Update docs with multi-repo patterns

Update AGENTS.md, README.md, QUICKSTART.md with multi-repo patterns. Document: config options, routing behavior, backward compatibility, troubleshooting, best practices.


Agent upgrade awareness system

Make it easy for AI agents to discover and adapt to bd upgrades without manual intervention.

## Problem
When bd is upgraded (happens weekly), agents need to:
1. Discover what changed
2. Update their workflows/instructions
3. Keep git hooks in sync
4. Know which new features to adopt

Currently this requires manual prompting or re-running bd onboard, which is unreliable.

## Solution Layers
1. Documentation improvements (immediate)
2. Startup hook snippet for detection (immediate, zero bd code)
3. Built-in version tracking in bd (short-term)
4. Separated canonical BD_GUIDE.md (long-term architectural)

## Success Criteria
- Agents automatically detect bd upgrades at session start
- Agents see what changed without re-reading all docs
- Git hooks stay in sync with bd version
- bd-specific instructions separated from project instructions

## Related Discussion
GitHub Discussion #239: 'Upgrading beads: how to let the Agent know'


Clarify .beads/.gitattributes handling in Protected Branches docs

Protected Branches docs quick start leaves untracked `.beads` directory and `.gitattributes`.
Question: Are these changes meant to be checked into the protected branch?
Need to clarify if these should be ignored or committed, or if the instructions are missing a step.


bd message: Add HTTP client timeout to prevent hangs

HTTP client in `sendAgentMailRequest` uses default http.Post with no timeout.

**Location:** cmd/bd/message.go:181

**Problem:**
- Can hang indefinitely if server is unresponsive
- No way to cancel stuck requests
- Poor UX in flaky networks

**Fix:**
```go
client := &http.Client{Timeout: 30 * time.Second}
resp, err := client.Post(url, "application/json", bytes.NewReader(reqBody))
```

**Impact:** Production reliability and security issue


Remove obsolete renumber.go command (hash IDs eliminated need)


Claude Code frequently creates issues with empty descriptions

## Problem

Users report that Claude Code creates beads issues with titles but no descriptions when asked to analyze code and create issues. Discussion #366 on GitHub highlights this.

## Evidence

Analysis of our own projects shows significant rates of empty descriptions:
- ~/src/beads: 110 empty / 630 total (17.5%)
- ~/wyvern: 8 empty / 119 total (6.7%)
- ~/src/vc: 3 empty / 170 total (1.8%)

Examples of real issues with no description:
- [deleted:bd-5qim]: Optimize GetReadyWork performance
- bd-ge7/vc-7kln: Improve test coverage (appears in multiple projects)
- Package-specific test coverage tasks (bd-m0w, bd-4h3, bd-t3b, bd-e92)
- Wyvern testing tasks (wy-3hx, wy-qc9, wy-66)

Many date from Nov 20-21, suggesting batch creation operations.

## Impact

- Issues lack context for future work
- Harder to prioritize without understanding scope
- Need manual follow-up to add details
- Poor workflow experience for users

## Related

- GitHub Discussion #366: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/discussions/366


Add orphan detection migration

Create migration to detect orphaned children in existing databases. Query: SELECT id FROM issues WHERE id LIKE '%.%' AND substr(id, 1, instr(id || '.', '.') - 1) NOT IN (SELECT id FROM issues). Log results, let user decide action (delete orphans or convert to top-level).


Implement health checks in daemon event loop

Add health checks to checkDaemonHealth() function in daemon_event_loop.go:170:
- Database integrity check
- Disk space check
- Memory usage check

Currently it's just a no-op placeholder.


bd info shows 'auto_start_disabled' even when daemon is crashed/missing


Investigate TestRoutingIntegration failure

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


Handle unchecked errors (errcheck - 683 issues)

683 unchecked error returns, mostly in tests (Close, Rollback, RemoveAll). Many already excluded in config but still showing up.

Fixed all errcheck warnings in production code:
- Enabled errcheck linter (was disabled)
- Set tests: false in .golangci.yml to focus on production code
- Fixed 27 total errors in production code using Oracle guidance:
  * Database patterns: defer func() { _ = rows.Close() }() and defer func() { _ = tx.Rollback() }()
  * Best-effort closers: _ = store.Close(), _ = client.Close()
  * Proper error handling for file writes, fmt.Scanln(), os.Remove()
- All tests pass
- Only 2 "unused" linter warnings remain (not errcheck)


Test issue


Measure git operation reduction

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

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

Success Metric: ≥70% reduction in git operations


Verify MCP Server Compatibility

Ensure MCP server works with cache-free daemon


Fix variable shadowing in upgradeAckCmd


Extract database search logic into helper function

The logic for finding a database in a beads directory is duplicated:
- FindDatabasePath() BEADS_DIR section (beads.go:141-169)
- findDatabaseInTree() (beads.go:248-280)

Both implement the same search order:
1. Check config.json first (single source of truth)
2. Fall back to canonical beads.db
3. Search for *.db files, filtering backups and vc.db

Refactoring suggestion:
Extract to a helper function like:
  func findDatabaseInBeadsDir(beadsDir string) string

Benefits:
- Single source of truth for database search logic
- Easier to maintain and update search order
- Reduces code duplication

Related to [deleted:[deleted:[deleted:[deleted:[deleted:bd-e16b]]]]] implementation.


Backend task


Fix multi-round convergence for N-way collisions

## Problem

N-way collision resolution is working (IDs get remapped correctly), but clones don't fully converge after a single final pull. Each clone is missing some issues that other clones have.

From TestFiveCloneCollision results:
- Clone A has: A, B
- Clone B has: A, B
- Clone C has: A, B, C
- Clone D has: A, B, C, D
- Clone E has: A, B, C, E

**Expected**: All clones should have A, B, C, D, E after final pull.

## Root Cause

The current sync workflow does:
1. Each clone syncs in order (resolving collisions locally)
2. Final pull to get all changes

But the final pull itself may need import with collision resolution, which creates new commits. These new commits aren't propagated to other clones, so they remain incomplete.

## Proposed Solution

**Option 1: Multi-round final sync**
- After final pull, do additional sync rounds until all clones converge
- Check convergence by comparing issue counts or content hashes
- Maximum N rounds for N clones

**Option 2: Iterative pull-import-push**
- Each clone: pull → import with --resolve-collisions → push
- Repeat until no new changes
- Guaranteed convergence but may create commit spam

**Option 3: Fix auto-import to be truly idempotent**
- Ensure importing same JSONL multiple times produces no new commits
- May require smarter content-based deduplication

## Acceptance Criteria

- TestFiveCloneCollision passes without t.Skip
- All N clones have all N issues after convergence
- Convergence happens in bounded rounds (≤ N)
- No data loss or duplication
- Works for arbitrary N (tested with 5, 10 clones)

## Impact

This is the final blocker for bd-cbed9619 epic completion.


Add tests for extracted modules

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


Test Epic

## Overview

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

## Success Criteria

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

## Background

[Provide context and motivation]

## Scope

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

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


Create queries.go with core issue CRUD methods


Dogfood: Migrate beads repo to hash IDs

Final validation: migrate the beads project itself to hash-based IDs.

## Purpose
Dogfooding the migration on beads' own issue database to:
1. Validate migration tool works on real data
2. Discover edge cases
3. Verify all workflows still work
4. Build confidence for users

## Pre-Migration Checklist
- [ ] All bd-f8b764c9 child tasks completed
- [ ] All tests pass: `go test ./...`
- [ ] Migration tool tested on test databases
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] MCP server updated and published
- [ ] Clean git status

## Migration Steps

### 1. Create Backup
```bash
# Backup database
cp -r .beads .beads.backup-1761798568

# Backup JSONL
cp .beads/beads.jsonl .beads/beads.jsonl.backup

# Create git branch for migration
git checkout -b hash-id-migration
git add .beads.backup-*
git commit -m "Pre-migration backup"
```

### 2. Run Migration (Dry Run)
```bash
bd migrate --hash-ids --dry-run > migration-plan.txt
cat migration-plan.txt

# Review:
# - Number of issues to migrate
# - Hash collision check (should be zero)
# - Text reference updates
# - Dependency updates
```

### 3. Run Migration (Real)
```bash
bd migrate --hash-ids 2>&1 | tee migration-log.txt

# Expected output:
# ✓ Backup created: .beads/beads.db.backup-1234567890
# ✓ 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/beads.jsonl
# ✓ Migration complete!
```

### 4. Validation

#### Database Integrity
```bash
# Check all issues have hash IDs
bd list | grep -v "bd-[a-f0-9]\{8\}" && echo "FAIL: Non-hash IDs found"

# Check all issues have aliases
sqlite3 .beads/beads.db "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM issues WHERE alias IS NULL"
# Should be 0

# Check no alias duplicates
sqlite3 .beads/beads.db "SELECT alias, COUNT(*) FROM issues GROUP BY alias HAVING COUNT(*) > 1"
# Should be empty
```

#### Functionality Tests
```bash
# Test show by hash ID
bd show bd-

# Test show by alias
bd show #1

# Test create new issue
bd create "Test issue after migration" -p 2
# Should get hash ID + alias

# Test update
bd update #1 --priority 1

# Test dependencies
bd dep tree #1

# Test export
bd export
git diff .beads/beads.jsonl
# Should show hash IDs
```

#### Text Reference Validation
```bash
# Check that old IDs were updated in descriptions
grep -r "bd-[0-9]\{1,3\}[^a-f0-9]" .beads/beads.jsonl && echo "FAIL: Old ID format found"

# Verify hash ID references exist
grep -o "bd-[a-f0-9]\{8\}" .beads/beads.jsonl | sort -u | wc -l
# Should match number of hash IDs
```

### 5. Commit Migration
```bash
git add .beads/beads.jsonl .beads/beads.db
git commit -m "Migrate to hash-based IDs (v2.0)

- Migrated 150 issues to hash IDs
- Preserved aliases (#1-#150)
- Updated 87 dependencies
- Updated 234 text references
- Zero hash collisions

Migration log: migration-log.txt"

git push origin hash-id-migration
```

### 6. Create PR
```bash
gh pr create --title "Migrate to hash-based IDs (v2.0)" --body "## Summary
Migrates beads project to hash-based IDs as part of v2.0 release.

## Migration Stats
- Issues migrated: 150
- Dependencies updated: 87
- Text references updated: 234
- Hash collisions: 0
- Aliases assigned: 150

## Validation
- ✅ All tests pass
- ✅ Database integrity verified
- ✅ All workflows tested (show, update, create, deps)
- ✅ Text references updated correctly
- ✅ Export produces valid JSONL

## Files Changed
- `.beads/beads.jsonl` - Hash IDs in all entries
- `.beads/beads.db` - Schema updated with aliases

## Rollback
If issues arise:
\`\`\`bash
mv .beads.backup-1234567890 .beads
bd export
\`\`\`

See migration-log.txt for full details."
```

### 7. Merge and Cleanup
```bash
# After PR approval
git checkout main
git merge hash-id-migration
git push origin main

# Tag release
git tag v2.0.0
git push origin v2.0.0

# Cleanup
rm migration-log.txt migration-plan.txt
git checkout .beads.backup-*  # Keep in git history
```

## Rollback Procedure
If migration fails or has issues:

```bash
# Restore backup
mv .beads .beads.failed-migration
mv .beads.backup-1234567890 .beads

# Regenerate JSONL
bd export

# Verify restoration
bd list
git diff .beads/beads.jsonl

# Cleanup
git checkout hash-id-migration
git reset --hard main
```

## Post-Migration Communication

### GitHub Issue/Discussion
```markdown
## Beads v2.0 Released: Hash-Based IDs

We've migrated beads to hash-based IDs! 🎉

**What changed:**
- Issues now use hash IDs (bd-af78e9a2) instead of sequential (bd-cb64c226.3)
- Human-friendly aliases (#42) for easy reference
- Zero collision risk in distributed workflows

**Action required:**
If you have a local clone, you need to migrate:

\`\`\`bash
git pull origin main
bd migrate --hash-ids
git push origin main
\`\`\`

See MIGRATION.md for details.

**Benefits:**
- ✅ No more ID collisions
- ✅ Work offline without coordination
- ✅ Simpler codebase (-2,100 LOC)

Questions? Reply here or see docs/HASH_IDS.md
```

## Success Criteria
- [ ] Migration completes without errors
- [ ] All validation checks pass
- [ ] PR merged to main
- [ ] v2.0.0 tagged and released
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Community notified
- [ ] No rollback needed within 1 week

## Files to Create
- migration-log.txt (transient)
- migration-plan.txt (transient)

## Timeline
Execute after all other bd-f8b764c9 tasks complete (estimated: ~8 weeks from start)


Override test


Update Metrics and Health Endpoints

Remove cache-related metrics from health/metrics endpoints


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


Document bd-wasm installation and usage

Create documentation for bd-wasm:
- Update README with npm installation instructions
- Add troubleshooting section for WASM-specific issues
- Document known limitations vs native bd
- Add examples for Claude Code Web sandbox usage
- Update INSTALLING.md with bd-wasm option


Rapid 4


Auto-migrate database on CLI version bump

When CLI is upgraded (e.g., 0.24.0 → 0.24.1), database version becomes stale. Add auto-migration in PersistentPreRun or daemon startup. Check dbVersion != CLIVersion and run bd migrate automatically. Fixes recurring UX issue where bd doctor shows version mismatch after every CLI upgrade.


WASM port of bd for Claude Code Web sandboxes

Enable beads to work in Claude Code Web sandboxes by compiling bd to WebAssembly.

## Problem
Claude Code Web sandboxes cannot install bd CLI due to network restrictions:
- GitHub releases return 403
- go install fails with DNS errors
- Binary cannot be downloaded

## Solution
Compile bd Go codebase to WASM, publish to npm as drop-in replacement.

## Technical Approach
- Use GOOS=js GOARCH=wasm to compile bd
- modernc.org/sqlite already supports js/wasm target
- Publish to npm as bd-wasm package
- Full feature parity with bd CLI

## Success Criteria
- bd-wasm installs via npm in web sandbox
- All core bd commands work identically
- JSONL output matches native bd
- Performance within 2x of native

WASM port abandoned - Claude Code Web has full VMs not browser restrictions. Better: npm + native binary


Create backup and restore procedures

Disaster recovery procedures for Agent Mail data.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Automated daily snapshots (GCP persistent disk)
- SQLite backup script
- Git repository backup
- Restore procedure documentation
- Test restore from backup

File: deployment/agent-mail/backup.sh


Integration Layer Implementation

Build the adapter layer that makes Agent Mail optional and non-intrusive.

Progress: bd-m9th (Python adapter library) completed with full test coverage. Next: bd-fzbg (update python-agent example with Agent Mail integration).


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).


UX nightmare: multiple ways daemon can fail with misleading messages


Latency test 1

Resetting stale in_progress status from old executor run (yesterday)


Multi-clone collision resolution testing and documentation

Epic to track improvements to multi-clone collision resolution based on ultrathinking analysis of-3d844c58 and [deleted:bd-71107098].

Current state:
- 2-clone collision resolution is SOUND and working correctly
- Hash-based deterministic collision resolution works
- Test fails due to timestamp comparison, not actual logic issues

Work needed:
1. Fix TestTwoCloneCollision to compare content not timestamps
2. Add TestThreeCloneCollision for regression protection
3. Document 3-clone ID non-determinism as known behavior


Add richer query capabilities to bd list

Current bd list filters are limited to basic field matching (status, priority, type, assignee, label). This forces users to resort to piping through jq for common queries.

Missing query capabilities:
- Pattern matching: --title-contains, --desc-contains
- Date ranges: --created-after, --updated-before, --closed-after
- Empty/null checks: --empty-description, --no-assignee, --no-labels
- Numeric ranges: --priority-min, --priority-max
- Complex boolean logic: --and, --or operators
- Full-text search: --search across all text fields
- Negation: --not-status, --exclude-label

Example use cases:
- Find issues with empty descriptions
- Find stale issues not updated in 30 days
- Find high-priority bugs with no assignee
- Search for keyword across title/description/notes

Implementation approach:
- Add query builder pattern to storage layer
- Support --query DSL for complex queries
- Keep simple flags for common cases
- Add --json output for programmatic use

## Progress Update

**Completed:**
- ✅ Extended IssueFilter struct with new fields (pattern matching, date ranges, empty/null checks, priority ranges)
- ✅ Updated SQLite SearchIssues implementation
- ✅ Added CLI flags to list.go
- ✅ Added parseTimeFlag helper
- ✅ Comprehensive tests added - all passing

**Remaining:**
- ⚠ RPC layer needs updating (internal/rpc/protocol.go ListArgs)
- ⚠ Daemon handler needs to forward new filters
- ⚠ End-to-end testing with daemon mode
- 📝 Documentation updates

**Files Modified:**
- internal/types/types.go
- internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go
- cmd/bd/list.go
- cmd/bd/list_test.go

**Next Steps:**
1. Update RPC protocol
2. Update daemon handler
3. Test with daemon mode
4. Update docs


Frontend task


bd validate - Comprehensive health check

Run all validation checks in one command.

Checks:
- Duplicates
- Orphaned dependencies
- Test pollution
- Git conflicts

Supports --fix-all for auto-repair.

Depends on bd-cbed9619.1, bd-0dcea000, bd-31aab707, bd-9826b69a.

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


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).


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


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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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


bd-hv01: Three full JSONL reads on every sync (performance)

Problem: computeAcceptedDeletions reads three JSONL files completely into memory (base, left, merged). For 1000 issues at 1KB each, this is 3MB read and 3000 JSON parse operations.

Impact: Acceptable now (~20-35ms overhead) but will be slow for large repos (10k+ issues).

Possible optimizations: single-pass streaming, memory-mapped files, binary format, incremental snapshots.

Files: cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go:101-208


Fix N+1 query pattern in export operations (GetLabels/GetIssueComments)

**Location:** internal/rpc/server_export_import_auto.go:64-84

**Issue:** Export operations call GetLabels() and GetIssueComments() in a loop for each issue, creating N+1 query pattern. For 100 issues this creates 201 queries instead of ~3-5.

**Current Code:**
```go
for _, issue := range issues {
    labels, err := store.GetLabels(ctx, issue.ID)  // 1 query per issue!
    issue.Labels = labels
}
for _, issue := range issues {
    comments, err := store.GetIssueComments(ctx, issue.ID)  // 1 query per issue!
    issue.Comments = comments
}
```

**Fix:** Implement batch query methods like GetLabelsForIssues() and GetCommentsForIssues() that load all data in 1-2 queries total.

**Impact:** Performance degradation on large exports. This is already done correctly for dependencies.


Build Node.js CLI wrapper for WASM

Create npm package that wraps bd.wasm. Child of epic bd-44d0.

## Tasks
- [ ] Set up npm package structure (package.json)
- [ ] Implement CLI argument parsing
- [ ] Load and execute WASM module
- [ ] Handle stdout/stderr correctly
- [ ] Support --json flag for all commands
- [ ] Add bd-wasm bin script

## Success Criteria
- bd-wasm ready --json works identically to bd
- All core commands supported


Add parent issue existence validation in create.go direct mode

**Location:** cmd/bd/create.go:177-185

**Issue:** When creating child issues in direct mode (daemon not running), code calls GetNextChildID() without validating parent issue exists first.

**Current Code:**
```go
if parentID != "" && daemonClient == nil {
    childID, err := store.GetNextChildID(ctx, parentID)
    // No check: does parentID exist?
}
```

**Impact:** Could create orphaned child issues pointing to non-existent parents, causing data integrity issues.

**Fix:** Add existence check before generating child ID:
```go
parentIssue, err := store.GetIssue(ctx, parentID)
if err != nil {
    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: parent issue %s not found\n", parentID)
    os.Exit(1)
}
```


Test issue 1


bd-hv01: Refactor snapshot management into dedicated module

Problem: Snapshot logic is scattered across deletion_tracking.go. Would benefit from abstraction with SnapshotManager type.

Benefits: cleaner separation of concerns, easier to test in isolation, better encapsulation, could add observability/metrics.

Suggested improvements: add magic constants, track merge statistics, better error messages.

Files: cmd/bd/deletion_tracking.go (refactor into new snapshot_manager.go)


Proposal workflow (propose/withdraw/accept)

Implement commands and state machine for moving issues between personal planning repos and canonical upstream repos, enabling contributors to propose work without polluting PRs.


DetectCycles SQL query has bug preventing cycle detection

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

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

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

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

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

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


Daemon crash recovery: panic handler + socket cleanup

Improve daemon cleanup on unexpected exit:
1. Add top-level recover() in runDaemonLoop to capture panics
2. Write daemon-error file with stack trace on panic
3. Prefer return over os.Exit where possible (so defers run)
4. In stopDaemon forced-kill path, also remove stale socket if present

This ensures better diagnostics and cleaner state after crashes.


Create config.go with config and metadata methods


Add validation and documentation for metadata key format

## Issues

### 1. No validation that keySuffix doesn't contain separator
```go
if keySuffix != "" {
    hashKey += ":" + keySuffix  // ❌ What if keySuffix contains ":"?
}
```

Add validation:
```go
if strings.Contains(keySuffix, ":") {
    return fmt.Errorf("keySuffix cannot contain ':' separator")
}
```

### 2. Inconsistent keySuffix semantics
Empty string means "global", non-empty means "scoped". Better to always pass explicit key:
```go
const (
    SingleRepoKey = "."
    // Multi-repo uses source_repo identifier
)
```

### 3. Metadata key format not documented
Need to document:
- `last_import_hash` - single-repo mode
- `last_import_hash:<repo_key>` - multi-repo mode
- `last_import_time` - when last import occurred
- `last_import_mtime` - fast-path optimization

Add to internal/storage/sqlite/schema.go or docs/


Extract hash ID generation functions to hash_ids.go

Move generateHashID, getNextChildNumber, GetNextChildID to hash_ids.go


Fix import failure on missing parent issues

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


Split monolithic sqlite.go into focused files

internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go is 1050 lines containing initialization, 20+ CRUD methods, query building, and schema management.

Split into:
- store.go: Store struct & initialization (150 lines)
- bead_queries.go: Bead CRUD (300 lines)
- work_queries.go: Work queries (200 lines)
- stats_queries.go: Statistics (150 lines)
- schema.go: Schema & migrations (150 lines)
- helpers.go: Common utilities (100 lines)

Impact: Impossible to understand at a glance; hard to find specific functionality; high cognitive load

Effort: 6-8 hours


Testing event-driven mode!


Update JSONL format to use hash IDs

Update JSONL import/export to use hash IDs, store aliases separately.

## Current JSONL Format
```jsonl
{"id":"bd-1c63eb84","title":"Fix bug","status":"open",...}
{"id":"bd-9063acda","title":"Add test","status":"open",...}
```

## New JSONL Format (Option A: Include Alias)
```jsonl
{"id":"bd-af78e9a2","alias":1,"title":"Fix bug","status":"open",...}
{"id":"bd-e5f6a7b8","alias":2,"title":"Add test","status":"open",...}
```

## New JSONL Format (Option B: Hash ID Only)
```jsonl
{"id":"bd-af78e9a2","title":"Fix bug","status":"open",...}
{"id":"bd-e5f6a7b8","title":"Add test","status":"open",...}
```

Store aliases in separate .beads/aliases.jsonl (local only, git-ignored):
```jsonl
{"hash":"bd-af78e9a2","alias":1}
{"hash":"bd-e5f6a7b8","alias":2}
```

**Recommendation**: Option B (hash only in main JSONL)
- Cleaner git diffs (no alias conflicts)
- Aliases are workspace-local preference
- Main JSONL is canonical, portable

## Export Changes
File: cmd/bd/export.go
```go
// Export issues with hash IDs
for _, issue := range issues {
    json := marshalIssue(issue)  // Uses issue.ID (hash)
    // Don't include alias in JSONL
}

// Separately export aliases to .beads/aliases.jsonl
exportAliases(issues)
```

## Import Changes
File: cmd/bd/import.go, internal/importer/importer.go
```go
// Import issues by hash ID
issue := unmarshalIssue(line)
// Assign new alias on import (don't use incoming alias)
issue.Alias = getNextAlias()

// No collision detection needed! Hash IDs are globally unique
```

## Dependency Reference Format
No change needed - already uses issue IDs:
```json
{"depends_on_id":"bd-af78e9a2","type":"blocks"}
```

## Files to Modify
- cmd/bd/export.go (use hash IDs)
- cmd/bd/import.go (import hash IDs, assign aliases)
- internal/importer/importer.go (remove collision detection!)
- .gitignore (add .beads/aliases.jsonl)

## Testing
- Test export produces hash IDs
- Test import assigns new aliases
- Test dependencies preserved with hash IDs
- Test no collision detection triggered


Implement clone-scoped ID allocation to prevent N-way collisions

## Problem
Current ID allocation uses per-clone atomic counters (issue_counters table) that sync based on local database state. In N-way collision scenarios:
- Clone B sees {test-1} locally, allocates test-2
- Clone D sees {test-1, test-2, test-3} locally, allocates test-4
- When same content gets assigned test-2 and test-4, convergence fails

Root cause: Each clone independently allocates IDs without global coordination, leading to overlapping assignments for the same content.

## Solution
Add clone UUID to ID allocation to make every ID globally unique:

**Current format:** `test-1`, `test-2`, `test-3`
**New format:** `test-1-a7b3`, `test-2-a7b3`, `test-3-c4d9`

Where suffix is first 4 chars of clone UUID.

## Implementation

### 1. Add clone_identity table
```sql
CREATE TABLE clone_identity (
    clone_uuid TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);
```

### 2. Modify getNextIDForPrefix()
```go
func (s *SQLiteStorage) getNextIDForPrefix(ctx context.Context, prefix string) (string, error) {
    cloneUUID := s.getOrCreateCloneUUID(ctx)
    shortUUID := cloneUUID[:4]

    nextNum := s.getNextCounterForPrefix(ctx, prefix)
    return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d-%s", prefix, nextNum, shortUUID), nil
}
```

### 3. Update ID parsing logic
All places that parse IDs (utils.ExtractIssueNumber, etc.) need to handle new format.

### 4. Migration strategy
- Existing IDs remain unchanged (no suffix)
- New IDs get clone suffix automatically
- Display layer can hide suffix in UI: `bd-cb64c226.3-a7b3` → `#42`

## Benefits
- **Zero collision risk**: Same content in different clones gets different IDs
- **Maintains readability**: Still sequential numbering within clone
- **No coordination needed**: Works offline, no central authority
- **Scales to 100+ clones**: 4-char hex = 65,536 unique clones

## Concerns
- ID format change may break existing integrations
- Need migration path for existing databases
- Display logic needs update to hide/show suffixes appropriately

## Success Criteria
- 10+ clone collision test passes without failures
- Existing issues continue to work (backward compatibility)
- Documentation updated with new ID format
- Migration guide for v1.x → v2.x

## Timeline
Medium-term (v1.1-v1.2), 2-3 weeks implementation

## References
- Related to bd-e6d71828 (immediate fix)
- See beads_nway_test.go for failing N-way tests


Implement hash ID generation in CreateIssue

Replace sequential ID generation with hash-based IDs in CreateIssue function.

## Current Behavior (internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go)
```go
func (s *SQLiteStorage) CreateIssue(ctx context.Context, issue *types.Issue) error {
    // ID comes from auto-increment counter
    // Collisions possible across clones
}
```

## New Behavior
```go
func (s *SQLiteStorage) CreateIssue(ctx context.Context, issue *types.Issue) error {
    // Generate hash ID if not provided
    if issue.ID == "" {
        issue.ID = idgen.GenerateHashID(
            issue.Title,
            issue.Description,
            time.Now(),
            s.workspaceID,
        )
    }

    // Assign next alias
    issue.Alias = s.getNextAlias()

    // Insert with hash ID + alias
    // ...
}
```

## Workspace ID Generation
Add to database initialization:
```go
// Generate stable workspace ID (persisted in .beads/workspace_id)
workspaceID := getOrCreateWorkspaceID()
```

Options for workspace ID:
1. Hostname + random suffix
2. UUID (random)
3. Git remote URL hash (deterministic per repo)

Recommended: Option 3 (git remote hash) for reproducibility

## Hash Collision Detection
```go
// On insert, check for collision (unlikely but possible)
existing, err := s.GetIssue(ctx, issue.ID)
if err == nil {
    // Hash collision! Add random suffix and retry
    issue.ID = issue.ID + "-" + randomSuffix(4)
}
```

## Files to Create/Modify
- internal/types/id_generator.go (new)
- internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go (CreateIssue)
- internal/storage/sqlite/workspace.go (new - workspace ID management)
- .beads/workspace_id (new file, git-ignored)

## Testing
- Test hash ID generation is deterministic
- Test collision detection and retry
- Test workspace ID persistence
- Benchmark: hash generation performance (<1μs)


Ready issue


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


Investigate why test issues persist in database

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

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

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

## Root Cause Analysis

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

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

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

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

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

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


Performance Testing Framework

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

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

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


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


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.


Write Agent Mail integration guide

Comprehensive guide for setting up and using Agent Mail with Beads.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Installation instructions
- Configuration (environment variables)
- Architecture diagram
- Benefits and tradeoffs
- When to use vs not use
- Troubleshooting section
- Migration from git-only mode

File: docs/AGENT_MAIL.md

Sections:
- Quick start
- How it works
- Integration points
- Graceful degradation
- Multi-machine deployment
- FAQ


GH#146: No color showing in terminal for some users

User reports color not working in macOS (Taho 26.0.1) with iTerm 3.6.4 and Terminal.app, despite color working elsewhere in terminal. Python rich and printf escape codes work.

Need to investigate:
- Is NO_COLOR env var set?
- Terminal type detection?
- fatih/color library configuration
- Does bd list show colors? bd ready? bd init?
- What's the output of: echo $TERM, echo $NO_COLOR


Update AGENTS.md with event-driven mode

Document BEADS_DAEMON_MODE env var. Explain opt-in during Phase 1. Add troubleshooting for watcher failures.


Event-driven daemon architecture

Replace 5-second polling sync loop with event-driven architecture that reacts instantly to changes. Eliminates stale data issues while reducing CPU ~60%. Key components: FileWatcher (fsnotify), Debouncer (500ms), RPC mutation events, optional git hooks. Target latency: <500ms (vs 5000ms). See event_driven_daemon.md for full design.

Production-ready after 3 critical fixes (commit 349b892):
- Skip redundant imports (mtime check prevents self-trigger loops)
- Add server.Stop() in serverErrChan case (clean shutdown)
- Fallback ticker (60s) when watcher unavailable (ensures remote sync)

Ready to make default after integration test (bd-1f4086c5.1) passes.


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

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


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


Extract computeJSONLHash helper to eliminate code duplication

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

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


bd import fails on duplicate external_ref with no resolution options

When JSONL contains duplicate external_ref values (e.g., two issues both have external_ref='BS-170'), bd import fails entirely with no resolution options.

User must manually edit JSONL to remove duplicates, which is error-prone.

Example error:
```
batch import contains duplicate external_ref values:
external_ref 'BS-170' appears in issues: [opal-39 opal-43]
```

Should handle this similar to duplicate issue detection - offer to merge, pick one, or clear duplicates.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Separate process/lock/PID concerns into process.go

Create internal/daemonrunner/process.go with: acquireDaemonLock, PID file read/write, stopDaemon, isDaemonRunning, getPIDFilePath, socket path helpers, version check.


Integrate beads-merge tool by @neongreen

**Context**: @neongreen built a production-ready 3-way merge tool for JSONL files that works with both Git and Jujutsu. This is superior to our planned bd resolve-conflicts because it prevents conflicts proactively instead of resolving them after the fact.

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

**What it does**:
- 3-way merge of JSONL files (base, left, right)
- Field-level merging (titles, status, priority, etc.)
- Smart dependency merging (union + dedup)
- Conflict markers for unresolvable conflicts
- Exit code 1 for conflicts (standard)

**Integration options**:

1. **Recommend (minimal effort)** - Document in AGENTS.md + TROUBLESHOOTING.md
2. **Bundle binary** - Include in releases (cross-platform builds)
3. **Port to Go** - Reimplement in bd codebase
4. **Auto-install hook** - During bd init, offer to install merge driver

**Recommendation**: Start with option 1 (document), then option 2 (bundle) once proven.

**Related**: bd-5f483051 (bd resolve-conflicts - can close as superseded)

Created GitHub issue to discuss integration approach with @neongreen: https://github.com/neongreen/mono/issues/240

Awaiting their preference on:
1. Vendor with attribution (fastest)
2. Extract as importable module (best long-term)
3. Keep as separate tool (current state)

Next: Wait for response before proceeding with integration.

UPDATE 2025-11-06: @neongreen gave permission to vendor! Quote: "I switched from beads to my own thing (tk) so I'm very happy to give beads-merge away — feel free to move it into the beads repo and I will point mono's readme to beads"

Next: Vendor beads-merge with full attribution


Test child direct


Rename last_import_hash metadata key to jsonl_content_hash

The metadata key 'last_import_hash' is misleading because it's updated on both import AND export (sync.go:614, import.go:320).

Better names:
- jsonl_content_hash (more accurate)
- last_sync_hash (clearer intent)

This is a breaking change requiring migration of existing metadata values.


GH#243: Recurring stale daemon.lock causes 5s delays

User reports daemon.lock keeps becoming stale after running Claude with beads.

Symptom:
- bd ready takes 5 seconds (exact)
- daemon.lock exists but socket is missing
- bd daemons killall temporarily fixes it
- Problem recurs after using beads with AI agents

User on v0.22.0, Macbook M2, 132 issues (89 closed)

Hypothesis: Daemon is crashing or exiting uncleanly during agent sessions, leaving stale lock file.

Need to:
1. Add crash logging to daemon to understand why it's exiting
2. Improve cleanup on daemon exit (ensure lock is always removed)
3. Add automatic stale lock detection/cleanup
4. Consider making daemon more resilient to crashes

Oracle analysis complete. Converting to epic with 5 focused sub-issues:
1. RPC fast-fail with socket stat + short timeouts (P0)
2. Standardize daemon detection with lock probe (P1)
3. Crash recovery improvements (P2)
4. Self-heal stale artifacts (P2)
5. Diagnostics and debugging (P3)


Test simple issue


WASM integration testing

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

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

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


Fix revive style issues (78 issues)

Style violations: unused parameters (many cmd/args in cobra commands), missing exported comments, stuttering names (SQLiteStorage), indent-error-flow issues.

Fixed 19 revive issues:
- 14 unused-parameter (renamed to _)
- 2 redefines-builtin-id (max→maxCount, min→minInt)
- 3 indent-error-flow (gofmt fixed 2, skipped 1 complex nested one)

Remaining issues are acceptable: 11 unused-params in deeper code, 2 empty-blocks with comments, 1 complex indent case, 1 superfluous-else in test.


Add 'bd message send' command for Agent Mail messaging

Agent Mail server supports messaging between agents, but bd CLI only uses it for file reservations. Add commands for inter-agent messaging.

## Background
- Agent Mail server running at http://127.0.0.1:8765
- 12 workspaces configured across 3 channels (beads.dev, vc.dev, wyvern.dev)
- Current integration: file reservations only
- Gap: no way to send messages from bd CLI

## Proposed Commands

```bash
# Send message to another agent
bd message send <to-agent> <message> [options]
  --subject <subject>
  --thread-id <thread-id>     # Optional - group related messages
  --project-id <project>      # Defaults to BEADS_PROJECT_ID

# List inbox messages
bd message inbox [options]
  --limit <N>
  --unread-only

# Read specific message
bd message read <message-id>

# Mark message as acknowledged
bd message ack <message-id>
```

## Example Usage

```bash
# Send message to agent in same channel
bd message send cino-beads-stevey-macbook "Working on bd-z0yn, need your review" \
  --subject "Review request" \
  --thread-id bd-z0yn

# Check inbox
bd message inbox --unread-only

# Read and acknowledge
bd message read msg-abc123
bd message ack msg-abc123
```

## Design Notes
- Use same env vars (BEADS_AGENT_MAIL_URL, BEADS_AGENT_NAME, BEADS_PROJECT_ID)
- Graceful degradation if Agent Mail unavailable
- JSON output support for all commands
- Consider integrating with bd update/close (auto-notify on status changes)

## References
- Agent Mail README: ~/src/mcp_agent_mail/README.md
- Beads integration docs: docs/AGENT_MAIL.md

## Implementation Summary

Added four new commands to bd CLI for Agent Mail messaging:

1. `bd message send <to-agent> <message>` - Send messages to other agents
   - Flags: --subject, --thread-id, --importance, --ack-required
   - Supports markdown content
   - Thread conversations by issue ID

2. `bd message inbox` - List inbox messages
   - Flags: --limit, --unread-only, --urgent-only, --json
   - Shows subject, sender, age, importance
   - Highlights unread and ACK-required messages

3. `bd message read <message-id>` - Read and mark message as read
   - Automatically marks message as read
   - Shows message content

4. `bd message ack <message-id>` - Acknowledge a message
   - Marks message as acknowledged
   - Also marks as read if not already

## Implementation Details

- Uses JSON-RPC over HTTP to communicate with Agent Mail server
- Configuration via environment variables (BEADS_AGENT_MAIL_URL, BEADS_AGENT_NAME, BEADS_PROJECT_ID)
- Graceful error messages when Agent Mail not configured
- Full JSON output support for programmatic use
- Follows same patterns as existing bd commands

## Documentation

Updated:
- docs/AGENT_MAIL.md - Added "Messaging Commands" section with examples and best practices
- README.md - Added "Messaging (Agent Mail)" section in Usage

## Testing

- Compiles successfully
- Help output works correctly
- Ready for integration testing with Agent Mail server


Extract daemon sync functions to daemon_sync.go


Fix inconsistent version comparison logic in trackBdVersion


Optimize test suite performance - cut runtime by 50%+

## Problem
Test suite takes ~20.8 seconds, with 95% of time spent in just 2 tests:
- TestHashIDs_MultiCloneConverge: 11.08s (53%)
- TestHashIDs_IdenticalContentDedup: 8.78s (42%)

Both tests in beads_hash_multiclone_test.go perform extensive Git operations (bare repos, multiple clones, sync rounds).

## Goal
Cut total test time by at least 50% (to ~10 seconds or less).

## Analysis
Tests already have some optimizations:
- --shared --depth=1 --no-tags for fast cloning
- Disabled hooks, gc, fsync
- Support -short flag

## Impact
- Faster development feedback loop
- Reduced CI costs and time
- Better developer experience


Fix TestMigrateHashIDs test failure

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


Update 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


Add schema compatibility probe to prevent silent migration failures

Issue #262 revealed a serious bug: migrations may fail silently, causing UNIQUE constraint errors later.

Root cause:
- sqlite.New() runs migrations once on open
- checkVersionMismatch() prints 'database will be upgraded automatically' but only updates metadata
- If migrations fail or daemon runs older version, queries expecting new columns fail with 'no such column'
- Import logic misinterprets this as 'not found' and tries INSERT on existing ID
- Result: UNIQUE constraint failed: issues.id

Fix strategy (minimal):
1. Add schema probe in sqlite.New() after RunMigrations
   - SELECT all expected columns from all tables with LIMIT 0
   - If fails, retry RunMigrations and probe again
   - If still fails, return fatal error with clear message
2. Fix checkVersionMismatch to not claim 'will upgrade' unless probe passes
3. Only update bd_version after successful migration probe
4. Add schema verification before import operations
5. Map 'no such column' errors to clear actionable message

Related: #262


Test issue 0


Debug MCP Agent Mail tool execution errors

**EXTERNAL WORK**: Debug the standalone MCP Agent Mail server (separate from beads integration).

The Agent Mail server runs as an independent service at ~/src/mcp_agent_mail. This is NOT beads code - it's a separate GitHub project we're evaluating for optional coordination features.

Current Issue:
- MCP API endpoint returns errors when calling ensure_project tool
- Error: "Server encountered an unexpected error while executing tool"
- Core HTTP server works, web UI functional, but tool wrapper layer fails

Server Details:
- Location: ~/src/mcp_agent_mail (separate repo)
- Repository: https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/mcp_agent_mail
- Runs on: http://127.0.0.1:8765
- Bearer token: In .env file

Investigation Steps:
1. Check tool execution logs for full stack trace
2. Verify Git storage initialization at ~/.mcp_agent_mail_git_mailbox_repo
3. Review database setup (storage.sqlite3)
4. Test with simpler MCP tools if available
5. Compare with working test cases in tests/

Why This Matters:
- Blocks [deleted:bd-6hji] (testing file reservations)
- Need working MCP API to validate Agent Mail benefits
- Proof of concept for lightweight beads integration later

Note: The actual beads integration (bd-wfmw) will be lightweight HTTP client code only.


Test auto-start in fred


Test P1 priority


Add bd init --team wizard

Interactive wizard for team workflow setup. Guides user through: branch workflow configuration, shared repo setup, team member onboarding, examples of team collaboration patterns.


Fix inconsistent export error handling - fail fast vs graceful degradation

**Location:** internal/rpc/server_export_import_auto.go:64-71

**Issue:** Export operation fails entirely if ANY single issue's labels or comments fail to load. First error stops entire export.

**Current Behavior:**
```go
for _, issue := range issues {
    labels, err := store.GetLabels(ctx, issue.ID)
    if err != nil {
        return Response{
            Success: false,
            Error:   fmt.Sprintf("failed to get labels for %s: %v", issue.ID, err),
        }
    }
}
```

**Impact:** One corrupted issue makes entire export fail. This is problematic for large databases where some corruption is expected over time.

**Fix:** Either:
1. Skip labels/comments for problematic issues with warning in export log, OR
2. Implement retry logic with exponential backoff

**Decision needed:** What's the right trade-off between data integrity and availability?


Document which files to commit after bd init --branch

GH #312 reported confusion about which files should be committed after running 'bd init --branch beads-metadata'. Updated PROTECTED_BRANCHES.md to clearly document:

1. Files that should be committed to protected branch (main):
   - .beads/.gitignore
   - .gitattributes

2. Files that are automatically gitignored
3. Files that live in the sync branch (beads-metadata)

Changes:
- Added step-by-step instructions in Quick Start section
- Added 'What lives in each branch' section to How It Works
- Clarified the directory structure diagram

Fixes: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/312


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-0dcea000, bd-4d7fca8a 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


Document error handling strategy for metadata update failures

Multiple places silently ignore metadata update failures (sync.go:614-617, import.go:320-322) with non-fatal warnings. This is intentional (degrades gracefully to mtime-based approach) but not well documented.

Add comments explaining:
- Why these failures are non-fatal
- How system degrades gracefully
- What the fallback behavior is (mtime-based detection)


bd message: Add input validation for --importance flag

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

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

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

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


Review multi-repo deletion tracking implementation

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

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

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

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

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

Key findings:

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

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

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

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

Detailed review notes available in conversation history.


Extract daemon logger functions to daemon_logger.go


Proposal: Custom status states via config

Proposal to add 'custom status states' via `bd config`.
Users could define an optional issue status enum (e.g., awaiting_review, review_in_progress) in the config.
This would enable multi-step pipelines to process issues where each step correlates to a specific status.

Examples:
- awaiting_verification
- awaiting_docs
- awaiting_testing


Test npm package installation locally

Verify npm package works before publishing:

## Local testing
- Run npm pack in npm/ directory
- Install tarball globally: npm install -g beads-bd-0.21.5.tgz
- Test basic commands:
  - bd --version
  - bd init --quiet --prefix test
  - bd create "Test issue" -p 1 --json
  - bd list --json
  - bd sync

## Test environments
- macOS (darwin-arm64 and darwin-amd64)
- Linux (ubuntu docker container for linux-amd64)
- Windows (optional, if available)

## Validation
- Binary downloads during postinstall
- All bd commands work identically to native
- No permission issues
- Proper error messages on failure


Audit Current Cache Usage

Understand exactly what code depends on the storage cache


Implement transaction retry logic for SQLITE_BUSY

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

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

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

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

Impact: Spurious failures under concurrent write load

Effort: 3 hours


Update docs for import bug fix

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


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

Add consistent verbosity controls across all commands.

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

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

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

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

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

Analysis: This requires coordinating changes across main.go (add flags), debug/debug.go (add SetVerbose/SetQuiet functions), and potentially many command files. Current state: BD_DEBUG env var controls debug output via debug.Logf(). Implementation would need: 1) Add verboseFlag/quietFlag vars in main.go, 2) Update debug package to check flags, 3) Add PersistentPreRun logic to apply flags, 4) Test across all commands. This is P3 and less critical than completed P0/P1 tasks.


Test database naming


Update documentation for hash IDs and aliases

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

## Files to Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hash IDs are generated deterministically:

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

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

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

## Alias Conflict Resolution

When multiple clones assign same alias to different issues:

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

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

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

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

## Migration Steps

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

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

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

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

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

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

## FAQ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Fix --title vs --title-contains redundancy in bd list

Clarify or consolidate --title and --title-contains flags in bd list command.

**Analysis needed:**
- Determine if these serve different purposes
- Check actual implementation in cmd/bd/list.go
- Review user expectations

**Options:**
1. Keep both if they have semantic difference (exact vs substring)
2. Make one an alias of the other
3. Remove --title-contains if truly redundant

**Testing:**
- Verify current behavior
- Update documentation
- Add tests for chosen approach

Investigation complete:

--title and --title-contains serve DIFFERENT purposes:
- --title: Maps to Query field (searches title, description, AND ID) - line 226
- --title-contains: Maps to TitleContains field (searches title ONLY) - line 233

These are NOT redundant. The flag names are confusing:
- --title is actually a general search
- --title-contains is title-specific

RECOMMENDATION: Rename --title to --query or --search for clarity
- More intuitive: 'bd list --query foo' vs 'bd list --title foo'
- Makes it clear it searches multiple fields
- --title-contains remains for title-only searches

Alternative: Keep as-is but improve documentation to clarify the difference.


Fix: --parent flag doesn't create parent-child dependency

When using `bd create --parent <id>`, the code generates a hierarchical child ID (e.g., bd-123.1) but never creates a parent-child dependency. This causes `bd epic status` to show zero children even though child issues exist.

Root cause: create.go generates child ID using store.GetNextChildID() but never calls store.AddDependency() with type parent-child.

Fix: After creating the issue when parentID is set, automatically add a parent-child dependency linking child -> parent.


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

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

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

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

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


Publish @beads/bd package to npm registry

Publish the npm package to the public npm registry:

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

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

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

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


Integration test: mutation to export latency

Measure time from bd create to JSONL update. Verify <500ms latency. Test with multiple rapid mutations to verify batching.


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)


Updated title


Review and document rarely-used commands

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

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

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

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

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


Add tests for internal/utils package

Currently 0.0% coverage. Need tests for utility functions including issue ID parsing and validation.


Add edge case tests for GetNextChildID parent resurrection

## Current Coverage
TestGetNextChildID_ResurrectParent tests happy path only:
- Parent exists in JSONL
- Resurrection succeeds

## Missing Test Cases

### 1. Parent Not in JSONL
- Parent doesn't exist in DB
- Parent doesn't exist in JSONL either
- Should return: "could not be resurrected from JSONL history"

### 2. JSONL File Missing
- Parent doesn't exist in DB
- No issues.jsonl file exists
- Should handle gracefully

### 3. Malformed JSONL
- Parent doesn't exist in DB
- JSONL file exists but has invalid JSON
- Should skip bad lines, continue searching

### 4. Concurrent Resurrections
- Multiple goroutines call GetNextChildID with same parent
- Only one should resurrect, others should succeed
- Test for race conditions

### 5. Deeply Nested Missing Parents
- Creating bd-abc.1.2.1 where:
  - bd-abc exists
  - bd-abc.1 missing (should fail with current fix)
- Related to bd-ar2.4

### 6. Content Hash Mismatch
- Parent in JSONL has different content_hash than expected
- Should still resurrect (content_hash is for integrity, not identity)

## Files
- internal/storage/sqlite/child_id_test.go

## Implementation
```go
func TestGetNextChildID_ResurrectParent_NotInJSONL(t *testing.T) { ... }
func TestGetNextChildID_ResurrectParent_NoJSONL(t *testing.T) { ... }
func TestGetNextChildID_ResurrectParent_MalformedJSONL(t *testing.T) { ... }
func TestGetNextChildID_ResurrectParent_Concurrent(t *testing.T) { ... }
```


Add test case for symmetric collision (both clones create same ID simultaneously)

TestTwoCloneCollision demonstrates the problem, but we need a simpler unit test for the collision resolver itself.

Test should verify:
- Two issues with same ID, different content
- Content hash determines winner deterministically
- Result is same regardless of which clone imports first
- No title swapping occurs

This can be a simpler test than the full integration test.


Batch test 2


Add comprehensive tests for sync branch daemon logic

The daemon sync branch functionality (bd-6545) was implemented but needs proper end-to-end testing.

Current implementation:
- daemon_sync_branch.go has syncBranchCommitAndPush() and syncBranchPull()
- daemon_sync.go has been updated to use these functions when sync.branch is configured
- All daemon tests pass, but no specific tests for sync branch behavior

Testing needed:
- Test that daemon commits to sync branch when sync.branch is configured
- Test that daemon commits to current branch when sync.branch is NOT configured (backward compatibility)
- Test that daemon pulls from sync branch and syncs JSONL back to main repo
- Test worktree creation and health checks during daemon operations
- Test error handling (missing branch, worktree corruption, etc.)

Key challenge: Tests need to run in the context of the git repo (getGitRoot() uses current working directory), so test setup needs to properly change directory or mock the git root detection.

Reference existing daemon tests in daemon_test.go and daemon_autoimport_test.go for patterns.


Optimize Memory backend GetIssueByExternalRef with index

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

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

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

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


Fix bd doctor to recommend issues.jsonl as canonical (not beads.jsonl)


Add bd alias command for manual alias control

Add command for users to manually view and reassign aliases.

## Command: bd alias

### Subcommands

#### 1. bd alias list
Show all alias mappings:
```bash
$ bd alias list
#1    → bd-af78e9a2  Fix authentication bug
#2    → bd-e5f6a7b8  Add logging to daemon
#42   → bd-1a2b3c4d  Investigate jujutsu integration
#100  → bd-9a8b7c6d  (reassigned after conflict)
```

#### 2. bd alias set <alias> <hash-id>
Manually assign alias to specific issue:
```bash
$ bd alias set 42 bd-1a2b3c4d
✓ Assigned alias #42 to bd-1a2b3c4d

$ bd alias set 1 bd-af78e9a2
✗ Error: Alias #1 already assigned to bd-e5f6a7b8
Use --force to override
```

#### 3. bd alias compact
Renumber all aliases to fill gaps:
```bash
$ bd alias compact [--dry-run]

Current aliases: #1, #2, #5, #7, #100, #101
After compacting: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6

Renumbering:
  #5   → #3
  #7   → #4
  #100 → #5
  #101 → #6

Apply changes? [y/N]
```

#### 4. bd alias reset
Regenerate all aliases (sequential from 1):
```bash
$ bd alias reset [--sort-by=priority|created|id]

WARNING: This will reassign ALL aliases. Continue? [y/N]

Reassigning 150 issues by priority:
  bd-a1b2c3d4 → #1   (P0: Critical security bug)
  bd-e5f6a7b8 → #2   (P0: Data loss fix)
  bd-1a2b3c4d → #3   (P1: Jujutsu integration)
  ...
```

#### 5. bd alias find <hash-id>
Look up alias for hash ID:
```bash
$ bd alias find bd-af78e9a2
#1

$ bd alias find bd-nonexistent
✗ Error: Issue not found
```

## Use Cases

### 1. Keep Important Issues Low-Numbered
```bash
# After closing many P0 issues, compact to free low numbers
bd alias compact

# Or manually set
bd alias set 1 bd-<critical-bug-hash>
```

### 2. Consistent Aliases Across Clones
```bash
# After migration, coordinator assigns canonical aliases
bd alias reset --sort-by=id
git add .beads/aliases.jsonl
git commit -m "Canonical alias assignments"
git push

# Other clones pull and adopt
git pull
bd import  # Alias conflicts resolved automatically
```

### 3. Debug Alias Conflicts
```bash
# See which aliases were reassigned
bd alias list | grep "#100"
```

## Flags

### Global
- `--dry-run`: Preview changes without applying
- `--force`: Override existing alias assignments

### bd alias reset
- `--sort-by=priority`: Assign by priority (P0 first)
- `--sort-by=created`: Assign by creation time (oldest first)
- `--sort-by=id`: Assign by hash ID (lexicographic)

## Implementation

File: cmd/bd/alias.go
```go
func aliasListCmd() *cobra.Command {
    return &cobra.Command{
        Use:   "list",
        Short: "List all alias mappings",
        Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
            aliases := storage.GetAllAliases()
            for _, a := range aliases {
                fmt.Printf("#%-4d → %s  %s\n",
                    a.Alias, a.IssueID, a.Title)
            }
        },
    }
}

func aliasSetCmd() *cobra.Command {
    return &cobra.Command{
        Use:   "set <alias> <hash-id>",
        Short: "Manually assign alias to issue",
        Args:  cobra.ExactArgs(2),
        Run: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
            alias, _ := strconv.Atoi(args[0])
            hashID := args[1]

            force, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("force")
            if err := storage.SetAlias(alias, hashID, force); err != nil {
                fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %v\n", err)
                os.Exit(1)
            }
            fmt.Printf("✓ Assigned alias #%d to %s\n", alias, hashID)
        },
    }
}
```

## Files to Create
- cmd/bd/alias.go

## Testing
- Test alias list output
- Test alias set with/without force
- Test alias compact removes gaps
- Test alias reset with different sort orders
- Test alias find lookup


bd doctor --json flag not working

The --json flag on bd doctor command doesn't produce JSON output. It continues to show human-readable output instead. The flag is registered locally on doctorCmd but the code uses the global jsonOutput variable set by PersistentPreRun. Need to investigate why the flag isn't being honored.


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.


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.


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


Add MCP functions for repair commands

Add repair commands to beads-mcp for agent access:
- beads_resolve_conflicts()
- beads_find_duplicates()
- beads_detect_pollution()
- beads_validate()

Files: integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/server.py


MCP server: "No workspace set" and "chunk longer than limit" errors

Two related errors reported in beads-mcp v0.21:

**Error 1: "No workspace set" after successful set_context**
```
✓ Set beads context
✗ list
  Error calling tool 'list': No workspace set. Either provide workspace_root
  parameter or call set_context() first.
```

Hypothesis: Environment variable persistence issue between MCP tool calls, or ContextVar not being set correctly by @with_workspace decorator.

**Error 2: "Separator is found, but chunk is longer than limit"**
```
✗ list
  Error calling tool 'list': Separator is found, but chunk is longer than limit
```

Hypothesis: MCP protocol output size limit exceeded. Large issue databases may produce JSON output that exceeds MCP stdio buffer limits.

Platform: Fedora 43, using copilot-cli with Sonnet 4.5

Workaround: CLI works fine (`bd list --status open --json`)

## Fixes Implemented

**Issue 1: "No workspace set" after successful set_context** ✅ FIXED

Root cause: os.environ doesn't persist across MCP tool calls. When set_context() set BEADS_WORKING_DIR in os.environ, that change was lost on the next tool call.

Solution:
- Added module-level _workspace_context dict for persistent storage (server.py:51)
- Modified set_context() to store in both persistent dict and os.environ (server.py:265-287)
- Modified with_workspace() decorator to check persistent context first (server.py:129-133)
- Updated where_am_i() to check persistent context (server.py:302-330)

**Issue 2: "chunk longer than limit"** ✅ FIXED

Root cause: MCP stdio protocol has buffer limits. Large issue lists with full dependencies/dependents exceed this.

Solution:
- Reduced default list limit from 50 to 20 (server.py:356, models.py:122)
- Reduced max list limit from 1000 to 100 (models.py:122)
- Strip dependencies/dependents from list() and ready() responses (server.py:343-350, 368-373)
- Full dependency details still available via show() command

## Testing

✅ Python syntax validated with py_compile
✅ Changes are backward compatible
✅ Persistent context falls back to os.environ for compatibility

Users should now be able to call set_context() once and have it persist across all subsequent tool calls. Large databases will no longer cause buffer overflow errors.


Issue 2


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Unit tests for Debouncer

Test debouncer batches multiple triggers into single action. Test timer reset on subsequent triggers. Test cancel during wait. Test thread safety.


bd resolve-conflicts - Git merge conflict resolver

Automatically resolve JSONL merge conflicts.

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

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

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


Add 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.


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

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

Current coverage: 24.8% (improved from 20.2%)

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

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

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

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

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


Extract SQLite migrations into separate files

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

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

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

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

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


Add simple cleanup command to delete closed issues

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


Modify EnsureIDs to support parent resurrection

Update internal/storage/sqlite/ids.go:189-202 to call TryResurrectParent before failing on missing parent. Add resurrection mode flag, log resurrected parents for transparency. Maintain backwards compatibility with strict validation mode.


Fix goroutine leak in daemon restart

Fire-and-forget goroutine in daemon restart leaks on every restart.

Location: cmd/bd/daemons.go:251

Problem:
go func() { _ = daemonCmd.Wait() }()

- Spawns goroutine without timeout or cancellation
- If daemon command never completes, goroutine leaks forever
- Each daemon restart leaks one more goroutine

Solution: Add timeout and cleanup:
go func() {
    done := make(chan struct{})
    go func() {
        _ = daemonCmd.Wait()
        close(done)
    }()

    select {
    case <-done:
        // Exited normally
    case <-time.After(10 * time.Second):
        // Timeout - daemon should have forked by now
        _ = daemonCmd.Process.Kill()
    }
}()

Impact: Goroutine leak on every daemon restart

Effort: 2 hours


Fix Homebrew warning about Ruby file location

Homebrew warning: Found Ruby file outside steveyegge/beads tap formula directory.
Warning points to: /opt/homebrew/Library/Taps/steveyegge/homebrew-beads/bd.rb
It should likely be inside a Formula/ directory or similar structure expected by Homebrew taps.


Database import silently fails when daemon version != CLI version


Remove unreachable utility functions

Several small utility functions are unreachable:

Files to clean:
1. `internal/storage/sqlite/hash.go` - `computeIssueContentHash` (line 17)
   - Check if entire file can be deleted if only contains this function

2. `internal/config/config.go` - `FileUsed` (line 151)
   - Delete unused config helper

3. `cmd/bd/git_sync_test.go` - `verifyIssueOpen` (line 300)
   - Delete dead test helper

4. `internal/compact/haiku.go` - `HaikuClient.SummarizeTier2` (line 81)
   - Tier 2 summarization not implemented
   - Options: implement feature OR delete method

Impact: Removes 50-100 LOC depending on decisions