025045bdb2
DeepWiki provides up-to-date documentation people can talk to, for every public repo in the world (after being added to it's index). Adding this badge to a repository Readme tells DeepWiki to refresh it's docs automatically. The DeepWiki link for Beads is https://deepwiki.com/steveyegge/beads
76 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
76 lines
3.8 KiB
Markdown
# bd - Beads
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**Distributed, git-backed graph issue tracker for AI agents.**
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[](LICENSE)
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[](https://goreportcard.com/report/github.com/steveyegge/beads)
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[](https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/releases)
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[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@beads/bd)
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[](https://pypi.org/project/beads-mcp/)
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Beads provides a persistent, structured memory for coding agents. It replaces messy markdown plans with a dependency-aware graph, allowing agents to handle long-horizon tasks without losing context.
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## ⚡ Quick Start
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```bash
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# Install (macOS/Linux)
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curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveyegge/beads/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
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# Initialize (Humans run this once)
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bd init
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# Tell your agent
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echo "Use 'bd' for task tracking" >> AGENTS.md
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```
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## 🛠 Features
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* **Git as Database:** Issues stored as JSONL in `.beads/`. Versioned, branched, and merged like code.
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* **Agent-Optimized:** JSON output, dependency tracking, and auto-ready task detection.
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* **Zero Conflict:** Hash-based IDs (`bd-a1b2`) prevent merge collisions in multi-agent/multi-branch workflows.
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* **Invisible Infrastructure:** SQLite local cache for speed; background daemon for auto-sync.
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* **Compaction:** Semantic "memory decay" summarizes old closed tasks to save context window.
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## 📖 Essential Commands
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| Command | Action |
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| --- | --- |
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| `bd ready` | List tasks with no open blockers. |
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| `bd create "Title" -p 0` | Create a P0 task. |
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| `bd dep add <child> <parent>` | Link tasks (blocks, related, parent-child). |
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| `bd show <id>` | View task details and audit trail. |
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| `bd quickstart` | Interactive guide for AI agents. |
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## 🔗 Hierarchy & Workflow
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Beads supports hierarchical IDs for epics:
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* `bd-a3f8` (Epic)
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* `bd-a3f8.1` (Task)
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* `bd-a3f8.1.1` (Sub-task)
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**Stealth Mode:** Run `bd init --stealth` to use Beads locally without committing files to the main repo. Perfect for personal use on shared projects.
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## 📦 Installation
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* **npm:** `npm install -g @beads/bd`
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* **Homebrew:** `brew install steveyegge/beads/bd`
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* **Go:** `go install github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd@latest`
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**Requirements:** Linux (glibc 2.32+), macOS, or Windows.
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## 🌐 Community Tools
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- **[beads_viewer](https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/beads_viewer)** - Keyboard-driven terminal UI with kanban board, insights panel, and graph view. Built by [@Dicklesworthstone](https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone).
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- **[beads.el](https://codeberg.org/ctietze/beads.el)** - Emacs UI to browse, edit, and manage beads. Built by [@ctietze](https://codeberg.org/ctietze).
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- **[beads-ui](https://github.com/mantoni/beads-ui)** - Local web interface with live updates and kanban board. `npx beads-ui start`. Built by [@mantoni](https://github.com/mantoni).
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- **[bdui](https://github.com/assimelha/bdui)** - Real-time terminal UI with tree view, dependency graph, and vim-style navigation. Built by [@assimelha](https://github.com/assimelha).
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- **[perles](https://github.com/zjrosen/perles)** - Terminal UI with BQL (Beads Query Language) and multi-view kanban. Built by [@zjrosen](https://github.com/zjrosen).
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- **[vscode-beads](https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=planet57.vscode-beads)** - VS Code extension with issues panel and daemon management. Built by [@jdillon](https://github.com/jdillon).
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## 📝 Documentation
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* [Installing](docs/INSTALLING.md) | [Agent Workflow](AGENT_INSTRUCTIONS.md) | [Sync Branch Mode](docs/PROTECTED_BRANCHES.md) | [FAQ](docs/FAQ.md)
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* [](https://deepwiki.com/steveyegge/beads)
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