Work on beads-eub: Consolidated context tool for MCP serv...

Work on beads-eub: Consolidated context tool for MCP server (GH#636). Merge set_context, where_am_i, init into single 'context' tool. When done, submit MR (not PR) to integration branch for Refinery.


Code smell: Long function flushToJSONLWithState (~280 lines)

The flushToJSONLWithState() function in cmd/bd/autoflush.go (lines 490-772) is ~280 lines with:

1. Multiple nested conditionals
2. Inline helper function definitions (recordFailure, recordSuccess)
3. Complex multi-repo filtering logic
4. Mixed concerns (validation, export, error handling)

Consider breaking into:
- validateJSONLIntegrity() - already exists but could absorb more
- getIssuesToExport(fullExport bool) - determines what to export
- mergeWithExistingJSONL(issueMap, dirtyIDs) - handles incremental merge
- filterByPrefix(issues) - multi-repo prefix filtering
- performExport(issues, jsonlPath) - the actual write
- updateMetadataAfterExport() - hash/timestamp updates

Location: cmd/bd/autoflush.go:490-772


Cross-rig external dependency support

Support dependencies on issues in other rigs/repos.

## Use Case

Gas Town issues often depend on Beads issues (and vice versa). Currently we use labels like `external:beads/bd-xxx` as documentation, but:
- `bd blocked` doesn't recognize external deps
- `bd ready` doesn't filter them out
- No way to query cross-rig status

## Proposed UX

### Adding external deps
```bash
# New syntax for bd dep add
bd dep add gt-a07f external:beads:bd-kwjh

# Or maybe cleaner
bd dep add gt-a07f --external beads:bd-kwjh
```

### Showing blocked status
```bash
bd blocked
# → gt-a07f blocked by external:beads:bd-kwjh (unverified)

# With optional cross-rig query
bd blocked --resolve-external
# → gt-a07f blocked by external:beads:bd-kwjh (closed) ← unblocked!
```

### Storage
Could use:
- Special dependency type: `type: external`
- Label convention: `external:rig:id`
- New field: `external_deps: ["beads:bd-kwjh"]`

## Implementation Notes

Cross-rig queries would need:
- Known rig locations (config or discovery)
- Read-only beads access to external rigs
- Caching to avoid repeated queries

For MVP, just recognizing external deps and marking them as 'unverified' blockers would be valuable.


Ephemeral patrol molecules leaking into beads

## Problem

Ephemeral patrol orchestration molecules (e.g., mol-deacon-patrol, wisp step issues) keep appearing in `bd ready` output in gastown beads.

These are ephemeral/wisp issues that should:
1. Never be synced to the beads-sync branch
2. Live only in .beads-wisp/ (ephemeral storage)
3. Be squashed to digests, not persisted as regular beads

## Examples found

- gt-wisp-6ue: mol-deacon-patrol
- gt-pacdm: mol-deacon-patrol
- gt-wisp-mpm: Check own context limit
- gt-wisp-lkc: Clean dead sessions

## Investigation needed

1. Where are these being created? (gt mol bond? manual bd create?)
2. Why are they using the gt- prefix instead of staying ephemeral?
3. Is the wisp storage (.beads-wisp/) being used correctly?
4. Is bd sync accidentally picking up ephemeral issues?

## Expected behavior

Patrol molecules and their steps should be ephemeral and never appear in `bd ready` or `bd list`.


Simplify bd onboard to minimal AGENTS.md snippet pointing to bd prime

## Context
GH#604 raised concerns about bd onboard bloating AGENTS.md with ~100+ lines of static instructions that:
- Load every session whether beads is being used or not
- Get stale when bd upgrades
- Waste tokens

## Solution
Simplify `bd onboard` to output a minimal snippet (~2 lines) that points to `bd prime`:

```markdown
## Issue Tracking
This project uses beads (`bd`) for issue tracking.
Run `bd prime` for workflow context, or hooks auto-inject it.
```

## Rationale
- `bd prime` is dynamic, concise (~80 lines), and always matches installed bd version
- Hooks already auto-inject `bd prime` at session start when .beads/ detected
- AGENTS.md only needs to mention beads exists, not contain full instructions

## Implementation
1. Update `cmd/bd/onboard.go` to output minimal snippet
2. Keep `--output` flag for BD_GUIDE.md generation (may still be useful)
3. Update help text to explain the new approach


Add 0.30.4 to info.go release notes

Update cmd/bd/info.go versionChanges map with release notes for 0.30.4.
Include any workflow-impacting changes for --whats-new output.


Review changes since last release

Understand what's being released.

```bash
git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline
```

Categorize changes:
- Features (feat:)
- Fixes (fix:)
- Breaking changes
- Documentation


Fix multi-round convergence for N-way collisions

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

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

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


Code cleanup: Search for leftover debugging code

Scan the beads codebase for debugging artifacts that should be removed before release:

## Patterns to search for:
- `fmt.Printf` debugging statements (vs proper logging)
- `// DEBUG`, `// TODO: remove`, `// TEMP` comments
- `log.Printf` that should use structured logging
- Hardcoded test values or paths
- `panic()` calls that should be proper error handling
- Commented-out code blocks
- `time.Sleep` debugging delays

## Files to check:
- cmd/bd/*.go
- internal/**/*.go

## Acceptance:
- Remove or convert all debugging artifacts
- Ensure no test pollution in production code


Relocate thanks command to bd info --thanks

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

## Implementation

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

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

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

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


Update CHANGELOG.md for 0.30.4

1. Change `## [Unreleased]` to `## [0.30.4] - 2025-12-17`
2. Add new empty `## [Unreleased]` section at top
3. Ensure all changes since 0.30.3 are documented


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

Add new entry at TOP of versionChanges in cmd/bd/info.go with release notes from CHANGELOG.md. Must do before bump-version.sh --commit.


Update local installations.

Update local installations.

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

# Or install from source
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.37.0 --install

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

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

Verify: `bd --version` shows 0.37.0

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


Add 'tracks' relation type for convoy tracking

Add a new relation type 'tracks' for convoy → issue relationships.

Unlike 'depends_on':
- Non-blocking (tracked issue doesn't block convoy)
- Cross-prefix capable (convoy in hq-* tracks issues in gt-*, bd-*)
- Supports reverse lookup ('what convoys track this issue?')

Used by convoys to track issues across project chains without creating dependencies.

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


Merge: bd-rgyd

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


Add daemon RPC endpoints for config and stale check

Two TODOs request daemon RPC endpoints:

1. cmd/bd/create.go:208 - Add RPC method to get config in daemon mode
2. cmd/bd/mol_stale.go:67 - Add RPC endpoint for stale check

These would allow the CLI to query the daemon for configuration and staleness checks instead of reading directly.

Files:
- cmd/bd/create.go:208
- cmd/bd/mol_stale.go:67


Documentation for messaging and graph links

Document all new features.

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

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


Merge: bd-u2sc.4

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


bd ship command for publishing capabilities

Add `bd ship <capability>` command that:

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

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

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


Push to main

Push the release commit to origin.

```bash
git push origin main
```

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


Fix update-hooks verification in version-bump.yaml

The update-hooks task verification command at version-bump.yaml:358 always succeeds due to '|| echo ...' fallback. Remove the fallback so verification actually fails when hooks aren't installed.


Move cook to formula subcommand

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

## Implementation

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

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

## Potential Followups
See linked issues for suggestions.


Add bd doctor --fix flag to automatically repair issues

Add bd doctor --fix flag to automatically repair detected issues.

## Current State
- Doctor checks return issues with "Fix" field containing fix instructions
- No automatic fix execution
- User must manually follow fix instructions

## Implementation

### 1. Add --fix flag to doctor.go
```go
// In cmd/bd/doctor.go init()
doctorCmd.Flags().Bool("fix", false, "Automatically fix detected issues")
doctorCmd.Flags().Bool("yes", false, "Skip confirmation prompts (use with --fix)")
```

### 2. Create fix registry (cmd/bd/doctor/fix/registry.go)
```go
package fix

// Fixer can automatically repair an issue
type Fixer interface {
    // CanFix returns true if this fixer handles the given check name
    CanFix(checkName string) bool
    // Fix attempts to repair the issue, returns error if failed
    Fix(ctx context.Context, issue *CheckResult) error
    // Description returns human-readable description of what will be fixed
    Description() string
}

var registry []Fixer

func Register(f Fixer) {
    registry = append(registry, f)
}

func GetFixer(checkName string) Fixer {
    for _, f := range registry {
        if f.CanFix(checkName) {
            return f
        }
    }
    return nil
}
```

### 3. Implement fixers (one per file)

**cmd/bd/doctor/fix/hooks.go**
```go
type HooksFixer struct{}

func (f *HooksFixer) CanFix(name string) bool {
    return name == "git-hooks" || name == "hooks-outdated"
}

func (f *HooksFixer) Fix(ctx context.Context, issue *CheckResult) error {
    return hooks.Install(".", true) // force reinstall
}

func (f *HooksFixer) Description() string {
    return "Reinstall git hooks"
}

func init() {
    Register(&HooksFixer{})
}
```

**cmd/bd/doctor/fix/sync_branch.go**
```go
type SyncBranchFixer struct{}

func (f *SyncBranchFixer) CanFix(name string) bool {
    return name == "sync-branch-missing" || name == "sync-branch-diverged"
}

func (f *SyncBranchFixer) Fix(ctx context.Context, issue *CheckResult) error {
    // Reset to remote or create branch
    return syncbranch.ResetToRemote(ctx, repoRoot, branch, jsonlPath)
}
```

**cmd/bd/doctor/fix/merge_driver.go**
```go
type MergeDriverFixer struct{}

func (f *MergeDriverFixer) CanFix(name string) bool {
    return name == "merge-driver-missing" || name == "merge-driver-outdated"
}

func (f *MergeDriverFixer) Fix(ctx context.Context, issue *CheckResult) error {
    return setupMergeDriver()
}
```

### 4. Update doctor run logic

```go
func runDoctor(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
    issues := runAllChecks()

    if \!fixFlag {
        // Existing behavior - just display issues
        displayIssues(issues)
        return
    }

    // Collect fixable issues
    var fixable []FixableIssue
    for _, issue := range issues {
        if fixer := fix.GetFixer(issue.CheckName); fixer \!= nil {
            fixable = append(fixable, FixableIssue{issue, fixer})
        }
    }

    if len(fixable) == 0 {
        fmt.Println("No automatically fixable issues found")
        return
    }

    // Show what will be fixed
    fmt.Printf("Found %d fixable issues:\n", len(fixable))
    for i, f := range fixable {
        fmt.Printf("  %d. [%s] %s\n", i+1, f.Issue.CheckName, f.Fixer.Description())
    }

    // Confirm unless --yes
    if \!yesFlag {
        fmt.Print("\nProceed with fixes? [Y/n] ")
        // ... read confirmation
    }

    // Apply fixes
    for _, f := range fixable {
        fmt.Printf("Fixing %s... ", f.Issue.CheckName)
        if err := f.Fixer.Fix(ctx, f.Issue); err \!= nil {
            fmt.Printf("FAILED: %v\n", err)
        } else {
            fmt.Println("OK")
        }
    }
}
```

## Fixable Checks (Initial Set)

| Check | Fixer | Action |
|-------|-------|--------|
| git-hooks | HooksFixer | Reinstall hooks |
| hooks-outdated | HooksFixer | Update hooks |
| merge-driver-missing | MergeDriverFixer | Configure merge driver |
| sync-branch-diverged | SyncBranchFixer | Reset to remote |
| daemon-version-mismatch | DaemonFixer | Restart daemon |

## Testing
```bash
# Test with broken hooks
rm .git/hooks/pre-commit
bd doctor --fix --yes

# Verify fix applied
bd doctor  # Should pass now
```

## Success Criteria
- --fix flag triggers automatic repair
- User prompted for confirmation (unless --yes)
- Clear output showing what was fixed
- Graceful handling of fix failures
- At least 5 common issues auto-fixable


Phase 1.2: Separate bdt executable - Initial structure

Create minimal bdt command structure completely separate from bd. Must not share code, config, or database.

## Subtasks
1. Create cmd/bdt/ directory with main.go
2. Implement bdt version, help, and status commands
3. Configure separate database location: $HOME/.bdt/ (not $HOME/.beads/)
4. Create separate issues file: issues.toon (not issues.jsonl)
5. Update build system:
   - Makefile: Add bdt target
   - .goreleaser.yml: Add bdt binary config

## Files to Create
- cmd/bdt/main.go - Entry point
- cmd/bdt/version.go - Version handling
- cmd/bdt/help.go - Help text (separate from bd)

## Success Criteria
- `make build` produces both `bd` and `bdt` executables
- `bdt version` shows distinct version output from bd
- `bdt --help` shows distinct help text
- bdt uses $HOME/.bdt/ directory (verify with `bdt info`)
- bd and bdt completely isolated (no shared imports beyond stdlib)


Test actor direct


Respond to GitHub issue #479 with solution

Once bd reset is implemented and released, respond to GitHub issue #479.

## Response should include
- Announce the new bd reset command
- Show basic usage examples
- Link to any documentation
- Thank the user for the feedback

## Example response
```
Thanks for raising this! We've added a `bd reset` command to handle this case.

Usage:
- `bd reset` - Reset to clean state (prompts for confirmation)
- `bd reset --backup` - Create backup first
- `bd reset --hard` - Also clean up git history

This is available in version X.Y.Z.
```

## Notes
- Wait until feature is merged and released
- Consider if issue should be closed or left for user confirmation


gt nudge doesn't work with crew addresses

## Bug

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

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

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

## Root Cause

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

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

## Fix

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


Investigate incremental blocked_issues_cache updates at scale

Current blocked_issues_cache strategy does full DELETE + INSERT on every dependency/status change.

**Problem at scale:**
- 10K issues: ~50ms rebuild (acceptable)
- 100K issues: ~500ms rebuild (noticeable)
- 1M issues: multi-second rebuilds (problematic)

**Current implementation (blocked_cache.go:104-154):**
- DELETE FROM blocked_issues_cache
- INSERT with recursive CTE

**Potential optimizations:**
1. **Incremental updates:** Only add/remove affected issue IDs instead of full rebuild
2. **Dirty tracking:** Skip rebuild if cache is already valid
3. **Async rebuild:** Rebuild in background, serve stale cache briefly
4. **Partial invalidation:** Only invalidate affected subtree

**Decision needed:** Is this premature optimization? Current target is <100K issues.

**Benchmark:** Add benchmark for cache rebuild at 100K scale to measure actual impact.


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

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

Current coverage: 23.9%
Target coverage: 50%


Update info.go versionChanges

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


Merge: jasper-1767142011373

branch: polecat/jasper-1767142011373
target: main
source_issue: jasper-1767142011373
rig: beads


Test prefix bd


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

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


Swarm status doesn't update after task completions

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

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

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

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

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


Code smell: Repeated validation patterns could be centralized

Similar validation patterns appear in multiple commands (create.go, show.go, update.go, etc.):
- Check if resource exists
- Check if resource is in valid state
- Validate user input
- Check permissions

**Problem:**
- Duplicated validation logic
- Inconsistent validation between commands
- Hard to add new validation rules consistently

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Create internal/validation package
- [ ] Centralize common validation logic
- [ ] Use composition for validation chains
- [ ] Update commands to use shared validators
- [ ] Tests pass


Explore wiki-style documentation structure

Our docs are growing into a book. Evaluate options for wiki-like structure:

**Options to evaluate:**
- GitHub Wiki (built-in, limited features)
- mdBook (Rust, CLI-friendly, produces HTML/PDF/ePub)
- MkDocs / Material for MkDocs (Python, beautiful themes)
- Docusaurus (React, powerful but complex)
- Plain markdown with good structure (current approach)

**Requirements:**
- Git-backed (version control)
- Markdown-native (agents can edit)
- Table of contents / navigation
- Cross-linking between pages
- Searchable
- Can be hosted on GitHub Pages

**Deliverables:**
- Recommendation with pros/cons
- If switching: migration plan
- If staying with markdown: structure guidelines for wiki-like organization

References:
- https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/alternatives/
- https://www.archbee.com/blog/gitbook-alternatives


Fix JSON errors in label.go (label commands)

Replace ~19 direct stderr writes with FatalErrorRespectJSON() in label.go.

Commands affected:
- labelAddCmd
- labelRemoveCmd
- labelListCmd
- labelListAllCmd


Document sync.branch 'always dirty' working tree behavior

## Context

When sync.branch is configured, the .beads/issues.jsonl file in main's working tree is ALWAYS dirty. This is by design:

1. bd sync commits to beads-sync branch (via worktree)
2. bd sync copies JSONL to main's working tree (so CLI commands work)
3. This copy is NOT committed to main (to reduce commit noise)

Contributors who watch main branch history pushed for sync.branch to avoid constant beads commit noise. But users need to understand the trade-off.

## Documentation Needed

Update README.md sync.branch section with:

1. **Clear explanation** of why .beads/ is always dirty on main
2. **"Be Zen about it"** - this is expected, not a bug
3. **Workflow options:**
   - Accept dirty state, use `bd sync --merge` periodically to snapshot to main
   - Or disable sync.branch if clean working tree is more important
4. **Shell alias tip** to hide beads from git status:
   ```bash
   alias gs='git status -- ":!.beads/"'
   ```
5. **When to merge**: releases, milestones, or periodic snapshots

## Related

- bd-7b7h: Fix that allows bd sync --merge to work with dirty .beads/
- bd-elqd: Investigation that identified this as expected behavior


Phase 1.2 follow-up: Clarify format storage

Phase 1.2 created the bdt executable structure but issues.toon is currently stored in JSONL format, not TOON format.

This is intentional for now:
- Phase 1.2 (bd-jv4w): Just infrastructure - separate binary, separate directory
- Phase 1.3 (bd-j0tr): Implement actual TOON encoding/writing

For now, keep as-is: filename '.toon' signals intent, content is JSONL (interim format). Phase 1.3 will switch to actual TOON.


Add thread-safety warning to git.ResetCaches() doc comment

Code review finding from bd-7di fix.

ResetCaches() reassigns sync.Once values which is not thread-safe. While this is only used in tests (which are single-threaded), the function is exported and could be misused.

Add a warning comment:
```go
// ResetCaches resets all cached git information.
// WARNING: Not thread-safe. Only call from single-threaded test contexts.
```

File: internal/git/gitdir.go


Crew worker fang in beads - human-managed persistent workspace.

role_type: crew
rig: beads
agent_state: idle
hook_bead: null
role_bead: gt-crew-role
cleanup_status: null


Install 0.30.4 Go binary locally

Rebuild and install the Go binary:
```bash
go install ./cmd/bd
# OR
make install
```

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

```verify
bd --version 2>&1 | grep -q '0.30.4'
```


Merge: bd-thgk

branch: polecat/Compactor
target: main
source_issue: bd-thgk
rig: beads


beads-release

Beads release workflow - from version bump to verified release.

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

## Usage

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

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


bd formula add: Import formula to local catalog

Import a formula file to the local catalog (search path).

**Replaces**: "bd mol promote" (proto-to-proto concept is obsolete with ephemeral protos)

## Usage
```bash
# Add a formula file to project catalog
bd formula add my-workflow.formula.json

# Add to user-level catalog
bd formula add my-workflow.formula.json --scope user

# Add from URL
bd formula add https://example.com/workflow.formula.json
```

## Implementation
1. Parse the formula file (validate JSON structure)
2. Determine target directory based on scope:
   - project: .beads/formulas/
   - user: ~/.beads/formulas/
   - town: ~/gt/.beads/formulas/
3. Copy/download formula to target
4. Verify it is loadable: bd formula show <name>

## Flags
- `--scope <level>` - Where to add (project|user|town, default: project)
- `--name <name>` - Override formula name (default: from file)

## Note
This is for manually adding formulas. For GitHub-hosted formulas, use:
  bd mol install github.com/org/formula-name


Code smell: Inconsistent error handling patterns

Commands use a mix of error handling patterns:
- FatalError()
- FatalErrorRespectJSON()
- fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, ...) + os.Exit(1)
- Silent continue
- Inconsistent resource cleanup (result.Close())

**Example in show.go lines 89-146:**
Different error paths use different patterns, some close resources, some don't.

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- [ ] Document error handling contract
- [ ] Standardize on consistent pattern
- [ ] Use defer for resource cleanup
- [ ] Create helper for common fetch-and-handle pattern
- [ ] Tests pass


Witness for beads - monitors polecat health and progress.

role_type: witness
rig: beads
agent_state: idle
hook_bead: null
role_bead: gt-witness-role
cleanup_status: null


Prevent multiple daemons from running on the same repo

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

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

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

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


Add gate timeout tracking and notification

Implement timeout and notification logic for gates.

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

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

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


Add .beads-backup-* pattern to gitignore template

Update the gitignore template in doctor package to include backup directories.

## Change
Add `.beads-backup-*/` to the GitignoreTemplate in `cmd/bd/doctor/gitignore.go`

## Why
Backup directories created by `bd reset --backup` should not be committed to git.
They are local-only recovery tools.

## File
`cmd/bd/doctor/gitignore.go` - look for GitignoreTemplate constant


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


Test Child Task


Implement formula features: Step.Condition and Step.Gate

Multiple formula features in internal/formula/types.go are marked as "Not yet implemented":

IMPLEMENTED (TODOs removed):
- Step.Expand: Inline expansion - implemented in ApplyInlineExpansions (expand.go)
- Step.ExpandVars: Variable overrides for expansion - implemented alongside Expand

STILL NOT IMPLEMENTED (TODOs remain):
- Step.Condition: Make step optional based on variable (types.go:177-180)
- Step.Gate: Async wait condition for step (types.go:185-187)
- Gate struct: Schema defined but not processed in bd cook (types.go:209-210)

File: internal/formula/types.go


UI: Style 'hooked' status in bd list output

Add styling for 'hooked' status in bd list and bd show output.

## Semantic

'hooked' means actively being worked by an agent (GUPP). Should be visually prominent.

## Suggested Styling

- Color: Cyan or bright blue (active, in-flight)
- Distinct from 'in_progress' (which is more passive/cooperative)

## Files to Update

- internal/ui/styles.go - Add case for 'hooked' status


Merge: jade-mjtlsejo

branch: polecat/jade-mjtlsejo
target: main
source_issue: jade-mjtlsejo
rig: beads


Graph Link: replies_to for conversation threading

Implement replies_to link type for message threading.

New command:
- bd mail reply <id> -m 'Response' creates a message with replies_to set

Query support:
- bd show <id> --thread shows full conversation thread
- Thread traversal in storage layer

Storage:
- replies_to column in issues table
- Index for efficient thread queries

This enables Reddit-style nested threads where messages reply to other messages.


bd sync fails when .beads/redirect points to different repo


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

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


dave Handoff


Merge: topaz-1767106269860

branch: polecat/topaz-1767106269860
target: main
source_issue: topaz-1767106269860
rig: beads


bd init should stop running daemon to avoid stale cache

When running bd init, any running daemon continues with stale cached data, causing bd stats and other commands to show old counts.

Repro:
1. Have daemon running with 788 issues cached
2. Clean JSONL to 128 issues, delete db, run bd init
3. bd stats still shows 788 (daemon cache)
4. Must manually run bd daemon --stop

Fix: bd init should automatically stop any running daemon before reinitializing.


Commit and push release

git add -A && git commit && git push to trigger CI


Fix JSON errors in dep.go (dependency commands)

Replace ~41 direct stderr writes with FatalErrorRespectJSON() in dep.go.

Commands affected:
- depAddCmd
- depRemoveCmd
- depTreeCmd
- depCyclesCmd

Key error paths:
- ID resolution errors
- Cycle detection errors
- External reference validation


Routing bypassed in daemon mode

## Bug

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

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

## Reproduction

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

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

## Fix Options

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

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

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

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

## Recommendation

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


Implement or remove ExpectExit/ExpectStdout verification fields

The Verification struct in internal/types/workflow.go has ExpectExit and ExpectStdout fields that are never used by workflowVerifyCmd. Either implement the functionality or remove the dead fields.


(Optional) Manual publish if CI failed.

(Optional) Manual publish if CI failed.

```bash
# npm (requires npm login)
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.37.0 --publish-npm

# PyPI (requires TWINE credentials)
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.37.0 --publish-pypi

# Or both
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.37.0 --publish-all
```

Only needed if CI publishing failed.

instantiated_from: bd-mol-xga
step: manual-publish


gt sling --create fails to create polecat before resolving pane

gt sling --create tries to resolve pane BEFORE creating the polecat, causing failure.

Expected: gt sling gt-xyz gastown/newcat --create should:
1. Create polecat if not exists
2. Start session
3. Hook work
4. GUPP triggers autonomous execution

Actual: Fails with 'getting pane for gt-gastown-newcat: exit status 1'

Location: internal/cmd/sling.go - need to reorder operations


Remove all deletions.jsonl code except migration

There's deletions manifest code spread across the entire codebase that should have been removed after tombstone migration:

Files with deletions code (non-migration):
- internal/deletions/ - entire package
- cmd/bd/sync.go - 25+ references, auto-compact, sanitize
- cmd/bd/delete.go - dual-writes to deletions.jsonl
- internal/importer/importer.go - checks deletions manifest
- internal/syncbranch/worktree.go - merges deletions.jsonl
- cmd/bd/doctor/fix/sync.go - cleanupDeletionsManifest
- cmd/bd/doctor/fix/deletions.go - HydrateDeletionsManifest
- cmd/bd/integrity.go - checks deletions for data loss
- cmd/bd/deleted.go - entire command
- cmd/bd/compact.go - pruneDeletionsManifest
- cmd/bd/doctor.go - checkDeletionsManifest
- Plus many more

Action: Aggressively remove all non-migration deletions code. Tombstones are the only deletion mechanism now.


Wisp storage: ephemeral molecule tracking

Implement ephemeral molecule storage for patrol cycles.

## Architecture

Wisps are ephemeral molecules stored in `.beads-wisps/` (gitignored).
When squashed, they create digests in permanent `.beads/`.

**Storage is per-rig, not per-role**: Witness and Refinery share mayor/rig's
`.beads-wisps/` since they execute from that context.

## Design Doc
See: gastown/mayor/rig/docs/wisp-architecture.md

## Key Requirements

1. **Ephemeral storage**: `.beads-wisps/` directory, gitignored
2. **Bond with --wisp**: Creates in wisps instead of permanent
3. **Squash**: Deletes wisp, creates digest in permanent beads
4. **Burn**: Deletes wisp, no digest
5. **Wisp commands**: `bd wisp list`, `bd wisp gc`

## Storage Locations

| Context | Location |
|---------|----------|
| Rig (Deacon, Witness, Refinery) | mayor/rig/.beads-wisps/ |
| Polecat (if used) | polecats/<name>/.beads-wisps/ |

## Children (to be created)
- bd mol bond --wisp flag
- .beads-wisps/ storage backend
- bd mol squash handles wisp to permanent
- bd wisp list command
- bd wisp gc command (orphan cleanup)


Code Review: Swarm commands consolidation

Code review of bd swarm commands (validate, status, create) identified several improvements.

**Summary:**
- Duplicated child-fetching logic between commands
- Missing duplicate swarm check in create
- Missing swarm list command
- Minor polish issues

Filed after implementing bd-fa1q (swarm create).


Verify GitHub release

Check the GitHub releases page.

https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/releases/tag/v0.41.0

Verify:
- Release created
- Binaries attached (linux, darwin, windows)
- Checksums present


GH#518: Document bd setup command

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


Remove or fix ClearDirtyIssues() - race condition risk (bd-52)

Code health review found internal/storage/sqlite/dirty.go still exposes old ClearDirtyIssues() method (lines 103-108) which clears ALL dirty issues without checking what was actually exported.

Data loss risk: If export fails after some issues written to JSONL but before ClearDirtyIssues called, changes to remaining dirty issues will be lost.

The safer ClearDirtyIssuesByID() (lines 113-132) exists and clears only exported issues.

Fix: Either remove old method or mark it deprecated and ensure no code paths use it.


BondRef.ProtoID field name is misleading for mol+mol bonds

In bondMolMol, the BondRef.ProtoID field is used to store molecule IDs:

```go
BondedFrom: append(molA.BondedFrom, types.BondRef{
    ProtoID:   molB.ID,  // This is a molecule, not a proto
    ...
})
```

This is semantically confusing since ProtoID suggests it should only hold proto references.

**Options:**
1. Rename ProtoID to SourceID (breaking change, needs migration)
2. Add documentation clarifying ProtoID can hold molecule IDs in bond context
3. Leave as-is, accept the naming is imprecise

Low priority since it's just naming, not functionality.


Standardize error handling: replace direct fmt.Fprintf+os.Exit with FatalError

Standardize error handling in cmd/bd/ using FatalError pattern.

## Current State
~200+ instances of direct `fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, ...) + os.Exit(1)` pattern scattered across cmd/bd/*.go files.

## Target Pattern

Use existing FatalError helper (or create if missing):

```go
// In cmd/bd/helpers.go or similar
func FatalError(format string, args ...interface{}) {
    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: "+format+"\n", args...)
    os.Exit(1)
}

func FatalErrorf(err error, context string) {
    fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: %s: %v\n", context, err)
    os.Exit(1)
}
```

## Transformation

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

// After
FatalError("%v", err)

// Before
fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error: invalid --since duration: %v\n", err)
os.Exit(1)

// After
FatalError("invalid --since duration: %v", err)
```

## Files to Update (by occurrence count)
Run: `grep -c "os.Exit(1)" cmd/bd/*.go | sort -t: -k2 -rn | head -20`

Priority files (highest occurrence):
- close.go
- show.go
- sync.go
- init.go
- list.go
- create.go
- update.go

## Implementation Steps

1. **Check if FatalError exists** in cmd/bd/helpers.go or create it
2. **Create migration script** or use sed:
   ```bash
   # Find patterns to replace
   grep -rn "fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr.*Error.*\n.*os.Exit(1)" cmd/bd/
   ```
3. **Replace systematically** file by file
4. **Run tests** after each file to verify behavior unchanged
5. **Run linter** to catch any missed patterns

## Verification
```bash
# Count remaining direct exits (should be near zero)
grep -c "os.Exit(1)" cmd/bd/*.go | awk -F: "{sum+=\$2} END {print sum}"

# Run tests
go test -short ./cmd/bd/...
```

## Success Criteria
- All error exits use FatalError/FatalErrorf
- Consistent "Error: " prefix on all error messages
- Tests pass
- No behavior changes (exit codes remain 1)

## Progress (Dec 2025)

Standardized error handling in 3 major files:
- compact.go: All 48 os.Exit(1) calls converted to FatalError
- sync.go: All error patterns converted (kept 1 valid summary exit)
- migrate.go: 4 patterns converted

## Remaining Work
~326 fmt.Fprintf(os.Stderr, "Error:") patterns remain across ~30 files.
High-count files remaining: show.go (16), dep.go (14), gate.go (28), init.go (11).

## Verification
- Build compiles successfully
- Tests pass


Test message

This is a test message body


Update Metrics and Health Endpoints

Remove cache-related metrics from health/metrics endpoints


Consolidate git context into single cached struct

Code review finding from bd-7di fix.

Currently there are 3 separate caches:
- isWorktreeOnce/isWorktreeResult
- mainRepoRootOnce/mainRepoRootResult/mainRepoRootErr
- repoRootOnce/repoRootResult

These have redundant git calls - e.g. both isWorktreeUncached() and getMainRepoRootUncached() call getGitDirNoError("--git-common-dir").

Could consolidate into a single cached struct:
```go
type gitContext struct {
    gitDir     string
    commonDir  string
    repoRoot   string
    isWorktree bool
}
```

This would reduce git calls further and simplify ResetCaches().

File: internal/git/gitdir.go


Audit and standardize JSON output across all commands

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

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

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

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

## Audit Complete (2025-12-25)

### Findings

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

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

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

### Files needing fixes

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

### Follow-up

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


Add --pretty flag to bd ready

bd list has --pretty but bd ready doesn't. Should support same tree format with status/priority symbols for consistency.


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

Implement the gate CLI commands.

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

# Check gate status
bd gate show <id>

# List open gates
bd gate list

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

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

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


GH#444: Fix inconsistent status naming in_progress vs in-progress

Documentation uses in-progress (hyphen) but code expects in_progress (underscore). Update all docs to use canonical in_progress. See GitHub issue #444.


Give --all flag actual meaning in bd list

The --all flag exists but is currently a no-op ('flag provided for CLI familiarity'). Once we change the default to non-closed, --all should override to show all issues including closed.

This provides backwards compatibility for scripts that depend on seeing all issues.

## Implementation Plan

### Code Changes (cmd/bd/list.go)

1. **Update --all flag handling** (~line 889):
```go
// Currently: listCmd.Flags().Bool("all", false, "Show all issues (default behavior; flag provided for CLI familiarity)")
// Change to:
listCmd.Flags().Bool("all", false, "Show all issues including closed (overrides default filter)")
```

2. **Check for --all in Run function** (before applying default filter):
```go
allFlag, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("all")
if status == "" && !allFlag {
    // Apply default non-closed filter
    filter.ExcludeStatus = []types.Status{"closed"}
}
// If --all is set, no ExcludeStatus applied = show everything
```

### Testing
- `bd list --all` shows all issues including closed
- `bd list` shows non-closed (from bd-mypl)
- `bd list --all --status=open` - --all is ignored when explicit status given

### Documentation
- Update --help text
- Add to migration guide: "Use --all for previous default behavior"


witness Handoff


bd mol burn deletes ephemeral without digest

Update bd mol burn to handle ephemeral molecules.

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

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

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


rpc: Rich mutation events not emitted

The activity command (activity.go) references rich mutation event types (MutationBonded, MutationSquashed, MutationBurned, MutationStatus) that include metadata like OldStatus, NewStatus, ParentID, and StepCount.

However, the emitMutation() function in server_core.go:141 only accepts (eventType, issueID) and only populates Type, IssueID, and Timestamp. The additional metadata fields are never set.

Need to either:
1. Add an emitRichMutation() function that accepts the additional metadata
2. Update call sites (close, bond, squash, burn operations) to emit rich events

Without this fix, the activity feed will never show:
- Status transitions (in_progress -> closed)
- Bonded events with step counts
- Parent molecule relationships

Discovered during code review of bd-xo1o implementation.


Cross-project dependency support

Enable tracking dependencies across project boundaries.

## Mechanism
- Producer: `bd ship <capability>` adds `provides:<capability>` label
- Consumer: `blocked_by: external:<project>:<capability>`
- Resolution: `bd ready` checks external deps via config

## Design Doc
See: gastown/docs/cross-project-deps.md

## Children
- bd-eijl: bd ship command
- bd-om4a: external: prefix in blocked_by
- bd-66w1: external_projects config
- bd-zmmy: bd ready resolution


bd swarm create command

Add bd swarm create to create a swarm molecule from an epic.

## Context
Swarms ARE persistent molecules - not separate JSON state. This command creates
a swarm molecule that:
- Links to the epic it orchestrates
- Has mol_type=swarm
- Specifies a coordinator
- Can be discovered by any agent

## Core Principle: Discovery Over Tracking
The swarm molecule doesn't track step-by-step state. Instead:
- Query bd ready --parent=<epic> to find the ready front
- Query bd list --parent=<epic> --status=closed to find completed
- Derive progress from children's statuses

## Implementation
1. New command: bd swarm create <epic-id> [--coordinator=<addr>]
2. Validate epic structure first (call bd swarm validate)
3. Create molecule bead:
   - mol_type: swarm
   - epic: <epic-id>
   - coordinator: <addr>
   - status: open
4. Return the swarm molecule ID

## Single-Issue Wrapping
If given a single issue (not epic), auto-wrap:
- Create an epic with that issue as child
- Then create swarm molecule

## Reference
~/gt/docs/swarm-architecture.md - 'Swarm Structure' section

## Acceptance
- bd swarm create <epic> creates a swarm molecule
- Molecule has mol_type=swarm
- Links to epic via epic field
- Validates structure before creation


Document BEADS_DIR pattern for multi-agent workspaces (Gas Town)

Gas Town and similar multi-agent systems need to configure separate beads databases per workspace/rig, distinct from any project-level beads.

## Use Case

In Gas Town:
- Each 'rig' (managed project) has multiple agents (polecats, refinery, witness)
- All agents in a rig should share a single beads database at the rig level
- This should be separate from any .beads/ the project itself uses
- The BEADS_DIR env var enables this

## Documentation Needed

1. Add a section to docs explaining BEADS_DIR for multi-agent setups
2. Example: setting BEADS_DIR in agent startup scripts/hooks
3. Clarify interaction with project-level .beads/ (BEADS_DIR takes precedence)

## Current Support

Already implemented in internal/beads/beads.go:FindDatabasePath():
- BEADS_DIR env var is checked first (preferred)
- BEADS_DB env var still supported (deprecated)
- Falls back to .beads/ search in tree

Just needs documentation for the multi-agent workspace pattern.


Run tests

TMPDIR=/tmp go test -short ./...


bd mol bond: Dynamic bond with variable substitution

Implement dynamic molecule bonding with runtime variable substitution.

## Command
```bash
bd mol bond <proto-id> <parent-wisp-id> --var key=value --var key2=value2
```

## Behavior
1. Parse proto molecule template
2. Substitute {{key}} placeholders with provided values
3. Create wisp children under the parent molecule
4. Child IDs follow pattern: parent-id.child-ref (e.g., patrol-x7k.arm-ace)
5. Nested children: parent-id.child-ref.step-ref (e.g., patrol-x7k.arm-ace.capture)

## Variable Substitution
- In step titles: "Inspect {{polecat_name}}" -> "Inspect ace"
- In descriptions: Full template substitution
- In Needs directives: Allow referencing parent steps

## Output
```
✓ Bonded mol-polecat-arm to patrol-x7k
  Created: patrol-x7k.arm-ace (5 steps)
```


Show pin indicator in bd list output

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


Wait for CI

Monitor GitHub Actions for release completion.

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

Expected time: 5-10 minutes

Watch for:
- Build artifacts (all platforms)
- Test suite pass
- npm publish
- PyPI publish


GH#692: Code quality and refactoring improvements

Epic for implementing refactoring suggestions from GitHub issue #692 (rsnodgrass). These are code quality improvements that don't change functionality but improve maintainability, type safety, and performance.

Original issue: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/692

High priority items:
1. Replace map[string]interface{} with typed structs for JSON output
2. Adopt slices.SortFunc instead of sort.Slice (Go 1.21+)
3. Split large files (sync.go, init.go, show.go)
4. Introduce slog for structured logging in daemon

Lower priority:
5. Further CLI helper extraction
6. Preallocate slices in hot paths
7. Polish items (error wrapping, table-driven parsing)


Blocking logic: Include 'hooked' in blocking statuses

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

## Current Logic (line ~163)

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

## Updated Logic

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

## Files to Update

- internal/storage/sqlite/blocked_cache.go

## Test Cases

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


Add gate issue type to beads

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

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

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


Implement `bd setup cursor` for Cursor IDE integration

Create a `bd setup cursor` command that integrates Beads workflow into Cursor IDE via .cursorrules file. Unlike Claude Code (which has hooks), Cursor uses a static rules file to provide context to its AI.


Upgrade beads-mcp

pip3 install --upgrade beads-mcp


Merge: ruby-1767138542815

branch: polecat/ruby-1767138542815
target: main
source_issue: ruby-1767138542815
rig: beads


Update LINTING.md with current baseline

After cleanup, document the remaining acceptable baseline in LINTING.md so we can track regression.


Verify npm package

Confirm npm package published.

```bash
npm show @beads/bd version
```

Should show 0.41.0.

Also check: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@beads/bd


Update integrations/beads-mcp/pyproject.toml to 0.30.4

Update version in pyproject.toml:
```toml
version = "0.30.4"
```

```verify
grep -q 'version = "0.30.4"' integrations/beads-mcp/pyproject.toml
```


Polymorphic bond command: bd mol bond A B

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

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

## Filters to Add

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

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

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

## Files to Modify

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

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

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

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

## Implementation Steps

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

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

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

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


Workaround for FastMCP outputSchema bug in Claude Code

The beads MCP server (v0.23.1) successfully connects to Claude Code, but all tools fail to load with a schema validation error due to a bug in FastMCP 2.13.1.

Error: "Invalid literal value, expected \"object\"" in outputSchema.

Root Cause: FastMCP generates outputSchema with $ref at root level without "type": "object" for self-referential models (Issue).

Workaround: Use slash commands (/beads:ready) or wait for FastMCP fix.


Crew worker grip in beads - human-managed persistent workspace.

role_type: crew
rig: beads
agent_state: idle
hook_bead: null
role_bead: gt-crew-role
cleanup_status: null


Protect pinned issues from bd cleanup/compact

Update bd cleanup and bd compact to never delete pinned issues, even if they are closed. Pinned issues should persist indefinitely as reference material.


Identity Configuration

Implement identity system for sender field.

Configuration sources (in priority order):
1. --identity flag on commands
2. BEADS_IDENTITY environment variable
3. .beads/config.json: {"identity": "worker-name"}
4. Default: git user.name or hostname

New config file support:
- .beads/config.json for per-repo settings
- identity field for messaging

Helper function:
- GetIdentity() string - resolves identity from sources

Update bd mail send to use GetIdentity() for sender field.


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

Improve test coverage for internal/syncbranch package from 27% to 70%.

## Current State
- Coverage: 27.0%
- Files: syncbranch.go, worktree.go
- Tests: syncbranch_test.go (basic tests exist)

## Functions Needing Tests

### syncbranch.go (config management)
- [x] ValidateBranchName - has tests
- [ ] Get - needs store mock tests
- [ ] GetFromYAML - needs YAML parsing tests
- [ ] IsConfigured - needs file system tests
- [ ] IsConfiguredWithDB - needs DB path tests
- [ ] Set - needs store mock tests
- [ ] Unset - needs store mock tests

### worktree.go (git operations) - PRIORITY
- [ ] CommitToSyncBranch - needs git repo fixture tests
- [ ] PullFromSyncBranch - needs merge scenario tests
- [ ] CheckDivergence - needs ahead/behind tests
- [ ] ResetToRemote - needs reset scenario tests
- [ ] performContentMerge - needs 3-way merge tests
- [ ] extractJSONLFromCommit - needs git show tests
- [ ] hasChangesInWorktree - needs dirty state tests
- [ ] commitInWorktree - needs commit scenario tests

## Implementation Guide

1. **Use testutil fixtures:**
   ```go
   import "github.com/steveyegge/beads/internal/testutil/fixtures"

   func TestCommitToSyncBranch(t *testing.T) {
       repo := fixtures.NewGitRepo(t)
       defer repo.Cleanup()
       // ... test scenarios
   }
   ```

2. **Test scenarios for worktree.go:**
   - Clean commit (no conflicts)
   - Non-fast-forward push (diverged)
   - Merge conflict resolution
   - Empty changes (nothing to commit)

3. **Mock storage for syncbranch.go:**
   ```go
   store := memory.New()
   // Set up test config
   syncbranch.Set(ctx, store, "beads-sync")
   ```

## Success Criteria
- Coverage ≥ 70%
- All public functions have at least one test
- Edge cases covered for git operations
- Tests pass with `go test -race ./internal/syncbranch`

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


Release v0.33.2

Version bump workflow for beads release 0.33.2.

## Variables
- `0.33.2` - The new version number (e.g., 0.31.0)
- `2025-12-21` - Release date (YYYY-MM-DD format)

## Workflow Steps
1. Kill running daemons
2. Run tests and linting
3. Bump version in all files (10 files total)
4. Update cmd/bd/info.go with release notes
5. Commit and push version bump
6. Create and push git tag
7. Update Homebrew formula
8. Upgrade local Homebrew installation
9. Verify installation

## Files Updated by bump-version.sh
- cmd/bd/version.go
- .claude-plugin/plugin.json
- .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
- integrations/beads-mcp/pyproject.toml
- integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/__init__.py
- README.md
- npm-package/package.json
- cmd/bd/templates/hooks/* (4 files)
- CHANGELOG.md

## Manual Step Required
- cmd/bd/info.go - Add versionChanges entry with release notes


Agent bead prefix mismatch: gt- vs bd- for beads polecat agents

When spawning polecats in beads rig, gt sling tries to create agent beads with gt-beads-polecat-* prefix, but beads requires bd- prefix. Warning: 'issue ID gt-beads-polecat-obsidian does not match configured prefix bd'. Agent beads should use the rig's configured prefix.


Test issue for pin --for

Testing the pin --for flag


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


bd hook: detect agent from cwd instead of defaulting to $USER

**Problem:**
`bd hook` without `--agent` defaults to `$USER` (e.g., "stevey") instead of detecting the agent identity from the current working directory.

**Expected behavior:**
When running from `/Users/stevey/gt/beads/crew/dave`, the agent should be detected as `beads/crew/dave`.

**Current behavior:**
```bash
$ pwd
/Users/stevey/gt/beads/crew/dave
$ bd hook
Hook: stevey
  (empty)

$ bd hook --agent beads/crew/dave
Hook: beads/crew/dave
  📌 bd-hobo (mol) - open
```

**Fix:**
bd hook should use the same cwd-based agent detection that other commands use (similar to how `gt mail` determines identity from cwd).


Add tests for mol spawn --attach

Code review (bd-obep) found no tests for the spawn --attach functionality.

**Test cases needed:**
1. Basic attach - spawn proto with one --attach
2. Multiple attachments - spawn with --attach A --attach B
3. Attach types - verify sequential vs parallel bonding
4. Error case: attaching non-proto (missing template label)
5. Variable aggregation - vars from primary + attachments combined
6. Dry-run output includes attachment info

**Implementation notes:**
- Tests should use in-memory storage
- Create test protos, spawn with attachments, verify dependency structure
- Check that sequential uses 'blocks' type, parallel uses 'parent-child'


HOP-compatible schema additions

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

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

## P1 Changes (Must Have Before Launch)

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

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

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

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

## P2 Changes (Should Have)

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

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

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

## P3 Changes (Nice to Have)

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

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

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


GH#519: bd sync fails when sync.branch is currently checked-out branch

bd sync tries to create worktree for sync.branch even when already on that branch. Should commit directly instead. See GitHub issue #519.


Execute molecule bd-mol-xga: Release beads 0.37.0


Witness Patrol

Per-rig worker monitor patrol loop with progressive nudging.


Verify npm package

Confirm npm package published.

```bash
npm show @beads/bd version
```

Should show 0.39.0.

Also check: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@beads/bd


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

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

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

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

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

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


Support ephemeral protos: cook inline for pour/wisp/bond

Gas Town moving to ephemeral protos (gt-4v1eo). Protos should be in-memory, not persisted beads. Changes: (1) bd cook outputs proto JSON to stdout by default, add --persist flag for old behavior. (2) bd pour/wisp cook inline from formula name. (3) bd mol bond accepts formula names, cooks inline. The low-level cookFormula() machinery stays for --persist use cases. See gt-4v1eo for full design. Related: bd-ia3g (rename ProtoID).


Merge: onyx-1767083477016

branch: polecat/onyx-1767083477016
target: main
source_issue: onyx-1767083477016
rig: beads


Commit release v0.33.2

Stage and commit the version bump:

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

Do NOT push yet - tag first.


Consider using types.Status in merge package for type safety

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


Timer beads for scheduled agent callbacks

## Problem

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

## Proposal: Timer Beads

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

## Functions Needing Tests

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

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

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

## Implementation Guide

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

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

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

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

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

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


Test Parent Epic


Merge: bd-uqfn

branch: polecat/cheedo
target: main
source_issue: bd-uqfn
rig: beads


GH#405: Prefix parsing with hyphens treats first segment as prefix

Prefix me-py-toolkit gets parsed as just me- when detecting mismatches. Fix prefix parsing to handle multi-hyphen prefixes. See GitHub issue #405.


Implement CLI command (cmd/bd/reset.go)

Wire up the reset command with Cobra CLI.

## Responsibilities
- Define command and all flags
- User confirmation prompt (unless --force)
- Display impact summary before confirmation
- Colored output and progress indicators
- Call core reset package
- Handle errors with user-friendly messages
- Register command with rootCmd in init()

## Flags
```go
--hard       bool   "Also remove from git and commit"
--force      bool   "Skip confirmation prompt"
--backup     bool   "Create backup before reset"
--dry-run    bool   "Preview what would happen"
--skip-init  bool   "Do not re-initialize after reset"
--verbose    bool   "Show detailed progress output"
```

## Output Format
```
⚠  This will reset beads to a clean state.

Will be deleted:
  • 47 issues (23 open, 24 closed)
  • 12 tombstones

Continue? [y/N] y

→ Stopping daemons... ✓
→ Removing .beads/... ✓
→ Initializing fresh... ✓

✓ Reset complete. Run 'bd onboard' to set up hooks.
```

## Implementation Notes
- Confirmation logic lives HERE, not in core package
- Use color package (github.com/fatih/color) for output
- Follow patterns from other commands (init.go, doctor.go)
- Add to rootCmd in init() function

## File Location
`cmd/bd/reset.go`


refinery Handoff


Deacon Patrol

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


test hook pin fix


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

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

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

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

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

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


Witness should auto-nuke idle polecats, not escalate

When witness detects an idle polecat with no work, it escalates to Mayor asking what to do.

Expected: Witness should nuke idle polecats automatically if:
1. No work hooked
2. No uncommitted/unpushed changes (cleanup_status=clean)
3. Idle for >threshold (e.g., 5 minutes)

Only escalate if polecat has unsaved work that needs recovery.

Current behavior creates unnecessary mail noise for the Mayor.


Test cross-rig issue creation

Testing --rig flag from town root


WaitsFor directive: Fanout gate for dynamic children

Implement WaitsFor directive for molecules that spawn dynamic children.

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

## Behavior
1. Parse WaitsFor directive during molecule step parsing
2. Track which steps spawn dynamic children (the spawner)
3. Gate step waits until ALL children of the spawner complete
4. Works with bd ready - gate step not ready until children done

## Gate Types
- `WaitsFor: all-children` - Wait for all dynamic children
- `WaitsFor: any-children` - Proceed when first child completes (future)
- `WaitsFor: <step-ref>.children` - Wait for specific spawner's children

## Integration
- bd ready should skip gate steps until children complete
- bd show <mol> should display gate status and child count


Release v0.30.4

## Version Bump Workflow

Coordinating release from 0.30.3 to 0.30.4.

### Components Updated
- Go CLI (cmd/bd/version.go)
- Claude Plugin (.claude-plugin/*.json)
- MCP Server (integrations/beads-mcp/)
- npm Package (npm-package/package.json)
- Git hooks (cmd/bd/templates/hooks/)

### Release Channels
- GitHub Releases (GoReleaser)
- PyPI (beads-mcp)
- npm (@beads/cli)
- Homebrew (homebrew-beads tap)


Phase 2.2: Switch bdt storage to TOON format

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Test createTombstone and deleteIssue wrappers

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

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

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

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

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

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


Push commit and create release tag.

Push commit and create release tag.

```bash
git push origin main
git tag v0.37.0
git push origin v0.37.0
```

This triggers GitHub Actions release workflow.

instantiated_from: bd-mol-xga
step: push-and-tag


Verify GitHub release

Check the GitHub releases page.

https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/releases/tag/v0.39.0

Verify:
- Release created
- Binaries attached (linux, darwin, windows)
- Checksums present


Deacon Patrol


Run bump-version.sh

Update all component versions atomically.

```bash
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.99.0-test
```

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


bd sync fails with orphaned issues and duplicate ID conflict

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Feature: bd swarm list - discover existing swarm molecules

No command to list existing swarm molecules.

Add `bd swarm list` to show all swarm molecules:

```
bd swarm list

Active swarms:
  bd-xyz: Swarm: Feature X (3/10 complete, 2 active)
  bd-abc: Swarm: Bug fixes (0/5 complete)
```

Could also be achieved via `bd list --mol-type=swarm` but dedicated command would show richer info.


bd show --short flag for compact output

## Request
Add a `--short` flag to `bd show` for compact, one-line output per issue.

## Use Case
When checking multiple issues quickly:
```bash
bd show bd-nkqx --short && bd show bd-oxgi --short
```

Currently fails with "unknown flag: --short"

## Expected Output
Something like:
```
bd-nkqx [closed] P1 task: Validate swarm schema design
bd-oxgi [closed] P1 task: Add mol_type schema field to beads
```

## Format Suggestion
`<id> [<status>] <priority> <type>: <title>`

Optional: include blocker count if any, e.g. `(blocked by 2)`


Add git operations for --hard reset

Implement git integration for hard reset mode.

## Operations Needed
1. `git rm -rf .beads/*.jsonl` - remove data files from index
2. `git commit -m 'beads: reset to clean state'` - commit removal
3. After re-init: `git add .beads/` and commit fresh state

## Edge Cases to Handle
- Uncommitted changes in .beads/ - warn or error
- Detached HEAD state - warn, maybe block
- Git not initialized - skip git ops, warn
- Git operations fail mid-way - clear error messaging

## Interface
```go
type GitState struct {
    IsRepo       bool
    IsDirty      bool   // uncommitted changes in .beads/
    IsDetached   bool   // detached HEAD
    Branch       string // current branch name
}

func CheckGitState(beadsDir string) (*GitState, error)
func GitRemoveBeads(beadsDir string) error
func GitCommitReset(message string) error
func GitAddAndCommit(beadsDir, message string) error
```

## Location
`internal/reset/git.go` - keep with reset package for now

Note: Codebase has no central git package. internal/compact/git.go is compact-specific.
Future refactoring could extract shared git utilities, but YAGNI for now.


Test prefix beads


Test child task


Auto-repair stale merge driver configs with invalid placeholders

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


Relocate quickstart to bd help quickstart or docs

## Task
Move `bd quickstart` → `bd help quickstart` or convert to documentation.

## Options

### Option A: Move to bd help quickstart
- Create a custom help topic
- Cobra supports additional help topics

### Option B: Convert to docs only
- Keep content in docs/QUICKSTART.md
- Remove the command entirely
- Update references to point to docs

## Recommendation
Option B - quickstart is essentially documentation, not a functional command.
The command just prints formatted text that could live in docs.

## Implementation (Option B)
1. Ensure docs/QUICKSTART.md has equivalent content
2. Add hidden alias that prints "See docs/QUICKSTART.md or bd help"
3. Update all references:
   - README.md
   - docs/INSTALLING.md
   - docs/EXTENDING.md
   - npm-package/INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md
   - .beads/README.md

## Files to modify
- cmd/bd/quickstart.go (hide or remove)
- Multiple docs (update references)


Consolidate migrate-* commands under bd migrate

## Task
Move standalone migrate commands under `bd migrate` parent:
- `bd migrate-hash-ids` → `bd migrate hash-ids`
- `bd migrate-issues` → `bd migrate issues`
- `bd migrate-sync` → `bd migrate sync`
- `bd migrate-tombstones` → `bd migrate tombstones`

## Implementation

### 1. Update migrate.go
Add subcommands to migrateCmd:
```go
func init() {
    migrateCmd.AddCommand(migrateHashIDsCmd)
    migrateCmd.AddCommand(migrateIssuesCmd)
    migrateCmd.AddCommand(migrateSyncCmd)
    migrateCmd.AddCommand(migrateTombstonesCmd)
}
```

### 2. Update each migrate_*.go file
- Change `Use:` from `migrate-foo` to `foo`
- Remove `rootCmd.AddCommand()` from init()

### 3. Create hidden aliases for backwards compatibility
In main.go, add hidden top-level commands that forward to subcommands.

### 4. Update docs
- docs/DELETIONS.md - references `bd migrate-tombstones`
- docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md - migration section

## Files to modify
- cmd/bd/migrate.go
- cmd/bd/migrate_hash_ids.go
- cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go
- cmd/bd/migrate_sync.go
- cmd/bd/migrate_tombstones.go
- cmd/bd/main.go (aliases)


Stale daemon.lock files cause 5+ second delays

## Problem
When a bd daemon crashes or is killed without cleanup, it leaves a stale daemon.lock file. Subsequent bd commands try to connect to the dead daemon, causing 5+ second timeouts before falling back to direct mode.

Found during gt status optimization (gt-zdtpw) - one stale wyvern daemon was causing 10+ second delays.

## Evidence
```
# Lock files with stale PIDs:
$ find ~/gt -name "daemon.lock" -exec cat {} \;
{"pid": 11045, ...}  # Not running (from Dec 27)
{"pid": 15986, ...}  # Not running (from Dec 27)
{"pid": 98055, ...}  # Just restarted

# But running daemons have different PIDs:
$ ps aux | grep "bd.*daemon"
11847, 11683, 11624  # None match the lock files!
```

## Proposed fixes

### 1. Validate lock on startup (quick fix)
Before trusting daemon.lock, check if the PID is still running:
```python
def is_daemon_alive(lock_path):
    lock = json.load(open(lock_path))
    try:
        os.kill(lock["pid"], 0)  # Signal 0 = check if alive
        return True
    except OSError:
        return False
```

### 2. Heartbeat mechanism (robust fix)
Daemon writes periodic heartbeat to lock file or separate file.
Clients check heartbeat age before attempting IPC.

### 3. Lock cleanup in daemon startup
When starting a new daemon, always check for and clean stale locks.

### 4. Graceful shutdown handling
Register signal handlers (SIGTERM, SIGINT) to clean up lock on exit.

## Workaround
For now, gastown uses `--no-daemon` for all read operations to avoid this issue.


Run bump-version.sh

Update all component versions atomically.

```bash
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.41.0
```

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


Priority: refactor mol.go then bd squash

Two tasks:

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

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

- Mayor


Graph Link: relates_to for knowledge graph

Implement relates_to link type for loose associations.

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

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

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

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


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

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


Add missing hook calls in mail reply and ack

The mail commands are missing hook calls:

1. runMailReply (mail.go:525-672) creates a message but doesn't call hookRunner.Run(hooks.EventMessage, ...) after creating the reply in direct mode (around line 640)

2. runMailAck (mail.go:432-523) closes messages but doesn't call hookRunner.Run(hooks.EventClose, ...) after closing each message (around line 487 for daemon mode, 493 for direct mode)

This means GGT hooks won't fire for replies or message acknowledgments.


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

## Problem

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

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

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

## Impact

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

## Root Cause

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

## Fix

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

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

## Action Items

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


Enhance bd doctor to suggest reset for broken states

Update bd doctor to detect severely broken states and suggest reset.

## Detection Criteria
Suggest reset when:
- Multiple unfixable errors detected
- Corrupted JSONL that can't be repaired
- Schema version mismatch that can't be migrated
- Daemon state inconsistent and unkillable

## Implementation
Add to doctor's check/fix flow:
```go
if unfixableErrors > threshold {
    suggest('State may be too broken to fix. Consider: bd reset')
}
```

## Output Example
```
✗ Found 5 unfixable errors

  Your beads state may be too corrupted to repair.
  Consider running 'bd reset' to start fresh.
  (Use 'bd reset --backup' to save current state first)
```

## Notes
- Don't auto-run reset, just suggest
- This is lower priority, can be done in parallel with main work


Unify template.go and mol.go under bd mol

Consolidate the two DAG-template systems into one under the mol command. mol.go (on rictus branch) has the right UX (catalog/show/bond), template.go has the mechanics. Merge them, deprecate bd template commands.


Fix or remove TestFindJSONLPathDefault (issue #356)

Code health review found .test-skip permanently skips TestFindJSONLPathDefault.

The test references issue #356 about wrong JSONL filename expectations (issues.jsonl vs beads.jsonl).

Test file: internal/beads/beads_test.go

The underlying migration from beads.jsonl to issues.jsonl may be complete, so either:
1. Fix the test expectations
2. Remove the test if no longer needed
3. Document why it remains skipped


bd ready resolves external dependencies

Extend bd ready to check external blocked_by references:

1. Parse external:<project>:<capability> from blocked_by
2. Look up project path from external_projects config
3. Check if target project has provides:<capability> label on a closed issue
4. If not satisfied, issue is blocked

Example output:
```bash
bd ready
# gt-xyz: blocked by external:beads:mol-run-assignee (not provided)
# gt-abc: ready
```

Depends on: bd-om4a (external: prefix), bd-66w1 (config)

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


Add bd update --parent flag to change issue parent

Allow changing an issue's parent with bd update --parent <new-parent-id>. Useful for reorganizing tasks under different epics or moving issues between hierarchies. Should update the parent-child dependency relationship.


Split large cmd/bd files: doctor.go (2948 lines), sync.go (2121 lines)

Code health review found several oversized files:

1. doctor.go - 2948 lines, 48 functions mixed together
   - Should split into doctor/checks/*.go for individual diagnostics
   - applyFixes() and previewFixes() are nearly identical

2. sync.go - 2121 lines
   - ZFC (Zero Flush Check) logic embedded inline (lines 213-247)
   - Multiple mode handlers should be extracted

3. init.go - 1732 lines
4. compact.go - 1097 lines
5. show.go - 1069 lines

Recommendation: Extract into focused sub-packages or split into logical files.


test pin


Add tests for helper functions (GetDirtyIssueHash, GetAllDependencyRecords, export hashes)

Several utility functions have 0% coverage:
- GetDirtyIssueHash (dirty.go)
- GetAllDependencyRecords (dependencies.go)
- GetExportHash, SetExportHash, ClearAllExportHashes (hash.go)

These are lower priority but should have basic coverage.


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.


Daemon should be singleton and aggressively kill stale instances

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

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

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

**Investigation 2025-12-21:**

The singleton mechanism is already implemented and working correctly:

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

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

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

Consider closing as RESOLVED or clarifying the original scenario.


Test issue 2


Add integration tests for bd reset command

End-to-end integration tests for the reset command.

## Test Scenarios

### Basic reset
1. Init beads, create some issues
2. Run bd reset --force
3. Verify .beads/ is fresh, issues gone

### Hard reset
1. Init beads, create issues, commit
2. Run bd reset --hard --force
3. Verify git history has reset commits

### Backup functionality
1. Init beads, create issues
2. Run bd reset --backup --force
3. Verify backup exists with correct contents
4. Verify main .beads/ is reset

### Dry run
1. Init beads, create issues
2. Run bd reset --dry-run
3. Verify nothing changed

### Confirmation prompt
1. Init beads
2. Run bd reset (no --force)
3. Verify prompts for confirmation
4. Test both y and n responses

## Location
tests/integration/reset_test.go or similar


Test epic for duplicate swarm