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


Refactor: Move staleness check inside daemon branch

## Problem

Currently ensureDatabaseFresh() is called before the daemon mode check, but it checks daemonClient != nil internally and returns early. This is redundant.

**Location:** All read commands (list.go:196, show.go:27, ready.go:102, status.go:80, etc.)

## Current Pattern

Call happens before daemon check, function checks daemonClient internally.

## Better Pattern

Move staleness check to direct mode branch only, after daemon check.

## Impact
Low - minor performance improvement (avoids one function call per command in daemon mode)

## Effort
Medium - requires refactoring 8 command files

## Priority
Low - can defer to future cleanup PR


Imperator does not know its own mail identity


Import overwrites newer local issues with older remote versions

## Problem

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

## What Happened

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

## Root Cause

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

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

Import applies incoming version regardless of which is newer.

## Expected Behavior

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

## Solution

Add timestamp checking to DetectCollisions or importIssues:

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

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

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


Add merge helper commands (bd sync --merge)

Add commands to merge beads branch back to main.

Tasks:
- Implement bd sync --merge command
- Implement bd sync --status command
- Implement bd sync --auto-merge (optional, for automation)
- Detect merge conflicts and provide guidance
- Show commit diff between branches
- Verify main branch is clean before merge
- Push merged changes to remote

Estimated effort: 2-3 days


Block direct status update to tombstone in UpdateIssue

Per bd-2m7 design: 'Should we support tombstone as valid input to bd update --status? Recommendation: No, tombstones only created via bd delete'

Currently nothing prevents 'bd update <id> --status=tombstone', which would create an invalid tombstone (missing deleted_at, deleted_by, etc.).

Location: internal/storage/sqlite/queries.go:500-664 UpdateIssue

Add validation to reject status=tombstone in updates.


Migration tool for existing users

Ensure smooth migration for existing users to separate branch workflow.

Tasks:
- Add bd migrate --separate-branch command
- Detect existing repos, migrate cleanly
- Preserve git history
- Add rollback mechanism
- Test migration on beads' own repo (dogfooding)
- Communication plan (GitHub discussion, docs)
- Version compatibility checks

Estimated effort: 2-3 days


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Add 'bd comment' as alias for 'bd comments add'

The command 'bd comments add' is verbose and unintuitive. Add 'bd comment' as a shorter alias that works the same way.

## Rationale
- More natural: 'bd comment <issue-id> <text>' reads better than 'bd comments add <issue-id> <text>'
- Matches user expectations: users naturally try 'bd comment' first
- Follows convention: other commands like 'bd create', 'bd show', 'bd close' are verbs

## Implementation
Could be implemented as:
1. A new command that wraps bd comments add
2. An alias registered in cobra
3. Keep 'bd comments add' for backwards compatibility

## Examples
```bash
bd comment bd-1234 'This is a comment'
bd comment bd-1234 'Multi-line comment' --body 'Additional details here'
```


Add sync resilience guardrails for forced pushes and prefix mismatches

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


Test parent issue


Add mermaid output format for bd dep tree

Add visual dependency graph output using Mermaid format for better visualization of issue relationships.

Example usage:
  bd dep tree --format mermaid <issue-id>
  bd dep tree --format mermaid bd-42 > graph.md

This would output Mermaid syntax that can be rendered in GitHub, documentation sites, or Mermaid live editor.

Implementation notes:
- Add --format flag to dep tree command
- Support 'text' (default) and 'mermaid' formats
- Mermaid graph should show issue IDs, titles, and dependency types
- Consider using flowchart LR or graph TD syntax


Rapid 1


Implement content-hash based collision resolution for deterministic convergence

The current collision resolution uses creation timestamps to decide which issue to keep vs. remap. This is non-deterministic when two clones create issues at nearly the same time.

Root cause of bd-71107098:
- Clone A creates test-1="Issue from clone A" at T0
- Clone B creates test-1="Issue from clone B" at T0+30ms
- Clone B syncs first, remaps Clone A's to test-2
- Clone A syncs second, sees collision, remaps Clone B's to test-2
- Result: titles are swapped between clones

Solution:
- Use content-based hashing (title + description + priority + type)
- Deterministic winner: always keep issue with lower hash
- Same collision on different clones produces same result (idempotent)

Implementation:
- Modify ScoreCollisions in internal/storage/sqlite/collision.go
- Replace timestamp-based scoring with content hash comparison
- Ensure hash function is stable across platforms

Rename detection successfully implemented and tested!

**What was implemented:**
1. Content-hash based rename detection in DetectCollisions
2. When importing JSONL, if an issue has different ID but same content as DB issue, treat as rename
3. Delete old ID and accept new ID from JSONL
4. Added post-import re-export in sync command to flush rename changes
5. Added post-import commit to capture rename changes

**Test results:**
TestTwoCloneCollision now shows full convergence:
- 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"

Both clones have **identical content** (titles match IDs correctly). Only timestamps differ (expected).

**What remains:**
- Test still expects exact JSON match including timestamps
- Could normalize timestamp comparison, but content convergence is the critical success metric
- The two-clone collision workflow now works without data corruption!


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

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

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

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


bd doctor --fix hydrates issues that remain in deletions manifest, causing perpetual skip warnings

When bd doctor --fix hydrates issues from git history, it doesn't remove them from the deletions manifest. This causes a conflict where:
1. Issue exists in database as 'open'
2. Issue also exists in deletions manifest
3. Every sync reports 'Skipping bd-xxx (in deletions manifest)'
4. Issue is 'Protected from incorrect sanitization'

**Reproduction:**
1. Run bd doctor --fix (which hydrates issues from git history)
2. Run bd sync
3. Observe conflicting messages about protected issues being skipped

**Affected issues in this session:**
bd-eyto, bd-6rl, bd-y2v, bd-abjw, bd-a0cp, bd-mql4, bd-nl2

**Expected behavior:**
When hydrating an issue, also remove it from the deletions manifest to prevent conflict.

**Workaround:** Manually remove conflicting IDs from deletions.jsonl


Create tip system infrastructure for contextual hints

Implement a tip/hint system that shows helpful contextual messages after successful commands. This is different from the existing error-path "Hint:" messages - tips appear on success paths to educate users about features they might not know about.


Update daemon commit logic for separate branch

Modify daemon to use worktree for commits when sync.branch configured.

Tasks:
- Update internal/daemon/server_export_import_auto.go
- Detect sync.branch configuration
- Ensure worktree exists before commit
- Sync JSONL to worktree
- Commit in worktree context
- Push to configured branch
- Fallback to current behavior if sync.branch not set
- Handle git errors (network, permissions, conflicts)

Estimated effort: 3-4 days


Doctor: exclude merge artifacts from 'multiple JSONL' warning

## Problem
`bd doctor` warns about 'Multiple JSONL files found' when merge artifact files exist:
```
JSONL Files: Multiple JSONL files found: beads.base.jsonl, beads.left.jsonl, issues.jsonl ⚠
```

This is confusing because these aren't real issue JSONL files - they're temporary snapshots for deletion tracking.

## Fix
Exclude known merge artifact patterns from the multiple-JSONL warning:

```go
// In doctor JSONL check
skipPatterns := map[string]bool{
    "beads.base.jsonl": true,
    "beads.left.jsonl": true,
    "beads.right.jsonl": true,
}
```

## Files
- cmd/bd/doctor/ (JSONL check logic)


bd message: Implement full message reading functionality

The `bd message read` command is incomplete and doesn't actually fetch or display message content.

**Location:** cmd/bd/message.go:413-441

**Current Behavior:**
- Only marks message as read
- Prints placeholder text
- Doesn't fetch message body

**Expected:**
- Fetch full message from Agent Mail resource API
- Display sender, subject, timestamp, body
- Consider markdown rendering

**Blocker:** Core feature for message system MVP


mergePriority: negative priorities not handled consistently


Test Agent Mail server failure scenarios

Verify graceful degradation across various failure modes.

Test Cases:
- Server never started
- Server crashes during operation
- Network partition (timeout)
- Server returns 500 error
- Invalid bearer token
- SQLite corruption

Acceptance Criteria:
- Agents continue working in all scenarios
- Clear log messages about degradation
- No crashes or data loss
- Beads JSONL remains consistent

File: tests/integration/test_mail_failures.py


Stealth mode global gitignore should use absolute project path

**GitHub Issue:** #538

**Problem:**
`bd init --stealth` adds `.beads/` to the global gitignore, which ignores ALL `.beads/` folders across all repositories. Users who want stealth mode in one project but open beads usage in others are blocked.

**Solution:**
Change stealth mode to use absolute paths instead of generic patterns:

**Before (current):**
```
# Beads stealth mode configuration (added by bd init --stealth)
.beads/
.claude/settings.local.json
```

**After (proposed):**
```
# Beads stealth mode: /Users/foo/work-project (added by bd init --stealth)
/Users/foo/work-project/.beads/
/Users/foo/work-project/.claude/settings.local.json
```

**Implementation:**
1. Modify `setupGlobalGitIgnore()` in `cmd/bd/init.go`
2. Get current working directory (absolute path)
3. Use absolute path patterns instead of generic ones
4. Update comment to show which project the entry is for

**Tradeoffs:**
- If project directory moves, gitignore entry becomes stale (acceptable - user can re-run `bd init --stealth`)
- Multiple stealth projects = multiple entries (works correctly)

**Testing:**
- Verify absolute path is added to global gitignore
- Verify other projects' .beads/ folders are NOT ignored
- Test with existing global gitignore file
- Test creating new global gitignore file


Test worktree sync branch commit


Performance Validation

Confirm no performance regression from cache removal


Config option sync.require_confirmation_on_mass_delete

Add config option for paranoid users who want confirmation before pushing after mass deletion.

Option: sync.require_confirmation_on_mass_delete
Default: false

When enabled AND safety check triggers:
- Prompt user for confirmation before pushing
- Show them what would be pushed

For users who have been burned and want extra safety. Most users will not need this.

Location: internal/config/ and internal/syncbranch/worktree.go
Parent issue: bd-3s8


GH#505: Add bd reset/wipe command

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


Extract daemon logger functions to daemon_logger.go


Refactor daemon local-only sync functions to reduce duplication

PR #433 added three new local-only sync functions (createLocalSyncFunc, createLocalExportFunc, createLocalAutoImportFunc) that are largely copy-paste of existing ones with git operations removed. Refactor to use a single implementation with a skipGit bool parameter or extract shared logic into helper functions to reduce ~200 lines of duplication.


Recurring dirty state after merge conflicts - bd sync keeps failing

## Problem

`bd sync` consistently fails with merge conflicts in `.beads/beads.jsonl`, creating a loop:
1. User runs `bd sync`
2. Git merge conflict occurs
3. User resolves with `git checkout --theirs` (takes remote)
4. Daemon auto-exports database state (which has local changes)
5. JSONL becomes dirty again immediately
6. Repeat

This has been happening for **weeks** and is extremely frustrating.

## Root Cause

The recommended conflict resolution (`git checkout --theirs`) throws away local database state (comments, dependencies, closed issues). The daemon then immediately re-exports, creating a dirty state.

## Current Workaround

Manual `bd export -o .beads/beads.jsonl && git add && git commit && git push` after every failed sync.

## Example Session

```bash
$ bd sync
CONFLICT (content): Merge conflict in .beads/beads.jsonl

$ git checkout --theirs .beads/beads.jsonl && bd import && git add && git commit && git push
# Pushed successfully

$ git status
modified: .beads/beads.jsonl  # DIRTY AGAIN!
```

## Lost Data in Recent Session

- bd-ry1u closure (lost in merge)
- Comments on bd-08fd, bd-23a8, bd-6049, bd-87a0 (lost)
- Dependencies that existed only in local DB

## Potential Solutions

1. **Use beads-merge tool** - Implement proper 3-way JSONL merge (bd-bzfy)
2. **Smarter conflict resolution** - Detect when `--theirs` will lose data, warn user
3. **Sync validation** - Check if JSONL == DB after merge, re-export if needed
4. **Daemon awareness** - Pause auto-export during merge resolution
5. **Transaction log** - Replay local changes after merge instead of losing them

## Related Issues

- bd-bzfy (beads-merge integration)
- Possibly related to daemon auto-export behavior

## Solution Implemented

Fixed the recurring dirty state after merge conflicts by adding **sync validation** before re-exporting.

### Root Cause
Lines 217-237 in `sync.go` unconditionally re-exported DB to JSONL after every import, even when they were already in sync. This created an infinite loop:
1. User runs `bd sync` which pulls and imports remote JSONL
2. Sync unconditionally re-exports DB (which has local changes)
3. JSONL becomes dirty immediately
4. Repeat

### Fix
Added `dbNeedsExport()` function in `integrity.go` that checks:
- If JSONL exists
- If DB modification time is newer than JSONL
- If DB and JSONL issue counts match

Now `bd sync` only re-exports if DB actually has changes that differ from JSONL.

### Changes
- Added `dbNeedsExport()` in `cmd/bd/integrity.go` (lines 228-271)
- Updated `sync.go` lines 217-251 to check before re-exporting
- Added comprehensive tests in `cmd/bd/sync_merge_test.go`

### Testing
All tests pass including 4 new tests:
- `TestDBNeedsExport_InSync` - Verifies no export when synced
- `TestDBNeedsExport_DBNewer` - Detects DB modifications
- `TestDBNeedsExport_CountMismatch` - Catches divergence
- `TestDBNeedsExport_NoJSONL` - Handles missing JSONL

This prevents the weeks-long frustration of merge conflicts causing infinite dirty loops.


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


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


Design tombstone TTL and expiration semantics

Design the TTL and expiration behavior for tombstone records. Key decisions: default TTL (recommend 30 days), configuration via config.yaml, expiration semantics (remove vs keep expired), merge behavior when tombstone expires (live issue wins), clock skew handling.


bd show --json doesn't include dependency type field

Fix GitHub issue #202. The JSON output from bd show and bd list commands should include the dependency type field (and optionally created_at, created_by) to match internal storage format and enable better tooling integration.

PR #203 updated with cleaner implementation: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/pull/203

## Final Implementation

Cleanest possible approach - no internal helper methods needed:

**Design:**
- `GetDependenciesWithMetadata()` / `GetDependentsWithMetadata()` - canonical implementations with full SQL query
- `GetDependencies()` / `GetDependents()` - thin wrappers that strip metadata for backward compat
- `scanIssuesWithDependencyType()` - shared helper for scanning rows with dependency type

**Benefits:**
- Single source of truth - the `...WithMetadata()` methods ARE the implementation
- Eliminated ~139 lines of duplicated SQL and scanning code
- All tests passing (14 dependency-related tests)
- Backward compatible
- dependency_type field appears correctly in JSON output

**Note on scan helpers:**
The duplication between `scanIssues()` and `scanIssuesWithDependencyType()` is necessary because they handle different SQL result shapes (16 vs 17 columns). This is justified as they serve fundamentally different purposes based on query structure.


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


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.

Implemented all three MCP server functions:

1. **repair_deps(fix=False)** - Find/fix orphaned dependencies
2. **detect_pollution(clean=False)** - Detect/clean test issues
3. **validate(checks=None, fix_all=False)** - Run comprehensive health checks

Changes:
- Added abstract methods to BdClientBase
- Implemented in BdCliClient (CLI execution)
- Added NotImplementedError stubs in BdDaemonClient (falls back to CLI)
- Created wrapper functions in tools.py
- Registered @mcp.tool decorators in server.py

All commands tested and working with --no-daemon flag.


Test issue 2


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.


Fresh clone: bd should suggest 'bd init' when no database exists

On a fresh clone of a repo using beads, running `bd stats` or `bd list` gives a cryptic error:

```
Error: failed to open database: post-migration validation failed: migration invariants failed:
  - required_config_present: required config key missing: issue_prefix (database has 2 issues)
```

**Expected**: A helpful message like:
```
No database found. This appears to be a fresh clone.
Run 'bd init --prefix <prefix>' to hydrate from the committed JSONL file.
Found: .beads/beads.jsonl (38 issues)
```

**Why this matters**: The current UX is confusing for new contributors or fresh clones. The happy path should be obvious.


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


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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


Fix TestFallbackToDirectModeEnablesFlush deadlock causing 10min test timeout

## Problem

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

## Root Cause

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

## Stack Trace Evidence

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

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

## Impact

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

## Related

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

## Fix Approaches

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

## Files

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

## Acceptance

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


bd init should refuse when JSONL already has issues (safety guard)

When running `bd init` in a directory with an existing JSONL containing issues, bd should refuse and suggest the correct action instead of proceeding.

## The Problem

Current behavior when database is missing but JSONL exists:
```
$ bd create "test"
Error: no beads database found
Hint: run 'bd init' to create a database...
```

This leads users (and AI agents) to reflexively run `bd init`, which can cause:
- Prefix mismatch if wrong prefix specified
- Data corruption if JSONL is damaged
- Confusion about what actually happened

## Proposed Behavior

```
$ bd init --prefix bd

⚠ Found existing .beads/issues.jsonl with 76 issues.

This appears to be a fresh clone, not a new project.

To hydrate the database from existing JSONL:
  bd doctor --fix

To force re-initialization (may cause data loss):
  bd init --prefix bd --force

Aborting.
```

## Trigger Conditions

- `.beads/issues.jsonl` or `.beads/beads.jsonl` exists
- File contains > 0 valid issue lines
- No `--force` flag provided

## Edge Cases

- Empty JSONL (0 issues) → allow init (new project)
- Corrupted JSONL → warn but allow with confirmation
- Existing `.db` file → definitely refuse (weird state)

## Related

- bd-dmb: Fresh clone should suggest hydration (better error messages)
- bd-4ew: bd doctor should detect fresh clone

This issue is about the safety guard on `bd init` itself, not the error messages from other commands.


UX nightmare: multiple ways daemon can fail with misleading messages


Design contributor namespace isolation for beads pollution prevention

## Problem

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

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

## Possible Solutions to Explore

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

## Design Considerations

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

## Expansion Needed

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


Wire config to import pipeline

Connect import.orphan_handling config to importer.go and sqlite validation functions. Pass mode flag through call chain. Implement all four modes (strict/resurrect/skip/allow) with proper error messages and logging.


Implement git worktree management

Create git worktree lifecycle management for separate beads branch.

Tasks:
- Create internal/git/worktree.go
- Implement CreateBeadsWorktree(branch, path)
- Implement RemoveBeadsWorktree(path)
- Implement CheckWorktreeHealth(path)
- Configure sparse checkout (only .beads/)
- Implement SyncJSONLToWorktree()
- Handle worktree errors gracefully
- Auto-cleanup on config change

Estimated effort: 3-4 days


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


Test database naming


Deletions pruning doesn't include results in JSON output

## Problem

When `bd compact --json` runs with deletions pruning, the prune results are silently discarded:

```go
// Only report if there were deletions to prune
if result.PrunedCount > 0 {
    if jsonOutput {
        // JSON output will be included in the main response
        return  // <-- BUG: results are NOT included anywhere
    }
    ...
}
```

## Location
`cmd/bd/compact.go:925-929`

## Impact
- JSON consumers don't know deletions were pruned
- No way to audit pruning via automation

## Fix
Return prune results and include in JSON output structure:

```json
{
  "success": true,
  "compacted": {...},
  "deletions_pruned": {
    "count": 5,
    "retention_days": 7
  }
}
```


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

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


bd delete fails to find closed issues

## Steps to Reproduce
1. Close some issues with `bd close`
2. Try to delete them with `bd delete <ids> --force`
3. Get error "issues not found"

## Expected Behavior
Should delete the closed issues

## Actual Behavior
```
Error: issues not found: bd-74ee, bd-9b13, bd-72w, bd-149, bd-5iv, bd-78w
```

But `bd list --status closed --json` shows they exist.

## Root Cause
Likely the delete command is only looking for open issues, or there's a race condition with auto-import.


Update flake.nix vendorHash after dependency bumps

The Nix flake CI is failing due to stale vendorHash.

Error from CI:
```
error: hash mismatch in fixed-output derivation beads-0.24.4-go-modules.drv
```

Root cause: go.mod/go.sum was updated by dependabot (wazero, anthropic-sdk-go, etc.) but flake.nix vendorHash wasn't updated.

## Immediate Fix
Run `nix build` locally, get the correct hash from the error message, update flake.nix.

## Long-term Fix
Add a GitHub Action that auto-updates vendorHash when go.mod/go.sum changes:
1. Trigger on push to main when go.mod/go.sum changes
2. Run `nix build` to get the new hash from the error
3. Update flake.nix with the correct hash
4. Commit and push


GH#522: Add --type flag to bd update command

Allow changing issue type (task/epic/bug/feature) via bd update --type. Storage layer already supports it. Needed for TUI tools like Abacus. See: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/522


Tests take too long - unacceptable for project size

## Problem

Running `go test ./internal/importer/... -v` takes an unacceptably long time (minutes). For a project this size, tests should complete in seconds.

## Impact

- Slows down development iteration
- AI agents waste time waiting for tests
- Blocks rapid bug fixes and validation
- Poor developer experience

## Investigation Needed

- Profile which tests are slow
- Check for unnecessary sleeps, timeouts, or integration tests
- Look for tests that could be parallelized
- Consider splitting unit vs integration tests

## Goal

Test suite for a single package should complete in <5 seconds, ideally <2 seconds.

## Optimizations Applied

1. **Added t.Parallel() to CLI tests** (13 tests) - allows concurrent execution
2. **Removed unnecessary 200ms sleep** in daemon_autoimport_test.go - Execute() forces auto-import synchronously
3. **Reduced filesystem settle wait** from 100ms → 50ms on non-Windows platforms
4. **Optimized debouncer test sleeps** (9 reductions):
   - Before debounce waits: 30ms → 20ms, 20ms → 10ms
   - After debounce waits: 40ms → 35ms, 30ms → 35ms, etc.
   - Thread safety test: 100ms → 70ms
   - Sequential cycles: 50ms → 40ms (3x)
   - Cancel tests: 70-80ms → 60ms

## Results

### cmd/bd package (main improvement target):
- **Before**: 5+ minutes (timeout)
- **After**: ~18-20 seconds
- **Speedup**: ~15-18x faster

### internal/importer package:
- **After**: <1 second (0.9s)

### Full test suite (with `-short` flag):
- Most packages complete in <2s
- Total runtime constrained by sequential integration tests

## Known Issues

- TestConcurrentExternalRefImports hangs due to :memory: connection pool issue (bd-b121)
- Some sync_branch tests may need sequential execution (git worktree conflicts)


Publish official devcontainer configuration

Devcontainer configuration implemented. Manual testing required in actual devcontainer environment (Codespaces or VSCode Remote Containers). All code changes complete, tests pass, linting clean.


bd-hv01: Non-atomic snapshot operations can cause data loss

## Problem
In sync.go:146-155 and daemon_sync.go:502-505, snapshot capture failures are logged as warnings but sync continues:

```go
if err := exportToJSONL(ctx, jsonlPath); err != nil { ... }
if err := captureLeftSnapshot(jsonlPath); err != nil {
    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Warning: failed to capture snapshot...")
}
```

If export succeeds but snapshot capture fails, the merge uses stale snapshot data, potentially deleting wrong issues.

## Impact
- Critical data integrity issue
- Could delete issues incorrectly during multi-workspace sync

## Fix
Make snapshot capture mandatory:
```go
if err := captureLeftSnapshot(jsonlPath); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("failed to capture snapshot (required for deletion tracking): %w", err)
}
```

## Files Affected
- cmd/bd/sync.go:146-155
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync.go:502-505


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

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


SearchIssues N+1 query causes context timeout with GetLabels

scanIssues() calls GetLabels in a loop for every issue, causing N+1 queries and context deadline exceeded errors when used with short timeouts or in-memory databases. This is especially problematic since SearchIssues already supports label filtering via SQL WHERE clauses.


Fix FOREIGN KEY constraint failures in AddComment and ApplyCompaction

The 'CloseIssue', 'UpdateIssueID', and 'RemoveLabel' methods were fixed in PR #348 to prevent foreign key constraint failures when operating on non-existent issues.

However, the Oracle identified two other methods that follow the same problematic pattern:
1. `AddComment` (in `internal/storage/sqlite/events.go`)
2. `ApplyCompaction` (in `internal/storage/sqlite/compact.go`)

These methods attempt to insert an event record after updating the issue, without verifying that the issue update actually affected any rows. This leads to a foreign key constraint failure if the issue does not exist.

We need to:
1. Create reproduction tests for these failure cases
2. Apply the same fix pattern: check `RowsAffected()` after the update, and return a proper "issue not found" error if it is 0, before attempting to insert the event.
3. Standardize the error message format to "issue %s not found" or "issue not found: %s" for consistency.


Delete server_cache_storage.go

Remove the entire cache implementation file (~286 lines)


Show dependency status in bd show output

When bd show displays dependencies and dependents, include their status (open/closed/in_progress/blocked) for quick progress tracking. Improves context rebuilding and planning.


Improve integration test coverage for stateful features


Extract daemon sync functions to daemon_sync.go


RPC diagnostics: BD_RPC_DEBUG timing logs

Add lightweight diagnostic logging for RPC connection attempts:
- BD_RPC_DEBUG=1 prints to stderr:
  - Socket path being dialed
  - Socket exists check result
  - Dial start/stop time
  - Connection outcome
- Improve bd daemon --status messaging when lock not held

This helps field triage of connection issues without verbose daemon logs.


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


Fix daemon exiting after 5s on macOS due to PID 1 parent monitoring

GitHub issue #278 reports that the daemon exits after <=5 seconds on macOS because it incorrectly treats PID 1 (launchd) as a dead parent.

When the daemon detaches on macOS, it gets reparented to PID 1 (launchd), which is the init process. The checkParentProcessAlive function was incorrectly treating PID 1 as a sign that the parent died.

Fixed by changing the logic to treat PID 1 as a valid parent for detached daemons.


Daemon crashes silently on RPC query after startup

The daemon fails to handle 'show' RPC commands when:
1) JSONL is newer than database (needs import)
2) git pull fails due to uncommitted changes

Symptoms:
- Daemon appears to run (ps shows process)
- 'bd list' and other commands work fine
- 'bd show <id>' returns "failed to read response: EOF"
- No panic or error logged in daemon.log

Root cause likely: auto-import deadlock or state corruption when import is blocked by git conflicts.

Workaround:
- Restart daemon after syncing git state (commit/push changes)
- OR use --no-daemon flag for all commands

The panic recovery added in server_lifecycle_conn.go:183 didn't catch any panics, confirming this isn't a panic-based crash.

Root cause found and fixed: Two bugs - (1) nil pointer check missing in handleShow causing panic, (2) double JSON encoding in show.go ID resolution. Both fixed. bd show now works with daemon.


Debug test 2


Implement tombstone TTL and expiration logic

Add IsExpired() method to tombstones, implement TTL config reading from config.yaml, add clock skew grace period. Per design bd-1r5.


Enhance dep tree to show full dependency graph

When running `bd dep tree <issue-id>`, the current output only shows the issue itself without its dependency relationships.

## Current Behavior

```
$ bd dep tree gt-0iqq
🌲 Dependency tree for gt-0iqq:

→ gt-0iqq: Implement Boss (global overseer) [P2] (open)
```

This doesn't show any of the dependency structure.

## Desired Behavior

Show the full dependency DAG rooted at the given issue. For example:

```
$ bd dep tree gt-0iqq
🌲 Dependency tree for gt-0iqq:

gt-0iqq: Implement Boss (global overseer) [P2] (open)
├── gt-0xh4: Boss session management [P2] (open) [READY]
│   ├── gt-le7c: Boss mail identity [P2] (open)
│   │   ├── gt-r8fe: Boss human escalation queue [P2] (open)
│   │   └── gt-vdak: Boss dispatch loop [P2] (open)
│   │       └── gt-kgy6: Boss resource management [P2] (open)
│   │           └── gt-93iv: Boss wake daemon [P2] (open)
│   └── gt-vdak: (shown above)
```

## Suggested Options

- `--direction=down|up|both` - Show dependents (what this blocks), dependencies (what blocks this), or both
- `--status=open` - Filter to only show issues with a given status
- `--depth=N` - Limit tree depth
- Handle DAG cycles gracefully (show "(shown above)" or similar for already-displayed nodes)

## Use Case

When reorganizing a set of related issues (like I just did with the Boss implementation), being able to visualize the full dependency graph helps verify the structure is correct before syncing.


Add date and priority filters to bd search

Add filter parity with bd list for consistent querying.

**Missing filters to add:**
- --priority, --priority-min, --priority-max
- --created-after, --created-before
- --updated-after, --updated-before
- --closed-after, --closed-before
- --empty-description, --no-assignee, --no-labels
- --desc-contains, --notes-contains

**Files to modify:**
- cmd/bd/search.go
- internal/rpc/protocol.go (SearchArgs)
- internal/storage/storage.go (Search method)

**Testing:**
- All filter combinations
- Date format parsing
- Daemon and direct mode


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


bd cleanup fails with CHECK constraint on status/closed_at mismatch

## Problem

Running bd cleanup --force fails with:

Error: failed to create tombstone for bd-okh: sqlite3: constraint failed: CHECK constraint failed: (status = 'closed') = (closed_at IS NOT NULL)

## Root Cause

The database has a CHECK constraint ensuring closed issues have closed_at set and non-closed issues do not. When bd cleanup tries to convert a closed issue to a tombstone, this constraint fails.

## Impact

- bd cleanup --force cannot complete
- 722 closed issues cannot be cleaned up
- Blocks routine maintenance

## Investigation Needed

1. Check the bd-okh record in the database
2. Determine if this is data corruption or a bug in tombstone creation

## Proposed Solutions

1. If data corruption: Add a bd doctor --fix check that repairs status/closed_at mismatches
2. If code bug: Fix the tombstone creation to properly handle the constraint

## Files to Investigate

- internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go - DeleteIssue / tombstone creation
- Schema CHECK constraint definition

## Acceptance Criteria

- Identify root cause (data vs code bug)
- bd cleanup --force completes successfully
- bd doctor detects status/closed_at mismatches


Blocking issue


sync tries to create worktree in .git file

example: bd sync --no-daemon
→ Exporting pending changes to JSONL...
→ Committing changes to sync branch 'worktree-db-fail'...
Error committing to 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


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

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

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

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

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

## Potential Followups
See linked issues for suggestions.


bd doctor: add --dry-run flag to preview fixes without applying

Currently bd doctor --fix applies all fixes. Add a --dry-run flag to preview what would be fixed without making changes. This helps users understand the impact before committing to repairs.


Implement auto-merge functionality in duplicates command

The duplicates.go file has a TODO at line 95 to implement the performMerge function for automatic duplicate merging. Currently it just prints a warning message. This would automate the merge process instead of just suggesting commands.


Use -short flag in CI for PR checks

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

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

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

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

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


Add 'new' as alias for 'create' command


GH#488: Support claude.local.md for local-only config

Allow CLAUDE.local.md for testing bd without committing to repo or overriding shared CLAUDE.md. Not every repo wants committed AI config. See: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/488


Sync should cleanup snapshot files after completion

## Problem
`bd sync` leaves orphaned merge artifact files (beads.base.jsonl, beads.left.jsonl) after completion, causing:
1. Doctor warnings about 'Multiple JSONL files found'
2. Confusion during debugging
3. Potential stale data issues on next sync

## Root Cause
`SnapshotManager` creates these files for 3-way merge deletion tracking but `Cleanup()` is never called after sync completes (success or failure).

## Fix
Call `SnapshotManager.Cleanup()` at end of successful sync:

```go
// sync.go after successful validation
sm := NewSnapshotManager(jsonlPath)
sm.Cleanup()
```

## Files
- cmd/bd/sync.go (add cleanup call)
- cmd/bd/snapshot_manager.go (Cleanup method exists at line 188)


Add docs/architecture/event_driven.md

Copy event_driven_daemon.md into docs/ folder. Add to documentation index.


Consider central serialization package for JSON handling

Multiple parts of the codebase handle JSON serialization of issues with slightly different approaches. Consider creating a centralized serialization package to ensure consistency.

Current serialization locations:
- `cmd/bd/export.go` - JSONL export (issues to file)
- `cmd/bd/import.go` - JSONL import (file to issues)
- `internal/rpc/protocol.go` - RPC JSON marshaling
- `internal/storage/memory/memory.go` - In-memory marshaling

Potential benefits:
- Single source of truth for JSON format
- Consistent field naming
- Easier to add new fields
- Centralized validation

Note: This is marked **optional** because:
- Current serialization mostly works
- May not provide enough benefit to justify refactor
- Risk of breaking compatibility

Decision point: Evaluate if benefits outweigh refactoring cost

Impact: TBD based on investigation - may defer to future work


Add TestNWayCollision for 5+ clones

## Overview
Add comprehensive tests for N-way (5+) collision resolution to verify the solution scales beyond 3 clones.

## Purpose
While TestThreeCloneCollision validates the basic N-way case, we need to verify:
1. Solution scales to arbitrary N
2. Performance is acceptable with more clones
3. Convergence time is bounded
4. No edge cases in larger collision groups

## Implementation Tasks

### 1. Create TestFiveCloneCollision
File: beads_twoclone_test.go (or new beads_nway_test.go)

```go
func TestFiveCloneCollision(t *testing.T) {
    // Test with 5 clones creating same ID with different content
    // Verify all 5 clones converge after sync rounds

    t.Run("SequentialSync", func(t *testing.T) {
        testNCloneCollision(t, 5, "A", "B", "C", "D", "E")
    })

    t.Run("ReverseSync", func(t *testing.T) {
        testNCloneCollision(t, 5, "E", "D", "C", "B", "A")
    })

    t.Run("RandomSync", func(t *testing.T) {
        testNCloneCollision(t, 5, "C", "A", "E", "B", "D")
    })
}
```

### 2. Implement generalized testNCloneCollision
Generalize the 3-clone test to handle arbitrary N:

```go
func testNCloneCollision(t *testing.T, numClones int, syncOrder ...string) {
    t.Helper()

    if len(syncOrder) != numClones {
        t.Fatalf("syncOrder length (%d) must match numClones (%d)",
            len(syncOrder), numClones)
    }

    tmpDir := t.TempDir()

    // Setup remote and N clones
    remoteDir := setupBareRepo(t, tmpDir)
    cloneDirs := make(map[string]string)

    for i := 0; i < numClones; i++ {
        name := string(rune('A' + i))
        cloneDirs[name] = setupClone(t, tmpDir, remoteDir, name)
    }

    // Each clone creates issue with same ID but different content
    for name, dir := range cloneDirs {
        createIssue(t, dir, fmt.Sprintf("Issue from clone %s", name))
    }

    // Sync in specified order
    for _, name := range syncOrder {
        syncClone(t, cloneDirs[name], name)
    }

    // Final pull for convergence
    for name, dir := range cloneDirs {
        finalPull(t, dir, name)
    }

    // Verify all clones have all N issues
    expectedTitles := make(map[string]bool)
    for i := 0; i < numClones; i++ {
        name := string(rune('A' + i))
        expectedTitles[fmt.Sprintf("Issue from clone %s", name)] = true
    }

    for name, dir := range cloneDirs {
        titles := getTitles(t, dir)
        if !compareTitleSets(titles, expectedTitles) {
            t.Errorf("Clone %s missing issues: expected %v, got %v",
                name, expectedTitles, titles)
        }
    }

    t.Log("✓ All", numClones, "clones converged successfully")
}
```

### 3. Add performance benchmarks
Test convergence time and memory usage:

```go
func BenchmarkNWayCollision(b *testing.B) {
    for _, n := range []int{3, 5, 10, 20} {
        b.Run(fmt.Sprintf("N=%d", n), func(b *testing.B) {
            for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
                // Run N-way collision and measure time
                testNCloneCollisionBench(b, n)
            }
        })
    }
}
```

### 4. Add convergence time tests
Verify bounded convergence:

```go
func TestConvergenceTime(t *testing.T) {
    // Test that convergence happens within expected rounds
    // For N clones, should converge in at most N-1 sync rounds

    for n := 3; n <= 10; n++ {
        t.Run(fmt.Sprintf("N=%d", n), func(t *testing.T) {
            rounds := measureConvergenceRounds(t, n)
            maxExpected := n - 1
            if rounds > maxExpected {
                t.Errorf("Convergence took %d rounds, expected ≤ %d",
                    rounds, maxExpected)
            }
        })
    }
}
```

### 5. Add edge case tests
Test boundary conditions:
- All N clones have identical content (dedup works)
- N-1 clones have same content, 1 differs
- All N clones have unique content
- Mix of collisions and non-collisions

## Acceptance Criteria
- TestFiveCloneCollision passes with all sync orders
- All 5 clones converge to identical content
- Performance is acceptable (< 5 seconds for 5 clones)
- Convergence time is bounded (≤ N-1 rounds)
- Edge cases handled correctly
- Benchmarks show scalability to 10+ clones

## Files to Create/Modify
- beads_twoclone_test.go or beads_nway_test.go
- Add helper functions for N-clone setup

## Testing Strategy

### Test Matrix
| N Clones | Sync Orders | Expected Result |
|----------|-------------|-----------------|
| 3        | A→B→C       | Pass            |
| 3        | C→B→A       | Pass            |
| 5        | A→B→C→D→E   | Pass            |
| 5        | E→D→C→B→A   | Pass            |
| 5        | Random      | Pass            |
| 10       | Sequential  | Pass            |

### Performance Targets
- 3 clones: < 2 seconds
- 5 clones: < 5 seconds
- 10 clones: < 15 seconds

## Dependencies
- Requires bd-cbed9619.5, bd-cbed9619.4, bd-cbed9619.3, bd-cbed9619.2 to be completed
- TestThreeCloneCollision must pass first

## Success Metrics
- All tests pass for N ∈ {3, 5, 10}
- Convergence time scales linearly (O(N))
- Memory usage reasonable (< 100MB for 10 clones)
- No data corruption or loss in any scenario


Add test coverage for internal/autoimport package


Document sandbox workarounds for GH #353

Add documentation for sandbox troubleshooting and new flags.

**Tasks:**
1. Create or update TROUBLESHOOTING.md with sandbox section
2. Document new flags in CLI reference
3. Add comment to GH #353 with immediate workarounds

**Content needed:**
- Symptoms of daemon lock issues in sandboxed environments
- Usage guide for --sandbox, --force, and --allow-stale flags
- Step-by-step troubleshooting for Codex users
- Examples of each escape hatch

**Files to update:**
- docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md (create if needed)
- docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md or README.md
- GitHub issue #353

**References:**
- docs/GH353_INVESTIGATION.md (lines 240-276)


Support local-only git repos without remote origin

Daemon crashes when working with local git repos that don't have origin remote configured. Should gracefully degrade to local-only mode: skip git pull/push operations but maintain daemon features (RPC server, auto-flush, JSONL export).


Extract hash ID generation functions to hash_ids.go

Move generateHashID, getNextChildNumber, GetNextChildID to hash_ids.go


Migration tool: sequential → hash IDs

Create migration tool to convert existing sequential-ID databases to hash-ID format.

## Command: bd migrate --hash-ids

```bash
bd migrate --hash-ids [--dry-run]
```

## Migration Process

### 1. Backup Database
```bash
cp .beads/beads.db .beads/beads.db.backup-1761798384
echo "✓ Backup created: .beads/beads.db.backup-1234567890"
```

### 2. Generate Hash IDs for Existing Issues
```go
func migrateToHashIDs(db *SQLiteStorage) error {
    // Read all issues
    issues, err := db.ListIssues(ctx, ListOptions{Status: "all"})

    // Generate mapping: old ID → new hash ID
    mapping := make(map[string]string)
    for _, issue := range issues {
        hashID := GenerateHashID(
            issue.Title,
            issue.Description,
            issue.CreatedAt,
            db.workspaceID,
        )
        mapping[issue.ID] = hashID
    }

    // Detect hash collisions (extremely rare)
    if hasCollisions(mapping) {
        return fmt.Errorf("hash collision detected, aborting")
    }

    return nil
}
```

### 3. Update Database Schema
```sql
-- Add alias column
ALTER TABLE issues ADD COLUMN alias INTEGER UNIQUE;

-- Populate aliases from old IDs
UPDATE issues SET alias = CAST(SUBSTR(id, 4) AS INTEGER)
  WHERE id LIKE 'bd-%' AND SUBSTR(id, 4) GLOB '[0-9]*';

-- Create new issues_new table with hash IDs
CREATE TABLE issues_new (
    id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,  -- Hash IDs now
    alias INTEGER UNIQUE,
    title TEXT NOT NULL,
    -- ... rest of schema
);

-- Copy data with ID mapping
INSERT INTO issues_new SELECT
    <new_hash_id>,  -- From mapping
    alias,
    title,
    -- ...
FROM issues;

-- Drop old table, rename new
DROP TABLE issues;
ALTER TABLE issues_new RENAME TO issues;
```

### 4. Update Dependencies
```sql
-- Update depends_on_id using mapping
UPDATE dependencies
SET issue_id = <new_hash_id>,
    depends_on_id = <new_depends_on_hash_id>
FROM mapping;
```

### 5. Update Text References
```go
// Update all text fields that mention old IDs
func updateTextReferences(db *SQLiteStorage, mapping map[string]string) error {
    for oldID, newID := range mapping {
        // Update description, notes, design, acceptance_criteria
        db.Exec(`UPDATE issues SET
            description = REPLACE(description, ?, ?),
            notes = REPLACE(notes, ?, ?),
            design = REPLACE(design, ?, ?),
            acceptance_criteria = REPLACE(acceptance_criteria, ?, ?)
        `, oldID, newID, oldID, newID, oldID, newID, oldID, newID)
    }
}
```

### 6. Export to JSONL
```bash
bd export  # Writes hash IDs to .beads/issues.jsonl
git add .beads/issues.jsonl
git commit -m "Migrate to hash-based IDs"
```

## Output
```bash
$ bd migrate --hash-ids
Migrating to hash-based IDs...
✓ Backup created: .beads/beads.db.backup-1730246400
✓ Generated 150 hash IDs
✓ No hash collisions detected
✓ Updated issues table schema
✓ Updated 150 issue IDs
✓ Updated 87 dependencies
✓ Updated 234 text references
✓ Exported to .beads/issues.jsonl
✓ Migration complete!

Next steps:
  1. Test: bd list, bd show #1, etc.
  2. Commit: git commit -m "Migrate to hash-based IDs"
  3. Push: git push origin main
  4. Notify collaborators to pull and re-init
```

## Dry Run Mode
```bash
$ bd migrate --hash-ids --dry-run
[DRY RUN] Would migrate 150 issues:
  bd-1c63eb84   → bd-af78e9a2  (alias: #1)
  bd-9063acda   → bd-e5f6a7b8  (alias: #2)
  ...
  bd-150 → bd-9a8b7c6d  (alias: #150)

[DRY RUN] Would update:
  - 150 issue IDs
  - 87 dependencies
  - 234 text references in descriptions/notes

No changes made. Run without --dry-run to apply.
```

## Files to Create
- cmd/bd/migrate.go (new command)
- internal/storage/sqlite/migrations/hash_ids.go

## Testing
- Test migration on small database (10 issues)
- Test migration on large database (1000 issues)
- Test hash collision detection (inject collision artificially)
- Test text reference updates
- Test rollback (restore from backup)
- Test migrated database works correctly

## Rollback Procedure
```bash
# If migration fails or has issues
mv .beads/beads.db.backup-1234567890 .beads/beads.db
bd export  # Restore JSONL from backup DB
```

## Multi-Clone Coordination
**Important**: All clones must migrate before syncing:

1. Coordinator sends message: "Migrating to hash IDs on 2025-10-30 at 10:00 UTC"
2. All collaborators pull latest changes
3. All run: `bd migrate --hash-ids`
4. All push changes
5. New work can continue with hash IDs

**Do NOT**:
- Mix sequential and hash IDs in same database
- Sync before all clones migrate


Remove misleading placeholder 'bd merge' command from duplicates output

**Problem:**
The `bd duplicates` command suggests running a command that doesn't exist:
```
bd merge <source-ids> --into <target-id>
```

This is confusing because:
1. `bd merge` is actually a git 3-way JSONL merge driver (takes 4 file paths)
2. The suggested syntax for merging duplicate issues is not implemented
3. Line 75 in duplicates.go even has: `// TODO: performMerge implementation pending`

**Current behavior:**
- Users see suggested command that doesn't work
- No indication that feature is unimplemented
- Related to issue #349 item #2

**Proposed fix:**
Replace line 77 in cmd/bd/duplicates.go with either:

Option A (conservative):
```go
cmd := fmt.Sprintf("# TODO: Merge %s into %s (merge command not yet implemented)",
    strings.Join(sources, " "), target.ID)
```

Option B (actionable):
```go
cmd := fmt.Sprintf("# Duplicate found: %s\n# Manual merge: Close duplicates with 'bd close %s' and link to %s as 'related'",
    strings.Join(sources, " "), strings.Join(sources, " "), target.ID)
```

**Files to modify:**
- cmd/bd/duplicates.go (line ~77)


Add bd deleted command for audit trail

Parent: bd-imj

Add command to view deletion history.

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

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

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


Add bd reset command for clean slate restart

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

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

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

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


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


Add close_reason to JSONL export format documentation

PR #551 now persists close_reason to the database, but there's a question about whether this field should be exported to JSONL format.

## Current State
- close_reason is stored in issues.close_reason column
- close_reason is also stored in events table (audit trail)
- The JSONL export format may or may not include close_reason

## Questions
1. Should close_reason be exported to JSONL format?
2. If yes, where should it go (root level or nested in events)?
3. Should there be any special handling to avoid duplication?
4. How should close_reason be handled during JSONL import?

## Why This Matters
- JSONL is the git-friendly sync format
- Other beads instances import from JSONL
- close_reason is meaningful data that should be preserved across clones

## Suggested Action
- Check if close_reason is currently exported in JSONL
- If not, add it to the export schema
- Document the field in JSONL format spec
- Add tests for round-trip (export -> import -> verify close_reason)


Add TTL to deletions manifest entries

Deletions manifest entries should have a TTL (time-to-live) to automatically expire after a certain period. Stale deletion entries can poison beads installations when an agent gets out of sync, causing issues to remain deleted even when they shouldn't be. Adding expiration would limit the blast radius of stale deletions.


bd hooks install fails in git worktrees

When bd is used in a git worktree, bd hooks install fails with 'mkdir .git: not a directory' because .git is a file (gitdir pointer) not a directory. Beads should detect and follow the .git gitdir pointer to install hooks in the correct location. This blocks normal worktree workflows.

## Symptoms of this bug:
- Git hooks don't install automatically
- Auto-sync doesn't run (5-second debounce)
- Hash mismatch warnings in bd output
- Daemon fails to start with 'auto_start_failed'

## Workaround:
Use `git rev-parse --git-dir` to find the actual hooks directory and copy hooks manually:
```bash
mkdir -p $(git rev-parse --git-dir)/hooks
cp -r .beads-hooks/* $(git rev-parse --git-dir)/hooks/
```


Git history fallback has incorrect logic for detecting deletions

## Problem

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

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

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

## Correct Logic

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

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

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

## Fix Options

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

Option 1 is simpler and correct since caller already filters.


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)


Test child direct


convertDeletionToTombstone uses hardcoded default values

The convertDeletionToTombstone helper (importer.go:1114-1130) uses hardcoded defaults:
- Priority: 2
- IssueType: types.TypeTask
- Title: "(deleted)"

These defaults work but could be improved:
1. Consider using Priority: 0 (unset) to distinguish from user-set priority
2. OriginalType is empty string - consider setting IssueType to empty to be consistent
3. Title could include the original ID for debugging: "(deleted: bd-xyz)"

Low priority cleanup for consistency.


Split internal/rpc/server.go into focused modules

The file `internal/rpc/server.go` is 2,273 lines with 50+ methods, making it difficult to navigate and prone to merge conflicts. Split into 8 focused files with clear responsibilities.

Current structure: Single 2,273-line file with:
- Connection handling
- Request routing
- All 40+ RPC method implementations
- Storage caching
- Health checks & metrics
- Cleanup loops

Target structure:
```
internal/rpc/
├── server.go          # Core server, connection handling (~300 lines)
├── methods_issue.go   # Issue operations (~400 lines)
├── methods_deps.go    # Dependency operations (~200 lines)
├── methods_labels.go  # Label operations (~150 lines)
├── methods_ready.go   # Ready work queries (~150 lines)
├── methods_compact.go # Compaction operations (~200 lines)
├── methods_comments.go # Comment operations (~150 lines)
├── storage_cache.go   # Storage caching logic (~300 lines)
└── health.go          # Health & metrics (~200 lines)
```

Migration strategy:
1. Create new files with appropriate methods
2. Keep `server.go` as main file with core server logic
3. Test incrementally after each file split
4. Final verification with full test suite


Q4 Platform Improvements

## 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


Audit all cmd/bd tests and group into suites

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

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

Blocks all refactoring work.


Clarify JSONL size bounds with multi-repo

The contributor-workflow-analysis.md states (line 226): 'Keep beads.jsonl small enough for agents to read (<25k)'

With multi-repo hydration, it's unclear whether this bound applies to:
- Each individual JSONL file (likely intention)
- The total hydrated size across all repos (unclear)
- Both (most conservative)

Clarification needed because:
- VC monitors .beads/issues.jsonl size to stay under limit
- With multi-repo, VC needs to know if each additional repo also has 25k limit
- Agents reading hydrated data need to know total size bounds
- Performance characteristics depend on total vs per-repo limits

Example scenario:
- Primary repo: 20k JSONL
- Planning repo: 15k JSONL
- Total hydrated: 35k
Is this acceptable or does it violate the <25k principle?


Add import.orphan_handling config option

Add configuration option to control orphan handling behavior: 'strict' (fail on missing parent, current behavior), 'resurrect' (auto-resurrect from JSONL, recommended default), 'skip' (skip orphaned issues with warning), 'allow' (import orphans without validation). Update CONFIG.md documentation.


Add edge case tests for export metadata updates

## Current Coverage
TestExportUpdatesMetadata tests basic happy path only.

## Missing Test Cases

### 1. Multi-Repo Mode
- Export with multi-repo configuration
- Verify metadata updated for ALL JSONL files
- Critical gap (related to bd-ar2.2)

### 2. computeJSONLHash Failure
- JSONL file deleted/inaccessible after export
- Should log warning, not crash
- Verify behavior on next export

### 3. SetMetadata Failures
- Database write-protected
- Disk full
- Should log warnings, continue

### 4. os.Stat Failure
- JSONL file deleted after export, before stat
- Should handle gracefully (mtime just not updated)

### 5. Concurrent Exports
- Two daemon instances export simultaneously
- Verify metadata doesn't get corrupted
- Race condition test

### 6. Clock Skew
- System time goes backward between exports
- Verify mtime handling still works

### 7. Partial Export Failure
- Multi-repo mode: some exports succeed, some fail
- What metadata should be updated?

### 8. Large JSONL Files
- Performance test with large files (10k+ issues)
- Verify hash computation doesn't timeout

## Files
- cmd/bd/daemon_sync_test.go

## Implementation Priority
1. Multi-repo test (P1 - related to critical issue)
2. Failure handling tests (P2)
3. Performance/edge cases (P3)


Export deduplication breaks when JSONL and export_hashes table diverge

## Problem

The export deduplication feature (timestamp-only skipping) breaks when the JSONL file and export_hashes table get out of sync, causing exports to skip issues that aren't actually in the file.

## Symptoms

- `bd export` reports "Skipped 128 issue(s) with timestamp-only changes"
- JSONL file only has 38 lines but DB has 149 issues
- export_hashes table has 149 entries
- Auto-import doesn't trigger (hash matches despite missing data)
- Two repos on same commit show different issue counts

## Root Cause

shouldSkipExport() in autoflush.go compares current issue hash with stored export_hashes entry. If they match, it skips export assuming the issue is already in the JSONL.

This assumption fails when:
1. Git operations (pull, reset, checkout) change JSONL without clearing export_hashes
2. Manual JSONL edits or corruption
3. Import operations that modify DB but don't update export_hashes
4. Partial exports that update export_hashes but don't complete

## Impact

- **Critical data loss risk**: Issues appear to be tracked but aren't persisted to git
- Breaks multi-repo sync (root cause of today's debugging session)
- Auto-import fails to detect staleness (hash matches despite missing data)
- Silent data corruption (no error messages, just missing issues)

## Reproduction

1. Have DB with 149 issues, all in export_hashes table
2. Truncate JSONL to 38 lines (simulate git reset or corruption)
3. Run `bd export` - it skips 128 issues
4. JSONL still has only 38 lines but export thinks it succeeded

## Current Workaround

```bash
sqlite3 .beads/beads.db "DELETE FROM export_hashes"
bd export -o .beads/beads.jsonl
```

## Proposed Solutions

**Option 1: Verify JSONL integrity before skipping**
- Count lines in JSONL, compare with export_hashes count
- If mismatch, clear export_hashes and force full export
- Safe but adds I/O overhead

**Option 2: Hash-based JSONL validation**
- Store hash of entire JSONL file in metadata
- Before export, check if JSONL hash matches
- If mismatch, clear export_hashes
- More efficient, detects any JSONL corruption

**Option 3: Disable timestamp-only deduplication**
- Remove the feature entirely
- Always export all issues
- Simplest and safest, but creates larger git commits

**Option 4: Clear export_hashes on git operations**
- Add post-merge hook to clear export_hashes
- Clear on any import operation
- Defensive approach but may over-clear

## Recommended Fix

Combination of Options 2 + 4:
1. Store JSONL file hash in metadata after export
2. Check hash before export, clear export_hashes if mismatch
3. Clear export_hashes on import operations
4. Add `bd validate` check for JSONL/export_hashes sync

## Files Involved

- cmd/bd/autoflush.go (shouldSkipExport)
- cmd/bd/export.go (export with deduplication)
- internal/storage/sqlite/metadata.go (export_hashes table)

## Recovery Session (2025-10-29 21:30)

### What Happened
- Created 14 new hash ID issues (bd-f8b764c9 through bd-f8b764c9.1)
- bd sync appeared to succeed
- Canonical repo (~/src/beads): 162 issues in DB + JSONL ✓
- Secondary repo (fred/beads): Only 145 issues vs 162 in canonical ✗
- Both repos on same git commit but different issue counts!

### Bug Manifestation During Recovery

1. **Initial state**: fred/beads had 145 issues, 145 lines in JSONL, 145 export_hashes entries

2. **After git reset --hard origin/main**:
   - JSONL: 162 lines (from git)
   - DB: 150 issues (auto-import partially worked)
   - Auto-import failed with UNIQUE constraint error

3. **After manual import --resolve-collisions**:
   - DB: 160 issues
   - JSONL: Still 162 lines
   - export_hashes: 159 entries

4. **After bd export**:
   - **JSONL reduced to 17 lines!** ← The bug in action
   - export_hashes: 159 entries (skipped exporting 142 issues)
   - Silent data loss - no error message

5. **After clearing export_hashes and re-export**:
   - JSONL: 159 lines (missing 3 issues still)
   - DB: 159 issues
   - Still diverged from canonical

### The Bug Loop
Once export_hashes and JSONL diverge:
- Export skips issues already in export_hashes
- But those issues aren't actually in JSONL
- This creates corrupt JSONL with missing issues
- Auto-import can't detect the problem (file hash matches what was exported)
- Data is lost with no error messages

### Recovery Solution
Couldn't break the loop with export alone. Had to:
1. Copy .beads/beads.db from canonical repo
2. Clear export_hashes
3. Full re-export
4. Finally converged to 162 issues

### Key Learnings

1. **The bug is worse than we thought**: It can create corrupt exports (17 lines instead of 162!)

2. **Auto-import can't save you**: Once export is corrupt, auto-import just imports the corrupt data

3. **Silent failure**: No warnings, no errors, just missing issues

4. **Git operations trigger it**: git reset, git pull, etc. change JSONL without clearing export_hashes

5. **Import operations populate export_hashes**: Even manual imports update export_hashes, setting up future export failures

### Immediate Action Required

**DISABLE EXPORT DEDUPLICATION NOW**

This feature is fundamentally broken and causes data loss. Should be disabled until properly fixed.

Quick fix options:
- Set environment variable to disable feature
- Comment out shouldSkipExport check
- Always clear export_hashes before export
- Add validation that DB count == JSONL line count before allowing export

### Long-term Fix

Need Option 2 + 4 from proposed solutions:
1. Store JSONL file hash after every successful export
2. Before export, verify JSONL hash matches expected
3. If mismatch, log WARNING and clear export_hashes
4. Clear export_hashes on every import operation
5. Add git post-merge hook to clear export_hashes
6. Add `bd validate` command to detect divergence


Test coverage improvement initiative (47.8% → 65%)

Umbrella epic for improving overall test coverage from 47.8% to 65%+.

## Summary

| Package | Current | Target | Issue |
|---------|---------|--------|-------|
| internal/compact | 18.2% | 70% | bd-thgk |
| cmd/bd/doctor/fix | 23.9% | 50% | bd-fx7v |
| cmd/bd | 26.2% | 50% | bd-llfl |
| internal/daemon | 27.3% | 60% | bd-n386 |
| cmd/bd/setup | 28.4% | 50% | bd-sh4c |
| internal/syncbranch | 33.0% | 70% | bd-io8c |
| internal/export | 37.1% | 60% | bd-6sm6 |
| internal/lockfile | 42.0% | 60% | bd-9w3s |
| internal/rpc | 47.5% | 60% | bd-m8ro |
| internal/beads | 48.1% | 70% | bd-tvu3 |
| internal/storage | N/A | basic | bd-a15d |

## Packages with good coverage (no action needed)
- internal/types: 91.0%
- internal/utils: 88.9%
- internal/deletions: 84.3%
- internal/config: 84.2%
- internal/autoimport: 83.5%
- internal/validation: 80.8%
- internal/merge: 78.9%
- internal/routing: 74.3%
- internal/storage/sqlite: 73.1%
- internal/importer: 70.2%

Overall target: 65%+ (from current 47.8%)


Test issue 2


Add unit tests for reset package

Comprehensive unit tests for internal/reset package.

## Test Cases

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Prevent test pollution in production database

The bd-vxdr cleanup revealed test issues were created during manual testing in the production workspace (Nov 2-4, template feature development).

**Root cause:** Manual testing with `./bd create "Test issue"` pollutes the production .beads database.

**Prevention strategies:**
1. Use TEST_DB environment variable for manual testing
2. Add warning when creating issues with "Test" prefix
3. Improve developer docs about testing workflow
4. Consider adding `bd test-mode` command for isolated testing

**Implementation completed:**

1. ✅ Added warning when creating issues with "Test" prefix in production database
   - Shows yellow warning with ⚠ symbol
   - Suggests using BEADS_DB for isolated testing
   - Warning appears in create.go after title validation

2. ✅ Documented BEADS_DB testing workflow in AGENTS.md
   - Added "Testing Workflow" section in Development Guidelines
   - Includes manual testing examples with BEADS_DB
   - Includes automated testing examples with t.TempDir()
   - Clear warning about not polluting production database

3. ⚠ Decided against bd test-mode command
   - BEADS_DB already provides simple, flexible isolation
   - Additional command would add complexity without much benefit
   - Current approach follows Unix philosophy (env vars for config)

**Files modified:**
- cmd/bd/create.go - Added Test prefix warning
- AGENTS.md - Added Testing Workflow section

**Testing:**
- Verified warning appears when creating "Test" prefix issues
- Verified BEADS_DB isolation works correctly
- Built successfully with `go build`


bd find-duplicates - AI-powered duplicate detection

Find semantically duplicate issues.

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

Uses embeddings by default for >100 issues.

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


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.


GH#517: Fix Claude setting wrong priority syntax on new install

Claude uses 'medium' instead of P2/2 for priority, causing infinite error loops. bd prime hook or docs not clear enough. See: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/517


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 tests for merge driver auto-config in bd init

Add comprehensive tests for the merge driver auto-configuration functionality in `bd init`.

**Test cases needed:**
- Auto-install in quiet mode
- Skip with --skip-merge-driver flag
- Detect already-installed merge driver
- Append to existing .gitattributes
- Interactive prompt behavior (if feasible)

**File:** `cmd/bd/init_test.go`


Add path normalization to getMultiRepoJSONLPaths()

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

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

Impact:
Config with tilde or relative paths will fail

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

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


purgeDeletedIssues still writes to deletions.jsonl during git-history-backfill

In purgeDeletedIssues (lines 929-939), when a deletion is recovered from git history, we:
1. Append to deletions.jsonl (backfill)
2. Create a tombstone in DB

With the tombstone approach, writing to deletions.jsonl is redundant since the tombstone will be exported to JSONL. Consider removing the deletions.jsonl backfill once we're confident in the tombstone approach.

This is related to the Phase 2 migration (bd-vw8) - we should stop writing to deletions.jsonl entirely.


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


bd preflight: PR readiness checks for contributors

## Vision

Encode project-specific institutional knowledge into executable checks. CONTRIBUTING.md is documentation that's read once and forgotten; `bd preflight` is documentation that runs at exactly the right moment.

## Problem Statement

Contributors face a "last mile" problem - they do the work but stumble on project-specific gotchas at PR time:
- Nix vendorHash gets stale when go.sum changes
- Beads artifacts leak into PRs (see bd-umbf for namespace solution)
- Version mismatches between version.go and default.nix
- Tests/lint not run locally before pushing
- Other project-specific checks that only surface when CI fails

These are too obscure to remember, exist in docs nobody reads end-to-end, and waste CI round-trips.

## Why beads?

Beads already has a foothold in the contributor workflow. It knows:
- Git state (staged files, branch, dirty status)
- Project structure
- The specific issue being worked on
- Project-specific configuration

## Proposed Interface

### Tier 1: Checklist Mode (v1)

    $ bd preflight
    PR Readiness Checklist:

    [ ] Tests pass: go test -short ./...
    [ ] Lint passes: golangci-lint run ./...
    [ ] No beads pollution: check .beads/issues.jsonl diff
    [ ] Nix hash current: go.sum unchanged or vendorHash updated
    [ ] Version sync: version.go matches default.nix

    Run 'bd preflight --check' to validate automatically.

### Tier 2: Check Mode (v2)

    $ bd preflight --check
    ✓ Tests pass
    ✓ Lint passes
    ⚠ Beads pollution: 3 issues in diff - are these project issues or personal?
    ✗ Nix hash stale: go.sum changed, vendorHash needs update
      Fix: sha256-KRR6dXzsSw8OmEHGBEVDBOoIgfoZ2p0541T9ayjGHlI=
    ✓ Version sync

    1 error, 1 warning. Run 'bd preflight --fix' to auto-fix where possible.

### Tier 3: Fix Mode (v3)

    $ bd preflight --fix
    ✓ Updated vendorHash in default.nix
    ⚠ Cannot auto-fix beads pollution - manual review needed

## Checks to Implement

| Check | Description | Auto-fixable |
|-------|-------------|--------------|
| tests | Run go test -short ./... | No |
| lint | Run golangci-lint | Partial (gofmt) |
| beads-pollution | Detect personal issues in diff | No (see bd-umbf) |
| nix-hash | Detect stale vendorHash | Yes (if nix available) |
| version-sync | version.go matches default.nix | Yes |
| no-debug | No TODO/FIXME/console.log | Warn only |
| clean-stage | No unintended files staged | Warn only |

## Future: Configuration

Make checks configurable per-project via .beads/preflight.yaml:

    preflight:
      checks:
        - name: tests
          run: go test -short ./...
          required: true
        - name: no-secrets
          pattern: "**/*.env"
          staged: deny
        - name: custom-check
          run: ./scripts/validate.sh

This lets any project using beads define their own preflight checks.

## Implementation Phases

### Phase 1: Static Checklist
- Implement bd preflight with hardcoded checklist for beads
- No execution, just prints what to check
- Update CONTRIBUTING.md to reference it

### Phase 2: Automated Checks
- Implement bd preflight --check
- Run tests, lint, detect stale hashes
- Clear pass/fail/warn output

### Phase 3: Auto-fix
- Implement bd preflight --fix
- Fix vendorHash, version sync
- Integrate with bd-umbf solution for pollution

### Phase 4: Configuration
- .beads/preflight.yaml support
- Make it useful for other projects using beads
- Plugin/hook system for custom checks

## Dependencies

- bd-umbf: Namespace isolation for beads pollution (blocking for full solution)

## Success Metrics

- Fewer CI failures on first PR push
- Reduced "fix nix hash" commits
- Contributors report preflight caught issues before CI


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.


Improve CheckStaleness error handling

## Problem

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

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

## Edge Cases That Return False

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

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

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

## Current Code

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

// ...

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

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

## Fix

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

// ...

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

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

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

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

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


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


bd doctor should detect fresh clone and recommend 'bd init'

When running `bd doctor` on a fresh clone (JSONL exists, no .db file), it should:

1. Detect this is a fresh clone situation
2. Recommend `bd init --prefix <detected-prefix>` as the fix
3. Show the prefix detected from the JSONL file

Currently it shows various warnings (git hooks, merge driver, etc.) but doesn't address the fundamental issue: the database needs to be hydrated.


GH#403: bd doctor --fix circular error message

bd doctor --fix suggests running bd doctor --fix for deletions manifest issue. Fix to provide actual resolution. See GitHub issue #403.


Mass deletion logging for forensics

Log detailed information when the safety check triggers during auto-push.

When >50% issues vanish AND >5 existed:
- Log which issues vanished
- Log the before/after counts
- Log timestamp for forensic analysis

This gives users visibility into what happened if something goes wrong, without blocking the sync.

Location: internal/syncbranch/worktree.go
Parent issue: bd-3s8


Need comprehensive daemon health check command (bd daemon doctor?)


Add unit tests for import ordering

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


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


Refactor sqlite.go (2298 lines)

Break down internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go into smaller, more focused modules. The file is currently 2298 lines and should be split into logical components.


Test integration issue

This is a real integration test


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


Refactor check-health DB access to avoid repeated path resolution

The runCheckHealth lightweight checks (hintsDisabled, checkVersionMismatch, checkSyncBranchQuick) each have duplicated database path resolution logic. Extract a helper function to DRY this up.


Fix remaining FK constraint failures in AddComment and ApplyCompaction

Follow-up to PR #348 (Fix FOREIGN KEY constraint failed).

The initial fix addressed CloseIssue, UpdateIssueID, and RemoveLabel.
However, `AddComment` (in internal/storage/sqlite/events.go) and `ApplyCompaction` (in internal/storage/sqlite/compact.go) still suffer from the same pattern: inserting an event after an UPDATE without verifying the UPDATE affected any rows.

This causes "FOREIGN KEY constraint failed" errors when operating on non-existent issues, instead of clean "issue not found" errors.

Task:
1. Apply the same fix pattern to `AddComment` and `ApplyCompaction`: check RowsAffected() after UPDATE and before event INSERT.
2. Ensure error messages are consistent ("issue %s not found").
3. Verify with reproduction tests (create a test that calls these methods with a non-existent ID).


Document -short flag in testing guide

Add documentation about the -short flag and how it's used to skip slow tests. Should explain that developers can run 'go test -short ./...' for fast iteration and 'go test ./...' for full coverage.