Files
beads/PLUGIN.md
Steve Yegge 9f3837558b feat: Add Claude Code plugin for beads [addresses #28]
Adds a Claude Code plugin for one-command installation of beads via
/plugin command. The plugin bundles the MCP server, slash commands,
and an autonomous task agent.

Components:
- Plugin metadata with MCP server configuration
- 8 slash commands for core workflow (/bd-ready, /bd-create, etc.)
- Task agent for autonomous execution (@task-agent)
- Comprehensive plugin documentation (PLUGIN.md)

The plugin provides a lower-friction installation path for Claude Code
users who want integrated slash commands rather than direct MCP tools.

Related: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/issues/28

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
2025-10-14 13:05:12 -07:00

272 lines
7.2 KiB
Markdown

# Beads Claude Code Plugin
AI-supervised issue tracker for coding workflows. Manage tasks, discover work, and maintain context with simple slash commands and MCP tools.
## What is Beads?
Beads (`bd`) is an issue tracker designed specifically for AI-supervised coding workflows. It helps AI agents and developers:
- Track work with a simple CLI
- Discover and link related tasks during development
- Maintain context across coding sessions
- Auto-sync issues via JSONL for git workflows
## Installation
### Prerequisites
1. Install beads CLI:
```bash
curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveyegge/beads/main/install.sh | bash
```
2. Install Python and uv (for MCP server):
```bash
# Install uv (if not already installed)
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
```
### Install Plugin
There are two ways to install the beads plugin:
#### Option 1: From GitHub (Recommended)
```bash
# In Claude Code
/plugin marketplace add steveyegge/beads
/plugin install beads
```
#### Option 2: Local Development
```bash
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/steveyegge/beads
cd beads
# Add local marketplace
/plugin marketplace add .
# Install plugin
/plugin install beads
```
### Restart Claude Code
After installation, restart Claude Code to activate the MCP server.
## Quick Start
```bash
# Initialize beads in your project
/bd-init
# Create your first issue
/bd-create "Set up project structure" feature 1
# See what's ready to work on
/bd-ready
# Show full workflow guide
/bd-workflow
```
## Available Commands
### Core Workflow Commands
- **`/bd-ready`** - Find tasks with no blockers, ready to work on
- **`/bd-create [title] [type] [priority]`** - Create a new issue interactively
- **`/bd-show [issue-id]`** - Show detailed information about an issue
- **`/bd-update [issue-id] [status]`** - Update issue status or other fields
- **`/bd-close [issue-id] [reason]`** - Close a completed issue
### Project Management
- **`/bd-init`** - Initialize beads in the current project
- **`/bd-workflow`** - Show the AI-supervised issue workflow guide
- **`/bd-stats`** - Show project statistics and progress
### Agents
- **`@task-agent`** - Autonomous agent that finds and completes ready tasks
## MCP Tools Available
The plugin includes a full-featured MCP server with these tools:
- **`init`** - Initialize bd in current directory
- **`create`** - Create new issue (bug, feature, task, epic, chore)
- **`list`** - List issues with filters (status, priority, type, assignee)
- **`ready`** - Find tasks with no blockers ready to work on
- **`show`** - Show detailed issue info including dependencies
- **`update`** - Update issue (status, priority, design, notes, etc)
- **`close`** - Close completed issue
- **`dep`** - Add dependency (blocks, related, parent-child, discovered-from)
- **`blocked`** - Get blocked issues
- **`stats`** - Get project statistics
### MCP Resources
- **`beads://quickstart`** - Interactive quickstart guide
## Workflow
The beads workflow is designed for AI agents but works great for humans too:
1. **Find ready work**: `/bd-ready`
2. **Claim your task**: `/bd-update <id> in_progress`
3. **Work on it**: Implement, test, document
4. **Discover new work**: Create issues for bugs/TODOs found during work
5. **Complete**: `/bd-close <id> "Done: <summary>"`
6. **Repeat**: Check for newly unblocked tasks
## Issue Types
- **`bug`** - Something broken that needs fixing
- **`feature`** - New functionality
- **`task`** - Work item (tests, docs, refactoring)
- **`epic`** - Large feature composed of multiple issues
- **`chore`** - Maintenance work (dependencies, tooling)
## Priority Levels
- **`0`** - Critical (security, data loss, broken builds)
- **`1`** - High (major features, important bugs)
- **`2`** - Medium (nice-to-have features, minor bugs)
- **`3`** - Low (polish, optimization)
- **`4`** - Backlog (future ideas)
## Dependency Types
- **`blocks`** - Hard dependency (issue X blocks issue Y from starting)
- **`related`** - Soft relationship (issues are connected)
- **`parent-child`** - Epic/subtask relationship
- **`discovered-from`** - Track issues discovered during work
Only `blocks` dependencies affect the ready work queue.
## Configuration
The MCP server supports these environment variables:
- **`BEADS_PATH`** - Path to bd executable (default: `bd` in PATH)
- **`BEADS_DB`** - Path to beads database file (default: auto-discover from cwd)
- **`BEADS_ACTOR`** - Actor name for audit trail (default: `$USER`)
- **`BEADS_NO_AUTO_FLUSH`** - Disable automatic JSONL sync (default: `false`)
- **`BEADS_NO_AUTO_IMPORT`** - Disable automatic JSONL import (default: `false`)
To customize, edit your Claude Code MCP settings or the plugin configuration.
## Examples
### Basic Task Management
```bash
# Create a high-priority bug
/bd-create "Fix authentication" bug 1
# See ready work
/bd-ready
# Start working on bd-10
/bd-update bd-10 in_progress
# Complete the task
/bd-close bd-10 "Fixed auth token validation"
```
### Discovering Work During Development
```bash
# Working on bd-10, found a related bug
/bd-create "Add rate limiting to API" feature 2
# Link it to current work (via MCP tool)
# Use `dep` tool: issue="bd-11", depends_on="bd-10", type="discovered-from"
# Close original task
/bd-close bd-10 "Done, discovered bd-11 for rate limiting"
```
### Using the Task Agent
```bash
# Let the agent find and complete ready work
@task-agent
# The agent will:
# 1. Find ready work with `ready` tool
# 2. Claim a task by updating status
# 3. Execute the work
# 4. Create issues for discoveries
# 5. Close when complete
# 6. Repeat
```
## Auto-Sync with Git
Beads automatically syncs issues to `.beads/issues.jsonl`:
- **Export**: After any CRUD operation (5-second debounce)
- **Import**: When JSONL is newer than DB (e.g., after `git pull`)
This enables seamless collaboration:
```bash
# Make changes
bd create "Add feature" -p 1
# Changes auto-export after 5 seconds
# Commit when ready
git add .beads/issues.jsonl
git commit -m "Add feature tracking"
# After pull, JSONL auto-imports
git pull
bd ready # Fresh data from git!
```
## Troubleshooting
### Plugin not appearing
1. Check installation: `/plugin list`
2. Restart Claude Code
3. Verify `bd` is in PATH: `which bd`
4. Check uv is installed: `which uv`
### MCP server not connecting
1. Check MCP server list: `/mcp`
2. Look for "beads" server with plugin indicator
3. Restart Claude Code to reload MCP servers
4. Check logs for errors
### Commands not working
1. Make sure you're in a project with beads initialized: `/bd-init`
2. Check if database exists: `ls -la .beads/`
3. Try direct MCP tool access instead of slash commands
4. Check the beads CLI works: `bd --help`
### MCP tool errors
1. Verify `bd` executable location: `BEADS_PATH` env var
2. Check `bd` works in terminal: `bd stats`
3. Review MCP server logs in Claude Code
4. Try reinitializing: `/bd-init`
## Learn More
- **GitHub**: https://github.com/steveyegge/beads
- **Documentation**: See README.md in the repository
- **Examples**: Check `examples/` directory for integration patterns
- **MCP Server**: See `integrations/beads-mcp/` for server details
## Contributing
Found a bug or have a feature idea? Create an issue in the beads repository!
## License
MIT License - see LICENSE file in the repository.