
- Optionally squashes git history (interactive rebase equivalent)
- Preserves Merkle proofs for deleted items
- Advanced: cold storage tiering

## HOP Context

| Layer | HOP Role | Persistence |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Execution trace | None | Ephemeral |
| Work scaffolding | None | Summarizable |
| Work outcome | CV entry | Permanent |
| Validation record | Stake proof | Permanent |

"Execution is ephemeral. Outcomes are permanent. You can't squash your CV."

## Success Criteria

- After cleanup --ephemeral: issues.jsonl only contains persistent work
- Work outcomes preserved (CV entries)
- Validation records preserved (stake proofs)
- Execution scaffolding removed (transient coordination)

## Implementation Plan (REVISED after code review)

See history/EPHEMERAL_MOLECULES_DESIGN.md for comprehensive design + review.

## Key Simplification

After code review, Tier 1 is MUCH simpler than originally designed:

- **Original**: Separate ephemeral repo with routing.ephemeral config
- **Revised**: Just set Wisp: true in cloneSubgraph()

The wisp field and bd cleanup --wisp already exist\!

## Child Tasks (in dependency order)

1. **bd-2vh3.2**: Tier 1 - Ephemeral spawning (SIMPLIFIED) [READY]
   - Just add Wisp: true to template.go:474
   - Add --persistent flag to opt out
2. **bd-2vh3.3**: Tier 2 - Basic bd mol squash command
3. **bd-2vh3.4**: Tier 3 - AI-powered squash summarization
4. **bd-2vh3.5**: Tier 4 - Auto-squash on molecule completion
5. **bd-2vh3.6**: Tier 5 - JSONL archive rotation (DEFERRED: post-1.0)

## What Already Exists

| Component | Location |
|-----------|----------|
| Ephemeral field | internal/types/types.go:45 |
| bd cleanup --wisp | cmd/bd/cleanup.go:72 |
| cloneSubgraph() | cmd/bd/template.go:456 |
| loadTemplateSubgraph() | cmd/bd/template.go |

## HOP Alignment

'Execution is ephemeral. Outcomes are permanent. You can't squash your CV.'


bd mol reset: Reset molecule to initial state for looping

Implement bd mol reset for patrol loop behavior.

## Command

```bash
bd mol reset <mol-id>
```

## Behavior

1. Load molecule state from .beads/molecules/<mol-id>.state.yaml
2. Reset all step states to pending
3. Clear current_step (or set to first step)
4. Preserve: bonded_at, bonded_by, variables
5. Update: reset_count++, last_reset_at

## Use Case: Deacon Patrol Loop

```
inbox-check → spawn-work → self-inspect → mol-reset → (loop)
```

The Deacon runs its patrol, then resets the molecule to start fresh.
No gt handoff needed unless context is high.

## State After Reset

```yaml
id: mol-deacon-patrol
status: running
current_step: inbox-check  # Back to first
reset_count: 5
last_reset_at: 2025-12-24T...
steps:
  inbox-check: pending      # All reset
  spawn-work: pending
  self-inspect: pending
```

## Files

- cmd/bd/mol_reset.go
- internal/mol/state.go (add Reset method)


Wait for CI to pass

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


Implement conditional bond type for mol bond

The mol bond command accepts 'conditional' as a bond type but doesn't implement any conditional-specific behavior. It currently behaves identically to 'parallel'.

**Expected behavior:**
Conditional bonds should mean 'B runs only if A fails' per the help text (mol.go:318).

**Implementation needed:**
- Add failure-condition dependency handling
- Possibly new dependency type or status-based blocking
- Update bondProtoProto, bondProtoMol, bondMolMol to handle conditional

**Alternative:**
Remove 'conditional' from valid bond types until implemented.

This is new functionality, not a regression.


Code Health Review Dec 2025: Technical Debt Cleanup

Epic grouping technical debt identified in the Dec 16, 2025 code health review.

## Overall Health Grade: B (Solid foundation, needs cleanup)

### P1 (High Priority):
- bd-74w1: Consolidate duplicate path-finding utilities
- [deleted:bd-b6xo]: Remove/fix ClearDirtyIssues() race condition
- [deleted:bd-b3og]: Fix TestImportBugIntegration deadlock

### P2 (Medium Priority):
- bd-05a8: Split large files (doctor.go, sync.go)
- bd-qioh: Standardize error handling patterns
- bd-rgyd: Split queries.go (1586 lines)
- bd-9g1z: Fix/remove TestFindJSONLPathDefault

### P3 (Low Priority):
- bd-ork0: Add comments to 30+ ignored errors
- bd-4nqq: Remove dead test code in info_test.go
- bd-dhza: Reduce global state in main.go

## Key Areas:
1. Code duplication in path utilities
2. Large monolithic files (5 files >1000 lines)
3. Global state (25+ variables, 3 deprecated)
4. Silent error suppression (30+ instances)
5. Test gaps and dead test code
6. Atomicity risks in batch operations


Fix daemon/direct mode inconsistency in relate and duplicate commands

The relate.go and duplicate.go commands have inconsistent daemon/direct mode handling:

When daemonClient is connected, they resolve IDs via RPC but then perform updates directly via store.UpdateIssue(), bypassing the daemon.

Affected locations:
- relate.go:125-139 (runRelate update)
- relate.go:235-246 (runUnrelate update)
- duplicate.go:120 (runDuplicate update)
- duplicate.go:207 (runSupersede update)

Should either use RPC for updates when daemon is running, or document why direct access is intentional.


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


Add daemon RPC support for gate commands.

## Current State
Gate commands require --no-daemon flag because they use direct SQLite access:
- Gate create needs to write await_type, await_id, timeout_ns, waiters fields
- Gate wait needs to update waiters JSON array
- Daemon RPC doesnt have methods for these operations

## Implementation

### 1. Add RPC methods to internal/rpc/protocol.go

```go
// Gate operations
type GateCreateArgs struct {
    Title     string        \`json:"title"\`
    AwaitType string        \`json:"await_type"\`
    AwaitID   string        \`json:"await_id"\`
    Timeout   time.Duration \`json:"timeout"\`
    Waiters   []string      \`json:"waiters"\`
}

type GateCreateResult struct {
    Issue *types.Issue \`json:"issue"\`
}

type GateListArgs struct {
    All bool \`json:"all"\` // Include closed gates
}

type GateListResult struct {
    Gates []*types.Issue \`json:"gates"\`
}

type GateWaitArgs struct {
    GateID  string   \`json:"gate_id"\`
    Waiters []string \`json:"waiters"\` // Additional waiters to add
}

type GateWaitResult struct {
    Gate        *types.Issue \`json:"gate"\`
    AddedCount  int          \`json:"added_count"\`
}
```

### 2. Add handler methods to internal/daemon/rpc_handler.go

```go
func (h *RPCHandler) GateCreate(ctx context.Context, args *rpc.GateCreateArgs) (*rpc.GateCreateResult, error) {
    now := time.Now()
    gate := &types.Issue{
        Title:     args.Title,
        IssueType: types.TypeGate,
        Status:    types.StatusOpen,
        Priority:  1,
        Assignee:  "deacon/",
        Wisp:      true,
        AwaitType: args.AwaitType,
        AwaitID:   args.AwaitID,
        Timeout:   args.Timeout,
        Waiters:   args.Waiters,
        CreatedAt: now,
        UpdatedAt: now,
    }
    gate.ContentHash = gate.ComputeContentHash()

    if err := h.store.CreateIssue(ctx, gate, h.actor); err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }

    return &rpc.GateCreateResult{Issue: gate}, nil
}

func (h *RPCHandler) GateList(ctx context.Context, args *rpc.GateListArgs) (*rpc.GateListResult, error) {
    gateType := types.TypeGate
    filter := types.IssueFilter{IssueType: &gateType}
    if !args.All {
        openStatus := types.StatusOpen
        filter.Status = &openStatus
    }

    gates, err := h.store.SearchIssues(ctx, "", filter)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }

    return &rpc.GateListResult{Gates: gates}, nil
}

func (h *RPCHandler) GateWait(ctx context.Context, args *rpc.GateWaitArgs) (*rpc.GateWaitResult, error) {
    gate, err := h.store.GetIssue(ctx, args.GateID)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    if gate.IssueType != types.TypeGate {
        return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s is not a gate", args.GateID)
    }

    // Merge waiters (dedupe)
    waiterSet := make(map[string]bool)
    for _, w := range gate.Waiters {
        waiterSet[w] = true
    }
    added := 0
    for _, w := range args.Waiters {
        if !waiterSet[w] {
            gate.Waiters = append(gate.Waiters, w)
            waiterSet[w] = true
            added++
        }
    }

    if added > 0 {
        // Update via store
        updates := map[string]interface{}{
            "waiters": gate.Waiters,
        }
        if err := h.store.UpdateIssue(ctx, args.GateID, updates, h.actor); err != nil {
            return nil, err
        }
    }

    return &rpc.GateWaitResult{Gate: gate, AddedCount: added}, nil
}
```

### 3. Register methods in daemon

In internal/daemon/server.go, register the new methods:
```go
rpc.RegisterMethod("gate.create", h.GateCreate)
rpc.RegisterMethod("gate.list", h.GateList)
rpc.RegisterMethod("gate.wait", h.GateWait)
```

### 4. Add client methods to internal/rpc/client.go

```go
func (c *Client) GateCreate(ctx context.Context, args *GateCreateArgs) (*GateCreateResult, error) {
    var result GateCreateResult
    err := c.Call(ctx, "gate.create", args, &result)
    return &result, err
}

func (c *Client) GateList(ctx context.Context, args *GateListArgs) (*GateListResult, error) {
    var result GateListResult
    err := c.Call(ctx, "gate.list", args, &result)
    return &result, err
}

func (c *Client) GateWait(ctx context.Context, args *GateWaitArgs) (*GateWaitResult, error) {
    var result GateWaitResult
    err := c.Call(ctx, "gate.wait", args, &result)
    return &result, err
}
```

### 5. Update cmd/bd/gate.go to use daemon

```go
// In gateCreateCmd Run:
if daemonClient != nil {
    result, err := daemonClient.GateCreate(ctx, &rpc.GateCreateArgs{
        Title:     title,
        AwaitType: awaitType,
        AwaitID:   awaitID,
        Timeout:   timeout,
        Waiters:   notifyAddrs,
    })
    if err != nil {
        FatalError("gate create: %v", err)
    }
    gate = result.Issue
} else {
    // Existing direct store code
}
```

## Files to Modify

1. **internal/rpc/protocol.go** - Add Gate*Args/Result types
2. **internal/daemon/rpc_handler.go** - Add handler methods
3. **internal/daemon/server.go** - Register methods
4. **internal/rpc/client.go** - Add client methods
5. **cmd/bd/gate.go** - Use daemon client when available

## Testing

```bash
# Start daemon
bd daemon start

# Test via daemon (should work without --no-daemon)
bd gate create --await timer:5m --notify beads/dave
bd gate list
bd gate wait <id> --notify beads/alice

# Verify daemon handled it
bd daemons logs . | grep gate
```

## Success Criteria
- All gate commands work without --no-daemon
- Same behavior in daemon vs direct mode
- Waiters array updates correctly via RPC
- Tests pass for RPC gate operations


bd mol squash handles wisp→digest

Update bd mol squash to handle ephemeral molecules.

## Behavior for Ephemeral Molecules
1. Delete wisp from .beads-ephemeral/
2. Create digest issue in .beads/ (permanent)
3. Digest has type:digest and squashed_from field

## Digest Format
```json
{
  "id": "<parent>.digest-NNN",
  "type": "digest",
  "title": "<proto> cycle @ <timestamp>",
  "description": "<summary from --summary flag>",
  "parent": "<proto-id>",
  "squashed_from": "<wisp-id>"
}
```

## Implementation
- Detect if molecule is ephemeral (check storage location or flag)
- Delete from ephemeral store
- Create digest in permanent store
- Return digest ID

## Testing
- Test squash of ephemeral mol creates digest
- Test wisp is deleted after squash
- Test digest is queryable


bd create --parent allocates colliding child IDs when child_counters not backfilled

GH#728: When explicit child IDs are created (--id bd-test.1) or imported from JSONL, child_counters table isn't updated. Then --parent auto-allocation starts at 1 and collides.

Fix approach: Update child_counters when creating issues with explicit hierarchical IDs that match <parent>.<n> pattern.


Merge: bd-rgyd

branch: polecat/Splitter
target: main
source_issue: bd-rgyd
rig: beads


bd wisp create doesn't set Wisp flag on spawned issues

When running 'bd wisp create <proto>', the spawned issues don't have Wisp: true set. They show up in 'bd ready' and get synced to JSONL.

Example: gt-lqc6m and gt-wisp-ry9 are mol-deacon-patrol issues that should be wisps but have wisp: null.

This causes patrol cycles to pollute the issue database and show up as ready work.


Test pinned issue


Performance Validation

Confirm no performance regression from cache removal


Test prefix beads


worktree: any bd command is slow

in a git worktree any bd command is slow, with a 2-3s pause before any results are shown. The identical command with `--no-daemon` is near instant.


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)


Fix multi-round convergence for N-way collisions

**Summary:** Multi-round collision resolution was identified as a critical issue preventing complete synchronization across distributed clones. The problem stemmed from incomplete final pulls that didn't fully propagate all changes between system instances.

**Key Decisions:**
- Implement multi-round sync mechanism
- Ensure bounded convergence (≤N rounds)
- Guarantee idempotent import without data loss

**Resolution:** Developed a sync strategy that ensures all clones converge to the same complete set of issues, unblocking the bd-cbed9619 epic and improving distributed system reliability.


Show pin indicator in bd list output

Add a visual indicator (e.g., pin emoji or [P] marker) for pinned issues in bd list output so users can easily identify them.


Test cross-rig issue creation

Testing --rig flag from town root


Support redirect files in .beads/ directory

Gas Town creates polecat worktrees with .beads/redirect files that point to a shared beads database. The bd CLI should:

1. When finding a .beads/ directory, check if it contains a 'redirect' file
2. If redirect exists, read the relative path and use that as the beads directory
3. This allows multiple git worktrees to share a single beads database

Example:
- polecats/alpha/.beads/redirect contains '../../mayor/rig/.beads'
- bd commands from alpha should use mayor/rig/.beads

Currently bd ignores redirect files and either uses the local .beads/ or walks up to find a parent .beads/.

Related: gt-nriy (test message that can't be retrieved due to missing redirect support)


Merge: bd-4opy

branch: polecat/angharad
target: main
source_issue: bd-4opy
rig: beads


Ghost resurrection: remote status:closed wins during git merge

During bd sync, the 3-way git merge sometimes keeps remote's status:closed instead of local's status:tombstone. This causes ghost issues to resurrect even when tombstones exist.

Root cause: Git 3-way merge doesn't understand tombstone semantics. If base had closed, local changed to tombstone, and remote has closed, git might keep remote's version.

The early tombstone check in importer.go only prevents CREATION when tombstones exist in DB. But if applyDeletionsFromMerge hard-deletes the tombstones before import runs (because they're not in the merged result), the check doesn't help.

Potential fixes:
1. Make tombstones 'win' in the beads merge driver (internal/merge/merge.go)
2. Don't hard-delete tombstones in applyDeletionsFromMerge if they're in the DB
3. Export tombstones to a separate file that's not subject to merge

Ghost issues: bd-cb64c226.*, bd-cbed9619.*


Update cmd/bd/info.go with release notes for 0.37.0.

Add a new VersionChange entry at the top of versionChanges slice:
```go
{
    Version: "0.37.0",
    Date:    "YYYY-MM-DD",
    Changes: []string{
        "NEW: Feature description",
        "FIX: Bug fix description",
        "IMPROVED: Enhancement description",
    },
},
```

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

instantiated_from: bd-mol-xga
step: update-release-notes


Merge: bd-4qfb

branch: polecat/Polish
target: main
source_issue: bd-4qfb
rig: beads


Priority: refactor mol.go then bd squash

Two tasks:

1. bd-cnwx - Refactor mol.go (1200+ lines, split by subcommand)
2. bd-2vh3 - Ephemeral cleanup (bd cleanup --ephemeral)

Refactor first - smaller, unblocks easier review of future mol work.

- Mayor


HOP-compatible schema additions

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

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

## P1 Changes (Must Have Before Launch)

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

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

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

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

## P2 Changes (Should Have)

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

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

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

## P3 Changes (Nice to Have)

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

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

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


Merge: bd-phtv

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


Swarm status doesn't update after task completions

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

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

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

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

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


Implement global N-way collision resolution algorithm

**Summary:** Replaced pairwise collision resolution with a global N-way algorithm that deterministically resolves issue ID conflicts across multiple clones. The new approach groups collisions, deduplicates by content hash, and assigns sequential IDs to ensure consistent synchronization.

**Key Decisions:**
- Use content hash for global, stable sorting
- Group collisions by base ID
- Assign sequential IDs based on sorted unique versions
- Eliminate order-dependent remapping logic

**Resolution:** Implemented ResolveNWayCollisions function that guarantees deterministic issue ID assignment across multiple synchronization scenarios, solving the core challenge of maintaining consistency in distributed systems with potential conflicts.


.beads-ephemeral/ storage backend

Implement ephemeral storage layer for wisps.

## Requirements
- New storage location: .beads-ephemeral/issues.jsonl (sibling to .beads/)
- Gitignored by default (add to .beads/.gitignore)
- Same JSONL format as regular beads
- Config option: ephemeral.directory (relative path)
- ephemeral.enabled config flag

## Storage Behavior
- Ephemeral issues have `ephemeral: true` field
- No sync to remote (local only)
- No daemon tracking needed (transient)

## Implementation
- Add EphemeralStore in storage package
- Initialize on demand when --ephemeral flag used
- Share Issue struct, just different storage path


Test body-file

This is a test description from a file.

It has multiple lines.


Investigate TestRoutingIntegration failure

TestRoutingIntegration/maintainer_with_SSH_remote failed during pre-commit check with "expected role maintainer, got contributor".
This occurred while running `go test -short ./...` on darwin/arm64.
The failure appears unrelated to storage/sqlite changes.
Need to investigate if this is a flaky test or environmental issue.


Tier 4: Auto-squash on molecule completion

Automatically squash molecules when they reach terminal state.

## Integration Points

1. Hook into molecule completion handler
2. Detect when all steps are done/failed
3. Trigger squash automatically

## Config

bd config set mol.auto_squash true  # Default: false
bd config set mol.auto_squash_on_success true  # Only on success
bd config set mol.auto_squash_delay '5m'  # Wait before squash

## Implementation Options

### Option A: Post-Completion Hook
In mol completion handler:
- Check if auto_squash enabled
- Call Squash() after terminal state

### Option B: Git Hook
In .beads/hooks/post-commit:
- bd mol squash --auto

### Option C: Daemon Background Task
- Daemon periodically checks for squashable molecules
- Squashes in background

## Acceptance Criteria

- Completed molecules auto-squash without manual intervention
- Configurable delay before squash
- Option to squash only on success vs always
- Works with both daemon and no-daemon modes


Dynamic Molecule Bonding: Fanout patterns for patrol molecules

## Vision

Enable molecules to dynamically spawn child molecules at runtime based on discovered
work. This is the foundation for the "Christmas Ornament" pattern where a patrol
molecule grows arms per-polecat.

## The Activity Feed Vision

Instead of parsing agent logs, users see structured work state:

```
[14:32:08] + patrol-x7k.arm-ace bonded (5 steps)
[14:32:08] + patrol-x7k.arm-nux bonded (5 steps)
[14:32:09] → patrol-x7k.arm-ace.capture in_progress
[14:32:10] ✓ patrol-x7k.arm-ace.capture completed
[14:32:14] ✓ patrol-x7k.arm-ace.decide completed (action: nudge-1)
```

This requires beads to track molecule step state transitions in real-time.

## Key Primitives Needed

### 1. Dynamic Bond with Variables
```bash
bd mol bond mol-polecat-arm <parent-wisp-id> \
  --var polecat_name=ace \
  --var rig=gastown
```

Creates wisp children under the parent:
- parent-id.arm-ace
- parent-id.arm-ace.capture
- parent-id.arm-ace.assess
- etc.

### 2. WaitsFor Directive
```markdown
## Step: aggregate
Collect outcomes from all dynamically-bonded children.
WaitsFor: all-children
Needs: survey-workers
```

The `WaitsFor: all-children` directive makes this a fanout gate - it can't
proceed until ALL dynamically-bonded children complete.

### 3. Activity Feed Query
```bash
bd activity --follow              # Real-time state stream
bd activity --mol <id>            # Activity for specific molecule
bd activity --since 5m            # Last 5 minutes
```

### 4. Parallel Step Detection
Steps with no inter-dependencies should be flagged as parallelizable.
When arms are bonded, their steps can run in parallel across arms.

## Use Case: mol-witness-patrol

The Witness monitors N polecats where N varies at runtime:

```
survey-workers discovers: [ace, nux, toast]
For each polecat:
  bd mol bond mol-polecat-arm <patrol-id> --var polecat_name=<name>
aggregate step waits for all arms to complete
```

This creates the Christmas Ornament shape:
- Trunk: preflight steps
- Arms: per-polecat inspection molecules
- Base: cleanup after all arms complete

## Design Docs

See Gas Town docs:
- docs/molecular-chemistry.md (updated with Christmas Ornament pattern)
- docs/architecture.md (activity feed section)

## Dependencies

This epic may depend on:
- Wisp storage (.beads-wisp/) - already implemented
- Variable substitution in molecules - may need enhancement


Merge: bd-49kw

branch: polecat/nux
target: main
source_issue: bd-49kw
rig: beads


Test createTombstone and deleteIssue wrappers

Add tests for the createTombstone and deleteIssue wrapper functions in cmd/bd/delete.go.

## Functions under test
- createTombstone (cmd/bd/delete.go:335) - Wrapper around SQLite CreateTombstone
- deleteIssue (cmd/bd/delete.go:349) - Wrapper around SQLite DeleteIssue

## Test scenarios for createTombstone
1. Successful tombstone creation
2. Tombstone with reason and actor tracking
3. Error when issue doesn't exist
4. Verify tombstone status set correctly
5. Verify audit trail recorded
6. Rollback/error handling

## Test scenarios for deleteIssue
1. Successful issue deletion
2. Error on non-existent issue
3. Verify issue removed from database
4. Error handling when storage backend doesn't support delete

## Coverage target
Current: 0%
Target: >85%

## Related
- Parent epic: bd-kyll
- Original issue: bd-7z4


gt nudge doesn't work with crew addresses

## Bug

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

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

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

## Root Cause

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

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

## Fix

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


Code Review: Beads Refactoring Sprint

Epic for code smell fixes identified during Beads code review.

## Scope
11 issues covering:
- P2: Duplicated code in cook.go (2 issues)
- P3: Long functions and God Objects (5 issues)
- P4: Technical debt and cleanup (4 issues)

## Approach
Swarm with polecats, each taking 1-2 issues. All changes should:
1. Pass existing tests
2. Not change external behavior
3. Improve code maintainability

## Success Criteria
All 11 child issues closed with passing CI.


Phase 2.5: TOON-based daemon sync

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

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

## Required Work

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

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

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

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


Push commit and tag to origin

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

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

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


Consider using types.Status in merge package for type safety

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


GH#409: bd init uses issues.jsonl but docs say beads.jsonl

bd init creates config referencing issues.jsonl but README/docs reference beads.jsonl as canonical. Standardize naming. See GitHub issue #409.


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.


Test stdin body-file


Cache GetGitDir() for additional optimization

Code review finding from bd-7di fix.

GetGitDir() at line 17 is not cached but is called by:
- GetGitHooksDir()
- GetGitRefsDir()
- GetGitHeadPath()

If any of those are called multiple times, we still spawn extra git processes. Consider adding sync.Once caching similar to the other functions.

File: internal/git/gitdir.go


Technical debt: Scattered TODOs should be tracked as issues

Multiple TODO comments exist in the codebase that should be tracked as proper issues:

1. cmd/bd/migrate_hash_ids.go:24 - 'Consider integrating into bd doctor migration detection'
2. cmd/bd/migrate_tombstones.go:72 - Same
3. cmd/bd/migrate_sync.go:16 - Same
4. cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:15 - Same
5. cmd/bd/create.go:164 - 'Switch to target repo for multi-repo support'
6. cmd/bd/create.go:208 - 'Add RPC method to get config in daemon mode'
7. cmd/bd/daemon_logger.go:131 - 'Remove this once all callers are updated'
8. cmd/bd/mol_stale.go:67 - 'Add RPC endpoint for stale check'
9. cmd/bd/sync_test.go:444 - 'Refactor to use direct import logic'
10. cmd/bd/jira.go:633 - 'In a full implementation, fetch Jira issue and compare timestamps'
11. internal/formula/types.go:170,174,179,186,210 - Multiple 'Not yet implemented' TODOs
12. internal/importer/importer_test.go:1010 - 'Test hangs due to database deadlock'

Consider:
1. Running 'grep -r TODO' periodically to find new ones
2. Adding a lint rule to discourage inline TODOs
3. Converting each to a bd issue with proper tracking

Location: Various files across codebase


Fix beads-9yc: pinned column missing from schema. gt mail...

Fix beads-9yc: pinned column missing from schema. gt mail send fails because some beads DBs lack the pinned column. Add migration to ensure it exists.


bd cook: Compile formula to proto

Implement the 'bd cook' command that transforms formulas into protos:

Usage: bd cook <formula-file> [options]
       bd cook .beads/formulas/*.formula.yaml

Process:
1. Parse formula YAML (uses formula parser)
2. Resolve extends (formula inheritance)
3. Expand macros (expansion rules)
4. Apply aspects (cross-cutting concerns)
5. Generate flat proto bead

Output:
- Creates proto bead in .beads/ with mol-prefix
- Proto has all steps pre-expanded
- Proto is ready for pour/wisp instantiation

Example:
  bd cook .beads/formulas/mol-deacon-patrol.formula.yaml
  → Creates mol-deacon-patrol proto bead

Gas Town tracking: gt-8tmz.13


Verify release artifacts

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


Audit and fix JSONL filename mismatches across all repo clones

## Problem

Multiple clones of repos are configured with different JSONL filenames (issues.jsonl vs beads.jsonl), causing:
1. JSONL files to be resurrected after deletion (one clone pushes issues.jsonl, another pushes beads.jsonl)
2. Agents unable to see issues filed by other agents after sync
3. Merge conflicts and data inconsistencies

## Root Cause

When repos were "bd doctored" or initialized at different times, some got issues.jsonl (old default) and others got beads.jsonl (Beads repo specific). These clones push their respective files, creating duplicates.

## Task

Scan all repo clones under ~/src/ (1-2 levels deep) and standardize their JSONL configuration.

### Step 1: Find all beads-enabled repos

```bash
# Find all directories named 'beads' at levels 1-2 under ~/src/
find ~/src -maxdepth 2 -type d -name beads
```

### Step 2: For each repo found, check configuration

For each directory from Step 1, check:
- Does `.beads/metadata.json` exist?
- What is the `jsonl_export` value?
- What JSONL files actually exist in `.beads/`?
- Are there multiple JSONL files (problem!)?

### Step 3: Create audit report

Generate a report showing:
```
Repo Path                           | Config        | Actual Files           | Status
----------------------------------- | ------------- | ---------------------- | --------
~/src/beads                         | beads.jsonl   | beads.jsonl            | OK
~/src/dave/beads                    | issues.jsonl  | issues.jsonl           | MISMATCH
~/src/emma/beads                    | issues.jsonl  | issues.jsonl, beads.jsonl | DUPLICATE!
```

### Step 4: Determine canonical name for each repo

For repos that are the SAME git repository (check `git remote -v`):
- Group them together
- Determine which JSONL filename should be canonical (majority wins, or beads.jsonl for the beads repo itself)
- List which clones need to be updated

### Step 5: Generate fix script

Create a script that for each mismatched clone:
1. Updates `.beads/metadata.json` to use the canonical name
2. If JSONL file needs renaming: `git mv .beads/old.jsonl .beads/new.jsonl`
3. Removes any duplicate JSONL files: `git rm .beads/duplicate.jsonl`
4. Commits the change
5. Syncs: `bd sync`

### Expected Output

1. Audit report showing all repos and their config status
2. List of repos grouped by git remote (same repository)
3. Fix script or manual instructions for standardizing each repo
4. Verification that after fixes, all clones of the same repo use the same JSONL filename

### Edge Cases

- Handle repos without metadata.json (use default discovery)
- Handle repos with no git remote (standalone/local)
- Handle repos that are not git repositories
- Don't modify repos with uncommitted changes (warn instead)

### Success Criteria

- All clones of the same git repository use the same JSONL filename
- No duplicate JSONL files in any repo
- All configurations documented in metadata.json
- bd doctor passes on all repos


Merge: bd-w193

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


Preflight: Check git status

Ensure working tree is clean before starting release.

```bash
git status
```

If there are uncommitted changes, either:
- Commit them first
- Stash them: `git stash`
- Abort and resolve


Update cmd/bd/version.go to 0.30.4

Update the Version constant in cmd/bd/version.go:
```go
Version = "0.30.4"
```

```verify
grep -q 'Version = "0.30.4"' cmd/bd/version.go
```


bd mol burn deletes ephemeral without digest

Update bd mol burn to handle ephemeral molecules.

## Behavior for Ephemeral Molecules
- Delete wisp from .beads-ephemeral/
- NO digest created (unlike squash)
- Used for abandoned/crashed cycles

## Difference from Squash
| Command | Ephemeral Behavior |
|---------|-------------------|
| squash | Delete wisp, create digest |
| burn | Delete wisp, no trace |

## Implementation
- Detect if molecule is ephemeral
- Delete from ephemeral store
- Skip digest creation


Graph Link: supersedes for version chains

Implement supersedes link type for version tracking.

New command:
- bd supersede <id> --with <new> - marks id as superseded by new
- Auto-closes the superseded issue

Query support:
- bd show <id> shows 'Superseded by: <new>'
- bd show <new> shows 'Supersedes: <id>'
- bd list --superseded shows version chains

Storage:
- superseded_by column pointing to replacement issue

Useful for design docs, specs, and evolving artifacts.


Merge: bd-ykd9

branch: polecat/Doctor
target: main
source_issue: bd-ykd9
rig: beads


Mol Mall: Formula marketplace using GitHub as backend

Create a marketplace for sharing molecule formulas using GitHub repos as the hosting backend.

## Why GitHub?

GitHub solves multiple problems at once:
- **Hosting**: Raw file URLs for formula.json
- **Versioning**: Git tags (v1.0.0, v1.2.0)
- **Auth**: GitHub tokens for private formulas
- **Discovery**: GitHub search, topics, stars
- **Collaboration**: PRs for contributions, issues for bugs
- **Organizations**: Natural scoping (@anthropic/, @gastown/)

## URL Scheme

```bash
# Direct GitHub URL
bd mol install github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review

# With version tag
bd mol install github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review@v1.2.0

# Shorthand (via registry lookup)
bd mol install @anthropic/mol-code-review
```

## Architecture

### Distributed Model (like Go modules)
Each formula lives in its own repo:
```
github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review/
├── formula.json      # The formula
├── README.md         # Documentation
└── CHANGELOG.md      # Version history
```

### Optional Registry (for discovery)
```
github.com/anthropics/mol-mall/
└── registry.json     # Index pointing to formula repos
```

## Child Issues

1. `bd mol export` - Proto → Formula file
2. `bd mol promote` - Distilled proto → Catalog proto (one step)
3. `bd mol install` - GitHub → Local proto
4. `bd mol update` - Check for newer versions
5. `bd mol search` - Find formulas (GitHub API)
6. `bd mol publish` - Push formula to GitHub repo
7. Formula versioning - Version field + git tag integration
8. Installation tracking - .beads/installed.json

## ID Namespace Design

| Entity | ID Format | Example |
|--------|-----------|---------|
| Formula (GitHub) | `github.com/org/repo` | `github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review` |
| Catalog proto (local) | `mol-name` | `mol-code-review` |
| Distilled proto | `<db>-proto-xxx` | `bd-proto-a7f` |
| Poured instance | `<db>-mol-xxx` | `gt-mol-b8c` |
| Wisp instance | `<db>-wisp-xxx` | `hq-wisp-d9e` |


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

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

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

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

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

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


Merge: bd-likt

branch: polecat/Gater
target: main
source_issue: bd-likt
rig: beads


bd mol update: Check and update installed formulas

Check for newer versions of installed formulas and update them.

## Usage
```bash
bd mol update                    # Update all
bd mol update mol-code-review    # Update specific formula
bd mol update --check            # Just check, don't update
```

## Implementation
1. Read .beads/installed.json
2. For each installed formula:
   - Fetch latest tag from GitHub API
   - Compare with installed version
   - If newer: download, cook, update installed.json
3. Report what was updated

## Flags
- `--check` - Only check for updates, don't install
- `--force` - Reinstall even if up to date
- `--json` - Machine-readable output


Graph Link: relates_to for knowledge graph

Implement relates_to link type for loose associations.

New command:
- bd relate <id1> <id2> - creates bidirectional relates_to link

Query support:
- bd show <id> --related shows related issues
- bd list --related-to <id>

Storage:
- relates_to stored as JSON array of issue IDs
- Consider: separate junction table for efficiency at scale?

This enables 'see also' connections without blocking or hierarchy.


bd mol install: Install formula from GitHub

Download and cook a formula from a GitHub repository.

## Usage
```bash
# Direct GitHub URL
bd mol install github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review

# With version tag
bd mol install github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review@v1.2.0

# Shorthand (future: via registry lookup)
bd mol install @anthropic/mol-code-review
```

## Implementation
1. Parse URL: extract org, repo, optional version tag
2. Construct raw URL: `https://raw.githubusercontent.com/org/repo/[tag]/formula.json`
3. Fetch formula.json via HTTP
4. Validate formula structure
5. Save to .beads/formulas/
6. Run cook to create local proto
7. Record in .beads/installed.json for update tracking

## installed.json Format
```json
{
  "mol-code-review": {
    "source": "github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review",
    "version": "v1.2.0",
    "installed_at": "2025-12-25T12:00:00Z"
  }
}
```

## Dependencies
- Requires network access
- Uses `gh` CLI or direct HTTP for auth (private repos)


Import reports misleading '0 created, 0 updated' when actually importing all issues

When running 'bd import' on a fresh database (no existing issues), the command reports 'Import complete: 0 created, 0 updated' even though it successfully imported all issues from the JSONL file.

**Steps to reproduce:**
1. Delete .beads/beads.db
2. Run: bd import .beads/issues.jsonl
3. Observe output: 'Import complete: 0 created, 0 updated'
4. Run: bd list
5. Confirm: All issues are actually present in the database

**Expected behavior:**
Report the actual number of issues imported, e.g., 'Import complete: 523 created, 0 updated'

**Actual behavior:**
'Import complete: 0 created, 0 updated' (misleading - makes user think import failed)

**Impact:**
- Users think import failed when it succeeded
- Confusing during database sync operations (e.g., after git pull)
- Makes debugging harder (can't tell if import actually worked)

**Context:**
Discovered during VC session when syncing database after git pull. The misleading message caused confusion about whether the database was properly synced with the canonical JSONL file.


Fix JSON errors in show.go (update/close/edit commands)

Replace ~51 direct stderr writes with FatalErrorRespectJSON() in show.go.

Commands affected:
- updateCmd (~10 error handlers)
- closeCmd (~15 error handlers)
- editCmd (~10 error handlers)
- showCmd (already uses FatalErrorRespectJSON in some places)

Key error paths:
- ID resolution errors (lines 565, 570, 579)
- Validation errors (lines 474, 515, 524, 545)
- RPC/daemon errors (line 639+)
- Store operation errors


Fix G104 errors unhandled in internal/storage/sqlite/queries.go:1186

Linting issue: G104: Errors unhandled (gosec) at internal/storage/sqlite/queries.go:1186:2. Error: rows.Close()


CLI cleanup: Consolidate bd top-level commands

## Problem
bd has 76 top-level commands, making it hard to discover and remember.

## Proposed Changes

### Remove from top-level (nest instead):
- `bd cook` → `bd formula cook` (cooking is a formula operation)
- `bd pin` → already covered by `bd mol` commands
- `bd thanks` → `bd info --thanks` or just README
- `bd quickstart` → `bd help quickstart` or docs
- `bd detect-pollution` → `bd doctor --check=pollution`

### Consolidate migrations under `bd migrate`:
- `bd migrate-hash-ids` → `bd migrate hash-ids`
- `bd migrate-issues` → `bd migrate issues`
- `bd migrate-sync` → `bd migrate sync`
- `bd migrate-tombstones` → `bd migrate tombstones`

### Consolidate admin under `bd admin`:
- `bd cleanup` → `bd admin cleanup`
- `bd compact` → `bd admin compact`
- `bd reset` → `bd admin reset`

## Backwards Compatibility
Keep old commands as hidden aliases for one release cycle.


Run bump-version.sh

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


Fix unparam unused parameter in cmd/bd/doctor.go:541

Linting issue: checkHooksQuick - path is unused (unparam) at cmd/bd/doctor.go:541:22. Error: func checkHooksQuick(path string) string {


Routing bypassed in daemon mode

## Bug

Prefix-based routing (routes.jsonl) only works in direct mode. When the daemon is running, it bypasses routing logic because:

1. Daemon mode resolves IDs via RPC (`daemonClient.ResolveID`)
2. Daemon uses its own store, which only knows about local beads
3. The routing logic in `resolveAndGetIssueWithRouting` is only called in direct mode

## Reproduction

```bash
# With daemon running:
cd ~/gt
bd show gt-1py3y  # Fails - daemon can't find it

# With daemon bypassed:
bd --no-daemon show gt-1py3y  # Works - uses routing
```

## Fix Options

### Option A: Client-side routing detection (Recommended)
Before calling daemon RPC, check if the ID prefix matches a route to a different beads dir. If so, use direct mode with routing for that ID.

```go
// In show.go, before daemon mode:
if daemonClient != nil && needsRouting(id) {
    // Fall back to direct mode for this ID
    result, err := resolveAndGetIssueWithRouting(ctx, store, id)
    ...
}
```

### Option B: Daemon-side routing
Add routing support to the daemon RPC server. More complex - daemon would need to:
- Load routes.jsonl on startup
- Open connections to multiple databases
- Route requests based on ID prefix

### Option C: Hybrid
Daemon returns "not found + prefix hint", client retries with routing.

## Recommendation

Option A is simplest. The client already has routing logic; just use it when we detect a routed prefix.


dave Handoff


Introduce slog for structured daemon logging.

## Current State
Daemon uses fmt.Fprintf for logging:
```go
fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: failed to detect user role: %v\n", err)
fmt.Fprintf(logFile, "[%s] %s\n", time.Now().Format(time.RFC3339), msg)
```

This produces unstructured, hard-to-parse logs.

## Target State
Use Go 1.21+ slog for structured logging:
```go
slog.Warn("failed to detect user role", "error", err)
slog.Info("sync completed", "created", 5, "updated", 3, "duration_ms", 150)
```

## Implementation

### 1. Create logger setup (internal/daemon/logger.go)

```go
package daemon

import (
    "io"
    "log/slog"
    "os"
)

// SetupLogger configures the daemon logger.
// Returns a cleanup function to close the log file.
func SetupLogger(logPath string, jsonFormat bool, level slog.Level) (func(), error) {
    var w io.Writer = os.Stderr
    var cleanup func()

    if logPath \!= "" {
        f, err := os.OpenFile(logPath, os.O_CREATE|os.O_APPEND|os.O_WRONLY, 0600)
        if err \!= nil {
            return nil, err
        }
        w = io.MultiWriter(os.Stderr, f)
        cleanup = func() { f.Close() }
    }

    var handler slog.Handler
    opts := &slog.HandlerOptions{Level: level}

    if jsonFormat {
        handler = slog.NewJSONHandler(w, opts)
    } else {
        handler = slog.NewTextHandler(w, opts)
    }

    slog.SetDefault(slog.New(handler))

    return cleanup, nil
}
```

### 2. Add log level flag

In cmd/bd/daemon.go:
```go
daemonCmd.Flags().String("log-level", "info", "Log level (debug, info, warn, error)")
daemonCmd.Flags().Bool("log-json", false, "Output logs in JSON format")
```

### 3. Replace fmt.Fprintf with slog calls

**Pattern 1: Simple messages**
```go
// Before
fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Starting daemon on %s\n", socketPath)

// After
slog.Info("starting daemon", "socket", socketPath)
```

**Pattern 2: Errors**
```go
// Before
fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: failed to connect: %v\n", err)

// After
slog.Error("failed to connect", "error", err)
```

**Pattern 3: Debug info**
```go
// Before
if debug {
    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Received request: %s\n", method)
}

// After
slog.Debug("received request", "method", method)
```

**Pattern 4: Structured data**
```go
// Before
fmt.Fprintf(logFile, "Import: %d created, %d updated\n", created, updated)

// After
slog.Info("import completed",
    "created", created,
    "updated", updated,
    "unchanged", unchanged,
    "duration_ms", duration.Milliseconds())
```

### 4. Files to Update

| File | Changes |
|------|---------|
| cmd/bd/daemon.go | Add log flags, call SetupLogger |
| internal/daemon/server.go | Replace fmt with slog |
| internal/daemon/rpc_handler.go | Replace fmt with slog |
| internal/daemon/sync.go | Replace fmt with slog |
| internal/daemon/autoflush.go | Replace fmt with slog |
| internal/daemon/logger.go | New file |

### 5. Log output examples

**Text format (default):**
```
time=2025-12-23T12:30:00Z level=INFO msg="daemon started" socket=/tmp/bd.sock pid=12345
time=2025-12-23T12:30:01Z level=INFO msg="import completed" created=5 updated=3 duration_ms=150
time=2025-12-23T12:30:05Z level=WARN msg="sync branch diverged" local_ahead=2 remote_ahead=1
```

**JSON format (--log-json):**
```json
{"time":"2025-12-23T12:30:00Z","level":"INFO","msg":"daemon started","socket":"/tmp/bd.sock","pid":12345}
{"time":"2025-12-23T12:30:01Z","level":"INFO","msg":"import completed","created":5,"updated":3,"duration_ms":150}
```

## Migration Strategy

1. **Add logger.go** with SetupLogger
2. **Update daemon startup** to initialize slog
3. **Convert one file at a time** (start with server.go)
4. **Test after each file**
5. **Remove old logging code** once all converted

## Testing

```bash
# Start daemon with debug logging
bd daemon start --log-level debug

# Check logs
bd daemons logs . | head -20

# Test JSON output
bd daemon start --log-json --log-level debug
bd daemons logs . | jq .
```

## Success Criteria
- All daemon logging uses slog
- --log-level controls verbosity
- --log-json produces machine-parseable output
- Log entries have consistent structure
- No fmt.Fprintf to stderr in daemon code


Add sync resilience guardrails for forced pushes and prefix mismatches

Beads can get into unrecoverable sync states when remote forces pushes occur (e.g., rebases) combined with prefix mismatches from multi-worker scenarios. Add detection, prevention, and auto-recovery features to handle this gracefully.


Update info.go versionChanges

Add 0.32.1 entry to versionChanges map in cmd/bd/info.go


Rename ephemeral → wisp throughout codebase

## The Change

Rename 'ephemeral' to 'wisp' throughout the beads codebase.

## Why

**Ephemeral** is:
- 4 syllables (too long)
- Greek/academic (doesn't match bond/burn/squash)
- Overused in tech (K8s, networking, storage)
- Passive/descriptive

**Wisp** is:
- 1 syllable (matches bond/burn/squash)
- Evocative - you can SEE a wisp
- Steam engine metaphor - Gas Town is engines, steam wisps rise and dissipate
- Will-o'-the-wisp - transient spirits that guide then vanish
- Unique - nobody else uses it

## The Steam Engine Metaphor

```
Engine does work → generates steam
Steam wisps rise → execution trace
Steam condenses → digest (distillate)
Steam dissipates → cleaned up (burned)
```

## Full Vocabulary

| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| bond | Attach proto to work (creates wisps) |
| wisp | Temporary execution step |
| squash | Condense wisps into digest |
| burn | Destroy wisps without record |
| digest | Permanent condensed record |

## Changes Required

### Code
- `Ephemeral bool` → `Wisp bool` in types/issue.go
- `--ephemeral` flag → remove (wisp is default)
- `--persistent` flag → keep as opt-out
- `bd cleanup --ephemeral` → `bd cleanup --wisps`
- Update all references in mol_*.go files

### Docs
- Update all documentation
- Update CLAUDE.md examples
- Update CLI help text

### Database Migration
- Add migration to rename field (or keep internal name, just change API)

## Example Usage After

```bash
bd mol bond mol-polecat-work   # Creates wisps (default)
bd mol bond mol-xxx --persistent  # Creates permanent issues
bd mol squash bd-xxx           # Condenses wisps → digest
bd cleanup --wisps             # Clean old wisps
bd list --wisps                # Show wisp issues
```


bd cook: Proto ID prefix should match project prefix

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

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

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

## Problem

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

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

## Options

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

## Current Workaround

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

## Related

gt-i6k1: Duplicate proto cleanup


Merge: bd-401h

branch: polecat/rictus
target: main
source_issue: bd-401h
rig: beads


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


Review SQLite indexes and scaling bottlenecks

Audit the beads SQLite schema for:

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

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

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

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


Move cook to formula subcommand

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

## Implementation

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

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

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

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

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


Improve test coverage for internal/rpc (47.5% → 60%)

The RPC package has only 47.5% test coverage. RPC is the communication layer for daemon operations.

Current coverage: 47.5%
Target coverage: 60%


bd create -f crashes with nil pointer dereference

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


test hook pin


Fix checkExistingBeadsData to be worktree-aware

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


Correction: Pinned field already in v0.31.0

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

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

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

No migration needed - the field is already there.

-- Mayor


Release v0.34.0

Minor version release for beads v0.34.0. This bead serves as my persistent work assignment; the actual release steps are tracked in an attached wisp.


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

## Problem

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

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

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

## Impact

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

## Root Cause

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

## Fix

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

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

## Action Items

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


Add gate issue type to beads

Add 'gate' as a new issue type for async coordination.

## Changes Needed
- Add 'gate' to IssueType enum in internal/types/types.go
- Update validation to accept gate type
- Update CLI help text and completion

## Gate Type Semantics
- Gates are ephemeral (live in wisp storage)
- Managed by Deacon patrol
- Have special fields: await_type, await_id, timeout, waiters[]


Integrate detect-pollution into bd doctor

## Task
Move `bd detect-pollution` → `bd doctor --check=pollution`

## Current state
- detect-pollution already shows deprecation hint pointing to doctor
- Doctor command exists with multiple checks

## Implementation

### 1. Update doctor.go
- Add pollution check to the doctor checks
- Add `--check=pollution` flag option
- Integrate detect-pollution logic

### 2. Update detect_pollution.go
- Mark as hidden (deprecated)
- Forward to doctor --check=pollution
- Keep for one release cycle

### 3. Update docs
- Remove detect-pollution from any command lists
- Update doctor docs to include pollution check

## Files to modify
- cmd/bd/doctor.go
- cmd/bd/detect_pollution.go


Test Agent


Add empty tasks validation in workflow create

workflow.go:321 will panic if wf.Tasks is empty. Add validation that len(wf.Tasks) > 0 before accessing wf.Tasks[0].


Split large cmd/bd files into logical modules for maintainability.

## Current State
| File | Lines | Status |
|------|-------|--------|
| sync.go | 2203 | Too large |
| init.go | 1742 | Too large |
| show.go | 1419 | Too large |
| compact.go | 1190 | Borderline |

## Proposed Splits

### 1. sync.go (2203 lines) → 4 files

**sync.go** (~500 lines) - Main command and coordination
```go
var syncCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
func init() {...}
func doSync(...) {...}
```

**sync_export.go** (~400 lines) - Export operations
```go
func exportToJSONL(...)
func markDirtyAndScheduleFlush(...)
func flushPendingChanges(...)
```

**sync_import.go** (~500 lines) - Import operations
```go
func importFromJSONL(...)
func handleImportConflicts(...)
func mergeImportedIssues(...)
```

**sync_branch.go** (~400 lines) - Git branch operations
```go
func commitToSyncBranch(...)
func pullFromSyncBranch(...)
func handleSyncBranchDivergence(...)
```

### 2. init.go (1742 lines) → 3 files

**init.go** (~400 lines) - Main init command
```go
var initCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
func runInit(...)
func determinePrefix(...)
```

**init_wizard.go** (~500 lines) - Interactive setup
```go
func runContributorWizard(...)
func runTeamWizard(...)
func promptForConfig(...)
```

**init_hooks.go** (~400 lines) - Git hooks setup
```go
func installGitHooks(...)
func configureAutosync(...)
func setupMergeDriver(...)
```

### 3. show.go (1419 lines) → 3 files

**show.go** (~400 lines) - Main show command
```go
var showCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
func showIssue(...)
func showMultipleIssues(...)
```

**show_format.go** (~400 lines) - Output formatting
```go
func formatIssueText(...)
func formatIssueMarkdown(...)
func formatDependencyTree(...)
```

**show_threads.go** (~300 lines) - Thread/conversation display
```go
func showThread(...)
func formatThreadMessages(...)
```

### 4. compact.go (1190 lines) → 2 files

**compact.go** (~600 lines) - Main compact command
```go
var compactCmd = &cobra.Command{...}
func runCompact(...)
```

**compact_tiers.go** (~400 lines) - Tier-specific logic
```go
func compactTier1(...)
func compactTier2(...)
func squashWisps(...)
```

## Implementation Steps

1. **Start with sync.go** (largest file)
2. **Create new files** with same package declaration
3. **Move functions** maintaining related code together
4. **Update any file-local variables** that need to be shared
5. **Run tests** after each split:
   ```bash
   go test -short ./cmd/bd/...
   ```

## File Organization After Split
```
cmd/bd/
├── sync.go           (~500 lines)
├── sync_export.go    (~400 lines)
├── sync_import.go    (~500 lines)
├── sync_branch.go    (~400 lines)
├── init.go           (~400 lines)
├── init_wizard.go    (~500 lines)
├── init_hooks.go     (~400 lines)
├── show.go           (~400 lines)
├── show_format.go    (~400 lines)
├── show_threads.go   (~300 lines)
├── compact.go        (~600 lines)
└── compact_tiers.go  (~400 lines)
```

## Success Criteria
- No file > 600 lines
- All tests pass
- Related code stays together
- Clear file naming indicates purpose


Add metadata and thread_id columns to dependencies table

Schema changes:
- ALTER TABLE dependencies ADD COLUMN metadata TEXT DEFAULT '{}'
- ALTER TABLE dependencies ADD COLUMN thread_id TEXT DEFAULT ''
- CREATE INDEX idx_dependencies_thread ON dependencies(thread_id) WHERE thread_id != ''


Deacon Patrol

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


Time-dependent worktree detection tests may be flaky


bd find-duplicates - AI-powered duplicate detection

Find semantically duplicate issues.

Approaches:
1. Mechanical: Exact title/description matching
2. Embeddings: Cosine similarity (cheap, scalable)
3. AI: LLM-based semantic comparison (expensive, accurate)

Uses embeddings by default for >100 issues.

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


Commit release

git add -A && git commit -m 'release: v{{version}}'


Push release tag

Push the version tag to trigger CI release.

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

This triggers GitHub Actions to build artifacts and publish.


Update version to {{version}} in version.go

Edit cmd/bd/version.go line 17:

```go
Version = "{{version}}"
```

Verify with: `grep 'Version =' cmd/bd/version.go`


Merge: bd-tvu3

branch: polecat/Beader
target: main
source_issue: bd-tvu3
rig: beads


Merge: bd-u2sc.4

branch: polecat/Logger
target: main
source_issue: bd-u2sc.4
rig: beads


Thread Test

Testing the thread feature


Add test files for internal/storage

The internal/storage package has no test files at all. This package provides the storage interface abstraction.

Current coverage: N/A (no test files)
Target: Add basic interface tests


Merge: bd-indn

branch: polecat/rictus
target: main
source_issue: bd-indn
rig: beads


Fix --as flag: uses title instead of ID in mol bond

In bondProtoProto, the --as flag is documented as 'Custom ID for compound proto' but the implementation uses it as the title, not the issue ID.

**Current behavior (mol.go:637-638):**
```go
if customID != '' {
    compoundTitle = customID  // Used as title, not ID
}
```

**Options:**
1. Change flag description to say 'Custom title' (documentation fix)
2. Actually use it as a custom ID prefix or full ID (feature change)
3. Add separate --title flag and make --as actually set ID

Recommend option 1 for simplest fix - change 'Custom ID' to 'Custom title' in the flag description.