# @beads/bd - Beads Issue Tracker [![npm version](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/@beads/bd)](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@beads/bd) [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-yellow.svg)](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT) **Give your coding agent a memory upgrade** Beads is a lightweight memory system for coding agents, using a graph-based issue tracker. This npm package provides easy installation of the native bd binary for Node.js environments, including Claude Code for Web. ## Installation ```bash npm install -g @beads/bd ``` Or as a project dependency: ```bash npm install --save-dev @beads/bd ``` ## What is Beads? Beads is an issue tracker designed specifically for AI coding agents. It provides: - ✨ **Zero setup** - `bd init` creates project-local database - 🔗 **Dependency tracking** - Four dependency types (blocks, related, parent-child, discovered-from) - 📋 **Ready work detection** - Automatically finds issues with no open blockers - 🤖 **Agent-friendly** - `--json` flags for programmatic integration - 📦 **Git-versioned** - JSONL records stored in git, synced across machines - 🌍 **Distributed by design** - Share one logical database via git ## Quick Start After installation, initialize beads in your project: ```bash bd init ``` Then tell your AI agent to use bd for task tracking instead of markdown: ```bash echo "Use 'bd' commands for issue tracking instead of markdown TODOs" >> AGENTS.md ``` Your agent will automatically: - Create and track issues during work - Manage dependencies between tasks - Find ready work with `bd ready` - Keep long-term context across sessions ## Common Commands ```bash # Find ready work bd ready --json # Create an issue bd create "Fix bug" -t bug -p 1 # Show issue details bd show bd-a1b2 # List all issues bd list --json # Update status bd update bd-a1b2 --status in_progress # Add dependency bd dep add bd-f14c bd-a1b2 # Close issue bd close bd-a1b2 --reason "Fixed" ``` ## Claude Code for Web Integration To auto-install bd in Claude Code for Web sessions, add to your SessionStart hook: ```bash # .claude/hooks/session-start.sh npm install -g @beads/bd bd init --quiet ``` This ensures bd is available in every new session without manual setup. ## Platform Support This package downloads the appropriate native binary for your platform: - **macOS**: darwin-amd64, darwin-arm64 - **Linux**: linux-amd64, linux-arm64 - **Windows**: windows-amd64 ## Full Documentation For complete documentation, see the [beads GitHub repository](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads): - [Complete README](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads#readme) - [Quick Start Guide](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/blob/main/docs/QUICKSTART.md) - [Installation Guide](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/blob/main/docs/INSTALLING.md) - [FAQ](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/blob/main/docs/FAQ.md) - [Troubleshooting](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/blob/main/docs/TROUBLESHOOTING.md) ## Why npm Package vs WASM? This npm package wraps the native bd binary rather than using WebAssembly because: - ✅ Full SQLite support (no custom VFS needed) - ✅ All features work identically to native bd - ✅ Better performance (native vs WASM overhead) - ✅ Simpler maintenance ## License MIT - See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for details. ## Support - [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues) - [Documentation](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads)