bd init creates nested .beads directories

bd init sometimes creates .beads/.beads/ nested directories, which should never happen. This occurs fairly often and can cause confusion about which .beads directory is active. Need to add validation to detect if already inside a .beads directory and either error or use the parent .beads location.


Auto-detect issue prefix from existing JSONL in 'bd init'

When running `bd init` in a fresh clone with existing JSONL, it should auto-detect the issue prefix from the JSONL file instead of requiring `--prefix`.

Currently you must specify `--prefix ef` manually. But the JSONL file already contains issues like `ef-1it`, `ef-1jp` etc., so the prefix is known.

**Ideal UX**:
```
$ bd init
Detected issue prefix 'ef' from existing JSONL (38 issues).
✓ Database initialized...
```

This would make fresh clone hydration a single command: `bd init` with no flags.


Fixture Generator for Realistic Test Data

Create internal/testutil/fixtures/fixtures.go with functions to generate realistic test data at scale.

Functions:
- LargeSQLite(storage) - 10K issues, native SQLite
- XLargeSQLite(storage) - 20K issues, native SQLite
- LargeFromJSONL(storage) - 10K issues imported from JSONL
- XLargeFromJSONL(storage) - 20K issues imported from JSONL

Data characteristics:
- Epic hierarchies (depth 4): Epic → Feature → Task → Subtask
- Cross-linked dependencies (tasks blocking across epics)
- Realistic status/priority/label distribution
- Representative assignees and temporal data

Implementation:
- Single file: internal/testutil/fixtures/fixtures.go
- No config structs, simple direct functions
- Seeded RNG for reproducibility
- Reusable by both benchmarks and tests


Code Review Sweep: thorough

Perform thorough code review sweep based on accumulated activity.

**AI Reasoning:**
Significant code activity with 7608 lines added and 120 files changed indicates substantial modifications. Multiple high-churn areas (cmd/bd, internal/rpc) suggest potential for subtle issues and emerging patterns that warrant review.

**Scope:** thorough
**Target Areas:** cmd/bd, internal/rpc, .beads
**Estimated Files:** 12
**Estimated Cost:** $5

**Task:**
Review files for non-obvious issues that agents miss during focused work:
- Inefficiencies (algorithmic, resource usage)
- Subtle bugs (race conditions, off-by-one, copy-paste)
- Poor patterns (coupling, complexity, duplication)
- Missing best practices (error handling, docs, tests)
- Unnamed anti-patterns

File discovered issues with detailed reasoning and suggestions.


Add tests for tombstone edge cases

Missing test coverage for tombstone implementation:

1. Test tombstone validation (deleted_at requirement)
2. Test GetReadyWork excludes tombstones
3. Test SearchIssues behavior with tombstones
4. Integration test for creating/retrieving a tombstone via the delete command
5. Test that status=tombstone update is rejected


Fix import failure on missing parent issues

Import process fails atomically when JSONL references deleted parent issues. Implement hybrid solution: topological sorting + parent resurrection to handle deleted parents gracefully while maintaining referential integrity. See docs/import-bug-analysis-bd-3xq.md for full analysis.


bd init overwrites existing git hooks without detection or chaining

GH #254: bd init silently overwrites existing git hooks (like pre-commit framework) without detecting them, backing them up, or offering to chain. This breaks workflows and can result in committed code with failing tests.

Fix: Detect existing hooks, prompt user with options to chain/overwrite/skip.


Review multi-repo deletion tracking implementation

Thoroughly review the multi-repo deletion tracking fix (bd-4oob):

Files changed:
- cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go: Added getMultiRepoJSONLPaths() helper
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go: Updated snapshot capture/update logic for multi-repo
- cmd/bd/deletion_tracking_test.go: Added 2 new tests (287 lines)

Review focus areas:
1. Correctness: Does getMultiRepoJSONLPaths() handle all edge cases?
2. Performance: Calling getMultiRepoJSONLPaths() 3x per sync (snapshot capture, merge, base update) - should we cache?
3. Error handling: What if some repos fail snapshot operations but others succeed?
4. Race conditions: Multiple daemons in different repos?
5. Test coverage: Are TestMultiRepoDeletionTracking and TestMultiRepoSnapshotIsolation sufficient?
6. Path handling: Absolute vs relative paths, tilde expansion

This is fresh code - needs careful review before considering deletion tracking production-ready.

Code review completed. Overall assessment: Core deletion tracking logic is sound, but error handling and path handling issues make this not yet production-ready for multi-repo scenarios.

Key findings:

CRITICAL ISSUES (Priority 1):
1. Inconsistent error handling in daemon_sync.go - snapshot/merge fail hard but base update warns. Can leave DB in inconsistent state with no rollback. See bd-sjmr.
2. No path normalization in getMultiRepoJSONLPaths() - tilde expansion, relative paths, duplicates not handled. See bd-iye7.

SHOULD FIX (Priority 2):
3. Missing test coverage for edge cases - empty paths, duplicates, partial failures. See bd-kdoh.
4. Performance - getMultiRepoJSONLPaths() called 3x per sync (minor issue). See bd-we4p.

WHAT WORKS WELL:
- Atomic file operations with PID-based temp files
- Good snapshot isolation between repos
- Race condition protection via exclusive locks
- Solid test coverage for happy path scenarios

VERDICT: Address bd-iye7 and bd-sjmr before considering deletion tracking production-ready for multi-repo mode.

Detailed review notes available in conversation history.


Investigate and optimize test suite performance

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

This impacts development velocity and CI/CD performance.

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


Test dependency parent


Test issue 0


Update bash-agent example with Agent Mail integration

Add Agent Mail integration to examples/bash-agent/agent.sh using curl for HTTP calls.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Health check function using curl
- Reserve issue before claiming
- Send notifications on status change
- Release on completion
- Graceful degradation if curl fails
- No bash errors when Agent Mail unavailable

File: examples/bash-agent/agent.sh


Create Python adapter library

Create beads_mail_adapter.py library that wraps Agent Mail HTTP calls with health checks and graceful degradation.

Acceptance Criteria:
- AgentMailAdapter class with health check on init
- enabled flag auto-disables if server unreachable
- All methods wrapped in try/catch (non-blocking failures)
- Methods: reserve_issue(), release_issue(), notify(), check_inbox()
- Environment-based configuration (AGENT_MAIL_URL, AGENT_MAIL_TOKEN)
- Unit tests for enabled/disabled modes

File: lib/beads_mail_adapter.py


Widespread double JSON encoding bug in daemon mode RPC calls

Multiple CLI commands had the same double JSON encoding bug found in bd-1048. All commands that called ResolveID via RPC used string(resp.Data) instead of properly unmarshaling the JSON response. This caused IDs to retain JSON quotes ("bd-1048" instead of bd-1048), which then got double-encoded when passed to subsequent RPC calls.

Affected commands:
- bd show (3 instances)
- bd dep add/remove/tree (5 instances)
- bd label add/remove/list (3 instances)
- bd reopen (1 instance)

Root cause: resp.Data is json.RawMessage (already JSON-encoded), so string() conversion preserves quotes.

Fix: Replace all string(resp.Data) with json.Unmarshal(resp.Data, &id) for proper deserialization.

All commands now tested and working correctly with daemon mode.


Issue to reopen with reason


Add multi-repo support to export metadata updates

## Problem
The bd-ymj fix only updates metadata for the main jsonlPath, but the codebase supports multi-repo mode where exports write to multiple JSONL files.

Other daemon_sync operations handle multi-repo correctly:
- Lines 509-518: Snapshots captured for all multi-repo paths
- Lines 578-587: Deletions applied for all multi-repo paths

But metadata updates are missing!

## Investigation Needed
Metadata is stored globally in database (`last_import_hash`, `last_import_mtime`), but multi-repo has per-repo JSONL files. Current schema may not support tracking multiple JSONL files.

Options:
1. Store metadata per-repo (new schema)
2. Store combined hash of all repos
3. Document that multi-repo doesn't need this metadata (why?)

## Solution (if needed)
```go
// After export
if multiRepoPaths := getMultiRepoJSONLPaths(); multiRepoPaths != nil {
    // Multi-repo mode: update metadata for each JSONL
    for _, path := range multiRepoPaths {
        updateExportMetadata(exportCtx, store, path, log)
    }
} else {
    // Single-repo mode: update metadata for main JSONL
    updateExportMetadata(exportCtx, store, jsonlPath, log)
}
```

## Files
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go (createExportFunc, createSyncFunc)
- Possibly: internal/storage/sqlite/metadata.go (schema changes)

## Related
Depends on bd-ar2.1 (extract helper function first)


UX nightmare: multiple ways daemon can fail with misleading messages


Implement postinstall script for binary download

Create npm/scripts/postinstall.js that downloads platform-specific binaries:

## Platform detection
- Detect os.platform() and os.arch()
- Map to GitHub release asset names:
  - linux-amd64 → bd-linux-amd64
  - linux-arm64 → bd-linux-arm64
  - darwin-amd64 → bd-darwin-amd64
  - darwin-arm64 → bd-darwin-arm64
  - win32-x64 → bd-windows-amd64.exe

## Download logic
- Fetch from GitHub releases: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/releases/latest/download/${asset}
- Save to npm/bin/bd (or bd.exe on Windows)
- Set executable permissions (chmod +x)
- Handle errors gracefully with helpful messages

## Error handling
- Check for unsupported platforms
- Retry on network failures
- Provide manual download instructions if automated fails
- Skip download if binary already exists (for local development)


bd message: Fix inefficient client-side filtering for --unread-only


Enforce daemon singleton per workspace with file locking

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

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

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

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

## Fix Summary

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

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

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

## Root Cause

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

## Testing

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

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


bd import silently succeeds when database matches working tree but not git HEAD

**Critical**: bd import reports '0 created, 0 updated' when database matches working tree JSONL, even when working tree is ahead of git HEAD. This gives false confidence that everything is synced with the source of truth.

## Reproduction

1. Start with database synced to working tree .beads/issues.jsonl (376 issues)
2. Git HEAD has older version of .beads/issues.jsonl (354 issues)
3. Run: bd import .beads/issues.jsonl
4. Output: 'Import complete: 0 created, 0 updated'

## Problem

User expects 'bd import' after 'git pull' to sync database with committed state, but:
- Command silently succeeds because DB already matches working tree
- No warning that working tree has uncommitted changes
- User falsely believes everything is synced with git
- Violates 'JSONL in git is source of truth' principle

## Expected Behavior

When .beads/issues.jsonl differs from git HEAD, bd import should:
1. Detect uncommitted changes: git diff --quiet HEAD .beads/issues.jsonl
2. Warn user: 'Warning: .beads/issues.jsonl has uncommitted changes (376 lines vs 354 in HEAD)'
3. Clarify status: 'Import complete: 0 created, 0 updated (already synced with working tree)'
4. Recommend: 'Run git diff .beads/issues.jsonl to review uncommitted work'

## Impact

- Users can't trust 'bd import' status messages
- Silent data loss risk if user assumes synced and runs git checkout
- Breaks mental model of 'JSONL in git = source of truth'
- Critical for VC's landing-the-plane workflow


Fix TestExportUpdatesMetadata to test actual daemon functions

## Problem
TestExportUpdatesMetadata (daemon_sync_test.go:296) manually replicates the metadata update logic rather than calling the fixed functions (createExportFunc/createSyncFunc).

This means:
- Test verifies the CONCEPT works
- But doesn't verify the IMPLEMENTATION in the actual daemon functions
- If daemon code is wrong, test still passes

## Current Test Flow
```go
// Test does:
exportToJSONLWithStore()  // ← Direct call
// ... manual metadata update ...
exportToJSONLWithStore()  // ← Direct call again
```

## Should Be
```go
// Test should:
createExportFunc(...)()  // ← Call actual daemon function
// ... verify metadata was updated by the function ...
createExportFunc(...)()  // ← Call again, should not fail
```

## Challenge
createExportFunc returns a closure that's run by the daemon. Testing this requires:
- Mock logger
- Proper context setup
- Git operations might need mocking

## Files
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync_test.go

## Acceptance Criteria
- Test calls actual createExportFunc and createSyncFunc
- Test verifies metadata updated by daemon code, not test code
- Both functions tested (export and sync)


Test sync branch setup


bd prime: AI context loading and Claude Code integration

Implement `bd prime` command and Claude Code hooks for context recovery. Hooks work with BOTH MCP server and CLI approaches - they solve the context memory problem (keeping bd workflow fresh after compaction) not the tool access problem (MCP vs CLI).


Ready issue


Fix TestTwoCloneCollision to compare content not timestamps

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

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

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

This blocks completion of bd-71107098.


~/src/beads daemon has 'sql: database is closed' errors - zombie daemon


Fix default .beads/.gitignore to ignore merge artifacts (GH #274)

Updated the default .gitignore template created by `bd init` to properly ignore merge artifacts and fix overly broad patterns.

Changes:
- Added `*.db?*` pattern for database files with query strings
- Added explicit patterns for merge artifacts: beads.{base,left,right}.{jsonl,meta.json}
- Changed `!*.jsonl` to `!issues.jsonl` to avoid including merge artifact JSONL files

This fixes GitHub issue #274 reported by rscorer.


bd doctor --fix needs non-interactive mode (-y/--yes flag)

When running `bd doctor --fix` in non-interactive mode (scripts, CI, Claude Code), it prompts 'Continue? (Y/n):' and fails with EOF.

**Expected**: A `-y` or `--yes` flag to auto-confirm fixes.

**Workaround**: Currently have to run `bd init` instead, but that's not discoverable from the doctor output.


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

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

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

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

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


Add warning when staleness check errors

## Problem

When ensureDatabaseFresh() calls CheckStaleness() and it errors (corrupted metadata, permission issues, etc.), we silently proceed with potentially stale data.

**Location:** cmd/bd/staleness.go:27-32

**Scenarios:**
- Corrupted metadata table
- Database locked by another process
- Permission issues reading JSONL file
- Invalid last_import_time format in DB

## Current Code

```go
isStale, err := autoimport.CheckStaleness(ctx, store, dbPath)
if err \!= nil {
    // If we can't determine staleness, allow operation to proceed
    // (better to show potentially stale data than block user)
    return nil
}
```

## Fix

```go
isStale, err := autoimport.CheckStaleness(ctx, store, dbPath)
if err \!= nil {
    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: Could not verify database freshness: %v\n", err)
    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Proceeding anyway. Data may be stale.\n\n")
    return nil
}
```

## Impact
Medium - users should know when staleness check fails

## Effort
Easy - 5 minutes


Remove Cache Configuration Docs

Remove documentation of deprecated cache env vars


Invert control for compact: provide tools for agent-driven compaction

Currently compact requires Anthropic API key because bd calls the AI directly. This is backwards - we should provide tools (like all other bd commands) that let an AI agent perform the compaction. The agent decides what to keep/merge, not bd. Related to GH #243 complaint about API key requirement.


bd sync false positive: conflict detection triggers on JSON-encoded angle brackets in issue content

The bd sync --import-only command incorrectly detects conflict markers when issue descriptions contain the text '<<<<<<<' or '>>>>>>>' as legitimate content (e.g., documentation about git conflict markers).

**Reproduction:**
1. Create issue with design field containing: 'Read file, extract <<<<<<< / ======= / >>>>>>> markers'
2. Export to JSONL (gets JSON-encoded as \u003c\u003c\u003c...)
3. Commit and push
4. Pull from remote
5. bd sync --import-only fails with: 'Git conflict markers detected in JSONL file'

**Root cause:**
The conflict detection appears to decode JSON before checking for conflict markers, causing false positives when issue content legitimately contains these strings.

**Expected behavior:**
Conflict detection should only trigger on actual git conflict markers (literal '<<<<<<<' bytes in the raw file), not on JSON-encoded content within issue fields.

**Test case:**
VC project at ~/src/dave/vc has vc-85 'JSONL Conflict Parser' which documents conflict parsing and triggers this bug.

**Suggested fixes:**
1. Only scan for literal '<<<<<<<' bytes (not decoded JSON content)
2. Parse JSONL first and only flag unparseable lines
3. Check git merge state (git status) to confirm actual conflict
4. Add --skip-conflict-check flag for override


Add sync.branch configuration

Add configuration layer to support sync.branch setting via config file, environment variable, or CLI flag.

Tasks:
- Add sync.branch field to config schema
- Add BEADS_SYNC_BRANCH environment variable
- Add --branch flag to bd init
- Add bd config get/set sync.branch commands
- Validation (branch name format, conflicts)
- Config migration for existing users

Estimated effort: 1-2 days


Create architecture decision record (ADR)

Document why we chose Agent Mail, alternatives considered, and tradeoffs.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Problem statement (git traffic, no locks)
- Alternatives considered (custom RPC, Redis, etc.)
- Why Agent Mail fits Beads
- Integration principles (optional, graceful degradation)
- Future considerations

File: docs/adr/002-agent-mail-integration.md


Issue 2


Deletions not propagated across multi-workspace sync

## Problem

When working with multiple beads workspaces (clones) sharing the same git remote, deleted issues keep coming back.

## Reproduction

1. Clone A deletes issue `bd-xyz` via `bd delete bd-xyz --force`
2. Clone A daemon syncs and pushes to GitHub
3. Clone B still has `bd-xyz` in its database
4. Clone B daemon exports and pushes its JSONL
5. Clone A pulls and imports → `bd-xyz` comes back!

## Root Cause

**No deletion tracking mechanism.** The system has no way to distinguish between:
- "Issue doesn't exist in JSONL because it was deleted"
- "Issue doesn't exist in JSONL because the export is stale"

Import treats missing issues as "not in this export" rather than "explicitly deleted."

## Solution Options

1. **Tombstone records** - Keep deleted issues in JSONL with `"status":"deleted"` or `"deleted_at"` field
2. **Deletion log** - Separate `.beads/deletions.jsonl` file tracking all deleted IDs
3. **Three-way merge** - Import compares: DB state, old JSONL, new JSONL
4. **Manual conflict resolution** - Detect resurrection and prompt user

## Related

- Similar to resurrection logic for orphaned children (bd-cc4f)
- beads-merge tool handles this better with 3-way merge


Measure git operation reduction

Quantify the reduction in git operations (pulls, commits, pushes) when using Agent Mail for coordination.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Baseline: count git ops for 10 issues without Agent Mail
- With Agent Mail: count git ops for 10 issues
- Document reduction percentage
- Verify 70-80% reduction claim
- Measure impact on .git directory size growth

Success Metric: ≥70% reduction in git operations


Fix PR #319: Performance Improvements - CI failures and lint errors

PR #319 (Performance Improvements) has excellent performance optimizations but is blocked by CI failures.

## The PR
- URL: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/pull/319
- Author: @rsnodgrass (Ryan)
- Claimed improvements: bd ready 20.5x faster (752ms → 36.6ms), startup 10.5x faster

## CI Failures

### Lint Errors (8 total)
1. cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go:57 - unchecked os.Remove
2. cmd/bd/import.go:548 - unchecked os.RemoveAll
3. cmd/bd/message.go:205 - unchecked resp.Body.Close
4. cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:633 - unchecked fmt.Scanln
5. cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:701 - unchecked MarkFlagRequired
6. cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:702 - unchecked MarkFlagRequired
7. cmd/bd/show.go:610 - gosec G104 unhandled error
8. cmd/bd/show.go:614 - gosec G104 unhandled error

### Test Failures
All syncbranch_test.go tests failing with:
"migration external_ref_column failed: failed to create index on external_ref: sqlite3: SQL logic error: no such table: main.issues"

This suggests the PR branch needs rebasing on current main.

## Required Work

### 1. Fix Lint Errors
Add proper error handling for all 8 flagged locations. Most can use _ = or log warnings.

### 2. Rebase on Current Main
The migration test failures indicate the branch is out of sync. Need to:
- git fetch upstream
- git rebase upstream/main
- Resolve any conflicts
- Verify tests pass locally

### 3. Verify CI Passes
- All lint checks green
- All tests pass (Linux, Windows, Nix)

## Optional Improvements
- Consider splitting into smaller PRs (core index, WASM cache, testing infra)
- Add documentation for benchmark usage
- Extract helper functions in doctor/perf.go for better testability

## Value
This PR delivers real performance improvements. The index optimization alone is worth merging quickly once CI is fixed.


Feature P1


Add alias field to database schema

Extend database schema to support human-friendly aliases alongside hash IDs.

## Database Changes

### 1. Add alias column to issues table
```sql
ALTER TABLE issues ADD COLUMN alias INTEGER UNIQUE;
CREATE INDEX idx_issues_alias ON issues(alias);
```

### 2. Add alias counter table
```sql
CREATE TABLE alias_counter (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY CHECK (id = 1),
    next_alias INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 1
);
INSERT INTO alias_counter (id, next_alias) VALUES (1, 1);
```

### 3. Add alias conflict tracking (for multi-clone scenarios)
```sql
CREATE TABLE alias_history (
    issue_id TEXT NOT NULL,
    alias INTEGER NOT NULL,
    assigned_at TIMESTAMP NOT NULL,
    workspace_id TEXT NOT NULL,
    PRIMARY KEY (issue_id, alias)
);
```

## API Changes

### CreateIssue
- Generate hash ID
- Assign next available alias
- Store both in database

### ResolveAliasConflicts (new function)
- Detect conflicting alias assignments after import
- Apply resolution strategy (content-hash ordering)
- Reassign losers to next available aliases

## Migration Path
```bash
bd migrate --add-aliases  # Adds columns, assigns aliases to existing issues
```

## Files to Modify
- internal/storage/sqlite/schema.go
- internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go (CreateIssue, GetIssue)
- internal/storage/sqlite/aliases.go (new file for alias logic)
- internal/storage/sqlite/migrations.go

## Testing
- Test alias auto-assignment on create
- Test alias uniqueness constraint
- Test alias lookup performance
- Test alias conflict resolution


bd message: Add input validation for --importance flag

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Export doesn't update last_import_hash metadata causing perpetual 'JSONL content has changed' errors

After a successful export, the daemon doesn't update last_import_hash or last_import_mtime metadata. This causes hasJSONLChanged to return true on the next export attempt, blocking with 'refusing to export: JSONL content has changed since last import'.

Related to GH #334.

Scenario:
1. Daemon exports successfully → JSONL updated, hash changes
2. Metadata NOT updated (last_import_hash still points to old hash)
3. Next mutation triggers export
4. validatePreExport calls hasJSONLChanged
5. hasJSONLChanged sees current JSONL hash != last_import_hash
6. Export blocked with 'JSONL content has changed since last import'
7. Issue stuck: can't export, can't make progress

This creates a catch-22 where the system thinks JSONL changed externally when it was the daemon itself that changed it.

Current behavior:
- Import updates metadata (import.go:310-336)
- Export does NOT update metadata (daemon_sync.go:307)
- Result: metadata becomes stale after every export


Reduce sync rounds in multiclone tests

Analyze and reduce the number of sync rounds in hash multiclone tests.

Current state:
- TestHashIDs_MultiCloneConverge: 1 round of syncs across 3 clones
- TestHashIDs_IdenticalContentDedup: 2 rounds across 2 clones

Investigation needed:
- Profile to see how much time each sync takes
- Determine minimum rounds needed for convergence
- Consider making rounds configurable via env var

File: beads_hash_multiclone_test.go:70, :132


WASM integration testing

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


Add unit tests for parent resurrection

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


Add tests for daemon sync module


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%


Add ON DELETE CASCADE to child_counters schema

Update schema.go child_counters table foreign key with ON DELETE CASCADE. When parent deleted, child counter should also be deleted. If parent is resurrected, counter gets recreated from scratch. Add migration for existing databases.


Improve test coverage for internal/syncbranch (33.0% → 70%)

The syncbranch package has only 33.0% test coverage. This package handles git sync operations and is critical for data integrity.

Current coverage: 33.0%
Target coverage: 70%


Fix autoimport tests for content-hash collision scoring

## Overview
Three autoimport tests are failing after [deleted:bd-cbed9619.4] because they expect behavior based on the old reference-counting collision resolution, but the system now uses deterministic content-hash scoring.

## Failing Tests
1. `TestAutoImportMultipleCollisionsRemapped` - expects local versions preserved
2. `TestAutoImportAllCollisionsRemapped` - expects local versions preserved
3. `TestAutoImportCollisionRemapMultipleFields` - expects specific collision resolution behavior

## Root Cause
These tests were written when ScoreCollisions used reference counting to determine which version to keep. Now it uses content-hash comparison (introduced in commit 2e87329), which produces different but deterministic results.

## Example
Old behavior: Issue with more references would be kept
New behavior: Issue with lexicographically lower content hash is kept

## Solution
Update each test to:
1. Verify the new content-hash based behavior is correct
2. Check that the remapped issue (not necessarily local/remote) has the expected content
3. Ensure dependencies are preserved on the correct remapped issue

## Acceptance Criteria
- All three autoimport tests pass
- Tests verify content-hash determinism (same collision always resolves the same way)
- Tests check dependency preservation on remapped issues
- Test documentation explains content-hash scoring expectations

## Files to Modify
- `cmd/bd/autoimport_collision_test.go`

## Testing
Run: `go test ./cmd/bd -run "TestAutoImport.*Collision" -v`


Investigate why test issues persist in database

Test issues (bd-0do3, bd-cjxp, bd-phr2, etc.) keep appearing in ready/list output, cluttering real work. These appear to be leftover test data from test runs.

Need to investigate:
1. Why are test issues not being cleaned up after tests?
2. Are tests creating issues in the main database instead of test databases?
3. Should we add better test isolation or cleanup hooks?
4. Can we add a label/prefix to distinguish test issues from real issues?

These test issues have characteristics:
- Empty descriptions
- Generic titles like "Test issue 0", "Bug P0", "Issue to reopen with reason"
- Created around 2025-11-07 19:00-19:07
- Some assigned to test users like "alice", "bob", "testuser"

## Root Cause Analysis

**Problem**: Python MCP integration tests created test issues in production `.beads/beads.db` instead of isolated test databases.

**Evidence**:
- 29 test issues created on Nov 7, 2025 at 19:00-19:07
- Patterns: "Bug P0", "Test issue X", assignees "alice"/"bob"/"testuser"
- Git commit 0e8936b shows test issues committed to .beads/beads.jsonl
- Tests were being fixed for workspace isolation around the same time

**Why It Happened**:
1. Before commit 0e8936b, `test_client_lazy_initialization()` didn't set `BEADS_WORKING_DIR`
2. Tests fell back to discovering `.beads/` in the project root directory
3. Auto-sync committed test issues to production database

**Resolution**:
1. ✅ Closed 29 test pollution issues (bd-0do3, bd-cjxp, etc.)
2. ✅ Added `failIfProductionDatabase()` guard in Go test helpers
3. ✅ Added production pollution checks in RPC test setup
4. ✅ Created `conftest.py` with pytest safety checks for Python tests
5. ✅ Added `BEADS_TEST_MODE` env var to mark test execution
6. ✅ Tests now fail fast if they detect production database usage

**Prevention**:
- All test helper functions now verify database paths are in temp directories
- Python tests fail immediately if BEADS_DB points to production
- BEADS_TEST_MODE flag helps identify test vs production execution
- Clear error messages guide developers to use proper test isolation

**Files Modified**:
- cmd/bd/test_helpers_test.go - Added failIfProductionDatabase()
- internal/rpc/rpc_test.go - Added temp directory verification
- integrations/beads-mcp/tests/conftest.py - New file with pytest safeguards


bd resolve-conflicts - Git merge conflict resolver

Automatically resolve JSONL merge conflicts.

Modes:
- Mechanical: ID remapping (no AI)
- AI-assisted: Smart merge/keep decisions
- Interactive: Review each conflict

Handles <<<<<<< conflict markers in .beads/beads.jsonl

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


Add circular dependency detection to bd doctor

Added cycle detection as Check #10 in bd doctor command. Uses same recursive CTE query as DetectCycles() to find circular dependencies. Reports error status with count and fix suggestion if cycles found.


Issue with labels


Extract SQLite migrations into separate files

The file `internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go` is 2,136 lines and contains 11 sequential migrations alongside core storage logic. Extract migrations into a versioned system.

Current issues:
- 11 migration functions mixed with core logic
- Hard to see migration history
- Sequential migrations slow database open
- No clear migration versioning

Migration functions to extract:
- `migrateDirtyIssuesTable()`
- `migrateIssueCountersTable()`
- `migrateExternalRefColumn()`
- `migrateCompositeIndexes()`
- `migrateClosedAtConstraint()`
- `migrateCompactionColumns()`
- `migrateSnapshotsTable()`
- `migrateCompactionConfig()`
- `migrateCompactedAtCommitColumn()`
- `migrateExportHashesTable()`
- Plus 1 more (11 total)

Target structure:
```
internal/storage/sqlite/
├── sqlite.go          # Core storage (~800 lines)
├── schema.go          # Table definitions (~200 lines)
├── migrations.go      # Migration orchestration (~200 lines)
└── migrations/        # Individual migrations
    ├── 001_initial_schema.go
    ├── 002_dirty_issues.go
    ├── 003_issue_counters.go
    [... through 011_export_hashes.go]
```

Benefits:
- Clear migration history
- Each migration self-contained
- Easier to review migration changes in PRs
- Future migrations easier to add


Add "bd daemons" command for multi-daemon management

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


Git history fallback assumes .beads is direct child of repo root

## Problem

`checkGitHistoryForDeletions` assumes the repo structure:

```go
repoRoot := filepath.Dir(beadsDir)  // Assumes .beads is in repo root
jsonlPath := filepath.Join(".beads", "beads.jsonl")
```

But `.beads` could be in a subdirectory (monorepo, nested project), and the actual JSONL filename could be different (configured via `metadata.json`).

## Location
`internal/importer/importer.go:865-869`

## Impact
- Git search will fail silently for repos with non-standard structure
- Monorepo users won't get deletion propagation

## Fix
1. Use `git rev-parse --show-toplevel` to find actual repo root
2. Compute relative path from repo root to JSONL
3. Or use `git -C <dir>` to run from beadsDir directly


formatVanishedIssues output order is non-deterministic


Add uninstall documentation (GH #445)


Clean up linter errors (914 total issues)

The codebase has 914 linter issues reported by golangci-lint. While many are documented as baseline in LINTING.md, we should clean these up systematically to improve code quality and maintainability.

Reduced from 56 to 41 issues locally, then to 0 issues.

**Fixed in commits:**
- c2c7eda: Fixed 15 actual errors (dupl, gosec, revive, staticcheck, unparam)
- 963181d: Configured exclusions to get to 0 issues locally

**Current status:**
- ✅ Local: golangci-lint reports 0 issues
- ❌ CI: Still failing (see [deleted:bd-cb64c226.1])

**Problem:**
Config v2 format or golangci-lint-action@v8 compatibility issue causing CI to fail despite local success.

**Next:** Debug [deleted:bd-cb64c226.1] to fix CI/local discrepancy


Delete skipped tests for "old buggy behavior"

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

Test functions to remove:

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

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

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

Impact: Removes ~150 LOC of permanently skipped tests


Add programmatic tip injection API

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


bd info whats-new missing releases

Current release is v0.25.1 but `bd info --whats-new` stops at v0.23.0, indicating something is missing in the create new release workflow.


Add global verbosity flags (--verbose, --quiet)

Add consistent verbosity controls across all commands.

**Current state:**
- bd init has --quiet flag
- No other commands have verbosity controls
- Debug output controlled by BD_VERBOSE env var

**Proposal:**
Add persistent flags:
- --verbose / -v: Enable debug output
- --quiet / -q: Suppress non-essential output

**Implementation:**
- Add to rootCmd.PersistentFlags()
- Replace BD_VERBOSE checks with flag checks
- Standardize output levels:
  * Quiet: Errors only
  * Normal: Errors + success messages
  * Verbose: Errors + success + debug info

**Files to modify:**
- cmd/bd/main.go (add flags)
- internal/debug/debug.go (respect flags)
- Update all commands to respect quiet mode

**Testing:**
- Verify --verbose shows debug output
- Verify --quiet suppresses normal output
- Ensure errors always show regardless of mode


bd sync fails with orphaned issues and duplicate ID conflict

After fixing the deleted_at TEXT column scanning bug (commit 18b1eb2), bd sync still fails with two issues:

1. Orphan Detection Warning: 12 orphaned child issues whose parents no longer exist (bd-cb64c226.* and bd-cbed9619.*)

2. Import Failure: UNIQUE constraint failed for bd-360 - this tombstone exists in both DB and JSONL

Error: "Import failed: error creating depth-0 issues: bulk insert issues: failed to insert issue bd-360: sqlite3: constraint failed: UNIQUE constraint failed: issues.id"

Fix options:
- Delete orphaned child issues with bd delete
- Resolve bd-360 duplicate (in deletions.jsonl vs tombstone in DB)
- Reset sync branch: git branch -f beads-sync main && git push --force-with-lease origin beads-sync

Fixed tombstone constraint violation bug. When deleting closed issues, the CHECK constraint (status = 'closed') = (closed_at IS NOT NULL) was violated because CreateTombstone didn't clear closed_at. Fix: set closed_at = NULL in tombstone creation SQL.

The sync data corruption (orphaned issues in beads-sync branch) requires manual cleanup: reset sync branch with 'git branch -f beads-sync main && git push --force-with-lease origin beads-sync'


False positive detection by Kaspersky Antivirus (Trojan)

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


Audit and consolidate collision test coverage

The codebase has 2,019 LOC of collision detection tests across 3 files. Run coverage analysis to identify redundant test cases and consolidate.

Test files:
- `cmd/bd/import_collision_test.go` - 974 LOC
- `cmd/bd/autoimport_collision_test.go` - 750 LOC
- `cmd/bd/import_collision_regression_test.go` - 295 LOC

Total: 2,019 LOC of collision tests

Analysis steps:
1. Run coverage analysis
2. Identify redundant tests
3. Document findings

Consolidation strategy:
- Keep regression tests for critical bugs
- Merge overlapping table-driven tests
- Remove redundant edge case tests covered elsewhere
- Ensure all collision scenarios still tested

Expected outcome: Reduce to ~1,200 LOC (save ~800 lines) while maintaining coverage

Impact: Faster test runs, easier maintenance, clearer test intent


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 {


Imperator does not know its own mail identity


Add comprehensive tests for show.go commands (show, update, edit, close)

Need to add tests for cmd/bd/show.go which contains show, update, edit, and close commands.

**Challenge**: The existing test patterns use rootCmd.SetArgs() and rootCmd.Execute(), but the global `store` variable needs to match what the commands use. Initial attempt created tests that failed with "no issue found" because the test's store instance wasn't the same as the command's store.

**Files to test**:
- show.go (contains showCmd, updateCmd, editCmd, closeCmd)

**Coverage needed**:
- show command (single issue, multiple issues, JSON output, with dependencies, with labels, with compaction)
- update command (status, priority, title, assignee, description, multiple fields, multiple issues)
- edit command (requires $EDITOR, may need mocking)
- close command (single issue, multiple issues, with reason, JSON output)

**Test approach**:
1. Study working test patterns in init_test.go, list_test.go, etc.
2. Ensure BEADS_NO_DAEMON=1 is set
3. Properly initialize database with bd init
4. Use the command's global store, not a separate instance
5. May need to reset global state between tests

**Success criteria**:
- All test functions pass
- Coverage for show.go increases significantly
- Tests follow existing patterns in cmd/bd/*_test.go


Fix gosec lint warnings in doctor.go, main.go, and fix subdirectory

CI lint job failing with 4 gosec warnings:
- cmd/bd/doctor.go:664 (G304: file inclusion via variable)
- cmd/bd/doctor/fix/database_config.go:166 (G304: file inclusion via variable)
- cmd/bd/doctor/fix/untracked.go:61 (G204: subprocess launched with variable)
- cmd/bd/main.go:645 (G304: file inclusion via variable)

Either suppress with `// #nosec` if false positives, or refactor to validate paths properly.


Replace BEADS_DB with BEADS_DIR environment variable

Implement BEADS_DIR as a replacement for BEADS_DB to point to the .beads directory instead of the database file directly.

Rationale:
- With --no-db mode, there's no .db file to point to
- The .beads directory is the logical unit (contains config.yaml, db files, jsonl files)
- More intuitive: point to the beads directory not the database file

Implementation:
1. Add BEADS_DIR environment variable support
2. Maintain backward compatibility with BEADS_DB
3. Priority order: BEADS_DIR > BEADS_DB > auto-discovery
4. If BEADS_DIR is set, look for config.yaml in that directory to find actual database path
5. Update documentation and migration guide

Files to modify:
- beads.go (FindDatabasePath function)
- cmd/bd/main.go (initialization)
- Documentation (CLI_REFERENCE.md, TROUBLESHOOTING.md, etc.)
- MCP integration (integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/config.py)

Testing:
- Ensure BEADS_DB still works (backward compatibility)
- Test BEADS_DIR with both db and --no-db modes
- Test priority order when both are set
- Update integration tests

Related to GitHub issue #179


Update git hooks to be sync.branch aware

## Problem

The pre-push hook blocks pushes when .beads/issues.jsonl has uncommitted changes. But with sync.branch configured, those changes are intentionally NOT committed to main - they go to the sync branch via worktree.

## Current Behavior

1. User configures sync.branch=beads-sync
2. bd sync commits changes to beads-sync via worktree
3. Local .beads/issues.jsonl is updated (needed for import)
4. git push to main triggers pre-push hook
5. Hook sees uncommitted .beads changes and blocks push
6. User must use --no-verify to push

## Expected Behavior

When sync.branch is configured, the pre-push hook should:
1. Check if sync.branch is set (bd config get sync.branch)
2. If set, skip the .beads uncommitted check OR
3. Verify changes are committed to the sync branch instead

## Affected Files

- examples/git-hooks/pre-push
- examples/git-hooks/pre-commit (may also need update)

## Workaround

Use git push --no-verify


Improve test coverage for internal/export (37.1% → 60%)

The export package has only 37.1% test coverage. Export functionality needs good coverage to ensure data integrity.

Current coverage: 37.1%
Target coverage: 60%


Remove duplicate countIssuesInJSONLFile function

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


Code Review Sweep: thorough

Perform thorough code review sweep based on accumulated activity.

**AI Reasoning:**
Significant code volume added (150,273 lines) across multiple critical areas, including cmd/bd, internal/storage/sqlite, and internal/rpc. High file change count (616) indicates substantial refactoring or new functionality. The metrics suggest potential for subtle architectural or implementation issues that warrant review.

**Scope:** thorough
**Target Areas:** cmd/bd, internal/storage/sqlite, internal/rpc
**Estimated Files:** 12
**Estimated Cost:** $5

**Task:**
Review files for non-obvious issues that agents miss during focused work:
- Inefficiencies (algorithmic, resource usage)
- Subtle bugs (race conditions, off-by-one, copy-paste)
- Poor patterns (coupling, complexity, duplication)
- Missing best practices (error handling, docs, tests)
- Unnamed anti-patterns

File discovered issues with detailed reasoning and suggestions.


Add MCP server functions for repair commands

Expose new repair commands via MCP server for agent access:

Functions to add:
- beads_repair_deps()
- beads_detect_pollution()
- beads_validate()
- beads_resolve_conflicts() (when implemented)

Update integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/server.py

See repair_commands.md lines 803-884 for design.


isLikelyHash rejects 3-char all-letter base36 hashes

ExtractIssuePrefix fails for multi-hyphen prefixes when the 3-char hash suffix has no digits.

Example: `xa-adt-bat` returns prefix `xa` instead of `xa-adt`.

Root cause: `isLikelyHash()` requires at least one digit to distinguish hashes from English words, but base36 hashes can be all-letters by chance.

Affected: 20 issues in xa-adapt with suffixes like bat, dev, fbi, oil, etc.


Beads commands operate on stale database without warning

All beads read operations should validate database is in sync with JSONL before proceeding.

**Current Behavior:**
- Commands can query/read from stale database
- Only mutation operations (like 'bd sync') check if JSONL is newer
- User gets incorrect results without realizing database is out of sync

**Expected Behavior:**
- All beads commands should have pre-flight check for database freshness
- If JSONL is newer than database, refuse to operate with error: "Database out of sync. Run 'bd import' first."
- Same safety check that exists for 'bd sync' should apply to ALL operations

**Impact:**
- Users make decisions based on incomplete/outdated data
- Silent failures lead to confusion (e.g., thinking issues don't exist when they do)
- Similar to running git commands on stale repo without being warned to pull

**Example:**
- Searched for bd-g9eu issue file: not found
- Issue exists in .beads/issues.jsonl (in git)
- Database was stale, but no warning was given
- Led to incorrect conclusion that issue was already closed/deleted

## Implementation Complete

**Phase 1: Created staleness check (cmd/bd/staleness.go)**
- ensureDatabaseFresh() function checks JSONL mtime vs last_import_time
- Returns error with helpful message when database is stale
- Auto-skips in daemon mode (daemon has auto-import)

**Phase 2: Added to all read commands**
- list, show, ready, status, stale, info, duplicates, validate
- Check runs before database queries in direct mode
- Daemon mode already protected via checkAndAutoImportIfStale()

**Phase 3: Code Review Findings**
See follow-up issues:
- bd-XXXX: Add warning when staleness check errors
- bd-YYYY: Improve CheckStaleness error handling
- bd-ZZZZ: Refactor redundant daemon checks (low priority)

**Testing:**
- Build successful: go build ./cmd/bd
- Binary works: ./bd --version
- Ready for manual testing

**Next Steps:**
1. Test with stale database scenario
2. Implement review improvements
3. Close issue when tests pass


Document bd edit command and verify MCP exclusion

Follow-up from PR #152:
1. Add "bd edit" to AGENTS.md with "Humans only" note
2. Verify MCP server doesn't expose bd edit command
3. Consider adding test for command registration


TestHooksCheckGitHooks failing - version mismatch (0.23.0 vs 0.23.1)

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

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

This is blocking the landing of GH #274 fix.


bd delete bulk operations fight with auto-import/daemon causing data resurrection

When bulk deleting issues (e.g., 244 closed issues older than 24h), the process fights with auto-import and daemon infrastructure:

**Expected behavior:**
- Delete 244 issues from 468-issue database
- Export to JSONL (224 lines)
- Commit and push
- Result: 224 issues

**Actual behavior:**
- Delete 244 issues
- Import runs (from stale git JSONL with 468 issues)
- Resurrects deleted issues back into database
- Export writes 356 lines (not 224)
- Math: 468 - 244 = 224, but got 356 (132 issues resurrected)

**Root cause:**
Auto-import keeps re-importing from git during the delete operation, before the new JSONL is committed. The workflow is:
1. Delete from DB
2. Auto-import runs (reads old JSONL from git with deleted issues still present)
3. Issues come back
4. Export writes partially-deleted state

**Solution options:**
1. Add `--no-auto-import` flag to bulk delete operations
2. Atomic delete-export-commit operation that suppresses imports
3. Dedicated `bd prune` command that handles this correctly
4. Lock file to prevent auto-import during bulk mutations

**Impact:**
- Bulk cleanup operations don't work reliably
- Makes it nearly impossible to prune old closed issues
- Confusing UX (delete 244, but only 112 actually removed)

**FIXED**: Auto-import now skips during delete operations to prevent resurrection.

**Root cause confirmed**: Auto-import was running in PersistentPreRun before delete executed, causing it to re-import stale JSONL from git and resurrect deleted issues.

**Solution implemented**:
1. Added delete to skip list in main.go PersistentPreRun (alongside import and sync --dry-run)
2. Delete operations now complete atomically without auto-import interference
3. Added comprehensive test (TestBulkDeleteNoResurrection) to prevent regression

**Test verification**:
- Creates 20 issues, deletes 10
- Verifies no resurrection after delete
- Confirms JSONL has correct count (10 remaining)
- All existing tests still pass


Missing test for IsExpiredTombstone edge cases

## Problem

The `IsExpiredTombstone()` function has several edge cases that aren't directly tested:

1. **Invalid DeletedAt timestamp** - Returns false (safety), but not tested
2. **ttl=0 fallback to DefaultTombstoneTTL** - Not tested directly
3. **Tombstone with empty DeletedAt** - Returns false, tested implicitly but not explicitly
4. **Clock skew grace period effect** - Not tested (would need time mocking)

## Current Test Coverage

The existing tests use `time.Now()` which makes them non-deterministic:
```go
DeletedAt: time.Now().Add(-24 * time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339)
```

This works but doesn't test the expiration boundary precisely.

## Recommendation

Add explicit unit tests for `IsExpiredTombstone()`:

```go
func TestIsExpiredTombstone(t *testing.T) {
    tests := []struct {
        name      string
        status    string
        deletedAt string
        ttl       time.Duration
        expected  bool
    }{
        {"non-tombstone returns false", "open", "2024-01-01T00:00:00Z", 0, false},
        {"empty deleted_at returns false", "tombstone", "", 0, false},
        {"invalid timestamp returns false", "tombstone", "not-a-date", 0, false},
        {"within TTL returns false", "tombstone", time.Now().Add(-1*time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339), 24*time.Hour, false},
        {"beyond TTL returns true", "tombstone", time.Now().Add(-48*time.Hour).Format(time.RFC3339), 24*time.Hour, true},
    }
    // ...
}
```

## Files
- internal/merge/merge.go:255-290
- internal/merge/merge_test.go (add TestIsExpiredTombstone)


Add #nosec G304 comments to JSONL file reads in sync.go

sync.go:610 uses os.ReadFile(jsonlPath) without #nosec comment, inconsistent with other JSONL reads that have '// #nosec G304 - controlled path'.

Add comment for consistency with integrity.go:43 and import.go:316.


Fix hasJSONLChanged to support per-repo metadata keys

## Problem
After bd-ar2.2, we store metadata with per-repo keys like `last_import_hash:<path>`, but `hasJSONLChanged` and `validatePreExport` still only check global keys.

## Impact
- Multi-repo mode won't benefit from bd-ymj fix
- validatePreExport will fail incorrectly or pass incorrectly
- Metadata updates are written but never read

## Location
- cmd/bd/integrity.go:97 (hasJSONLChanged)
- cmd/bd/integrity.go:138 (validatePreExport)

## Solution
Update hasJSONLChanged to accept optional keySuffix parameter:
```go
func hasJSONLChanged(ctx context.Context, store storage.Storage, jsonlPath string, keySuffix string) bool {
    // Build metadata keys with optional suffix
    hashKey := "last_import_hash"
    mtimeKey := "last_import_mtime"
    if keySuffix != "" {
        hashKey += ":" + keySuffix
        mtimeKey += ":" + keySuffix
    }
    // ... rest of function
}
```

Update all callers to pass correct keySuffix.


Add --yes flag to bd doctor --fix for non-interactive mode

## Feature Request

Add a `--yes` or `-y` flag to `bd doctor --fix` that automatically confirms all prompts, enabling non-interactive usage in scripts and CI/CD pipelines.

## Current Behavior
`bd doctor --fix` prompts for confirmation before applying fixes, which blocks automated workflows.

## Desired Behavior
`bd doctor --fix --yes` should apply all fixes without prompting.

## Use Cases
- CI/CD pipelines that need to auto-fix issues
- Scripts that automate repository setup
- Pre-commit hooks that want to silently fix issues


Parameterize SQLite busy_timeout in store.go

Modify sqlite.New() to accept configurable busy_timeout.

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

## Implementation Options

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

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

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

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

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

Part of bd-olc1


Latency test manual


Publish bd-wasm to npm

Package and publish WASM build to npm. Child of epic bd-44d0.

## Tasks
- [ ] Optimize WASM bundle (compression)
- [ ] Create README for npm package
- [ ] Set up npm publishing workflow
- [ ] Publish v0.1.0-alpha
- [ ] Test installation in clean environment
- [ ] Update beads AGENTS.md with installation instructions

## Package Name
bd-wasm (or @beads/wasm-cli)


Publish @beads/bd package to npm registry

Publish the npm package to the public npm registry:

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

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

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

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


Consolidate export/import/commit/push into sync.go

Create internal/daemonrunner/sync.go with Syncer type. Add ExportOnce, ImportOnce, CommitAndMaybePush methods. Replace createExportFunc/createAutoImportFunc with thin closures calling Syncer.


Test child issue


Optimize Memory backend GetIssueByExternalRef with index

Currently GetIssueByExternalRef in Memory storage uses O(n) linear search through all issues.

Current code (memory.go:282-308):
for _, issue := range m.issues {
    if issue.ExternalRef != nil && *issue.ExternalRef == externalRef {
        return &issueCopy, nil
    }
}

Proposed optimization:
- Add externalRefToID map[string]string to MemoryStorage
- Maintain it in CreateIssue, UpdateIssue, DeleteIssue
- Achieve O(1) lookup like SQLite's index

Impact: Low (--no-db mode typically has smaller datasets)
Related: bd-1022


Fix variable shadowing in GetNextChildID resurrection code

## Problem
Minor variable shadowing in hash_ids.go:

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

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

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

## Solution
Use different variable name:

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

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

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


Implement `bd setup claude` command for Claude Code integration

Create a `bd setup claude` command that installs Claude Code integration files (slash commands and hooks). This is idempotent and safe to run multiple times.


Fix silent error handling in RPC response writing

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

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

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

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

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

Impact: Client hangs waiting for response; corrupt JSON sent

Effort: 1 hour


bd status "Recent Activity" is misleading - should use git history

## Problem

`bd status` shows "Recent Activity (last 7 days)" but the numbers are wrong. It only looks at database timestamps, not git history. Says "141 issues closed in last 7 days" when thousands have actually come and go.

## Issues

1. Only queries database timestamps, not git history
2. 7 days is too long a window
3. Numbers don't reflect actual activity in JSONL git history

## Proposed Fix

Either:
- Query git history of `.beads/beads.jsonl` to get actual activity (last 24-48 hours)
- Remove "Recent Activity" section entirely if not useful
- Make time window configurable and default to 24h

## Example Output (Current)
```
Recent Activity (last 7 days):
Issues Created:    174
Issues Closed:     141
Issues Updated:    37
```
This is misleading when thousands of issues have actually cycled through.


bd-hv01: Add comprehensive edge case tests for deletion tracking

Need to add tests for: corrupted snapshot file, stale snapshot (> 1 hour), concurrent sync operations (daemon + manual), partial deletion failure, empty remote JSONL, multi-repo mode with deletions, git worktree scenario.

Also refine TestDeletionWithLocalModification to check for specific conflict error instead of accepting any error.

Files: cmd/bd/deletion_tracking_test.go


Document protected branch workflow

Create comprehensive documentation for protected branch workflow.

Tasks:
- Add "Protected Branch Workflow" section to AGENTS.md
- Create docs/PROTECTED_BRANCHES.md guide
- Update README.md quick start
- Add examples to examples/protected-branch/
- Update bd init --help documentation
- Add troubleshooting guide
- Add migration guide for existing users
- Record demo video (optional)

Estimated effort: 2-3 days

Completed protected branch workflow documentation. Created comprehensive guide (docs/PROTECTED_BRANCHES.md), updated AGENTS.md with workflow section, added feature to README.md, and created working example (examples/protected-branch/). All commands verified working (bd init --branch, bd sync --status, bd sync --merge, bd config get/set sync.branch).


Tombstone export includes tombstones even with --status filter

In export.go, we set IncludeTombstones: true unconditionally. However, if a user runs:

  bd export --status=open

They might not expect tombstones in the output. The IncludeTombstones flag should probably only be set when no status filter is specified, or when --status=tombstone is explicitly requested.

Current behavior: exports tombstones regardless of status filter
Expected behavior: respect status filter, only include tombstones when explicitly requested or no filter


Batch test 2


Add command injection prevention tests for git rm in merge command

Test coverage gap identified by automated analysis (vc-217).

**Original Issue:** [deleted:bd-da96-baseline-lint]

In cmd/bd/merge.go:121, exec.Command is called with variable fullPath, flagged by gosec G204 for potential command injection.

Add tests covering:
- File paths with shell metacharacters (;, |, &, $, etc.)
- Paths with spaces and special characters
- Paths attempting command injection (e.g., 'file; rm -rf /')
- Validation that fullPath is properly sanitized
- Only valid git-tracked files can be removed

This is a critical security path preventing arbitrary command execution.

_This issue was automatically created by AI test coverage analysis._


Update bd compact to prune expired tombstones

Modify compaction to identify and remove expired tombstones from issues.jsonl. Report count of removed tombstones. Per design bd-1r5.


Test Epic 2

## Overview

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

## Success Criteria

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

## Background

[Provide context and motivation]

## Scope

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

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


Add BEADS_DAEMON_MODE flag handling

Add environment variable BEADS_DAEMON_MODE (values: poll, events). Default to 'poll' for Phase 1. Wire into daemon startup to select runEventLoop vs runEventDrivenLoop.


CRDT-based architecture for guaranteed convergence (v2.0)

## Vision
Redesign beads around Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) to provide mathematical guarantees for N-way collision resolution at arbitrary scale.

## Current Limitations
- Content-hash based collision resolution fails at 5+ clones
- Non-deterministic convergence in multi-round scenarios
- UNIQUE constraint violations during rename operations
- No formal proof of convergence properties

## CRDT Benefits
- Provably convergent (Strong Eventual Consistency)
- Commutative/Associative/Idempotent operations
- No coordination required between clones
- Scales to 100+ concurrent workers
- Well-understood mathematical foundations

## Proposed Architecture

### 1. UUID-Based IDs
Replace sequential IDs with UUIDs:
- Current: bd-1c63eb84, bd-9063acda, bd-4d80b7b1
- CRDT: bd-a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890
- Human aliases maintained separately: #42 maps to UUID

### 2. Last-Write-Wins (LWW) Elements
Each field becomes an LWW register:
- title: (timestamp, clone_id, value)
- status: (timestamp, clone_id, value)
- Deterministic conflict resolution via Lamport timestamp + clone_id tiebreaker

### 3. Operation Log
Track all operations as CRDT ops:
- CREATE(uuid, timestamp, clone_id, fields)
- UPDATE(uuid, field, timestamp, clone_id, value)
- DELETE(uuid, timestamp, clone_id) - tombstone, not hard delete

### 4. Sync as Merge
Syncing becomes merging two CRDT states:
- No merge conflicts possible
- Deterministic merge function
- Guaranteed convergence

## Implementation Phases

### Phase 1: Research & Design (4 weeks)
- Study existing CRDT implementations (Automerge, Yjs, Loro)
- Design schema for CRDT-based issue tracking
- Prototype LWW-based Issue CRDT
- Benchmark performance vs current system

### Phase 2: Parallel Implementation (6 weeks)
- Implement CRDT storage layer alongside SQLite
- Build conversion tools: SQLite ↔ CRDT
- Maintain backward compatibility with v1.x format
- Migration path for existing databases

### Phase 3: Testing & Validation (4 weeks)
- Formal verification of convergence properties
- Stress testing with 100+ clone scenario
- Performance profiling and optimization
- Documentation and examples

### Phase 4: Migration & Rollout (4 weeks)
- Release v2.0-beta with CRDT backend
- Gradual migration from v1.x
- Monitoring and bug fixes
- Final v2.0 release

## Risks & Mitigations

**Risk 1: Performance overhead**
- Mitigation: Benchmark early, optimize hot paths
- CRDTs can be slower than append-only logs
- May need compaction strategy

**Risk 2: Storage bloat**
- Mitigation: Implement operation log compaction
- Tombstone garbage collection for deleted issues
- Periodic snapshots to reduce log size

**Risk 3: Breaking changes**
- Mitigation: Maintain v1.x compatibility layer
- Gradual migration tools
- Dual-mode operation during transition

**Risk 4: Complexity**
- Mitigation: Use battle-tested CRDT libraries
- Comprehensive documentation
- Clear migration guide

## Success Criteria
- 100-clone collision test passes without failures
- Formal proof of convergence properties
- Performance within 2x of current system
- Zero manual conflict resolution required
- Backward compatible with v1.x databases

## Timeline
18-20 weeks total (4-5 months)

## References
- Automerge: https://automerge.org
- Yjs: https://docs.yjs.dev
- Loro: https://loro.dev
- CRDT theory: Shapiro et al, A comprehensive study of CRDTs
- Related issues: bd-e6d71828, bd-7a2b58fc, bd-81abb639


Vendor and integrate beads-merge tool

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

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

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

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

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


Investigate bd export/import sync issue - database and JSONL out of sync

Observed in VC repo: database has 1137 issues but beads.jsonl only has 309. Running 'bd export -o .beads/issues.jsonl' doesn't update the file. Running 'bd import' hangs indefinitely.

Reproduction context:
- VC repo: 1137 issues in DB, 309 in JSONL
- Created 4 new issues with bd create
- bd export didn't write them to JSONL
- bd import hung (possibly daemon lock conflict?)

Need to investigate:
1. Why export doesn't update JSONL when DB has more issues
2. Why import hangs
3. Daemon lock interaction with export/import
4. File path handling (issues.jsonl vs beads.jsonl)

## Root Cause Analysis

The issue was NOT about file path handling or export failing to update JSONL. The actual problem was:

**Import/Export hanging when daemon is running** due to SQLite lock contention:

1. When daemon is connected, `PersistentPreRun` in main.go returns early without initializing the `store` variable
2. Import/Export commands then tried to open the database directly with `sqlite.New(dbPath)`
3. This blocked waiting for the database lock that the daemon already holds → **HANGS INDEFINITELY**

## Solution Implemented

Modified both import.go and export.go to:
1. Detect when `daemonClient` is connected
2. Explicitly close the daemon connection before opening direct SQLite access
3. Added debug logging to help diagnose similar issues

This ensures import/export commands always run in direct mode, avoiding lock contention.

## File Path Handling

The file path confusion (issues.jsonl vs beads.jsonl) was a red herring. The code uses `filepath.Glob("*.jsonl")` which correctly finds ANY `.jsonl` file in `.beads/` directory, so both filenames work.


Issue with labels

This is a description


Add integration tests for multi-repo sync

Test: Clone A deletes issue, Clone B imports Clone A's JSONL. Verify Clone B handles deletion gracefully with resurrection. Test concurrent imports with same orphans (should be idempotent). Test round-trip fidelity (export→delete parent→import→verify structure).


Add commit and branch to bd version output

The 'bd version' command reports commit and branch correctly when built with 'go build' (thanks to Go 1.25+ automatic VCS info embedding), but NOT when installed with 'go install' or 'make install'. Need to either: 1) Update Makefile to use 'go build' instead of 'go install', or 2) Add explicit ldflags to both Makefile and .goreleaser.yml to ensure commit/branch are always set regardless of build method.


Remove unreachable RPC methods

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

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

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

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

Impact: Removes ~80 LOC of unused RPC code


Q4 Platform Improvements


Test auto-start in fred


Test parent issue


troubleshoot GH#278 daemon exits every few secs


Test child issue


Audit and fix JSONL filename mismatches across all repo clones

## Problem

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

## Root Cause

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

## Task

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

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

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

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

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

### Step 3: Create audit report

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

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

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

### Step 5: Generate fix script

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

### Expected Output

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

### Edge Cases

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

### Success Criteria

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


Add validation for duplicate external_ref in batch imports

Currently, if a batch import contains multiple issues with the same external_ref, the behavior is undefined. We should detect and handle this case.

Current behavior:
- No validation for duplicate external_ref within a batch
- Last-write-wins or non-deterministic behavior

Proposed solution:
- Detect duplicate external_ref values in incoming batch
- Fail with clear error message OR
- Merge duplicates intelligently (use newest timestamp)
- Add test case for this scenario

Related: bd-1022


Baseline quality gate failure: test

The test quality gate is failing on the baseline (main branch).

This blocks the executor from claiming work until fixed.

Error: go test failed: exit status 1

Output:
```
?   	github.com/steveyegge/beads	[no test files]
# github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/beads_test [github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/beads.test]
internal/beads/routing_integration_test.go:142:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
# github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/compact [github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/compact.test]
internal/compact/compactor_test.go:17:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
# github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd [github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd.test]
cmd/bd/integrity_content_test.go:31:32: undefined: ctx
cmd/bd/integrity_content_test.go:183:32: undefined: ctx
FAIL	github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd [build failed]
# github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/daemon [github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/daemon.test]
internal/daemon/discovery_test.go:21:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
internal/daemon/discovery_test.go:59:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
internal/daemon/discovery_test.go:232:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
# github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/importer [github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/importer.test]
internal/importer/external_ref_test.go:22:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
internal/importer/external_ref_test.go:106:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
internal/importer/external_ref_test.go:197:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
internal/importer/external_ref_test.go:295:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (string)
	want (context.Context, string)
internal/importer/importer_test.go:566:27: not enough arguments in call to sqlite.New
	have (st
... (truncated, see full output in logs)
```

Released by executor after budget limit hit. Tests were already fixed manually. Issue can be closed when tests are verified to pass.


Channel isolation test - beads

Resetting stale in_progress status from old executor run (13 days old)


Investigate and upgrade to modernc.org/sqlite 1.39.1+

We had to pin modernc.org/sqlite to v1.38.2 due to a FOREIGN KEY constraint regression in v1.39.1 (SQLite 3.50.4).

**Issue:** [deleted:bd-47], GH #144

**Symptom:** CloseIssue fails with "FOREIGN KEY constraint failed (787)" when called via MCP/daemon, but works fine via CLI.

**Root Cause:** Unknown - likely stricter FK enforcement in SQLite 3.50.4 or modernc.org wrapper changes.

**Workaround:** Pinned to v1.38.2 (SQLite 3.49.x)

**TODO:**
1. Monitor modernc.org/sqlite releases for fixes
2. Check SQLite 3.50.5+ changelogs for FK-related fixes
3. Investigate why daemon mode fails but CLI succeeds (connection reuse? transaction isolation?)
4. Consider filing upstream issue with reproducible test case
5. Upgrade when safe


Add integration test for cross-clone deletion propagation


bd doctor: handle missing daemon registry gracefully

When no daemon has ever been started, bd doctor shows an error parsing the registry: 'failed to parse registry: invalid character 0 after top-level value'. The doctor should handle the case where ~/.bd/daemon/registry.json doesn't exist, treating it as 'no daemon running' rather than an error.


Consolidate check-health DB opens into single connection

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


Tombstone fields not merged in mergeIssue function

The mergeIssue() function in merge.go does not handle tombstone fields (DeletedAt, DeletedBy, DeleteReason, OriginalType) when merging live issues. While tombstones are handled separately in merge3WayWithTTL(), if a tombstone ever reaches mergeIssue() via the mergeStatus safety fallback, the tombstone fields would be lost. The mergeIssue() function should either: 1) Copy tombstone fields when result.Status becomes tombstone, or 2) Assert that tombstones never reach mergeIssue() (defensive check). Files: internal/merge/merge.go:458-499


bd sync --import-only doesn't update DB mtime causing bd doctor false warning


bd-hv01: Multi-repo mode not tested with deletion tracking

Problem: Test suite has no coverage for multi-repo mode. ExportToMultiRepo creates multiple JSONL files but snapshot files are hardcoded to single JSONL location.

Impact: Deletion tracking likely silently broken for multi-repo users, could cause data loss.

Fix: Add test and update snapshot logic to handle multiple JSONL files.

Files: cmd/bd/deletion_tracking_test.go, cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go, cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go:24-34


Fix FindBeadsDir to prioritize main repo .beads for worktrees

The FindBeadsDir function should prioritize finding .beads in the main repository root when accessed from a worktree, rather than finding worktree-local .beads directories. This ensures proper sharing of the database across all worktrees.


Convert magic numbers to named constants in FlushManager


Use in-memory filesystem for test git operations

Use tmpfs/ramdisk for git operations in tests to reduce I/O overhead.

Options:
1. Mount /tmp as tmpfs in CI (GitHub Actions supports this)
2. Use Go's testing.TB.TempDir() which may already use tmpfs on some systems
3. Explicitly create ramdisk for tests on macOS

Expected savings: 20-30% reduction in git operation time


Auto-detect scenarios and prompt users

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


Fix TestMigrateHashIDs test failure

Test failure in cmd/bd/migrate_hash_ids_test.go:100 - New ID bd-09970281 for bd-1 is not a hash ID. This test is validating the hash ID migration but the generated ID doesn't match the expected format.


Update documentation for hash IDs and aliases

Update all documentation to explain hash-based IDs and aliasing system.

## Files to Update

### 1. README.md
Add section explaining hash IDs:
```markdown
## Issue IDs

Beads uses **hash-based IDs** for collision-free distributed issue tracking:

- **Hash ID**: `bd-af78e9a2` (8-char SHA256 prefix, immutable, globally unique)
- **Alias**: `#42` (sequential number, mutable, human-friendly)

### Using IDs
```bash
bd show bd-af78e9a2   # Use hash ID
bd show #42           # Use alias
bd show 42            # Use alias (shorthand)
```

### Why Hash IDs?
- **Collision-free**: Work offline without ID conflicts
- **Distributed**: No coordination needed between clones
- **Git-friendly**: Different IDs = different JSONL lines, fewer merge conflicts

### Aliases
Aliases are workspace-local shortcuts for hash IDs. They're:
- Automatically assigned on issue creation
- Reassigned deterministically on sync (if conflicts)
- Can be manually controlled with `bd alias` commands
```

### 2. AGENTS.md
Update agent workflow:
```markdown
## Hash-Based IDs (v2.0+)

Beads v2.0 uses hash-based IDs to eliminate collision problems:

**When creating issues**:
```bash
bd create "Fix bug" -p 1
# → Creates bd-af78e9a2 with alias #1
```

**When referencing issues**:
- In text: Use hash IDs (stable): "See bd-af78e9a2 for details"
- In CLI: Use aliases (readable): `bd update #42 --status done`

**After sync**:
- Alias conflicts resolved automatically (content-hash ordering)
- No ID collisions possible
- No remapping needed

**Migration from v1.x**:
```bash
bd migrate --hash-ids  # One-time migration
```
```

### 3. QUICKSTART.md (if exists)
Show alias usage in examples:
```bash
# Create issue (gets hash ID + alias)
bd create "Fix authentication bug" -p 1
# → Created bd-af78e9a2 (alias: #1)

# Reference by alias
bd show #1
bd update #1 --status in_progress
bd close #1 --reason "Fixed"
```

### 4. ADVANCED.md
Add section on hash ID internals:
```markdown
## Hash ID Generation

Hash IDs are generated deterministically:

```go
SHA256(title || description || timestamp || workspace_id)[:8]
```

**Collision probability**:
- 8 hex chars = 2^32 space = ~4 billion IDs
- Birthday paradox: 50% collision probability at ~65,000 issues
- For typical projects (<10,000 issues), collision risk is negligible

**Collision detection**:
If a hash collision occurs (extremely rare), beads:
1. Detects on insert (UNIQUE constraint)
2. Appends random suffix: `bd-af78e9a2-a1b2`
3. Retries insert

## Alias Conflict Resolution

When multiple clones assign same alias to different issues:

**Strategy**: Content-hash ordering (deterministic)
- Sort conflicting issue IDs lexicographically
- Lowest hash ID keeps the alias
- Others reassigned to next available aliases

**Example**:
```
Clone A: Assigns #42 to bd-a1b2c3d4
Clone B: Assigns #42 to bd-e5f6a7b8
After sync: bd-a1b2c3d4 keeps #42 (lower hash)
            bd-e5f6a7b8 gets #100 (next available)
```
```

### 5. MIGRATION.md (new file)
```markdown
# Migrating to Hash-Based IDs (v2.0)

## Overview
Beads v2.0 introduces hash-based IDs to eliminate collision problems. This is a **breaking change** requiring migration.

## Migration Steps

### 1. Backup
```bash
cp -r .beads .beads.backup
git commit -am "Pre-migration backup"
```

### 2. Run Migration
```bash
# Dry run first
bd migrate --hash-ids --dry-run

# Apply migration
bd migrate --hash-ids
```

### 3. Commit Changes
```bash
git add .beads/issues.jsonl
git commit -m "Migrate to hash-based IDs (v2.0)"
git push origin main
```

### 4. Coordinate with Collaborators
All clones must migrate before syncing:
1. Notify team: "Migrating to v2.0 on [date]"
2. All collaborators pull latest
3. All run `bd migrate --hash-ids`
4. All push changes
5. Resume normal work

## Rollback
```bash
# Restore backup
mv .beads.backup .beads
bd export  # Regenerate JSONL
git checkout .beads/issues.jsonl
```

## FAQ

**Q: Can I mix v1.x and v2.0 clones?**
A: No. All clones must be on same version.

**Q: Will my old issue IDs work?**
A: No, but aliases preserve the numbers: bd-1c63eb84 → #1

**Q: What happens to links like "see bd-cb64c226.3"?**
A: Migration updates all text references automatically.
```

### 6. CHANGELOG.md
```markdown
## v2.0.0 (YYYY-MM-DD)

### Breaking Changes
- **Hash-based IDs**: Issues now use collision-free hash IDs (bd-af78e9a2)
  instead of sequential IDs (bd-1c63eb84, bd-9063acda)
- **Aliasing system**: Human-friendly aliases (#42) for hash IDs
- **Migration required**: Run `bd migrate --hash-ids` to convert v1.x databases

### Added
- `bd alias` command for manual alias control
- `bd migrate --hash-ids` migration tool
- Alias conflict resolution (deterministic, content-hash ordering)

### Removed
- ID collision detection and resolution (~2,100 LOC)
- `bd import --resolve-collisions` flag (no longer needed)

### Benefits
- ✅ Zero ID collisions in distributed workflows
- ✅ Simpler codebase (-1,350 net LOC)
- ✅ Better git merge behavior
- ✅ True offline-first operation
```

## Testing
- Build docs locally (if using doc generator)
- Check all links work
- Verify examples are correct
- Spellcheck

## Files to Create/Modify
- README.md (hash ID section)
- AGENTS.md (workflow updates)
- ADVANCED.md (internals)
- MIGRATION.md (new)
- CHANGELOG.md (v2.0 entry)
- docs/ (any other docs)


mergePriority: negative priorities not handled consistently


Assigned issue


Consider consolidating config.yaml parsing into shared utility

Multiple places parse config.yaml with custom structs:

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

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

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

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

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

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


Fix inconsistent error handling in multi-repo deletion tracking

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Test parent issue


Prefix detection treats embedded hyphens as prefix delimiters

The prefix detection logic in bd import incorrectly identifies issues like 'vc-baseline-test' and 'vc-92cl-gate-test' as having different prefixes ('vc-baseline-' and 'vc-92cl-gate-') instead of recognizing them as having the standard 'vc-' prefix with hyphenated suffixes.

This breaks import with error: 'prefix mismatch detected: database uses vc- but found issues with prefixes: [vc-92cl-gate- (1 issues) vc-baseline- (1 issues)]'

The prefix should be determined by the pattern: prefix is everything up to and including the first hyphen. The suffix can contain hyphens without being treated as part of the prefix.

Example problematic IDs:
- vc-baseline-test (detected as prefix: vc-baseline-)
- vc-92cl-gate-test (detected as prefix: vc-92cl-gate-)
- vc-test (correctly detected as prefix: vc-)

Impact: Users cannot use descriptive multi-part IDs without triggering false prefix mismatch errors.


bd-hv01: Silent partial deletion failures cause DB inconsistency

Problem: deletion_tracking.go:76-77 logs deletion errors as warnings but continues. If deletion fails midway (database locked, disk full), some issues delete but others don't. System thinks all deletions succeeded.

Impact: Database diverges from JSONL, silent corruption, issues may resurrect on next sync.

Fix: Collect errors and fail the operation:
var deletionErrors []error
for _, id := range acceptedDeletions {
    if err := d.DeleteIssue(ctx, id); err != nil {
        deletionErrors = append(deletionErrors, fmt.Errorf("issue %s: %w", id, err))
    }
}
if len(deletionErrors) > 0 {
    return false, fmt.Errorf("deletion failures: %v", deletionErrors)
}

Files: cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go:73-82


Add tests for extracted modules

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


Fix `bd sync` failure due to daemon auto-export timestamp skew

`bd sync` fails with false-positive "JSONL is newer than database" after daemon auto-export.
Root Cause: Daemon exports local changes to JSONL, updating its timestamp. `bd sync` sees JSONL.mtime > DB.mtime and assumes external changes, blocking export.
Proposed Fixes:
1. `bd sync` auto-imports if timestamp matches but content differs (or just auto-imports).
2. Content-based comparison instead of timestamp only.


Add monitoring and alerting

Observability for production Agent Mail server.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Health check endpoint (/health)
- Prometheus metrics export
- Grafana dashboard
- Alerts for server downtime
- Alerts for high error rate
- Log aggregation config

File: deployment/agent-mail/monitoring/


sync branch not match config

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

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


Test database naming


Investigate database pollution - issue count anomalies

Multiple repos showing inflated issue counts suggesting cross-repo pollution:
- ~/src/dave/beads: 895 issues (675 open) - clearly polluted
- ~/src/stevey/src/beads: 280 issues (expected ~209-220) - possibly polluted

Need to investigate:
1. Source of pollution (multi-repo sync issues?)
2. How many duplicate/foreign issues exist
3. Whether recent sync operations caused cross-contamination
4. How to clean up and prevent future pollution

Investigation findings:

**Root cause identified:**
- NOT cross-repo contamination
- NOT automated test leakage (tests properly use t.TempDir())
- Manual testing during template feature development (Nov 2-4)
- Commit ba325a2: "test issues were accidentally committed during template feature development"

**Database growth timeline:**
- Nov 3: 19 issues (baseline)
- Nov 2-5: +244 issues (massive development spike)
- Nov 6-7: +40 issues (continued growth)
- Current: 291 issues → 270 after cleanup

**Test pollution breakdown:**
- 21 issues matching "Test " prefix pattern
- Most created Nov 2-5 during feature development
- Pollution from manual `./bd create "Test issue"` commands in production workspace
- All automated tests properly isolated with t.TempDir()

**Cleanup completed:**
- Ran scripts/cleanup-test-pollution.sh successfully
- Removed 21 test issues
- Database reduced from 291 → 270 issues (7.2% cleanup)
- JSONL synced to git

**Prevention strategy:**
- Filed follow-up issue for prevention mechanisms
- Script can be deleted once prevention is in place
- Tests are already properly isolated - no code changes needed there


bd doctor: per-fix confirmation mode

Add an interactive mode where users can approve/reject each fix individually rather than all-or-nothing. Currently --fix prompts once for all fixes. This would give users more control over which repairs to apply, especially useful when some fixes may have side effects.


worktree: any bd command is slow

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


wish: list & ready show issues as hierarchy tree

`bd ready` and `bd list` just show a flat list, and it's up to the reader to parse which ones are dependent or sub-issues of others. It would be much easier to understand if they were shown in a tree format