Audit and fix JSONL filename mismatches across all repo clones

## Problem

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

## Root Cause

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

## Task

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

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

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

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

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

### Step 3: Create audit report

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

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

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

### Step 5: Generate fix script

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

### Expected Output

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

### Edge Cases

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

### Success Criteria

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


Test daemon RPC delete handler

Add tests for the daemon-side RPC delete handler that processes delete requests from clients.

## What needs testing
- Daemon's Delete RPC handler implementation
- Processing delete requests from RPC clients
- Cascade deletion at daemon level
- Force deletion at daemon level
- Dry-run mode validation
- Error responses to clients
- Dependency validation before deletion
- Tombstone creation via daemon

## Test scenarios
1. Delete single issue via RPC
2. Delete multiple issues via RPC
3. Cascade deletion of dependents
4. Force delete with orphaned dependents
5. Dry-run returns what would be deleted without actual deletion
6. Error: invalid issue IDs
7. Error: insufficient permissions
8. Error: dependency blocks deletion (without force/cascade)

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


Update CHANGELOG.md with release notes

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


Witness Patrol

Per-rig worker monitor patrol loop with progressive nudging.


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.


Create release tag

Create annotated git tag.

```bash
git tag -a v0.39.0 -m "Release v0.39.0"
```

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


Technical debt: Scattered TODOs should be tracked as issues

Multiple TODO comments exist in the codebase that should be tracked as proper issues:

1. cmd/bd/migrate_hash_ids.go:24 - 'Consider integrating into bd doctor migration detection'
2. cmd/bd/migrate_tombstones.go:72 - Same
3. cmd/bd/migrate_sync.go:16 - Same
4. cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:15 - Same
5. cmd/bd/create.go:164 - 'Switch to target repo for multi-repo support'
6. cmd/bd/create.go:208 - 'Add RPC method to get config in daemon mode'
7. cmd/bd/daemon_logger.go:131 - 'Remove this once all callers are updated'
8. cmd/bd/mol_stale.go:67 - 'Add RPC endpoint for stale check'
9. cmd/bd/sync_test.go:444 - 'Refactor to use direct import logic'
10. cmd/bd/jira.go:633 - 'In a full implementation, fetch Jira issue and compare timestamps'
11. internal/formula/types.go:170,174,179,186,210 - Multiple 'Not yet implemented' TODOs
12. internal/importer/importer_test.go:1010 - 'Test hangs due to database deadlock'

Consider:
1. Running 'grep -r TODO' periodically to find new ones
2. Adding a lint rule to discourage inline TODOs
3. Converting each to a bd issue with proper tracking

Location: Various files across codebase


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

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


Ghost resurrection: remote status:closed wins during git merge

During bd sync, the 3-way git merge sometimes keeps remote's status:closed instead of local's status:tombstone. This causes ghost issues to resurrect even when tombstones exist.

Root cause: Git 3-way merge doesn't understand tombstone semantics. If base had closed, local changed to tombstone, and remote has closed, git might keep remote's version.

The early tombstone check in importer.go only prevents CREATION when tombstones exist in DB. But if applyDeletionsFromMerge hard-deletes the tombstones before import runs (because they're not in the merged result), the check doesn't help.

Potential fixes:
1. Make tombstones 'win' in the beads merge driver (internal/merge/merge.go)
2. Don't hard-delete tombstones in applyDeletionsFromMerge if they're in the DB
3. Export tombstones to a separate file that's not subject to merge

Ghost issues: bd-cb64c226.*, bd-cbed9619.*


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)


Test actor flag


Rename 'wisp' back to 'ephemeral' in beads API

The beads API uses 'wisp' terminology (Wisp field, bd wisp command) but the underlying SQLite column is 'ephemeral'.

This creates cognitive overhead since wisp is a Gas Town concept.

Rename to use 'ephemeral' consistently:
- types.Issue.Wisp → types.Issue.Ephemeral
- JSON field: wisp → ephemeral
- CLI: bd wisp → bd ephemeral (or just use flags on existing commands)

The SQLite column already uses 'ephemeral' so no schema migration needed.


Optimization: Tombstones still synced, adding overhead

Tombstoned (deleted) issues are still processed during sync, adding overhead.

## Evidence
```
Import complete: 0 created, 0 updated, 407 unchanged, 100 skipped
```
Those 100 skipped are tombstones - they're read from JSONL, parsed, then filtered out.

## Current State (Beads repo)
- 408 total issues
- 99 tombstones (24% of database)
- Every sync reads and skips these 99 entries

## Impact
- Sync time increases with tombstone count
- JSONL file size grows indefinitely
- Git history accumulates tombstone churn

## Proposed Solutions

### 1. JSONL Compaction (`bd compact`)
Periodically rewrite JSONL without tombstones:
```bash
bd compact  # Removes tombstones, rewrites issues.jsonl
```
Trade-off: Loses delete history, but that's in git anyway.

### 2. Tombstone TTL
Auto-remove tombstones older than N days during sync:
```go
if issue.Deleted && time.Since(issue.UpdatedAt) > 7*24*time.Hour {
    // Skip writing to new JSONL
}
```

### 3. Archive File
Move old closed issues to `issues-archive.jsonl`:
- Not synced regularly
- Available for historical queries
- Main JSONL stays small

### 4. Lazy Tombstone Handling
Don't write tombstones to JSONL at all - just remove the line:
- Simpler, but loses cross-clone delete propagation
- Would need different delete propagation mechanism

## Recommendation
Start with `bd compact` command - simple, explicit, user-controlled.

## Related
- gt-tnss: Analysis - Beads database size and hygiene strategy
- gt-ox67: Maintenance - Regular cleanup of closed MR/gate beads


Update Homebrew formula

After GoReleaser completes, the Homebrew tap should be auto-updated.

If manual update needed:
```bash
./scripts/update-homebrew.sh v0.30.4
```

Or manually update steveyegge/homebrew-beads with new SHA256.

Verify:
```bash
brew update
brew info beads
```


Add external_projects to config schema

Add external_projects mapping to .beads/config.yaml:

```yaml
external_projects:
  beads: ../beads
  gastown: ../gastown
  other: /absolute/path/to/project
```

Used by bd ready and other commands to resolve external: references.

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


Integrate migration detection into bd doctor

Multiple migration commands (migrate_hash_ids.go, migrate_issues.go, migrate_sync.go, migrate_tombstones.go, migrate.go) have TODOs suggesting integration into 'bd doctor' for automatic migration detection. This would allow bd doctor to detect when migrations are needed and suggest running them.

Files:
- cmd/bd/migrate_hash_ids.go:24
- cmd/bd/migrate_issues.go:15
- cmd/bd/migrate_sync.go:16
- cmd/bd/migrate_tombstones.go:72
- cmd/bd/migrate.go:22


Default to YES for git hooks and merge driver installation

Currently bd init prompts user to install git hooks and merge driver, but setup is incomplete if user declines. Change to install by default unless --skip-hooks or --skip-merge-driver flags are passed. Better safe defaults. If installation fails, warn user and suggest bd doctor --fix.


Code Health Review Dec 2025: Technical Debt Cleanup

Epic grouping technical debt identified in the Dec 16, 2025 code health review.

## Overall Health Grade: B (Solid foundation, needs cleanup)

### P1 (High Priority):
- bd-74w1: Consolidate duplicate path-finding utilities
- [deleted:bd-b6xo]: Remove/fix ClearDirtyIssues() race condition
- [deleted:bd-b3og]: Fix TestImportBugIntegration deadlock

### P2 (Medium Priority):
- bd-05a8: Split large files (doctor.go, sync.go)
- bd-qioh: Standardize error handling patterns
- bd-rgyd: Split queries.go (1586 lines)
- bd-9g1z: Fix/remove TestFindJSONLPathDefault

### P3 (Low Priority):
- bd-ork0: Add comments to 30+ ignored errors
- bd-4nqq: Remove dead test code in info_test.go
- bd-dhza: Reduce global state in main.go

## Key Areas:
1. Code duplication in path utilities
2. Large monolithic files (5 files >1000 lines)
3. Global state (25+ variables, 3 deprecated)
4. Silent error suppression (30+ instances)
5. Test gaps and dead test code
6. Atomicity risks in batch operations


Improve bd doctor output formatting for better readability.

## Current State
Doctor output is a wall of text with:
- All checks shown (even passing ones)
- No visual hierarchy
- Hard to spot failures in long output

## Target Output

```
$ bd doctor

bd doctor v0.35.0

Summary: 24 checks passed, 1 warning, 0 errors

─────────────────────────────────────────────────
⚠ Warnings (1)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────

[hooks] Git hooks outdated
  Current version: 0.34.0
  Latest version: 0.35.0
  Fix: bd hooks install

─────────────────────────────────────────────────
✓ Passed (24)  [use --verbose to show details]
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
```

With --verbose:
```
$ bd doctor --verbose

bd doctor v0.35.0

Summary: 24 checks passed, 1 warning, 0 errors

─────────────────────────────────────────────────
⚠ Warnings (1)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────

[hooks] Git hooks outdated
  ...

─────────────────────────────────────────────────
✓ Passed (24)
─────────────────────────────────────────────────

  Database
    ✓ Database exists
    ✓ Database readable
    ✓ Schema up to date

  Git Hooks
    ✓ Pre-commit hook installed
    ✓ Post-merge hook installed
    ⚠ Hooks version mismatch (see above)

  Sync
    ✓ Sync branch configured
    ✓ Remote accessible
    ...
```

## Implementation

### 1. Add check categories (cmd/bd/doctor/categories.go)

```go
type Category string

const (
    CatDatabase  Category = "Database"
    CatHooks     Category = "Git Hooks"
    CatSync      Category = "Sync"
    CatDaemon    Category = "Daemon"
    CatConfig    Category = "Configuration"
    CatIntegrity Category = "Data Integrity"
)

// Assign categories to checks
var checkCategories = map[string]Category{
    "database-exists":     CatDatabase,
    "database-readable":   CatDatabase,
    "schema-version":      CatDatabase,
    "pre-commit-hook":     CatHooks,
    "post-merge-hook":     CatHooks,
    "hooks-version":       CatHooks,
    "sync-branch":         CatSync,
    "remote-access":       CatSync,
    // ... etc
}
```

### 2. Add --verbose flag

```go
// In cmd/bd/doctor.go init()
doctorCmd.Flags().BoolP("verbose", "v", false, "Show all checks including passed")
```

### 3. Create formatter (cmd/bd/doctor/format.go)

```go
type Formatter struct {
    verbose bool
    noColor bool
}

func (f *Formatter) Format(results []CheckResult) string {
    var buf strings.Builder

    // Count by status
    passed, warnings, errors := countByStatus(results)

    // Header
    buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("bd doctor v%s\n\n", version.Version))
    buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("Summary: %d passed, %d warnings, %d errors\n\n",
        passed, warnings, errors))

    // Errors section (always show)
    if errors > 0 {
        f.writeSection(&buf, "✗ Errors", filterByStatus(results, StatusError))
    }

    // Warnings section (always show)
    if warnings > 0 {
        f.writeSection(&buf, "⚠ Warnings", filterByStatus(results, StatusWarning))
    }

    // Passed section (only with --verbose)
    if f.verbose && passed > 0 {
        f.writePassedSection(&buf, filterByStatus(results, StatusPassed))
    } else if passed > 0 {
        buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("✓ Passed (%d)  [use --verbose to show details]\n", passed))
    }

    return buf.String()
}

func (f *Formatter) writeSection(buf *strings.Builder, title string, results []CheckResult) {
    buf.WriteString("─────────────────────────────────────────────────\n")
    buf.WriteString(title + "\n")
    buf.WriteString("─────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\n")

    for _, r := range results {
        buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("[%s] %s\n", r.CheckName, r.Message))
        if r.Details != "" {
            buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  %s\n", r.Details))
        }
        if r.Fix != "" {
            buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  Fix: %s\n", r.Fix))
        }
        buf.WriteString("\n")
    }
}

func (f *Formatter) writePassedSection(buf *strings.Builder, results []CheckResult) {
    // Group by category
    byCategory := groupByCategory(results)

    buf.WriteString("─────────────────────────────────────────────────\n")
    buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("✓ Passed (%d)\n", len(results)))
    buf.WriteString("─────────────────────────────────────────────────\n\n")

    for _, cat := range categoryOrder {
        if checks, ok := byCategory[cat]; ok {
            buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("  %s\n", cat))
            for _, r := range checks {
                buf.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("    ✓ %s\n", r.Message))
            }
            buf.WriteString("\n")
        }
    }
}
```

### 4. Update run function

```go
func runDoctor(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
    verbose, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("verbose")
    noColor, _ := cmd.Flags().GetBool("no-color")

    results := runAllChecks()

    formatter := &Formatter{verbose: verbose, noColor: noColor}
    fmt.Print(formatter.Format(results))

    // Exit code based on results
    if hasErrors(results) {
        os.Exit(1)
    }
}
```

## Files to Modify

1. **cmd/bd/doctor.go** - Add --verbose flag, update run function
2. **cmd/bd/doctor/format.go** - New file for formatting logic
3. **cmd/bd/doctor/categories.go** - New file for check categorization
4. **cmd/bd/doctor/common.go** - Add Status field to CheckResult if missing

## Testing

```bash
# Default output (concise)
bd doctor

# Verbose output
bd doctor --verbose

# JSON output (should still work)
bd doctor --json
```

## Success Criteria
- Summary line at top with counts
- Only failures/warnings shown by default
- --verbose shows grouped passed checks
- Visual separators between sections
- Exit code 1 if errors, 0 otherwise


Witness Patrol


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


Create git tag v{{version}}

Create the release tag:

```bash
git tag v{{version}}
```

Verify: `git tag | grep {{version}}`


Release v0.34.0

Minor version release for beads v0.34.0. This bead serves as my persistent work assignment; the actual release steps are tracked in an attached wisp.


Migration invariants should exclude external dependencies from orphan check

## Summary

The `checkForeignKeys` function in `migration_invariants.go` flags external dependencies as orphaned because they dont exist in the local issues table.

## Location

`internal/storage/sqlite/migration_invariants.go` around line 150-162

## Current Code (buggy)

```go
// Check for orphaned dependencies
var orphanCount int
err = db.QueryRowContext(ctx, \`
    SELECT COUNT(*)
    FROM dependencies d
    WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM issues WHERE id = d.depends_on_id)
\`).Scan(&orphanCount)
```

## Fix

Exclude external references (format: `external:<project>:<capability>`):

```go
// Check for orphaned dependencies (excluding external refs)
var orphanCount int
err = db.QueryRowContext(ctx, \`
    SELECT COUNT(*)
    FROM dependencies d
    WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM issues WHERE id = d.depends_on_id)
      AND d.depends_on_id NOT LIKE 'external:%'
\`).Scan(&orphanCount)
```

## Reproduction

```bash
# Add external dependency
bd dep add bd-xxx external:other-project:some-capability

# Try to sync - fails
bd sync
# Error: found 1 orphaned dependencies
```

## Files to Modify

1. **internal/storage/sqlite/migration_invariants.go** - Add WHERE clause

## Testing

```bash
# Create issue with external dep
bd create "Test external deps" -t task
bd dep add bd-xxx external:beads:release-workflow

# Sync should succeed
bd sync

# Verify dep exists
bd show bd-xxx --json | jq .dependencies
```

## Success Criteria
- External dependencies dont trigger orphan check
- `bd sync` succeeds with external deps
- Regular orphan detection still works for internal deps


Wait for CI to pass

Monitor GitHub Actions - all checks must pass before release artifacts are built


Move relate/unrelate under dep command

Make relate and unrelate subcommands of dep (dep relate, dep unrelate). They're dependency operations and belong there.


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

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


Update go install bd to {{version}}

Rebuild and install bd to ~/go/bin:

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

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


Add tests for import/export functionality

Import/export functions like ImportIssues, exportToJSONLWithStore, and AutoImportIfNewer have low coverage. These are critical for data integrity and multi-repo synchronization.


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.


bd mol run: Support proto lookup by title

`bd mol run` only accepts proto ID (e.g., gt-lwuu), not proto title (e.g., mol-polecat-work).

## Current Behavior
```bash
bd mol run mol-polecat-work --var issue=gt-xxx
# Error: no issue found matching "mol-polecat-work"

bd mol run gt-lwuu --var issue=gt-xxx
# Works
```

## Desired Behavior
Both should work - lookup by ID or by title.

## Why This Matters
- Proto titles are human-readable and memorable
- Proto IDs are opaque (gt-lwuu vs mol-polecat-work)
- Hardcoding IDs in code is fragile (IDs change across databases)
- `bd mol catalog` shows both: `gt-lwuu: mol-polecat-work`

## Workaround
Currently using hardcoded proto ID in gt spawn, which is brittle.


Update info.go versionChanges

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

This powers `bd info --whats-new` for agents.

```go
"0.39.0": {
    "summary": "Brief description",
    "changes": []string{
        "Key change 1",
        "Key change 2",
    },
},
```

Focus on workflow-impacting changes agents need to know.


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


Test stdin 2

Description from stdin test


Thread Test 2

Testing direct mode


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
```


Add tests for daemon functionality

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


dave Handoff


Fix --as flag: uses title instead of ID in mol bond

In bondProtoProto, the --as flag is documented as 'Custom ID for compound proto' but the implementation uses it as the title, not the issue ID.

**Current behavior (mol.go:637-638):**
```go
if customID != '' {
    compoundTitle = customID  // Used as title, not ID
}
```

**Options:**
1. Change flag description to say 'Custom title' (documentation fix)
2. Actually use it as a custom ID prefix or full ID (feature change)
3. Add separate --title flag and make --as actually set ID

Recommend option 1 for simplest fix - change 'Custom ID' to 'Custom title' in the flag description.


Add metadata and thread_id columns to dependencies table

Schema changes:
- ALTER TABLE dependencies ADD COLUMN metadata TEXT DEFAULT '{}'
- ALTER TABLE dependencies ADD COLUMN thread_id TEXT DEFAULT ''
- CREATE INDEX idx_dependencies_thread ON dependencies(thread_id) WHERE thread_id != ''


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

## Problem

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

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

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

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


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


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


Merge: bd-4qfb

branch: polecat/Polish
target: main
source_issue: bd-4qfb
rig: beads


Update info.go versionChanges

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


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

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


Witness Patrol

Per-rig worker monitor patrol loop with progressive nudging.


Test deleteViaDaemon RPC client integration

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

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

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

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

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


Pinned field available in beads v0.37.0

Hey max,

Heads up on your mail overhaul work:

1. **Pinned field is available** - beads v0.37.0 (released by dave earlier) includes the pinned field on issues. You'll want to add this to BeadsMessage in types.go.

2. **Database migration** - Check if existing .beads databases need migration to support the pinned field. Run `bd doctor` to see if it flags anything.

3. **Sorting task** - Once you have the pinned field, gt-ngu1 (pinned beads first in mail inbox) needs implementing. Since messages now come from `bd list --type=message`, you'll need to either:
   - Sort in listBeads() after fetching, or
   - Ensure bd list returns pinned items first (may already do this?)

Check what version of bd you're building against.

-- Mayor


Improve clean vs cleanup command naming/documentation

Clarify the difference between bd clean and bd cleanup to reduce user confusion.

**Current state:**
- bd clean: Remove temporary artifacts (.beads/bd.sock, logs, etc.)
- bd cleanup: Delete old closed issues from database

**Options:**
1. Rename for clarity:
   - bd clean → bd clean-temp
   - bd cleanup → bd cleanup-issues

2. Keep names but improve help text and documentation

3. Add prominent warnings in help output

**Preferred approach:** Option 2 (improve documentation)
- Update short/long descriptions in commands
- Add examples to help text
- Update README.md
- Add cross-references in help output

**Files to modify:**
- cmd/bd/clean.go
- cmd/bd/cleanup.go
- README.md or ADVANCED.md


Support --reason flag in daemon mode for reopen command

The reopen.go command has a TODO at line 61 to add reason as a comment once RPC supports AddComment. Currently --reason flag is ignored in daemon mode with a warning.


Merge: bd-thgk

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


Dead code: fetchAndRebaseInWorktree() marked DEPRECATED but still exists

attached_args: Remove dead code fetchAndRebaseInWorktree

The function fetchAndRebaseInWorktree() in internal/syncbranch/worktree.go (lines 811-830) is marked as DEPRECATED with a comment:

```go
// fetchAndRebaseInWorktree is DEPRECATED - kept for reference only.
// Use contentMergeRecovery instead to avoid tombstone resurrection.
```

Since contentMergeRecovery() is the replacement and is being used, this dead code should be removed to reduce maintenance burden.

Location: internal/syncbranch/worktree.go:811-830


bd merge omits priority:0 due to omitempty JSON tag

GitHub issue #671. The merge code in internal/merge/merge.go uses 'omitempty' on the Priority field, which causes priority:0 (P0/critical) to be dropped from JSON output since 0 is Go's zero value for int. Fix: either remove omitempty from Priority field or use a pointer (*int). This affects the git merge driver and causes P0 issues to lose their priority.


Implement bd mol current command

Show what molecule the agent should currently be working on. Referenced by gt-um6q, gt-lz13. Needed for molecule navigation workflow in templates.


Design contributor namespace isolation for beads pollution prevention

## Problem

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

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

## Possible Solutions to Explore

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

## Design Considerations

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

## Expansion Needed

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


bd mol publish: Push formula to GitHub repo

Publish a formula to a GitHub repository for sharing.

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

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

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

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

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


Verify PyPI package

Confirm PyPI package published.

```bash
pip index versions beads-mcp 2>/dev/null | head -3
```

Or check: https://pypi.org/project/beads-mcp/

Should show 0.39.0.


--parent flag reports success but doesn't persist to JSONL

The --parent flag for bd update reports success but the change doesn't persist.

Reported by: Mayor
Location: show.go:810-814 handles the logic

Symptoms:
- bd update <id> --parent=<new-parent> returns success
- But the parent change is not written to JSONL
- Subsequent bd show reveals parent unchanged

This shipped in v0.39.1 as part of bd-cj2e (--parent flag for reparenting).

Investigation: Check the update path from show.go through to JSONL export. The RPC/daemon layer may be dropping the parent field, or the storage layer isn't persisting it.


bd sync deleted non-.beads files (skills/beads/*)

On 2025-12-23, commit 7b671662 (bd sync) inadvertently deleted 5 files from skills/beads/ that were added by PR #722 (commit e432fcc8). These files are outside .beads/ and should never be touched by bd sync.

Files deleted:
- skills/beads/README.md
- skills/beads/references/INTEGRATION_PATTERNS.md
- skills/beads/references/MOLECULES.md
- skills/beads/references/PATTERNS.md
- skills/beads/references/TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Investigation needed:
1. How did bd sync stage/commit files outside .beads/?
2. Was this a one-time accident or is there a systematic bug?
3. Add safeguards to prevent bd sync from touching non-.beads paths

Reported via GH#738.


Dynamic Molecule Bonding: Fanout patterns for patrol molecules

## Vision

Enable molecules to dynamically spawn child molecules at runtime based on discovered
work. This is the foundation for the "Christmas Ornament" pattern where a patrol
molecule grows arms per-polecat.

## The Activity Feed Vision

Instead of parsing agent logs, users see structured work state:

```
[14:32:08] + patrol-x7k.arm-ace bonded (5 steps)
[14:32:08] + patrol-x7k.arm-nux bonded (5 steps)
[14:32:09] → patrol-x7k.arm-ace.capture in_progress
[14:32:10] ✓ patrol-x7k.arm-ace.capture completed
[14:32:14] ✓ patrol-x7k.arm-ace.decide completed (action: nudge-1)
```

This requires beads to track molecule step state transitions in real-time.

## Key Primitives Needed

### 1. Dynamic Bond with Variables
```bash
bd mol bond mol-polecat-arm <parent-wisp-id> \
  --var polecat_name=ace \
  --var rig=gastown
```

Creates wisp children under the parent:
- parent-id.arm-ace
- parent-id.arm-ace.capture
- parent-id.arm-ace.assess
- etc.

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

The `WaitsFor: all-children` directive makes this a fanout gate - it can't
proceed until ALL dynamically-bonded children complete.

### 3. Activity Feed Query
```bash
bd activity --follow              # Real-time state stream
bd activity --mol <id>            # Activity for specific molecule
bd activity --since 5m            # Last 5 minutes
```

### 4. Parallel Step Detection
Steps with no inter-dependencies should be flagged as parallelizable.
When arms are bonded, their steps can run in parallel across arms.

## Use Case: mol-witness-patrol

The Witness monitors N polecats where N varies at runtime:

```
survey-workers discovers: [ace, nux, toast]
For each polecat:
  bd mol bond mol-polecat-arm <patrol-id> --var polecat_name=<name>
aggregate step waits for all arms to complete
```

This creates the Christmas Ornament shape:
- Trunk: preflight steps
- Arms: per-polecat inspection molecules
- Base: cleanup after all arms complete

## Design Docs

See Gas Town docs:
- docs/molecular-chemistry.md (updated with Christmas Ornament pattern)
- docs/architecture.md (activity feed section)

## Dependencies

This epic may depend on:
- Wisp storage (.beads-wisp/) - already implemented
- Variable substitution in molecules - may need enhancement


Exclude pinned issues from bd ready

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


Add multi-repo target repo switching in bd create

In cmd/bd/create.go:164, there's a TODO to switch to the target repo for multi-repo support when creating issues. Currently the code may not properly handle creating issues in a different repo than the current one.

File: cmd/bd/create.go:164


Add gate fields: await_type, await_id, timeout, waiters

Add gate-specific fields to the Issue type.

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

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


Update git hooks

Install the updated hooks:
```bash
bd hooks install
```

Verify hook version:
```bash
grep 'bd-hooks-version' .git/hooks/pre-commit
```

```verify
grep -q 'bd-hooks-version: 0.30.4' .git/hooks/pre-commit 2>/dev/null || echo 'Hooks may not be installed - verify manually'
```


Code smell: Issue struct is a God Object (50+ fields)

attached_args: Refactor Issue struct God Object

The Issue struct in internal/types/types.go has 50+ fields covering many different concerns:

- Basic issue tracking (ID, Title, Description, Status, Priority)
- Messaging/communication (Sender, Ephemeral, etc.)
- Agent identity (HookBead, RoleBead, AgentState, RoleType, Rig)
- Gate/async coordination (AwaitType, AwaitID, Timeout, Waiters)
- Source tracing (SourceFormula, SourceLocation)
- HOP validation/entities (Creator, Validations)
- Compaction (CompactionLevel, CompactedAt, OriginalSize)
- Tombstones (DeletedAt, DeletedBy, DeleteReason)

Consider:
1. Extracting field groups into embedded structs (e.g., AgentFields, GateFields)
2. Using composition pattern to make the struct more modular
3. At minimum, grouping related fields together with section comments

Location: internal/types/types.go:12-82


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

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


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.


Add daemon-side delete operation tests

Follow-up epic for PR #626: Add comprehensive test coverage for delete operations at the daemon/RPC layer. PR #626 successfully added storage layer tests but identified gaps in daemon-side delete operations and RPC integration testing.

## Scope
Tests needed for:
1. deleteViaDaemon (cmd/bd/delete.go:21) - RPC client-side deletion command
2. Daemon RPC delete handler - Server-side deletion via daemon
3. createTombstone wrapper (cmd/bd/delete.go:335) - Tombstone creation wrapper
4. deleteIssue wrapper (cmd/bd/delete.go:349) - Direct deletion wrapper

## Coverage targets
- Delete via RPC daemon (both success and error paths)
- Cascade deletion through daemon
- Force deletion through daemon
- Dry-run mode validation
- Tombstone creation and verification
- Error handling and edge cases


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
```


Update .claude-plugin/plugin.json to 0.30.4

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

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


Add backwards-compatible aliases and deprecation warnings

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

## Implementation

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

import (
    "fmt"
    "os"

    "github.com/spf13/cobra"
)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Phase 1.3: Basic TOON read/write operations

Add basic TOON read/write operations to bdt executable. Implement create, list, and show commands that use the internal/toon package for encoding/decoding to TOON format.

## Subtasks
1. Implement bdt create command - Create issues and serialize to TOON format
2. Implement bdt list command - Read issues.toon and display all issues
3. Implement bdt show command - Display single issue by ID
4. Add file I/O operations for issues.toon
5. Integrate internal/toon package (EncodeTOON, DecodeJSON)
6. Write tests for create, list, show operations

## Files to Create/Modify
- cmd/bdt/create.go - Create command
- cmd/bdt/list.go - List command
- cmd/bdt/show.go - Show command
- cmd/bdt/storage.go - File I/O helper

## Success Criteria
- bdt create "Issue title" creates and saves to issues.toon
- bdt list displays all issues in human-readable format
- bdt list --json shows JSON output
- bdt show <id> displays single issue
- Issues round-trip correctly: create → list → show
- All tests passing with >80% coverage


Fix JSON errors in epic.go

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

Commands affected:
- epicStatusCmd
- epicCloseEligibleCmd


Merge: bd-rgyd

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


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


Work on beads-rs0: Namepool configuration for themed pole...

Work on beads-rs0: Namepool configuration for themed polecat names. See bd show beads-rs0 for full details.


Test body-file

This is a test description from a file.

It has multiple lines.


Formula versioning: Version field and git tag integration

Add versioning support to formulas for tracking updates.

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

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

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

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

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


bd mol squash handles wisp→digest

Update bd mol squash to handle ephemeral molecules.

## Behavior for Ephemeral Molecules
1. Delete wisp from .beads-ephemeral/
2. Create digest issue in .beads/ (permanent)
3. Digest has type:digest and squashed_from field

## Digest Format
```json
{
  "id": "<parent>.digest-NNN",
  "type": "digest",
  "title": "<proto> cycle @ <timestamp>",
  "description": "<summary from --summary flag>",
  "parent": "<proto-id>",
  "squashed_from": "<wisp-id>"
}
```

## Implementation
- Detect if molecule is ephemeral (check storage location or flag)
- Delete from ephemeral store
- Create digest in permanent store
- Return digest ID

## Testing
- Test squash of ephemeral mol creates digest
- Test wisp is deleted after squash
- Test digest is queryable


bd mail uses git user.name for sender instead of BEADS_AGENT_NAME

When sending mail via `bd mail send`, the sender field in the stored issue uses git config user.name instead of the BEADS_AGENT_NAME environment variable.

Reproduction:
1. Set BEADS_AGENT_NAME=gastown-alpha
2. Run: bd mail send mayor/ -s 'Test' -m 'Body'
3. Check the issue.jsonl: sender is 'Steve Yegge' (git user.name) not 'gastown-alpha'

Expected: The sender field should use BEADS_AGENT_NAME when set.

This breaks the mail system for multi-agent workflows where agents need to identify themselves by their role (polecat, refinery, etc.) rather than the human user's git identity.

Related: gt mail routing integration with Gas Town


Auto-recovery mode (bd sync --auto-recover)

Add bd sync --auto-recover flag that: detects problematic sync state, backs up .beads/issues.db with timestamp, rebuilds DB from JSONL atomically, verifies consistency, reports what was fixed. Provides safety valve when sync integrity fails.


Execute molecule bd-mol-xga: Release beads 0.37.0


Implement formula features: repeat, for_each, branch, gate, compose.split

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

- Line 170: repeat field (run step multiple times)
- Line 174: for_each field (iterate over collections)
- Line 179: branch field (conditional step execution)
- Line 186: gate field (waits_for dependency integration)
- Line 210: compose.split field (split step into parallel sub-steps)

These are schema-defined for future use but not yet implemented in bd cook.

File: internal/formula/types.go:170,174,179,186,210


Merge: bd-io8c

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


getLocalSyncBranch silently ignores YAML parse errors

In autoimport.go:170-172, YAML parsing errors are silently ignored. If a user has malformed YAML in config.yaml, sync-branch will just silently be empty with no feedback.

Recommendation: Add debug logging since this function is only called during auto-import, and debugging silent failures is painful.

Add: debug.Logf("Warning: failed to parse config.yaml: %v", err)


Add --pinned and --no-pinned flags to bd list

Add filtering flags to bd list: --pinned shows only pinned issues, --no-pinned excludes pinned issues. Default behavior shows all issues with a pin indicator.


bd mol bond --ephemeral flag

Add --ephemeral flag to bd mol bond command.

## Behavior
- `bd mol bond <proto> --ephemeral` creates molecule in .beads-ephemeral/
- Without flag, creates in .beads/ (current behavior)
- Ephemeral molecules have `ephemeral: true` in their issue record

## Implementation
- Add --ephemeral bool flag to mol bond command
- Route to EphemeralStore when flag set
- Set ephemeral:true on created issue

## Testing
- Test mol bond creates in correct location
- Test ephemeral flag is persisted
- Test regular mol bond still works


Fix daemon/direct mode inconsistency in relate and duplicate commands

The relate.go and duplicate.go commands have inconsistent daemon/direct mode handling:

When daemonClient is connected, they resolve IDs via RPC but then perform updates directly via store.UpdateIssue(), bypassing the daemon.

Affected locations:
- relate.go:125-139 (runRelate update)
- relate.go:235-246 (runUnrelate update)
- duplicate.go:120 (runDuplicate update)
- duplicate.go:207 (runSupersede update)

Should either use RPC for updates when daemon is running, or document why direct access is intentional.


bd wisp create doesn't set Wisp flag on spawned issues

When running 'bd wisp create <proto>', the spawned issues don't have Wisp: true set. They show up in 'bd ready' and get synced to JSONL.

Example: gt-lqc6m and gt-wisp-ry9 are mol-deacon-patrol issues that should be wisps but have wisp: null.

This causes patrol cycles to pollute the issue database and show up as ready work.


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


Remove top-level comment alias

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


Code review: mol squash deletion bypasses tombstone system

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

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

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


Sync race: rebase-based divergence recovery resurrects tombstones

## Problem
When two repos sync simultaneously, tombstones can be resurrected:

1. Repo A deletes issue (creates tombstone), pushes to sync branch
2. Repo B (with 'closed' status) exports and tries to push
3. Push fails (non-fast-forward)
4. fetchAndRebaseInWorktree does git rebase
5. Git rebase applies B's 'closed' patch on top of A's 'tombstone'
6. TEXT-level rebase doesn't invoke beads merge driver
7. 'closed' overwrites 'tombstone' = resurrection

## Root Cause
CommitToSyncBranch uses git rebase for divergence recovery, but rebase is text-level, not content-level. The proper content-level merge in PullFromSyncBranch handles tombstones correctly, but it runs AFTER the problematic push.

## Proposed Fix
Option 1: Don't push in CommitToSyncBranch - let PullFromSyncBranch handle merge+push
Option 2: Replace git rebase with content-level merge in fetchAndRebaseInWorktree
Option 3: Reorder sync steps: Export → Pull/Merge → Commit → Push

## Workaround Applied
Excluded tombstones from orphan detection warnings (commit 1e97d9cc).

See also: bd-3852 (Add orphan detection migration)


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


Phase 2.5: TOON-based daemon sync

Implement TOON-native daemon sync (replaces JSONL sync machinery).

## Overview
Daemon sync is the final integration point. Replace export/import/merge machinery with TOON-native sync, building on deletion tracking (2.3) and merge optimization (2.4).

## Required Work

### 2.5.1 TOON-based Daemon Sync
- [ ] Understand current JSONL sync machinery (export.go, import.go, merge.go)
- [ ] Replace export step with TOON encoding (EncodeTOON)
- [ ] Replace import step with TOON decoding (DecodeTOON)
- [ ] Replace merge step with TOON-aware 3-way merge
- [ ] Update daemon auto-sync to read/write TOON
- [ ] Verify 5-second debounce still works

### 2.5.2 Deletion Sync Integration
- [ ] Load deletions.toon during import phase
- [ ] Apply deletions after merging issues
- [ ] Ensure deletion TTL respects daemon schedule

### 2.5.3 Testing
- [ ] Unit tests for daemon sync with TOON
- [ ] Integration tests with actual daemon operations
- [ ] Multi-clone sync scenarios with concurrent edits
- [ ] Performance comparison with JSONL sync
- [ ] Long-running daemon stability tests

## Success Criteria
- Daemon reads/writes TOON format (not JSONL)
- Sync latency comparable to JSONL (<100ms)
- All 70+ tests passing
- bdt commands work seamlessly with daemon
- Multi-clone sync scenarios work correctly


Update documentation for CLI consolidation

## Task
Update all documentation to reflect CLI consolidation changes.

## Files requiring updates

### Primary docs
- docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md - Major updates
  - Add admin section (cleanup, compact, reset)
  - Update migrate section (subcommands)
  - Update formula section (add cook)
  - Remove/update standalone command references

### Secondary docs
- docs/DELETIONS.md - migrate-tombstones → migrate tombstones, compact → admin compact
- docs/FAQ.md - compact → admin compact
- docs/QUICKSTART.md - compact, cleanup → admin compact, admin cleanup
- docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md - compact → admin compact
- docs/CONFIG.md - compact → admin compact
- docs/INSTALLING.md - quickstart reference
- docs/EXTENDING.md - quickstart reference

### Skills docs
- skills/beads/SKILL.md - compact, quickstart references
- skills/beads/references/CLI_REFERENCE.md - mirror main CLI_REFERENCE.md

### Other docs
- commands/quickstart.md - update or remove
- commands/compact.md - update to admin compact
- examples/compaction/README.md - update examples
- README.md - quickstart reference
- CHANGELOG.md - add consolidation changes section

## Implementation notes
- Keep backwards compatibility notices where aliases exist
- Update command examples to use new paths
- Consider adding deprecation warnings section


Implement bd pin/unpin commands

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


Code Review Followup Summary: PR #481 + PR #551

## Merged PRs Summary

### PR #551: Persist close_reason to issues table
- ✅ Merged successfully
- ✅ Bug fix: close_reason now persisted in database column (not just events table)
- ✅ Comprehensive test coverage added
- ✅ Handles reopen case (clearing close_reason)

**Followup Issues Filed:**
- bd-lxzx: Document close_reason in JSONL export format
- bd-077e: Update CLI documentation for close_reason field

---

### PR #481: Context Engineering Optimizations (80-90% context reduction)
- ✅ Merged successfully
- ✅ Lazy tool discovery: discover_tools() + get_tool_info()
- ✅ Minimal issue models: IssueMinimal (~80% smaller than full Issue)
- ✅ Result compaction: Auto-compacts results >20 items
- ✅ All 28 tests passing
- ⚠ Breaking change: ready() and list() return type changed

**Followup Issues Filed:**
- bd-b318: Add integration tests for CompactedResult
- bd-4u2b: Make compaction settings configurable (THRESHOLD, PREVIEW_COUNT)
- bd-2kf8: Document CompactedResult response format in CONTEXT_ENGINEERING.md
- bd-pdr2: Document backwards compatibility considerations

---

## Overall Assessment

Both PRs are production-ready with solid implementations. All critical functionality works and tests pass. Followup issues focus on:
1. Documentation improvements (5 issues)
2. Integration test coverage (1 issue)
3. Configuration flexibility (1 issue)
4. Backwards compatibility guidance (1 issue)

No critical bugs or design issues found.

## Review Completed By
Code review process completed. Issues auto-created for tracking improvements.


test pin


Hooks System

Implement hook system for extensibility.

Hook directory: .beads/hooks/
Hook files (executable scripts):
- on_create - runs after bd create
- on_update - runs after bd update
- on_close - runs after bd close
- on_message - runs after bd mail send

Hook invocation:
- Pass issue ID as first argument
- Pass event type as second argument
- Pass JSON issue data on stdin
- Run asynchronously (dont block command)

Example hook (GGT notification):
  #!/bin/bash
  gt notify --event=$2 --issue=$1

This allows GGT to register notification handlers without Beads knowing about GGT.


Code smell: runCook function is ~275 lines

attached_args: Refactor runCook function (~275 lines)

The runCook() function in cmd/bd/cook.go (lines 83-357) is ~275 lines handling:

1. Flag parsing and validation
2. Mode determination (compile vs runtime)
3. Formula parsing and resolution
4. Control flow, advice, and expansion application
5. Dry-run output
6. Ephemeral mode JSON output
7. Persist mode database operations
8. Result display

Consider extracting:
- parseAndValidateFlags() - flag handling
- loadAndResolveFormula() - parse, resolve, apply transformations
- outputDryRun() - dry run display logic
- outputEphemeral() - ephemeral JSON output
- persistFormula() - database persistence logic

The function has multiple exit points and nested conditionals that make it hard to follow.

Location: cmd/bd/cook.go:83-357


Release v{{version}}

Clean release workflow for beads. Variables: version (e.g., 0.37.0), date (YYYY-MM-DD)


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


doctor --fix should export when DB has more issues than JSONL

When 'bd doctor' detects a count mismatch (DB has more issues than JSONL), it currently recommends 'bd sync --import-only', which imports JSONL into DB. But JSONL is the source of truth, not the DB.

**Current behavior:**
- Doctor detects: DB has 355 issues, JSONL has 292
- Recommends: 'bd sync --import-only'
- User runs it: Returns '0 created, 0 updated' (no-op, because JSONL hasn't changed)
- User is stuck

**Root cause:**
The doctor fix is one-directional (JSONL→DB) when it should be bidirectional. If DB has MORE issues, they haven't been exported yet - the fix should be 'bd export' (DB→JSONL), not import.

**Desired fix:**
In fix.DBJSONLSync(), detect which has more data:
- If DB > JSONL: Run 'bd export' to sync JSONL (since DB is the working copy)
- If JSONL > DB: Run 'bd sync --import-only' to import (JSONL is source of truth)
- If equal but timestamps differ: Detect based on file mtime

This makes 'bd doctor --fix' actually fix the problem instead of being a no-op.


Run bump-version.sh 0.32.1

Execute ./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.32.1 to update all version references


test hook pin


Code Review: Beads Refactoring Sprint

Epic for code smell fixes identified during Beads code review.

## Scope
11 issues covering:
- P2: Duplicated code in cook.go (2 issues)
- P3: Long functions and God Objects (5 issues)
- P4: Technical debt and cleanup (4 issues)

## Approach
Swarm with polecats, each taking 1-2 issues. All changes should:
1. Pass existing tests
2. Not change external behavior
3. Improve code maintainability

## Success Criteria
All 11 child issues closed with passing CI.


Add orphan detection migration

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


Witness Patrol

Per-rig worker monitor patrol loop with progressive nudging.


Verify release artifacts

Check GitHub releases page - binaries for darwin/linux/windows should be available


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)


Code Review: PR #481 - Context Engineering Optimizations

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

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

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

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

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


Tier 2: Basic bd mol squash command

Add bd mol squash command for basic molecule execution compression.

## Command

bd mol squash <molecule-id> [flags]
  --dry-run         Preview what would be squashed
  --keep-children   Don't delete ephemeral children after squash
  --json            JSON output

## Implementation

1. Find all ephemeral children of molecule (parent-child deps)
2. Concatenate child descriptions/notes into digest
3. Create digest issue in main repo with:
   - Title: 'Molecule Execution Summary: <original-title>'
   - digest_of: [list of squashed child IDs]
   - ephemeral: false (digest is permanent)
4. Delete ephemeral children (unless --keep-children)
5. Link digest to parent work item

## Schema Changes

Add to Issue struct:
- SquashedAt *time.Time
- SquashDigest string (ID of digest)
- DigestOf []string (IDs of squashed children)

## Acceptance Criteria

- bd mol squash <id> creates digest, removes children
- --dry-run shows preview
- Digest has proper metadata linking


Merge: bd-by0d

branch: polecat/furiosa
target: main
source_issue: bd-by0d
rig: beads


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

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

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

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


Widespread double JSON encoding bug in daemon mode RPC calls

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

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

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

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

All commands now tested and working correctly with daemon mode.


mol-beads-release

Release checklist for beads version 0.37.0.

This molecule ensures all release steps are completed properly.
Variable: 0.37.0 - target version (e.g., 0.35.0)

## Step: update-release-notes
Update cmd/bd/info.go with release notes for 0.37.0.

Add a new VersionChange entry at the top of versionChanges slice:
```go
{
    Version: "0.37.0",
    Date:    "YYYY-MM-DD",
    Changes: []string{
        "NEW: Feature description",
        "FIX: Bug fix description",
        "IMPROVED: Enhancement description",
    },
},
```

Run `git log --oneline v<previous>..HEAD` to see what changed.

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

Add a new section after [Unreleased]:
```markdown
## [0.37.0] - YYYY-MM-DD

### Added
- **Feature name** (issue-id) - Description

### Changed
- **Change description** (issue-id)

### Fixed
- **Bug fix** (issue-id) - Description
```

Sort by importance, not chronologically.
Needs: update-release-notes

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

```bash
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.37.0
```

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

Needs: update-changelog

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

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

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

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

```bash
git add -A
git commit -m "chore: bump version to v0.37.0"
```

Needs: run-tests

## Step: push-and-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.
Needs: commit-release

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

# Check npm
npm view @beads/bd version

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

Needs: wait-for-ci

## Step: update-local
Update local installations.

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

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

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

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

Verify: `bd --version` shows 0.37.0
Needs: verify-release

## Step: manual-publish
(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.
Needs: wait-for-ci


Implement core reset package (internal/reset)

Create the core reset logic in internal/reset/ package.

## Responsibilities
- ResetOptions struct with all flag options
- CountImpact() - count issues/tombstones that will be deleted
- ValidateState() - check .beads/ exists, check git dirty state
- ExecuteReset() - main reset logic (without CLI concerns)
- Integrate with daemon killall

## Interface Design
```go
type ResetOptions struct {
    Hard      bool   // Include git operations (git rm, commit)
    Backup    bool   // Create backup before reset
    DryRun    bool   // Preview only, don't execute
    SkipInit  bool   // Don't re-initialize after reset
}

type ResetResult struct {
    IssuesDeleted     int
    TombstonesDeleted int
    BackupPath        string  // if backup was created
    DaemonsKilled     int
}

type ImpactSummary struct {
    IssueCount      int
    OpenCount       int
    ClosedCount     int
    TombstoneCount  int
    HasUncommitted  bool  // git dirty state
}

func Reset(opts ResetOptions) (*ResetResult, error)
func CountImpact() (*ImpactSummary, error)
func ValidateState() error
```

## IMPORTANT: CLI vs Core Separation
- `Force` (skip confirmation) is NOT in ResetOptions - that's a CLI concern
- Core always executes when called; CLI decides whether to prompt first
- Keep CLI-agnostic: no prompts, no colored output, no user interaction
- Return errors for CLI to handle with user-friendly messages
- Unit testable in isolation

## Dependencies
- Uses daemon.KillAllDaemons() from internal/daemon/
- Calls bd init logic after reset (unless SkipInit)


Run bump-version.sh 0.30.7

Run ./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.30.7 to update version in all files


Work on gt-8tmz.34: Expansion var overrides not implement...

Work on gt-8tmz.34: Expansion var overrides not implemented. The ExpandRule.Vars field exists in internal/formula/types.go but is ignored during expansion in internal/formula/expand.go. Implement: 1) Pass rule.Vars to expandStep in ApplyExpansions, 2) Merge vars with formula defaults (rule.Vars wins), 3) Substitute vars in template placeholders, 4) Add test in expand_test.go. When done, commit and push to main.


Add missing updated_at index on issues table

GetStaleIssues queries filter by updated_at but there's no index on this column.

**Current query (ready.go:253-254):**
```sql
WHERE status != 'closed'
  AND datetime(updated_at) < datetime('now', '-' || ? || ' days')
```

**Problem:** Full table scan when filtering stale issues.

**Solution:** Add migration to create:
```sql
CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS idx_issues_updated_at ON issues(updated_at);
```

**Note:** The datetime() function wrapper may prevent index usage. Consider also storing updated_at as INTEGER (unix timestamp) for better index efficiency, or test if SQLite can use the index despite the function.


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


Fix JSON error output consistency across all commands

## Problem

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

## Audit Findings (bd-au0.7)

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

## Solution

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

## Pattern

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

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

## Success Criteria

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


BondRef data model for compound lineage

Add data model support for tracking compound molecule lineage.

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

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

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

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


Add bd template list command

Add a convenience command to list available templates:

bd template list

This is equivalent to 'bd list --label=template' but more discoverable.
Could also show variable placeholders found in each template.


Add MCP server functions for repair commands

**Summary:** Added MCP server repair functions for agent dependency management, system validation, and pollution detection. Implemented across BdClientBase, BdCliClient, and daemon clients to enhance system diagnostics and self-healing capabilities.

**Key Decisions:**
- Expose repair_deps(), detect_pollution(), validate() via MCP server
- Create abstract method stubs with fallback to CLI execution
- Use @mcp.tool decorators for function registration

**Resolution:** Successfully implemented comprehensive repair command infrastructure, enabling more robust system health monitoring and automated remediation with full CLI and daemon support.

Implemented all three MCP server functions:

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

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

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


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


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.


bd mol update: Check and update installed formulas

Check for newer versions of installed formulas and update them.

## Usage
```bash
bd mol update                    # Update all
bd mol update mol-code-review    # Update specific formula
bd mol update --check            # Just check, don't update
```

## Implementation
1. Read .beads/installed.json
2. For each installed formula:
   - Fetch latest tag from GitHub API
   - Compare with installed version
   - If newer: download, cook, update installed.json
3. Report what was updated

## Flags
- `--check` - Only check for updates, don't install
- `--force` - Reinstall even if up to date
- `--json` - Machine-readable output


enhance 'bd status' to show recent activity

It would be nice to be able to quickly view the last N changes in the database, to see wha's recently been worked on. I'm imagining something like 'bd status activity'.


Verify version consistency

Confirm all versions match 0.39.0.

```bash
grep 'Version = ' cmd/bd/version.go
jq -r '.version' .claude-plugin/plugin.json
jq -r '.version' npm-package/package.json
grep 'version = ' integrations/beads-mcp/pyproject.toml
```

All should show 0.39.0.


Rename ephemeral → wisp throughout codebase

## The Change

Rename 'ephemeral' to 'wisp' throughout the beads codebase.

## Why

**Ephemeral** is:
- 4 syllables (too long)
- Greek/academic (doesn't match bond/burn/squash)
- Overused in tech (K8s, networking, storage)
- Passive/descriptive

**Wisp** is:
- 1 syllable (matches bond/burn/squash)
- Evocative - you can SEE a wisp
- Steam engine metaphor - Gas Town is engines, steam wisps rise and dissipate
- Will-o'-the-wisp - transient spirits that guide then vanish
- Unique - nobody else uses it

## The Steam Engine Metaphor

```
Engine does work → generates steam
Steam wisps rise → execution trace
Steam condenses → digest (distillate)
Steam dissipates → cleaned up (burned)
```

## Full Vocabulary

| Term | Meaning |
|------|---------|
| bond | Attach proto to work (creates wisps) |
| wisp | Temporary execution step |
| squash | Condense wisps into digest |
| burn | Destroy wisps without record |
| digest | Permanent condensed record |

## Changes Required

### Code
- `Ephemeral bool` → `Wisp bool` in types/issue.go
- `--ephemeral` flag → remove (wisp is default)
- `--persistent` flag → keep as opt-out
- `bd cleanup --ephemeral` → `bd cleanup --wisps`
- Update all references in mol_*.go files

### Docs
- Update all documentation
- Update CLAUDE.md examples
- Update CLI help text

### Database Migration
- Add migration to rename field (or keep internal name, just change API)

## Example Usage After

```bash
bd mol bond mol-polecat-work   # Creates wisps (default)
bd mol bond mol-xxx --persistent  # Creates permanent issues
bd mol squash bd-xxx           # Condenses wisps → digest
bd cleanup --wisps             # Clean old wisps
bd list --wisps                # Show wisp issues
```


bd init UX Improvements

bd init leaves users with incomplete setup, requiring manual bd doctor --fix. Issues found: (1) git hooks not installed if user declines prompt, (2) no auto-migration when CLI is upgraded, (3) stale merge driver configs from old versions. Fix by making bd init more robust with better defaults and auto-migration.


Deacon Patrol

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


Warn on invalid depends_on references in workflow templates

workflow.go:780-781 silently skips invalid dependency names. Should log a warning when a depends_on reference doesn't match any task ID in the template.


gt swarm dispatch command not working

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

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

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

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

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

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


Fix TestImportBugIntegration deadlock in importer_test.go

Code health review found internal/importer/importer_test.go has TestImportBugIntegration skipped with:

TODO: Test hangs due to database deadlock - needs investigation

This indicates a potential unresolved concurrency issue in the importer. The test has been skipped for an unknown duration.

Fix: Investigate the deadlock, fix the underlying issue, and re-enable the test.


Update Homebrew formula

Update the Homebrew tap with new version:

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

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

After running, verify the formula with:

```bash
brew info steveyegge/beads/bd
```


Tier 1: Ephemeral repo routing

Simplified: Make mol spawn set ephemeral=true on spawned issues.

## The Fix

Modify cloneSubgraph() in template.go to set Ephemeral: true:

```go
// template.go:474
newIssue := &types.Issue{
    Title:      substituteVariables(oldIssue.Title, vars),
    // ... existing fields ...
    Ephemeral:  true,  // ADD THIS LINE
}
```

## Optional: Add --persistent flag

Add flag to bd mol spawn for when you want spawned issues to persist:

```bash
bd mol spawn mol-code-review --var pr=123  # ephemeral (default)
bd mol spawn mol-code-review --var pr=123 --persistent  # not ephemeral
```

## Why This Is Simpler Than Original Design

Original design proposed separate ephemeral repo routing. After code review:

- Ephemeral field already exists in schema
- bd cleanup --ephemeral already works
- No new config needed
- No multi-repo complexity

## Acceptance Criteria

- bd mol spawn creates issues with ephemeral=true
- bd cleanup --ephemeral -f deletes them after closing
- --persistent flag opts out of ephemeral
- Existing molecules continue to work


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


Work on gt-8tmz.10: Rename Engineer in Box to Shiny. Rena...

Work on gt-8tmz.10: Rename Engineer in Box to Shiny. Rename mol-engineer-in-box references to mol-shiny or just 'shiny'. Update docs and code in internal/formula/ and .beads/formulas/. When done: 1) bd close gt-8tmz.10, 2) bd sync, 3) git push, 4) gt mq submit


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

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

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

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

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

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


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.


Review PR #514: fix plugin install docs

Review and merge PR #514 from aspiers. This PR fixes incorrect docs for installing Claude Code plugin from source in docs/PLUGIN.md. Clarifies shell vs Claude Code commands and fixes the . vs ./beads argument issue. URL: https://github.com/anthropics/beads/pull/514


Install 0.30.4 MCP server locally

Upgrade the MCP server (after PyPI publish):
```bash
pip install --upgrade beads-mcp
# OR if using uv:
uv tool upgrade beads-mcp
```

Verify:
```bash
pip show beads-mcp | grep Version
```

```verify
pip show beads-mcp 2>/dev/null | grep -q 'Version: 0.30.4'
```


Test Molecule

A test molecule


Update cmd/bd/info.go with release notes for 0.37.0.

Add a new VersionChange entry at the top of versionChanges slice:
```go
{
    Version: "0.37.0",
    Date:    "YYYY-MM-DD",
    Changes: []string{
        "NEW: Feature description",
        "FIX: Bug fix description",
        "IMPROVED: Enhancement description",
    },
},
```

Run `git log --oneline v<previous>..HEAD` to see what changed.

instantiated_from: bd-mol-xga
step: update-release-notes


Update docs for import bug fix

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


Build and verify

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


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


Update local installation

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


Code smell: Duplicated step collection functions in cook.go

attached_args: Fix duplicated step collection functions in cook.go

Two pairs of nearly identical functions exist in cook.go:

1. collectStepsRecursive() (line 754) vs collectStepsToSubgraph() (line 415)
   - Both iterate over steps and create issues
   - Main difference: one writes to DB, one builds in-memory subgraph

2. collectDependencies() (line 833) vs collectDependenciesToSubgraph() (line 502)
   - Both collect dependencies from steps
   - Nearly identical logic

Consider:
1. Extract common step/dependency processing logic
2. Use a strategy pattern or callback for the DB vs in-memory difference
3. Create a single function that returns data, then have callers decide how to persist

Location: cmd/bd/cook.go:415-567 and cmd/bd/cook.go:754-898


Commit the release changes.

Commit the release changes.

```bash
git add -A
git commit -m "chore: bump version to v0.37.0"
```

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


Update beads_mcp/__init__.py to 0.30.4

Update __version__ in integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/__init__.py:
```python
__version__ = "0.30.4"
```

```verify
grep -q '__version__ = "0.30.4"' integrations/beads-mcp/src/beads_mcp/__init__.py
```


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


Add GetMoleculeProgress RPC endpoint

New RPC endpoint to get detailed progress for a specific molecule. Returns: moleculeID, title, assignee, and list of steps with their status (done/current/ready/blocked), start/close times. Used when user expands a worker in the activity feed TUI.


Remove Cache-Related Tests

Delete or update tests that assume multi-repo caching


Add bd reset command for clean slate restart

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

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

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

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


Version Bump: {{version}}

Release checklist for version {{version}}. This molecule ensures all release steps are completed properly.


Create and push git tag v{{version}}

Create the release tag and push it:

```bash
git tag v{{version}}
git push origin v{{version}}
```

This triggers the GoReleaser GitHub Action to build release binaries.


Test and document molecular chemistry commands

## Context

Implemented the molecular chemistry UX commands per the design docs:
- gastown/mayor/rig/docs/molecular-chemistry.md
- gastown/mayor/rig/docs/chemistry-design-changes.md

Commit: cadf798b

## New Commands to Test

| Command | Purpose |
|---------|---------|
| `bd pour <proto>` | Instantiate proto as persistent mol |
| `bd wisp create <proto>` | Instantiate proto as ephemeral wisp |
| `bd hook [--agent]` | Inspect what's on an agent's hook |

## Enhanced Commands to Test

| Command | Changes |
|---------|---------|
| `bd mol spawn --pour` | New flag, `--persistent` deprecated |
| `bd mol bond --pour` | Force liquid phase on wisp target |
| `bd pin --for <agent> --start` | Chemistry workflow support |

## Test Scenarios

1. **bd pour**: Create persistent mol from a proto
   - Verify creates in .beads/ (not .beads-wisp/)
   - Verify variable substitution works
   - Verify --dry-run works

2. **bd wisp create**: Create ephemeral wisp from proto
   - Verify creates in .beads-wisp/
   - Verify bd wisp list shows it
   - Verify bd mol squash works
   - Verify bd mol burn works

3. **bd hook**: Inspect pinned work
   - Pin something, verify bd hook shows it
   - Test --agent flag
   - Test --json output

4. **bd pin --for**: Assign work to agent
   - Verify sets pinned=true
   - Verify sets assignee
   - Verify --start sets status=in_progress

5. **bd mol bond --pour**: Force liquid on wisp target
   - Bond a proto to a wisp with --pour
   - Verify spawned issues are in .beads/

## Documentation

- Update CLAUDE.md with new commands
- Add examples to --help output (already done)
- Consider adding to docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md

## Code Review

- Check for edge cases
- Verify error messages are helpful
- Ensure --json output is consistent


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.


Push version bump to GitHub

git push origin main - triggers CI but no release yet.


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)
```


Add Validation type and validations field to Issue

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