beads/docs/DAEMON.md

Daemon Management Guide

For: AI agents and developers managing bd background processes Version: 0.21.0+

Overview

bd runs a background daemon per workspace for auto-sync, RPC operations, and real-time monitoring. This guide covers daemon management, event-driven mode, and troubleshooting.

Do I Need the Daemon?

TL;DR: For most users, the daemon runs automatically and you don't need to think about it.

When Daemon Helps (default: enabled)

Scenario	Benefit
Multi-agent workflows	Prevents database locking conflicts
Team collaboration	Auto-syncs JSONL to git in background
Long coding sessions	Changes saved even if you forget bd sync
Real-time monitoring	Enables bd watch and status updates

When to Disable Daemon

Scenario	How to Disable
Git worktrees	bd --no-daemon <command> (required!)
CI/CD pipelines	BEADS_NO_DAEMON=true
Offline work	--no-daemon (no git push available)
Resource-constrained	BEADS_NO_DAEMON=true
Deterministic testing	Use exclusive lock (see below)

Local-Only Users

If you're working alone on a local project with no git remote:

• Daemon still helps: Batches writes, handles auto-export to JSONL
• But optional: Use --no-daemon if you prefer direct database access
• No network calls: Daemon doesn't phone home or require internet

# Check if daemon is running
bd info | grep daemon

# Force direct mode for one command
bd --no-daemon list

# Disable for entire session
export BEADS_NO_DAEMON=true

Architecture

Per-Workspace Model (LSP-style):

MCP Server (one instance)
    ↓
Per-Project Daemons (one per workspace)
    ↓
SQLite Databases (complete isolation)

Each workspace gets its own daemon:

• Socket at .beads/bd.sock (.beads/bd.pipe on Windows)
• Auto-starts on first command (unless disabled)
• Handles auto-sync, batching, background operations
• Complete database isolation (no cross-project pollution)

Managing Daemons

List All Running Daemons

# See all daemons across workspaces
bd daemons list --json

# Example output:
# [
#   {
#     "workspace": "/Users/alice/projects/webapp",
#     "pid": 12345,
#     "socket": "/Users/alice/projects/webapp/.beads/bd.sock",
#     "version": "0.21.0",
#     "uptime_seconds": 3600
#   }
# ]

Check Daemon Health

# Check for version mismatches, stale sockets
bd daemons health --json

# Example output:
# {
#   "healthy": false,
#   "issues": [
#     {
#       "workspace": "/Users/alice/old-project",
#       "issue": "version_mismatch",
#       "daemon_version": "0.20.0",
#       "cli_version": "0.21.0"
#     }
#   ]
# }

When to use:

• After upgrading bd (check for version mismatches)
• Debugging sync issues
• Periodic health monitoring

Stop/Restart Daemons

# Stop specific daemon by workspace path
bd daemons stop /path/to/workspace --json

# Stop by PID
bd daemons stop 12345 --json

# Restart (stop + auto-start on next command)
bd daemons restart /path/to/workspace --json
bd daemons restart 12345 --json

# Stop ALL daemons
bd daemons killall --json
bd daemons killall --force --json  # Force kill if graceful fails

View Daemon Logs

# View last 100 lines
bd daemons logs /path/to/workspace -n 100

# Follow mode (tail -f style)
bd daemons logs 12345 -f

# Debug sync issues
bd daemons logs . -n 500 | grep -i "export\|import\|sync"

Common log patterns:

• [INFO] Auto-sync: export complete - Successful JSONL export
• [WARN] Git push failed: ... - Push error (auto-retry)
• [ERROR] Version mismatch - Daemon/CLI version out of sync

Version Management

Automatic Version Checking (v0.16.0+):

bd automatically handles daemon version mismatches:

• Version compatibility checked on every connection
• Old daemons automatically detected and restarted
• No manual intervention needed after upgrades
• Works with MCP server and CLI

After upgrading bd:

# 1. Check for mismatches
bd daemons health --json

# 2. Restart all daemons with new version
bd daemons killall

# 3. Next bd command auto-starts daemon with new version
bd ready

Troubleshooting version mismatches:

• Daemon won't stop: bd daemons killall --force
• Socket file stale: rm .beads/bd.sock (auto-cleans on next start)
• Multiple bd versions installed: which bd and bd version

Event-Driven Daemon Mode (Experimental)

NEW in v0.16+: Event-driven mode replaces 5-second polling with instant reactivity.

Benefits

• ⚡ <500ms latency (vs ~5000ms with polling)
• 🔋 ~60% less CPU usage (no continuous polling)
• 🎯 Instant sync on mutations and file changes
• 🛡️ Dropped events safety net prevents data loss

How It Works

Architecture:

FileWatcher (platform-native)
    ├─ .beads/issues.jsonl (file changes)
    ├─ .git/refs/heads (git updates)
    └─ RPC mutations (create, update, close)
         ↓
    Debouncer (500ms batch window)
         ↓
    Export → Git Commit/Push

Platform-native APIs:

• Linux: inotify
• macOS: FSEvents (via kqueue)
• Windows: ReadDirectoryChangesW

Mutation events from RPC trigger immediate export
Debouncer batches rapid changes (500ms window) to avoid export storms
Polling fallback if fsnotify unavailable (network filesystems)

Enabling Event-Driven Mode

Opt-In (Phase 1):

# Enable for single daemon
BEADS_DAEMON_MODE=events bd daemon --start

# Set globally in shell profile
export BEADS_DAEMON_MODE=events

# Restart all daemons to apply
bd daemons killall
# Next bd command auto-starts with new mode

Available modes:

• poll (default) - Traditional 5-second polling, stable and battle-tested
• events - Event-driven mode, experimental but thoroughly tested

Configuration

Environment Variables:

Variable	Values	Default	Description
BEADS_DAEMON_MODE	poll, events	poll	Daemon operation mode
BEADS_WATCHER_FALLBACK	true, false	true	Fall back to polling if fsnotify fails

Disable polling fallback (require fsnotify):

# Fail if watcher unavailable (e.g., testing)
BEADS_WATCHER_FALLBACK=false BEADS_DAEMON_MODE=events bd daemon --start

Switch back to polling:

# Explicitly use polling mode
BEADS_DAEMON_MODE=poll bd daemon --start

# Or unset to use default
unset BEADS_DAEMON_MODE
bd daemons killall  # Restart with default (poll) mode

Troubleshooting Event-Driven Mode

If watcher fails to start:

# Check daemon logs for errors
bd daemons logs /path/to/workspace -n 100

# Common error patterns:
# - "File watcher unavailable: ..." - fsnotify init failed
# - "Falling back to polling" - watcher disabled, using polls
# - "Resource limit exceeded" - too many open files

Common causes:

1. Network filesystem (NFS, SMB) - fsnotify may not work

   • Solution: Use polling mode or local filesystem

2. Container environment - may need privileged mode

   • Solution: Add --privileged or specific capabilities

3. Resource limits - check ulimit -n (open file descriptors)

   • Solution: Increase limit: ulimit -n 4096

4. WSL/virtualization - reduced fsnotify reliability

   • Solution: Test in native environment or use polling

Fallback behavior:

If BEADS_DAEMON_MODE=events but watcher fails:

• Daemon automatically falls back to polling (if BEADS_WATCHER_FALLBACK=true)
• Warning logged: File watcher unavailable, falling back to polling
• All functionality works normally (just higher latency)

Performance Comparison

Metric	Polling Mode	Event-Driven Mode
Sync Latency	~5000ms	<500ms
CPU Usage	~2-3% (continuous)	~0.5% (idle)
Memory	30MB	35MB (+5MB for watcher)
File Events	Polled every 5s	Instant detection
Git Updates	Polled every 5s	Instant detection

Future (Phase 2): Event-driven mode will become default once proven stable in production.

Auto-Start Behavior

Default (v0.9.11+): Daemon auto-starts on first bd command

# No manual start needed
bd ready  # Daemon starts automatically if not running

# Check status
bd info --json | grep daemon_running

Disable auto-start:

# Require manual daemon start
export BEADS_AUTO_START_DAEMON=false

# Start manually
bd daemon --start

Auto-start with exponential backoff:

• 1st attempt: immediate
• 2nd attempt: 100ms delay
• 3rd attempt: 200ms delay
• Max retries: 5
• Logs available: bd daemons logs . -n 50

Daemon Configuration

Environment Variables:

Variable	Values	Default	Description
BEADS_AUTO_START_DAEMON	true, false	true	Auto-start daemon on commands
BEADS_DAEMON_MODE	poll, events	poll	Sync mode (polling vs events)
BEADS_WATCHER_FALLBACK	true, false	true	Fall back to poll if events fail
BEADS_NO_DAEMON	true, false	false	Disable daemon entirely (direct DB)

Example configurations:

# Force direct mode (no daemon)
export BEADS_NO_DAEMON=true

# Event-driven with strict requirements
export BEADS_DAEMON_MODE=events
export BEADS_WATCHER_FALLBACK=false

# Disable auto-start (manual control)
export BEADS_AUTO_START_DAEMON=false

Git Worktrees Warning

⚠️ Important Limitation: Daemon mode does NOT work correctly with git worktree.

The Problem:

• Git worktrees share the same .git directory and .beads database
• Daemon doesn't know which branch each worktree has checked out
• Can commit/push to wrong branch

Solutions:

1. Use --no-daemon flag (recommended):

   bd --no-daemon ready
   bd --no-daemon create "Fix bug" -p 1
   

2. Disable via environment (entire session):

   export BEADS_NO_DAEMON=1
   bd ready  # All commands use direct mode
   

3. Disable auto-start (less safe):

   export BEADS_AUTO_START_DAEMON=false
   

Automatic detection: bd detects worktrees and warns if daemon is active.

See GIT_INTEGRATION.md for more details.

Exclusive Lock Protocol (Advanced)

For external tools that need full database control (e.g., CI/CD, deterministic execution).

When .beads/.exclusive-lock file exists:

• Daemon skips all operations for the locked database
• External tool has complete control over git sync and database
• Stale locks (dead process) auto-cleaned

Lock file format (JSON):

{
  "holder": "my-tool",
  "pid": 12345,
  "hostname": "build-server",
  "started_at": "2025-11-08T08:00:00Z",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

Quick example:

# Create lock
echo '{"holder":"my-tool","pid":'$$',"hostname":"'$(hostname)'","started_at":"'$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)'","version":"1.0.0"}' > .beads/.exclusive-lock

# Do work (daemon won't interfere)
bd create "My issue" -p 1

# Release lock
rm .beads/.exclusive-lock

Use cases:

• VibeCoder (deterministic execution)
• CI/CD pipelines (controlled sync timing)
• Testing frameworks (isolated test runs)

See EXCLUSIVE_LOCK.md for complete documentation.

Common Daemon Issues

Stale Sockets

Symptoms: bd ready shows "daemon not responding"

Solutions:

# Auto-cleanup on next command
bd daemons list  # Removes stale sockets

# Manual cleanup
rm .beads/bd.sock
bd ready  # Auto-starts fresh daemon

Version Mismatch

Symptoms: bd ready shows "version mismatch" error

Solutions:

# Check versions
bd version
bd daemons health --json

# Restart all daemons
bd daemons killall
bd ready  # Auto-starts with CLI version

Daemon Won't Stop

Symptoms: bd daemons stop hangs or times out

Solutions:

# Force kill
bd daemons killall --force

# Nuclear option (all bd processes)
pkill -9 bd

# Clean up socket
rm .beads/bd.sock

Memory Leaks

Symptoms: Daemon process grows to 100+ MB

Solutions:

# Check current memory usage
ps aux | grep "bd daemon"

# Restart daemon
bd daemons restart .

# Check logs for issues
bd daemons logs . -n 200 | grep -i "memory\|leak\|oom"

Expected memory usage:

• Baseline: ~30MB
• With watcher: ~35MB
• Per issue: ~500 bytes (10K issues = ~5MB)

Multi-Workspace Best Practices

When managing multiple projects:

# Check all daemons
bd daemons list --json

# Stop unused workspaces to free resources
bd daemons stop /path/to/old-project

# Health check before critical work
bd daemons health --json

# Clean restart after major upgrades
bd daemons killall
# Daemons restart on next command per workspace

Resource limits:

• Each daemon: ~30-35MB memory
• 10 workspaces: ~300-350MB total
• CPU: <1% per daemon (idle), 2-3% (active sync)
• File descriptors: ~10 per daemon

When to disable daemons:

• ✅ Git worktrees (use --no-daemon)
• ✅ Embedded/resource-constrained environments
• ✅ Testing/CI (deterministic execution)
• ✅ Offline work (no git push available)

See Also

• AGENTS.md - Main agent workflow guide
• EXCLUSIVE_LOCK.md - External tool integration
• GIT_INTEGRATION.md - Git workflow and merge strategies
• commands/daemons.md - Daemon command reference