Work on beads-ldv: Fix bd graph crashes with nil pointer ...

Work on beads-ldv: Fix bd graph crashes with nil pointer dereference (GH#657). Fix nil pointer in computeDependencyCounts at graph.go:428. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Verify CI is green

Check that CI is passing before starting release:
```bash
gh run list --limit 3
```
All recent runs should show 'success'. If not, fix issues first.


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.


Re: Thread Test 2

Got your message. Testing reply feature.


Update all code to use dependencies API for edges

Find and update all code that reads/writes:
- replies_to field -> use dependency API
- relates_to field -> use dependency API
- duplicate_of field -> use dependency API
- superseded_by field -> use dependency API

Commands affected: bd mail, bd relate, bd duplicate, bd supersede, bd show, etc.


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

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


Update go install bd to 0.33.2

Rebuild and install bd to ~/go/bin:

```bash
go install ./cmd/bd
~/go/bin/bd version  # Verify shows 0.33.2
```

Note: If ~/go/bin is in PATH before /opt/homebrew/bin, this is the version that runs by default.


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


Add backwards-compatible aliases and deprecation warnings

## Task
Ensure backwards compatibility by adding hidden aliases for all moved commands.

## Implementation

### Create aliases.go
New file to centralize alias management:
```go
package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "os"

    "github.com/spf13/cobra"
)

// Deprecated command aliases for backwards compatibility
// These will be removed in v0.XX.0

func init() {
    // migrate-* → migrate *
    addDeprecatedAlias("migrate-hash-ids", "migrate hash-ids")
    addDeprecatedAlias("migrate-issues", "migrate issues")
    addDeprecatedAlias("migrate-sync", "migrate sync")
    addDeprecatedAlias("migrate-tombstones", "migrate tombstones")

    // top-level → admin *
    addDeprecatedAlias("cleanup", "admin cleanup")
    addDeprecatedAlias("compact", "admin compact")
    addDeprecatedAlias("reset", "admin reset")

    // top-level → formula *
    addDeprecatedAlias("cook", "formula cook")
}

func addDeprecatedAlias(old, new string) {
    cmd := &cobra.Command{
        Use:    old,
        Hidden: true,
        Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
            fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "⚠  '%s' is deprecated, use '%s' instead\n", old, new)
            // Forward execution to new command
        },
    }
    rootCmd.AddCommand(cmd)
}
```

### Deprecation behavior
1. First release: Show warning, execute command
2. One release later: Show warning, still execute
3. Third release: Remove aliases entirely

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

## Files to modify
- cmd/bd/main.go (ensure aliases loaded)


Timer beads for scheduled agent callbacks

## Problem

Agents frequently need to wait for external events (CI completion, PR reviews, artifact builds) but have no good mechanism:
- `sleep N` blocks and is unreliable (often times out at 8+ minutes)
- Polling wastes context and is easy to forget
- No way to survive session restarts

## Proposal: Timer Beads

A new bead type or field that represents a scheduled callback:

### Creating timers
```bash
bd timer create --in 30s --callback "Check CI run 12345" --issue bd-xyz
bd timer create --at "2025-12-20T08:00:00" --callback "Morning standup"
bd timer create --in 5m --on-expire "tmux send-keys -t dave 'bd show bd-xyz'"
```

### Timer storage
- Store in beads (survives restarts)
- Fields: `expires_at`, `callback_description`, `on_expire_command`, `linked_issue`
- Status: pending, fired, cancelled

### Deacon integration
The Deacon daemon monitors timer beads:
1. Wakes on next timer expiry
2. Executes `on_expire` command (e.g., tmux send-keys to interrupt agent)
3. Marks timer as fired
4. Optionally updates linked issue

### Use cases
- CI monitoring: "ping me when build completes"
- PR reviews: "check back in 1 hour"
- Scheduled tasks: "remind me at EOD to sync"
- Blocking waits: agent registers callback instead of sleeping

## Acceptance criteria
- [ ] Timer bead type or field design
- [ ] `bd timer create/list/cancel` commands
- [ ] Deacon timer monitoring loop
- [ ] tmux integration for agent interrupts
- [ ] Survives daemon restarts


Add --body-file flag to bd create for reading descriptions from files

## Problem

Creating issues with long/complex descriptions via CLI requires shell escaping gymnastics:

```bash
# Current workaround - awkward heredoc quoting
bd create --title="..." --description="$(cat <<'EOF'
...markdown...
EOF
)"

# Often fails with quote escaping errors in eval context
# Agents resort to writing temp files then reading them
```

## Proposed Solution

Add `--body-file` and `--description-file` flags to read description from a file, matching `gh` CLI pattern.

```bash
# Natural pattern that aligns with training data
cat > /tmp/desc.md << 'EOF'
...markdown content...
EOF

bd create --title="..." --body-file=/tmp/desc.md
```

## Implementation

### 1. Add new flags to `bd create`

```go
createCmd.Flags().String("body-file", "", "Read description from file (use - for stdin)")
createCmd.Flags().String("description-file", "", "Alias for --body-file")
```

### 2. Flag precedence

- If `--body-file` or `--description-file` is provided, read from file
- If value is `-`, read from stdin
- Otherwise fall back to `--body` or `--description` flag
- If neither provided, description is empty (current behavior)

### 3. Error handling

- File doesn't exist → clear error message
- File not readable → clear error message
- stdin specified but not available → clear error message

## Benefits

✅ **Matches training data**: `gh issue create --body-file file.txt` is a common pattern
✅ **No shell escaping issues**: File content is read directly
✅ **Works with any content**: Markdown, special characters, quotes, etc.
✅ **Agent-friendly**: Agents already write complex content to temp files
✅ **User-friendly**: Easier for humans too when pasting long descriptions

## Related Commands

Consider adding similar support to:
- `bd update --body-file` (for updating descriptions)
- `bd comment --body-file` (if/when we add comments)

## Examples

```bash
# From file
bd create --title="Add new feature" --body-file=feature.md

# From stdin
echo "Quick description" | bd create --title="Bug fix" --body-file=-

# With other flags
bd create \
  --title="Security issue" \
  --type=bug \
  --priority=0 \
  --body-file=security-report.md \
  --label=security
```

## Testing

- Test with normal files
- Test with stdin (`-`)
- Test with non-existent files (error handling)
- Test with binary files (should handle gracefully)
- Test with empty files (valid - empty description)
- Test that `--description-file` and `--body-file` are equivalent aliases


BondRef data model for compound lineage

Add data model support for tracking compound molecule lineage.

NEW FIELDS on Issue:
  bonded_from: []BondRef  // For compounds: constituent protos

NEW TYPE:
  type BondRef struct {
      ProtoID   string  // Source proto ID
      BondType  string  // sequential, parallel, conditional
      BondPoint string  // Attachment site (issue ID or empty for root)
  }

JSONL SERIALIZATION:
  {
    "id": "proto-feature-tested",
    "title": "Feature with tests",
    "bonded_from": [
      {"proto_id": "proto-feature", "bond_type": "root"},
      {"proto_id": "proto-testing", "bond_type": "sequential"}
    ],
    ...
  }

QUERIES:
- GetCompoundConstituents(id) → []BondRef
- IsCompound(id) → bool
- GetCompoundsUsing(protoID) → []Issue  // Reverse lookup


Add comments to 30+ silently ignored errors or fix them

Code health review found 30+ instances of error suppression using blank identifier without explanation:

Good examples (with comments):
- merge.go: _ = gitRmCmd.Run() // Ignore errors
- daemon_watcher.go: _ = watcher.Add(...) // Ignore error

Bad examples (no context):
- create.go:213: dbPrefix, _ = store.GetConfig(ctx, "issue_prefix")
- daemon_sync_branch.go: _ = daemonClient.Close()
- migrate_hash_ids.go, version_tracking.go: _ = store.Close()

Fix: Add comments explaining WHY errors are ignored, or handle them properly.


Upgrade local Homebrew installation

Upgrade bd via Homebrew:

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

**Note**: If `brew upgrade` fails with CLT (Command Line Tools) errors on bleeding-edge macOS versions (e.g., Tahoe 26.x):

```bash
# Reinstall CLT
sudo rm -rf /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools
xcode-select --install
# Wait for GUI installer to complete, then retry brew upgrade
```

Alternative: Skip Homebrew and use go install:
```bash
go install ./cmd/bd
~/go/bin/bd version  # Verify shows {{version}}
```


Add bd mol run command (bond + assign + pin)

bd mol run = bond + assign root to caller + pin to startup mail. This is the Gas Town integration point. When agent restarts, check startup mail, find pinned molecule root, query bd ready for next step. Makes molecules immortal.


GH#540: Add silent quick-capture mode (bd q)

Add bd q alias for quick capture that outputs only issue ID. Useful for piping/scripting. See GitHub issue #540.


Update CHANGELOG.md for {{version}}

In CHANGELOG.md:

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

Format:
```markdown
## [Unreleased]

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

### Added
- ...

### Changed
- ...

### Fixed
- ...
```


Release complete

Release v0.41.0 is complete!

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

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


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%


Add Windows code signing for bd.exe releases

## Context

Go binaries (including bd.exe) are commonly flagged by antivirus software as false positives due to heuristic detection. See docs/ANTIVIRUS.md for full details.

## Problem

Kaspersky and other AV software flag bd.exe as PDM:Trojan.Win32.Generic, causing it to be quarantined or deleted.

## Solution

Implement code signing for Windows releases using:
1. An EV (Extended Validation) code certificate
2. Integration with GoReleaser to sign Windows binaries during release

## Benefits

- Reduces false positive rates over time as the certificate builds reputation
- Provides tamper verification for users
- Improves SmartScreen trust rating on Windows
- Professional appearance for enterprise users

## Implementation Steps

1. Acquire EV code signing certificate (annual cost ~$300-500)
2. Set up signtool or osslsigncode in release pipeline
3. Update .goreleaser.yml to sign Windows binaries
4. Update checksums to include signed binary hashes
5. Document signing verification in ANTIVIRUS.md

## References

- docs/ANTIVIRUS.md - Current documentation
- bd-t4u1 - Original Kaspersky false positive report
- https://github.com/golang/go/issues/16292 - Go project discussion


Verify the release is complete.

Verify the release is complete.

```bash
# Check GitHub release
gh release view v0.37.0

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

# Check npm
npm view @beads/bd version

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

instantiated_from: bd-mol-xga
step: verify-release


Create and push git tag v0.33.2

Create the release tag and push it:

```bash
git tag v0.33.2
git push origin v0.33.2
```

This triggers the GoReleaser GitHub Action to build release binaries.


Fix JSON error output consistency across all commands

## Problem

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

## Audit Findings (bd-au0.7)

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

## Solution

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

## Pattern

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

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

## Success Criteria

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


Consolidate migrate-* commands into migrate subcommands

Move migrate-hash-ids, migrate-issues, migrate-sync, migrate-tombstones under 'migrate' as subcommands. Reduces 5 top-level commands to 1.


Code review: mol squash deletion bypasses tombstone system

The deleteEphemeralChildren function in mol_squash.go uses DeleteIssue directly instead of the proper deletion flow. This bypasses tombstone creation, deletion tracking (deletions.jsonl), and dependency cleanup. Could cause issues with deletion propagation across clones.

Current code uses d.DeleteIssue(ctx, id) but should probably use d.DeleteIssues(ctx, ids, false, true, false) for proper tombstone handling.

Alternative: Document that ephemeral issues intentionally use hard delete since they are transient and should never propagate to other clones anyway.


Fix: Empty coordinator shows blank in bd swarm create output

Line 992 prints 'Coordinator: ' even when coordinator is empty string.

Should either:
- Print 'Coordinator: (none)'
- Skip the line entirely when empty

Minor polish issue.


mol-beads-release

attached_args: Release v0.38.0 - execute each step in order, verify before proceeding to next

Release checklist for beads version 0.38.0.

This molecule ensures all release steps are completed properly.
Variable: 0.38.0 - target version (e.g., 0.35.0)

## Step: update-release-notes
Update cmd/bd/info.go with release notes for 0.38.0.

Add a new VersionChange entry at the top of versionChanges slice:
```go
{
    Version: "0.38.0",
    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.

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

Add a new section after [Unreleased]:
```markdown
## [0.38.0] - 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.
Needs: update-release-notes

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

```bash
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.38.0
```

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

Needs: update-changelog

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

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

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

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

```bash
git add -A
git commit -m "chore: bump version to v0.38.0"
```

Needs: run-tests

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

```bash
git push origin main
git tag v0.38.0
git push origin v0.38.0
```

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

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

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

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

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

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

```bash
# Check GitHub release
gh release view v0.38.0

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

# Check npm
npm view @beads/bd version

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

Needs: wait-for-ci

## Step: update-local
Update local installations.

```bash
# Upgrade Homebrew
brew upgrade steveyegge/beads/bd

# Or install from source
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.38.0 --install

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

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

Verify: `bd --version` shows 0.38.0
Needs: verify-release

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

```bash
# npm (requires npm login)
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.38.0 --publish-npm

# PyPI (requires TWINE credentials)
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.38.0 --publish-pypi

# Or both
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.38.0 --publish-all
```

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


Code smell: Duplicated issue type switch in cook.go

The same switch statement for mapping step type to IssueType appears twice in cook.go:

Location 1 (line 425):
```go
switch step.Type {
case "task":
    issueType = types.TypeTask
case "bug":
    issueType = types.TypeBug
// ...
}
```

Location 2 (line 764): Identical switch statement.

Should extract to a helper function:
```go
func stepTypeToIssueType(stepType string) types.IssueType {
    switch stepType {
    case "task": return types.TypeTask
    case "bug": return types.TypeBug
    // ...
    default: return types.TypeTask
    }
}
```

Location: cmd/bd/cook.go:425 and cmd/bd/cook.go:764


Fix G104 errors unhandled in internal/storage/sqlite/queries.go:1181

Linting issue: G104: Errors unhandled (gosec) at internal/storage/sqlite/queries.go:1181:4. Error: rows.Close()


Documentation for messaging and graph links

Document all new features.

Files to update:
- README.md - brief mention of messaging capability
- AGENTS.md - update for AI agents using bd mail
- docs/messaging.md (new) - full messaging reference
- docs/graph-links.md (new) - graph link reference
- CHANGELOG.md - v0.30.2 release notes

Topics to cover:
- Mail commands with examples
- Graph link types and use cases
- Identity configuration
- Hooks setup for notifications
- Migration notes


Exclude pinned issues from bd ready

Update bd ready to exclude pinned issues. Pinned issues are context markers, not work items, and should never appear in the ready-to-work list.


Add 'rm' as alias for 'remove' in bd dep subcommand

Cobra supports command aliases. Add 'rm' as a short alias for 'remove' in the dep subcommand for convenience.

Example: bd dep rm issue1 issue2 should work the same as bd dep remove issue1 issue2

Implementation: Add Aliases: []string{"rm"} to the depRemoveCmd definition.


Merge: quartz-1767083470444

branch: polecat/quartz-1767083470444
target: main
source_issue: quartz-1767083470444
rig: beads


Test hook


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


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.


Test prefix bd-


Add agent identity to commit metadata for forensics

## Problem

When agents (polecats, crew workers) make commits on behalf of a human, the commit only shows:
- **Author**: Human (e.g., Steve Yegge)
- **Co-Authored-By**: Claude Opus 4.5 (generic)

Missing from the audit trail:
- Which agent instance performed the work
- Whether it was a polecat (transient) or crew (persistent)
- What rig/workspace it ran in

Example from a recent release commit:
```
Author: Steve Yegge <steve.yegge@gmail.com>
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
```

No way to trace this back to the specific agent session that executed the release molecule.

## Proposal

Add git trailers to commits made by Gas Town agents:

```
Executed-By: beads/polecat/Nux-1766978911613
Rig: beads
Role: polecat
```

Or for crew workers:
```
Executed-By: beads/crew/emma
Rig: beads
Role: crew
```

## Benefits

1. **Forensics**: If a release goes wrong, trace back to the exact agent session
2. **Audit**: Query commits by agent type (`git log --grep="Role: polecat"`)
3. **Debugging**: Correlate commits with handoff mail and session logs
4. **Accountability**: Distinguish human-direct vs agent-mediated commits

## Implementation

Could be implemented via:
- Claude Code hooks (UserPromptSubmit or pre-commit)
- `gt` commit helper that injects trailers
- CLAUDE.md instructions for agents to include trailers

## Open Questions

- Should molecule ID be included if work was part of a molecule?
- Should session ID or other correlation data be included?
- Privacy considerations for commit metadata?


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

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

## Problem

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

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

## Proposed Solution

### Phase 1: Shell Hooks

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

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

### Lifecycle Events

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

### Phase 2: Molecule Completion Handlers

Molecules could define completion actions:

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

### Phase 3: Gas Town Integration

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

## Implementation Notes

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

## Related

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

## Use Cases

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


Daemon should be singleton and aggressively kill stale instances

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

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

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

**Investigation 2025-12-21:**

The singleton mechanism is already implemented and working correctly:

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

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

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

Consider closing as RESOLVED or clarifying the original scenario.


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.


bd swarm status command

Add bd swarm status to show swarm state derived from beads.

## Context
This is the key command that demonstrates 'discovery over tracking'.
Swarm status is COMPUTED from:
- Epic children statuses
- Dependency structure
- Issue assignments

NOT stored separately. If beads changes, status changes.

## Implementation
1. New command: bd swarm status <swarm-mol-id>
2. Find linked epic from swarm molecule
3. Query all children of epic
4. Compute and display:
   - Ready front (unblocked, open issues)
   - In progress (in_progress status)
   - Completed (closed)
   - Blocked (has unmet dependencies)
   - Progress percentage
   - Coordinator
   - Estimated remaining (based on avg session time)

## Output Format
Ready Front Analysis: gt-epic-xxx

Completed:     ✓ gt-001 (2h ago)
Active:        ⟳ gt-002 [nux], ⟳ gt-003 [toast]
Ready:         ○ gt-004, ○ gt-005
Blocked:       ◌ gt-006 (needs 004, 005)

Progress: 1/6 complete, 2/6 active (17%)

## Reference
~/gt/docs/swarm-architecture.md - 'Ready Front Visualization'

## Acceptance
- bd swarm status <mol> shows accurate state
- State reflects current beads (not cached)
- --json output for programmatic use


Migration: Convert pinned work items to hooked

Migrate existing pinned beads that represent work-on-hook to use 'hooked' status.

## Migration Logic

```sql
UPDATE issues
SET status = 'hooked'
WHERE status = 'pinned'
  AND issue_type NOT IN ('agent', 'role')
```

## What Stays Pinned

- Agent identity beads (gt-mayor, gt-witness-gastown, etc.)
- Role definition beads (gt-mayor-role, etc.)

## What Becomes Hooked

- Molecules on hooks (mol_type field set)
- Regular issues/tasks that were pinned to hooks

## Verification

After migration:
- bd list --status=pinned should only show agents/roles
- bd list --status=hooked should show work on hooks


Add test coverage for external dep edge cases

During code review of bd-zmmy, identified missing test coverage:

1. RemoveDependency with external ref target (will fail - see bd-a3sj)
2. GetBlockedIssues with mix of local and external blockers
3. GetDependencyTree with external deps
4. AddDependency cycle detection with external refs (should be skipped?)
5. External dep resolution with WAL mode database
6. External dep resolution when target project has no .beads directory
7. External dep resolution with invalid external: format variations

Priority 2 because bd-a3sj is a real bug that tests would catch.


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


Restart daemons

Restart bd daemons to pick up new version.

```bash
bd daemons killall
```

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

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


Push to main

Push the release commit to origin.

```bash
git push origin main
```

If rejected, someone else pushed. Pull, rebase, try again.


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)


Update docs for import bug fix

Update AGENTS.md, README.md, TROUBLESHOOTING.md with import.orphan_handling config documentation. Document resurrection behavior, tombstones, config modes. Add troubleshooting section for import failures with deleted parents.


Add 'convoy' issue type with reactive completion

Add convoy as a new issue type with reactive completion semantics.

Behavior:
- Convoy has list of tracked issues (via 'tracks' relation)
- When all tracked issues close (including wontfix), convoy auto-closes
- Supports cross-prefix tracking (convoy in hq-* tracks gt-*, bd-*)

Implementation:
- New type: convoy
- Reactive completion trigger on tracked issue closure
- Query support: 'bd list --type=convoy'

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


Formula versioning: Version field and git tag integration

Add versioning support to formulas for tracking updates.

## Formula Version Field
```json
{
  "formula": "mol-code-review",
  "version": "1.2.0",
  "min_bd_version": "0.25.0",
  ...
}
```

## Version Semantics
- Use semver: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
- MAJOR: Breaking changes to step structure
- MINOR: New optional steps or variables
- PATCH: Documentation, bug fixes

## Git Tag Integration
- `bd mol install repo@v1.2.0` fetches that tag
- `bd mol install repo` fetches latest tag (or main if no tags)
- `bd mol publish --tag v1.2.0` creates tag

## Proto Version Tracking
Local proto should store:
```
source_repo: github.com/anthropics/mol-code-review
source_version: v1.2.0
installed_at: 2025-12-25T12:00:00Z
```

This enables `bd mol update` to check for newer versions.


Merge: amber-1767138546434

branch: polecat/amber-1767138546434
target: main
source_issue: amber-1767138546434
rig: beads


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

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


Merge: bd-io8c

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


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.


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.


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


Preflight: Pull latest

Ensure we're up to date with origin.

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

Resolve any conflicts before proceeding.


Add gate fields: await_type, await_id, timeout, waiters

Add gate-specific fields to the Issue type.

## New Fields
- await_type: string - Type of condition (gh:run, gh:pr, timer, human, mail)
- await_id: string - Identifier for the condition
- timeout: duration - Max time to wait before escalation
- waiters: []string - Mail addresses to notify when gate clears

## Implementation
- Add fields to Issue struct in internal/types/types.go
- Update SQLite schema for new columns
- Add JSONL serialization/deserialization
- Update import/export logic


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


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 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


Add bd reset command for clean slate restart

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

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

**Current workaround** (from maphew):
```bash
bd daemons killall
git rm .beads/*.jsonl
git commit -m 'remove old issues'
rm .beads/*
bd init
bd onboard
```

**Desired:** A proper `bd reset` command that handles this cleanly and safely.


Update go install bd to {{version}}

Rebuild and install bd to ~/go/bin:

```bash
go install ./cmd/bd
~/go/bin/bd version  # Verify shows {{version}}
```

Note: If ~/go/bin is in PATH before /opt/homebrew/bin, this is the version that runs by default.


Merge: bd-dtl8

branch: polecat/dag
target: main
source_issue: bd-dtl8
rig: beads


Refinery Patrol

Merge queue processor patrol loop with verification gates.


GH#509: bd doesn't find .beads when running from nested worktrees

When worktrees are nested under main repo (.worktrees/feature/), bd stops at worktree git root instead of continuing to find .beads in parent. See GitHub issue #509 for detailed fix suggestion.


Add 'bd status' command for issue database overview

Implement a bd status command that provides a quick snapshot of the issue database state, similar to how git status shows working tree state.

Expected output: Show summary including counts by state (open, in-progress, blocked, closed), recent activity (last 7 days), and quick overview without needing multiple queries.

Example output showing issue counts, recent activity stats, and pointer to bd list for details.

Proposed options: --all (show all issues), --assigned (show issues assigned to current user), --json (JSON format output)

Use cases: Quick project health check, onboarding for new contributors, integration with shell prompts or CI/CD, daily standup reference


Audit and standardize JSON output across all commands

Ensure consistent JSON format and error handling when --json flag is used.

**Scope:**
1. Verify all commands respect --json flag
2. Standardize success response format
3. Standardize error response format
4. Document JSON schemas

**Commands to audit:**
- Core CRUD: create, update, delete, show, list, search ✓
- Queries: ready, blocked, stale, count, stats, status
- Deps: dep add/remove/tree/cycles
- Labels: label commands
- Comments: comments add/list/delete
- Epics: epic status/close-eligible
- Export/import: already support --json ✓

**Testing:**
- Success cases return valid JSON
- Error cases return valid JSON (not plain text)
- Consistent field naming (snake_case vs camelCase)
- Array vs object wrapping consistency

## Audit Complete (2025-12-25)

### Findings

**✓ All commands support --json flag**
- Query commands: ready, blocked, stale, count, stats, status
- Dep commands: add, remove, tree, cycles
- Label commands: add, remove, list, list-all
- Comments: list, add
- Epic: status, close-eligible

**✓ Field naming is consistent**
- All fields use snake_case: created_at, issue_type, dependency_count, etc.

**✗ Error output is INCONSISTENT**
- Only bd show uses FatalErrorRespectJSON (returns JSON errors)
- All other commands use fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, ...) (returns plain text)

### Files needing fixes

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

### Follow-up

Created epic bd-28sq to track fixing all error handlers.


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.


Cleanup: --ephemeral flag

Update bd cleanup to handle ephemeral issues.

New flag:
- bd cleanup --ephemeral - deletes all CLOSED issues with ephemeral=true

Behavior:
- Only deletes if status=closed AND ephemeral=true
- Respects --dry-run flag
- Reports count of deleted ephemeral issues

This allows swarm cleanup to remove transient messages without affecting permanent issues.


Async Gates for Agent Coordination

Agents need an async primitive for waiting on external events (CI completion, API responses, human approval). Gates are wisp issues that block until external conditions are met, managed by the Deacon.

## Core Concepts

**Gate** = wisp issue that blocks until external condition is met
- Type: gate
- Phase: wisp (never synced, ephemeral)
- Assignee: deacon/ (Deacon monitors it)
- Fields: await_type, await_id, timeout, waiters[]

**Await Types:**
- gh:run:<id> - GitHub Actions run completion
- gh:pr:<id> - PR merged/closed
- timer:<duration> - Simple delay
- human:<prompt> - Human approval required
- mail:<pattern> - Wait for mail matching pattern

## Open Questions
- Should gates live in wisp storage or main storage with wisp flag?
- Do we need a gate catalog (like molecule catalog)?
- Should waits-for dep type work with gates?


Test parent task


Update CHANGELOG.md with release notes

Add release notes for 0.32.1: MCP output control params (#667), pin field fix


Fix wisp leak in nodb mode writeIssuesToJSONL

writeIssuesToJSONL in nodb.go calls writeJSONLAtomic without filtering wisps. This means any wisps created during a nodb session would be written to issues.jsonl, leaking ephemeral data into the git-tracked file.

Fix: Add the same wisp filter pattern used in sync_export.go, autoflush.go, and export.go:

```go
// Filter out wisps before writing
filtered := make([]*types.Issue, 0, len(issues))
for _, issue := range issues {
    if !issue.Wisp {
        filtered = append(filtered, issue)
    }
}
issues = filtered
```

Location: cmd/bd/nodb.go:writeIssuesToJSONL()


Merge: opal-1767106266450

branch: polecat/opal-1767106266450
target: main
source_issue: opal-1767106266450
rig: beads


Improve test coverage for cmd/bd CLI (26.2% → 50%)

The main CLI package (cmd/bd) has only 26.2% test coverage. CLI commands should have at least 50% coverage to ensure reliability.

Key areas with low/no coverage:
- daemon_autostart.go (multiple 0% functions)
- compact.go (several 0% functions)
- Various command handlers

Current coverage: 26.2%
Target coverage: 50%

## Progress Update (2025-12-23)

### Tests Added
Added 683 lines of new tests across 3 files:
- cmd/bd/daemon_config_test.go (144 lines)
- cmd/bd/utils_test.go (484 lines)
- cmd/bd/autostart_test.go (55 additional lines)

### Functions Now Tested
- daemon_config.go: ensureBeadsDir, getPIDFilePath, getLogFilePath, getSocketPathForPID
- daemon_autostart.go: determineSocketPath, isDaemonRunningQuiet
- activity.go: printEvent
- cleanup.go: showCleanupDeprecationHint
- upgrade.go: pluralize
- wisp.go: formatTimeAgo
- list.go: pinIndicator, sortIssues
- hooks.go: FormatHookWarnings, isRebaseInProgress, hasBeadsJSONL
- template.go: extractIDSuffix
- thanks.go: getContributorsSorted

### Coverage Results
- Before: 22.5%
- After: 23.1%
- Delta: +0.6%

### Remaining Work
Most remaining untested code (77%) involves:
1. Daemon/RPC operations (runDaemonLoop, tryAutoStartDaemon, etc.)
2. Command handlers that require database/daemon setup
3. Git operations (runPreCommitHook, runPostMergeHook, etc.)

To reach 50%, would need to:
- Add integration tests with mocked daemon
- Add scripttest tests for command handlers
- Add more database-dependent tests

Commit: 4f949c19


Blocking logic: Include 'hooked' in blocking statuses

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

## Current Logic (line ~163)

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

## Updated Logic

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

## Files to Update

- internal/storage/sqlite/blocked_cache.go

## Test Cases

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


Revert/remove YAML workflow system

Revert the recent commit and remove all YAML workflow code:

1. `git revert aae8407a` (the commit we just pushed with workflow fixes)
2. Remove `cmd/bd/templates/workflows/` directory
3. Remove workflow.go or gut it to minimal stub
4. Remove WorkflowTemplate types from internal/types/workflow.go
5. Remove any workflow-related RPC handlers

Keep only minimal scaffolding if needed for the new template system.


Test message

Hello world


Improve test coverage for internal/compact (18.2% → 70%)

Improve test coverage for internal/compact package from 17% to 70%.

## Current State
- Coverage: 17.3%
- Files: compactor.go, git.go, haiku.go
- Tests: compactor_test.go (minimal tests)

## Functions Needing Tests

### compactor.go (core compaction)
- [ ] New - needs config validation tests
- [ ] CompactTier1 - needs single issue compaction tests
- [ ] CompactTier1Batch - needs batch processing tests
- [ ] compactSingleWithResult - internal, test via public API

### git.go
- [ ] GetCurrentCommitHash - needs git repo fixture tests

### haiku.go (AI summarization) - MOCK REQUIRED
- [ ] NewHaikuClient - needs API key validation tests
- [ ] SummarizeTier1 - needs mock API response tests
- [ ] callWithRetry - needs retry logic tests
- [ ] isRetryable - needs error classification tests
- [ ] renderTier1Prompt - needs template rendering tests

## Implementation Guide

1. **Mock the Anthropic API:**
   ```go
   // Create mock HTTP server
   server := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
       json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]interface{}{
           "content": []map[string]string{{"text": "Summarized content"}},
       })
   }))
   defer server.Close()

   // Point client at mock
   client.baseURL = server.URL
   ```

2. **Test scenarios:**
   - Successful compaction with AI summary
   - API failure with retry
   - Rate limit handling
   - Empty issue handling
   - Large issue truncation

3. **Use test database:**
   ```go
   store, cleanup := testutil.NewTestStore(t)
   defer cleanup()
   ```

## Success Criteria
- Coverage ≥ 70%
- AI calls properly mocked (no real API calls in tests)
- Retry logic verified
- Error paths covered

## Run Tests
```bash
go test -v -cover ./internal/compact
go test -race ./internal/compact
```


Prevent multiple daemons from running on the same repo

Multiple bd daemons running on the same repo clone causes race conditions and data corruption risks.

**Problem:**
- Nothing prevents spawning multiple daemons for the same repository
- Multiple daemons watching the same files can conflict during sync operations
- Observed: 4 daemons running simultaneously caused sync race condition

**Solution:**
Implement daemon singleton enforcement per repo:
1. Use a lock file (e.g., .beads/.daemon.lock) with PID
2. On daemon start, check if lock exists and process is alive
3. If stale lock (dead PID), clean up and acquire lock
4. If active daemon exists, either:
   - Exit with message 'daemon already running (PID xxx)'
   - Or offer --replace flag to kill existing and take over
5. Release lock on graceful shutdown

**Edge cases to handle:**
- Daemon crashes without releasing lock (stale PID detection)
- Multiple repos in same directory tree (each repo gets own lock)
- Race between two daemons starting simultaneously (atomic lock acquisition)


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


Merge: bd-c7y5

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


Refactor: Extract shared getEpicChildren helper for swarm commands

## Context
`getSwarmStatus` and `analyzeEpicForSwarm` in cmd/bd/swarm.go have nearly identical code for:
- Getting epic dependents via GetDependents
- Filtering to parent-child relationships
- Building childIDSet map
- Building dependency maps

## Implementation
1. Extract `getEpicChildren(ctx, store, epicID)` that returns:
   - `[]*types.Issue` - child issues
   - `map[string]bool` - child ID set
   - `map[string][]string` - dependency map (within children)
   - `error`

2. Refactor both `analyzeEpicForSwarm` and `getSwarmStatus` to use it

3. Consider defining a named interface for the store methods:
   ```go
   type SwarmStore interface {
       GetIssue(context.Context, string) (*types.Issue, error)
       GetDependents(context.Context, string) ([]*types.Issue, error)
       GetDependencyRecords(context.Context, string) ([]*types.Dependency, error)
   }
   ```

## Files
- cmd/bd/swarm.go (lines 150-248, 616-682)

## Acceptance
- No duplicated code for fetching epic children
- Both commands produce identical results as before


Test issue for pin --for

Testing the pin --for flag


Edge Schema Consolidation: Unify all edges in dependencies table

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

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

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


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.


Test prefix bd


Update local installation

Update local bd to the new version.

Option 1 - Homebrew:
```bash
brew upgrade bd
```

Option 2 - Install script:
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveyegge/beads/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
```

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

Should show 0.39.0.


Preflight: Pull latest

Ensure we're up to date with origin.

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

Resolve any conflicts before proceeding.


Verify MCP Server Compatibility

Ensure MCP server works with cache-free daemon


Run bump-version.sh {{version}}

Run ./scripts/bump-version.sh {{version}} to update version in all files


Deacon Patrol

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


Create and push tag

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


Update local installation

Run install script or brew upgrade to get new version locally: curl -fsSL .../install.sh | bash


Technical debt: Multiple deprecated command aliases still exist

attached_args: Remove deprecated command aliases

Several deprecated command aliases are still present in the codebase:

1. cmd/bd/relate.go:51 - 'bd relate' deprecated for 'bd dep relate'
2. cmd/bd/relate.go:56 - 'bd unrelate' deprecated for 'bd dep unrelate'
3. cmd/bd/daemons.go:618 - 'bd daemons' deprecated for 'bd daemon <subcommand>'
4. cmd/bd/migrate_hash_ids.go:433 - alias for 'bd migrate hash-ids'
5. cmd/bd/migrate_tombstones.go:352 - alias for 'bd migrate tombstones'
6. cmd/bd/migrate_sync.go:68 - alias for 'bd migrate sync'
7. cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:717 - alias for 'bd migrate issues'
8. cmd/bd/comments.go:214 - deprecated for 'bd comments add'
9. cmd/bd/template.go:64,82,147,226 - multiple template commands deprecated for 'bd mol'
10. cmd/bd/admin_aliases.go - multiple admin aliases deprecated
11. cmd/bd/detect_pollution.go:24 - deprecated for 'bd doctor --check=pollution'

Consider:
1. Setting a deprecation timeline (e.g., remove in v2.0)
2. Adding warnings when deprecated commands are used
3. Documenting migration path in CHANGELOG

Location: Various files in cmd/bd/


.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


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

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


test pin issue


bd doctor: detect issues referenced in commits but still open

Add a doctor check that finds 'orphaned' issues - ones referenced in git commit messages (e.g., 'fix bug (bd-xxx)') but still marked as open in beads.

**Detection logic:**
1. Get all open issue IDs from beads
2. Parse git log for issue ID references matching pattern \(prefix-[a-z0-9.]+\)
3. Report issues that appear in commits but are still open

**Output:**
⚠ Warning: N issues referenced in commits but still open
  bd-xxx: 'Issue title' (commit abc123)
  bd-yyy: 'Issue title' (commit def456)

  These may be implemented but not closed. Run 'bd show <id>' to check.

**Implementation:**
- Add check to doctor/checks.go
- Use git log parsing (already have git utilities)
- Match against configured issue_prefix


GH#518: Document bd setup command

bd setup is undiscoverable. Add to README/docs. Currently only findable by grepping source. See GitHub issue #518.


Update local installation


Consolidate daemon/daemons commands

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


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 != ''


Push release v0.33.2 to remote

Push the commit and tag:

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

Verify on GitHub that the tag appears in releases.


Add pager support to bd list

Add pager support following gh cli conventions:

Flags:
- --no-pager: disable pager for this command

Environment variables:
- BD_PAGER / PAGER: pager program (default: less)
- BD_NO_PAGER: disable pager globally

Behavior:
- Auto-enable pager when output exceeds terminal height
- Respect LESS env var for pager options
- Disable pager when stdout is not a TTY (pipes/scripts)

## Implementation Plan

### Dependencies
```go
import "github.com/muesli/termenv" // or golang.org/x/term
```

### Code Changes

1. **Add pager helper** (internal/ui/pager.go):
```go
func ToPager(content string) error {
    // Check BD_NO_PAGER or --no-pager
    if os.Getenv("BD_NO_PAGER") \!= "" {
        fmt.Print(content)
        return nil
    }

    // Get pager command
    pager := os.Getenv("BD_PAGER")
    if pager == "" {
        pager = os.Getenv("PAGER")
    }
    if pager == "" {
        pager = "less"
    }

    // Check if content exceeds terminal height
    // If not, just print directly

    // Pipe to pager
    cmd := exec.Command(pager)
    cmd.Stdin = strings.NewReader(content)
    cmd.Stdout = os.Stdout
    cmd.Stderr = os.Stderr
    return cmd.Run()
}
```

2. **Add --no-pager flag** (cmd/bd/list.go init):
```go
listCmd.Flags().Bool("no-pager", false, "Disable pager output")
```

3. **Use pager in list output** (end of Run):
```go
if \!noPager && isTerminal(os.Stdout) {
    ui.ToPager(output.String())
} else {
    fmt.Print(output.String())
}
```

### Environment Variables
- `BD_PAGER`: pager program (overrides PAGER)
- `BD_NO_PAGER`: set to any value to disable
- `PAGER`: fallback pager
- `LESS`: passed through for less options

### Testing
- `bd list` pipes to pager when output > terminal height
- `bd list --no-pager` prints directly
- `BD_NO_PAGER=1 bd list` prints directly
- `bd list | cat` auto-disables pager (not a TTY)


RemoveDependency fails on external deps - FK violation in dirty_issues

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

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

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


Add {{version}} to versionChanges in info.go

Add new entry at the TOP of versionChanges array in cmd/bd/info.go:

```go
{
    Version: "{{version}}",
    Date:    "{{date}}",
    Changes: []string{
        // Add notable changes here
    },
},
```

Copy changes from CHANGELOG.md [Unreleased] section.


gt swarm dispatch command not working

The 'gt swarm dispatch' command shown in help doesn't appear to work as expected.

**Observed:**
```
$ gt swarm dispatch bd-784c
[prints help text instead of dispatching]
```

**Expected:**
Should dispatch the next ready task from the epic to an available worker.

**Workaround:**
Had to manually use 'gt sling <issue> <polecat>' for each task dispatch.

**Impact:**
- Manual task dispatch defeats swarm automation
- Coordinator has to track which tasks are ready and which polecats are free

**Suggestion:**
Implement or fix 'gt swarm dispatch' to:
1. Find next unassigned task in epic
2. Find idle polecat in swarm
3. Sling task to polecat automatically


Simplify wisp architecture: single DB with ephemeral flag

## Problem

The current wisp architecture uses a separate .beads-wisp/ directory with its own database. This creates unnecessary complexity:

- Separate directory structure and database initialization
- Parallel routing logic in both beads and gastown
- Merge queries from two stores for inbox/list operations
- All this for what is essentially a boolean flag

## Current State

Gastown mail code has to:
- resolveWispDir() vs resolveBeadsDir()
- Query both, merge results
- Route deletes to correct store

## Proposed Solution

Single database with an ephemeral boolean field on Issue. Behavior:
- bd create --ephemeral sets the flag
- JSONL export SKIPS ephemeral issues (they never sync)
- bd list shows all by default, --ephemeral / --persistent filters
- bd mol squash clears the flag (promotes to permanent, now exports)
- bd wisp gc deletes old ephemeral issues from the db
- No separate directory, no separate routing

## Migration

1. Update beads to support ephemeral flag in main db
2. Update bd wisp commands to work with flag instead of separate dir
3. Update gastown mail to use simple --ephemeral flag (remove all dual-routing)
4. Deprecate .beads-wisp/ directory pattern

## Acceptance Criteria

- Single database for all issues (ephemeral and persistent)
- ephemeral field on Issue type
- JSONL export skips ephemeral issues
- bd create --ephemeral works
- bd mol squash promotes ephemeral to persistent
- Gastown mail uses simple flag, no dual-routing


Commit release v{{version}}

Stage and commit the version bump:

```bash
git add cmd/bd/version.go cmd/bd/info.go CHANGELOG.md
git commit -m "release: v{{version}}"
```

Do NOT push yet - tag first.


Work on beads-wkt: Output control parameters for MCP tool...

Work on beads-wkt: Output control parameters for MCP tools (GH#622). Add brief, fields, max_description_length params to ready/list/show. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Remove top-level comment alias

Remove 'comment' as top-level command. Users should use 'comments add' instead. Reduces command surface area.


Restart running daemons

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


Remove/relocate pin command (covered by mol commands)

## Task
Review and potentially remove `bd pin` as it overlaps with mol commands.

## Analysis needed
- `bd pin` sets the pinned flag on issues for agent work assignment
- `bd hook` shows what's pinned to an agent
- `bd unpin` removes the pinned flag
- `bd mol` commands deal with molecules/templates

## Options
1. **Keep as-is**: pin/unpin are about work assignment, mol is about templates
2. **Move under mol**: `bd mol pin`, `bd mol unpin`
3. **Deprecate**: If mol commands fully cover the use case

## Decision criteria
- Are pin/unpin used independently of mol workflows?
- Does Gas Town (gt) use these commands?

## Recommendation
Check gt codebase for usage patterns before deciding. If pin/unpin are primarily used with mol workflows, consolidate under mol. If used independently, keep as-is.

## Files potentially affected
- cmd/bd/pin.go
- cmd/bd/unpin.go
- cmd/bd/hook.go
- cmd/bd/mol.go (if moving)


Update Homebrew formula

Update the Homebrew tap with new version:

```bash
./scripts/update-homebrew.sh 0.33.2
```

This script waits for GitHub Actions to complete (~5 min), then updates the formula with new SHA256 hashes.


bd mol publish: Push formula to GitHub repo

Publish a formula to a GitHub repository for sharing.

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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.


Add gate checking to Deacon patrol loop

Integrate gate checking into Deacon's patrol cycle.

## Patrol Integration
```go
func (d *Deacon) checkGates(ctx context.Context) {
    gates, _ := d.store.ListOpenGates(ctx)

    for _, gate := range gates {
        // Check timeout
        if time.Since(gate.CreatedAt) > gate.Timeout {
            d.notifyWaiters(gate, "timeout")
            d.closeGate(gate, "timed out")
            continue
        }

        // Check condition
        if d.checkCondition(gate.AwaitType, gate.AwaitID) {
            d.notifyWaiters(gate, "cleared")
            d.closeGate(gate, "condition met")
        }
    }
}
```

## Note
This task is in Gas Town (gt), not beads. May need to be moved there.


Phase 2.2: Switch bdt storage to TOON format

Currently bdt stores issues in JSONL format in issues.toon file. Phase 2.2 must implement actual TOON format storage - this is the fundamental goal of the bdtoon project.

## Current State (Phase 2.1)
- issues.toon stores JSONL (intermediate format)
- --toon flag allows output in TOON format for LLM consumption
- Problem: We're not actually using TOON as the fundamental storage format

## Required Work (Phase 2.2)
1. Switch issue file I/O to write TOON format instead of JSONL
   - Update cmd/bdt/storage.go to use EncodeTOON for writing
   - Update cmd/bdt/storage.go to decode TOON (currently decodes JSON)
   - Ensure round-trip: write TOON → read TOON → write TOON is byte-identical

2. Update command implementations
   - cmd/bdt/create.go: Write newly created issues to TOON format
   - cmd/bdt/list.go: Read issues from TOON format
   - cmd/bdt/show.go: Read from TOON format
   - cmd/bdt/import.go: Convert imported JSONL to TOON
   - cmd/bdt/export.go: Export TOON to JSONL (for bd compatibility)

3. Implement TOON parser that handles gotoon's encoder-only limitation
   - Since gotoon doesn't decode TOON, need custom TOON→JSON decoder
   - OR continue storing TOON but decoding via intermediate JSON conversion

4. Git merge driver optimization
   - TOON is line-oriented, better for 3-way merges than binary formats
   - Configure git merge driver for .toon files

5. Comprehensive testing
   - Round-trip tests: Issue → TOON → storage → read → Issue
   - Merge conflict resolution tests with TOON format
   - Large issue set performance tests

## Success Criteria
- issues.toon stores actual TOON format (not JSONL)
- bdt list reads from TOON file
- bdt create writes to TOON file
- Round-trip: create issue → list → show returns identical data
- All 65+ tests still passing
- Performance comparable to JSONL storage


🤝 HANDOFF: Review remaining beads PRs

## Current State
Just merged PR #653 (doctor refactor) and added tests to restore coverage.

## Remaining Open PRs to Review
Run `gh pr list --repo steveyegge/beads` to see current list. As of handoff:

1. #655 - feat: Linear Integration (jblwilliams)
2. #651 - feat(audit): agent audit trail (dchichkov)
3. #648 - Stop init creating redundant @AGENTS.md (maphew)
4. #646 - fix(unix): handle Statfs field types (jordanhubbard)
5. #645 - feat: /plan-to-beads Claude Code command (petebytes)
6. #642, #641, #640 - sync branch fixes (cpdata)

## Review Checklist
- Check CI status with `gh pr checks <num> --repo steveyegge/beads`
- Verify no .beads/ data leaking (we have a hook now)
- Review code quality
- Merge good ones, request changes on problematic ones

## Notes
- User wants us to be proactive about merging good PRs
- Can add tests ourselves if coverage drops


Add tests for daemon functionality

Critical daemon functions have 0% test coverage including daemon lifecycle, health checks, and RPC server functionality. These are essential for system reliability and need comprehensive test coverage.


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

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

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

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

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


bd repair: Check comments and events tables for orphans

bd repair currently checks dependencies and labels tables, but the schema also has comments and events tables with issue_id foreign keys that could be orphaned.

Add orphan detection and cleanup for:
- comments table (issue_id not in issues)
- events table (issue_id not in issues)


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)


Build and verify

go build -o bd ./cmd/bd && ./bd version


bd doctor --deep: validate full graph integrity

Add a deep validation mode to bd doctor that checks the entire issue graph.

Current doctor checks:
- Orphan sessions
- Orphan processes
- Wisp GC
- Sync status

Proposed --deep checks:
- **Parent consistency**: Every issue with parent field points to existing issue
- **Dependency symmetry**: If A depends on B, B should show A in blocks
- **Orphan issues**: Issues mentioned in commits but never closed
- **Circular dependencies**: Detect dependency cycles
- **Epic completeness**: Epics with all children closed should be closeable
- **Agent bead integrity**: Agent beads have required fields (role_bead, state)
- **Mail thread integrity**: Messages point to valid threads
- **Molecule state**: Molecules have valid current_step pointing to existing step

Use case: After complex operations (reparenting, migrations, bulk updates), run `bd doctor --deep` to catch graph inconsistencies before they cause problems.

Performance: May be slow on large databases - warn user and show progress.


Remove legacy MCP Agent Mail integration

## Summary

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

## Background

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

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

## Files to Delete

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

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

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

## Code to Update

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

## Verification

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


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

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

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

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

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

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


Merge: bd-tvu3

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


Fix TestFallbackToDirectModeEnablesFlush deadlock causing 10min test timeout

## Problem

TestFallbackToDirectModeEnablesFlush in direct_mode_test.go deadlocks for 9m59s before timing out, causing the entire test suite to take 10+ minutes instead of <10 seconds.

## Root Cause

Database lock contention between test cleanup and flushToJSONL():
- Test cleanup (line 36) tries to close DB via defer
- flushToJSONL() (line 132) is still accessing DB
- Results in deadlock: database/sql.(*DB).Close() waits for mutex while GetJSONLFileHash() holds it

## Stack Trace Evidence

```
goroutine 512 [sync.Mutex.Lock, 9 minutes]:
database/sql.(*DB).Close(0x14000643790)
  .../database/sql/sql.go:927 +0x84
github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd.TestFallbackToDirectModeEnablesFlush.func1()
  .../direct_mode_test.go:36 +0xf4

While goroutine running flushToJSONL() holds DB connection via GetJSONLFileHash()
```

## Impact

- Test suite: 10+ minutes → should be <10 seconds
- ALL other tests pass in ~4 seconds
- This ONE test accounts for 99.9% of test runtime

## Related

This is the EXACT same issue documented in MAIN_TEST_REFACTOR_NOTES.md for why main_test.go refactoring was deferred - global state manipulation + DB cleanup = deadlock.

## Fix Approaches

1. **Add proper cleanup sequencing** - stop flush goroutines BEFORE closing DB
2. **Use test-specific DB lifecycle** - ensure flush completes before cleanup
3. **Mock the flush mechanism** - avoid real DB for testing this code path
4. **Add explicit timeout handling** - fail fast with clear error instead of hanging

## Files

- cmd/bd/direct_mode_test.go:36-132
- cmd/bd/autoflush.go:353 (validateJSONLIntegrity)
- cmd/bd/autoflush.go:508 (flushToJSONLWithState)

## Acceptance

- Test passes without timeout
- Test suite completes in <10 seconds
- No deadlock between cleanup and flush operations


Commit release v0.33.2

Stage and commit the version bump:

```bash
git add cmd/bd/version.go cmd/bd/info.go CHANGELOG.md
git commit -m "release: v0.33.2"
```

Do NOT push yet - tag first.


Push release v{{version}} to remote

Push the commit and tag:

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

Verify on GitHub that the tag appears in releases.


Create release tag

Create annotated git tag.

```bash
git tag -a v0.41.0 -m "Release v0.41.0"
```

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


Add Validation type and validations field to Issue

Add Validation struct (Validator *EntityRef, Outcome string, Timestamp time.Time, Score *float32) and Validations []Validation field to Issue. Tracks who validated/approved work completion. Core to HOP proof-of-stake concept - validators stake reputation on approvals.


Update Homebrew formula

./scripts/update-homebrew.sh {{version}}


Merge: bd-d28c

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


Work on gt-8tmz.36: Validate expanded step IDs are unique...

Work on gt-8tmz.36: Validate expanded step IDs are unique. After ApplyExpansions in internal/formula/expand.go, new steps can be created that might have duplicate IDs. Add validation in ApplyExpansions to check for duplicate step IDs after expansion. If duplicates found, return an error with the duplicate IDs. Add test in expand_test.go. When done, commit and push to main.


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.


Fix unparam unused parameter in cmd/bd/doctor.go:1879

Linting issue: checkGitHooks - path is unused (unparam) at cmd/bd/doctor.go:1879:20. Error: func checkGitHooks(path string) doctorCheck {


Merge: bd-n386

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


activity.go: Missing test coverage

The new activity.go command (from bd-xo1o.3) has no test coverage. At minimum, tests should cover:
- parseDurationString() for various formats (5m, 1h, 2d, invalid)
- filterEvents() for --mol and --type filtering
- formatEvent() and getEventDisplay() for all mutation types

Discovered during code review of bd-xo1o implementation.


bd close --continue: auto-advance to next molecule step

Add --continue flag to bd close for seamless molecule step transitions.

## Usage

bd close <step-id> --continue [--no-auto]

## Behavior

1. Closes the specified step
2. Finds next ready step in same molecule (sibling/child)
3. By default, marks it in_progress (--no-auto to skip)
4. Outputs the transition

## Output

[done] Closed gt-abc.3: Implement feature

Next ready in molecule:
  gt-abc.4: Write tests

[arrow] Marked in_progress (use --no-auto to skip)

## If no next step

[done] Closed gt-abc.6: Exit decision

Molecule gt-abc complete! All steps closed.
Consider: bd mol squash gt-abc --summary '...'

## Key behaviors
- Detects parent molecule from closed step
- Finds next unblocked sibling
- Auto-claims by default (propulsion principle)
- Graceful handling when molecule is complete

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


Performance Validation

Confirm no performance regression from cache removal


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


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.


HANDOFF: Version 0.30.7 release in progress

## Context
Doing a 0.30.7 patch release with bug fixes.

## What's done
- Fixed #657: bd graph nil pointer crash (graph.go:102)
- Fixed #652: Windows npm installer file lock (postinstall.js)
- Updated CHANGELOG.md and info.go
- Pushed to main, CI running (run 20390861825)
- Created version-bump molecule template (bd-6s61) and instantiated for 0.30.7 (bd-8pyn)

## In progress
Molecule bd-8pyn has 3 remaining tasks:
  - bd-dxo7: Wait for CI to pass
  - bd-7l70: Verify release artifacts
  - bd-5c91: Update local installation

## Check CI
  gh run list --repo steveyegge/beads --limit 1
  gh run view 20390861825 --repo steveyegge/beads

## New feature filed
bd-n777: Timer beads for scheduled agent callbacks
Design for Deacon-managed timers that can interrupt agents via tmux

## Resume commands
  bd --no-daemon show bd-8pyn
  gh run list --repo steveyegge/beads --limit 1


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.


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 {


Redesign workflow system: templates as native Beads

## Problem

The current workflow system (YAML templates in cmd/bd/templates/workflows/) is architecturally flawed:

1. **Out-of-band data plane** - YAML files are a parallel system outside Beads itself
2. **Heavyweight DSL** - YAML is gross; even TOML would have been better, but neither is ideal
3. **Not graph-native** - Beads IS already a dependency graph with priorities, so why reinvent it?
4. **Can't use bd commands on templates** - They're opaque YAML, not viewable/editable Beads

## The Right Design

**Templates should be Beads themselves.**

A "workflow template" should be:
- An epic marked as a template (via label, type, or prefix like `tpl-`)
- Child issues with dependencies between them (using normal bd dep)
- Titles and descriptions containing `{{variable}}` placeholders
- Normal priorities that control serialization order

"Instantiation" becomes:
1. Clone the template subgraph (epic + children + dependencies)
2. Substitute variables in titles/descriptions
3. Generate new IDs for all cloned issues
4. Return the new epic ID

## Benefits

- **No YAML** - Templates are just Beads
- **Use existing tools** - `bd show`, `bd edit`, `bd dep` work on templates
- **Graph-native** - Dependencies are real Beads dependencies
- **Simpler codebase** - Remove all the YAML parsing/workflow code
- **Composable** - Templates can reference other templates

## Tasks

1. Delete the YAML workflow system code (revert recent push + remove existing workflow code)
2. Design template marking convention (label? type? id prefix?)
3. Implement `bd template create` or `bd clone --as-template`
4. Implement `bd template instantiate <template-id> --var key=value`
5. Migrate version-bump workflow to native Beads template
6. Update documentation


Design contributor namespace isolation for beads pollution prevention

## Problem

When contributors work on beads-the-project using beads-the-tool, their personal work-tracking issues leak into PRs. The .beads/issues.jsonl is intentionally tracked (it's the project's issue database), but contributors' local issues pollute the diff.

This is a recursion problem unique to self-hosting projects.

## Possible Solutions to Explore

1. **Contributor namespaces** - Each contributor gets a private prefix (e.g., `bd-steve-xxxx`) that's gitignored or filtered
2. **Separate database** - Contributors use BEADS_DIR pointing elsewhere for personal tracking
3. **Issue ownership/visibility flags** - Mark issues as "local-only" vs "project"
4. **Prefix-based filtering** - Configure which prefixes are committed vs ignored

## Design Considerations

- Should be zero-friction for contributors (no manual setup)
- Must not break existing workflows
- Needs to work with sync/collaboration features
- Consider: what if a "personal" issue graduates to "project" issue?

## Expansion Needed

This is a placeholder. Needs detailed design exploration before implementation.


Refactor mol.go: split 1200+ line file into subcommands

## Problem

cmd/bd/mol.go has grown to 1200+ lines with all molecule subcommands in one file.

## Current State
- mol.go: 1218 lines (bond, spawn, run, distill, catalog, show, etc.)
- Hard to navigate, review, and maintain

## Proposed Structure
Split into separate files by subcommand:
```
cmd/bd/
├── mol.go           # Root command, shared helpers
├── mol_bond.go      # bd mol bond
├── mol_spawn.go     # bd mol spawn
├── mol_run.go       # bd mol run
├── mol_distill.go   # bd mol distill
├── mol_catalog.go   # bd mol catalog
├── mol_show.go      # bd mol show
└── mol_test.go      # Tests (already separate)
```

## Benefits
- Easier code review
- Better separation of concerns
- Simpler navigation
- Each subcommand self-contained


beads-release

Beads release workflow - from version bump to verified release.

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

## Usage

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

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


Implement transaction retry logic for SQLITE_BUSY

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

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

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

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

Impact: Spurious failures under concurrent write load

Effort: 3 hours


Merge: oast-1766978911452

branch: polecat/Toast-1766978911452
target: main
source_issue: oast-1766978911452
rig: beads


Phase 2.3: TOON deletion tracking

Implement deletion tracking in TOON format.

## Overview
Phase 2.2 switched storage to TOON format. Phase 2.3 adds deletion tracking in TOON format for propagating deletions across clones.

## Required Work

### 2.3.1 Deletion Tracking (TOON Format)
- [ ] Implement deletions.toon file (tracking deleted issue records)
- [ ] Add DeleteTracker struct to record deleted issue IDs and metadata
- [ ] Update bdt delete command to record in deletions.toon
- [ ] Design deletion record format (ID, timestamp, reason, hash)
- [ ] Implement auto-prune of old deletion records (configurable TTL)

### 2.3.2 Sync Propagation
- [ ] Load deletions.toon during import
- [ ] Remove deleted issues from local database when imported from remote
- [ ] Handle edge cases (delete same issue in multiple clones)
- [ ] Deletion ordering and conflict resolution

### 2.3.3 Testing
- [ ] Unit tests for deletion tracking
- [ ] Integration tests for deletion propagation
- [ ] Multi-clone deletion scenarios
- [ ] TTL expiration tests

## Success Criteria
- deletions.toon stores deletion records in TOON format
- Deletions propagate across clones via git sync
- Old records auto-prune after TTL
- All 70+ tests still passing
- bdt delete command works seamlessly


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


Test agent bead

Testing new agent type


Upgrade Homebrew bd

brew update && brew upgrade bd


bd graph crashes with --no-daemon on closed issues

The `bd graph` command panics with nil pointer dereference when using `--no-daemon` flag on an issue with closed children.

**Reproduction:**
```bash
bd graph bd-qqc --no-daemon
# panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
# in main.computeDependencyCounts
```

**Stack trace:**
```
panic: runtime error: invalid memory address or nil pointer dereference
[signal SIGSEGV: segmentation violation code=0x2 addr=0x20 pc=0x1010bdfb0]

goroutine 1 [running]:
main.computeDependencyCounts(...)
    /Users/stevey/gt/beads/crew/emma/cmd/bd/graph.go:428
main.renderGraph(0x1400033bb80, 0x0)
    /Users/stevey/gt/beads/crew/emma/cmd/bd/graph.go:307 +0x300
```

**Location:** cmd/bd/graph.go:428 - computeDependencyCounts() not handling nil case


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


Test deleteViaDaemon RPC client integration

Add comprehensive tests for the deleteViaDaemon function (cmd/bd/delete.go:21) which handles client-side RPC deletion calls.

## Function under test
- deleteViaDaemon: CLI command handler that sends delete requests to daemon via RPC

## Test scenarios needed
1. Successful deletion via daemon
2. Cascade deletion through daemon
3. Force deletion through daemon
4. Dry-run mode (no actual deletion)
5. Error handling:
   - Daemon unavailable
   - Invalid issue IDs
   - Dependency conflicts
6. JSON output validation
7. Human-readable output formatting

## Coverage target
Current: 0%
Target: >80%

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


Refactor sync_test to use direct import logic

In cmd/bd/sync_test.go:444, there's a TODO to refactor the test to use direct import logic instead of subprocess calls. This would make the test more reliable and faster.

File: cmd/bd/sync_test.go:444


bd doctor should recommend bd prime migration for existing repos

bd doctor should detect old beads integration patterns and recommend migrating to bd prime approach.

## Current behavior
- bd doctor checks if Claude hooks are installed globally
- Doesn't check project-level integration (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md)
- Doesn't recommend migration for repos using old patterns

## Desired behavior
bd doctor should detect and suggest:

1. **Old slash command pattern detected**
   - Check for /beads:* references in AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md
   - Suggest: These slash commands are deprecated, use bd prime hooks instead

2. **No agent documentation**
   - Check if AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md exists
   - Suggest: Run 'bd onboard' or 'bd setup claude' to document workflow

3. **Old MCP-only pattern**
   - Check for instructions to use MCP tools but no bd prime hooks
   - Suggest: Add bd prime hooks for better token efficiency

4. **Migration path**
   - Show: 'Run bd setup claude to add SessionStart/PreCompact hooks'
   - Show: 'Update AGENTS.md to reference bd prime instead of slash commands'

## Example output

⚠ Warning: Old beads integration detected in CLAUDE.md
  Found: /beads:* slash command references (deprecated)
  Recommend: Migrate to bd prime hooks for better token efficiency
  Fix: Run 'bd setup claude' and update CLAUDE.md

💡 Tip: bd prime + hooks reduces token usage by 80-99% vs slash commands
  MCP mode: ~50 tokens vs ~10.5k for full MCP scan
  CLI mode: ~1-2k tokens with automatic context recovery

## Benefits
- Helps existing repos adopt new best practices
- Clear migration path for users
- Better token efficiency messaging


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.


Implement bd pin/unpin commands

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


Fix JSON errors in comments.go

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

Commands affected:
- commentsCmd (list)
- commentsAddCmd


Add composite index (status, priority) for common list queries

SearchIssues and GetReadyWork frequently filter by status and sort by priority. Currently uses two separate indexes.

**Common query pattern (queries.go:1646-1647):**
```sql
WHERE status = ?
ORDER BY priority ASC, created_at DESC
```

**Problem:** Index merge or full scan when both columns are used.

**Solution:** Add migration:
```sql
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_issues_status_priority ON issues(status, priority);
```

**Expected impact:** Faster bd list, bd ready with filters. Particularly noticeable at 10K+ issues.


Code Review: PR #481 - Context Engineering Optimizations

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

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

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

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

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


Test Thread

Initial message for threading test


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 stale molecule check to bd doctor

Extend bd doctor to detect stale molecules.

**New check:**
- Name: 'Stale Molecules'
- Category: Workflow
- Severity: Warning (don't fail overall check)

**Detection:**
Reuse logic from bd mol stale command:
- Find mols where Completed >= Total but root is open
- Filter to orphaned (not assigned, not pinned)
- Extra weight if blocking other work

**Output:**
```
⚠ Stale Molecules
  Found 2 complete-but-unclosed molecules:
  - bd-xyz: Version bump v0.36.0 (blocking 1 issue)
  - bd-uvw: Old patrol (not blocking)
  Fix: bd close <id> or bd mol squash <id>
```

**--fix behavior:**
- Auto-close stale mols (with reason 'Auto-closed by bd doctor')
- Or prompt interactively with -i flag

Depends on: bd mol stale command


Update .claude-plugin/plugin.json to 0.30.4

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

```verify
jq -e '.version == "0.30.4"' .claude-plugin/plugin.json
```


Merge: topaz-1767083484329

branch: polecat/topaz-1767083484329
target: main
source_issue: topaz-1767083484329
rig: beads