beads/AGENTS.md

# Instructions for AI Agents Working on Beads

## Project Overview

This is **beads** (command: `bd`), an issue tracker designed for AI-supervised coding workflows. We dogfood our own tool!

## Human Setup vs Agent Usage

**IMPORTANT:** If you need to initialize bd, use the `--quiet` flag:

```bash
bd init --quiet  # Non-interactive, auto-installs git hooks, no prompts
```

**Why `--quiet`?** Regular `bd init` has interactive prompts (git hooks, merge driver) that confuse agents. The `--quiet` flag makes it fully non-interactive:

- Automatically installs git hooks
- Automatically configures git merge driver for intelligent JSONL merging
- No prompts for user input
- Safe for agent-driven repo setup

**If the human already initialized:** Just use bd normally with `bd create`, `bd ready`, `bd update`, `bd close`, etc.

**If you see "database not found":** Run `bd init --quiet` yourself, or ask the human to run `bd init`.

## Issue Tracking

We use bd (beads) for issue tracking instead of Markdown TODOs or external tools.

### MCP Server (Recommended)

**RECOMMENDED**: Use the MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for the best experience! The beads MCP server provides native integration with Claude and other MCP-compatible AI assistants.

**Installation:**

```bash
# Install the MCP server
pip install beads-mcp

# Add to your MCP settings (e.g., Claude Desktop config)
{
  "beads": {
    "command": "beads-mcp",
    "args": []
  }
}
```

**Benefits:**

- Native function calls instead of shell commands
- Automatic workspace detection
- Better error handling and validation
- Structured JSON responses
- No need for `--json` flags

**All bd commands are available as MCP functions** with the prefix `mcp__beads-*__`. For example:

- `bd ready` → `mcp__beads__ready()`
- `bd create` → `mcp__beads__create(title="...", priority=1)`
- `bd update` → `mcp__beads__update(issue_id="bd-42", status="in_progress")`

See `integrations/beads-mcp/README.md` for complete documentation.

### Multi-Repo Configuration (MCP Server)

**RECOMMENDED: Use a single MCP server for all beads projects** - it automatically routes to per-project local daemons.

**For AI agent multi-repo patterns**, see [docs/MULTI_REPO_AGENTS.md](docs/MULTI_REPO_AGENTS.md) (config options, routing, troubleshooting, best practices).

**For complete multi-repo workflow guide**, see [docs/MULTI_REPO_MIGRATION.md](docs/MULTI_REPO_MIGRATION.md) (OSS contributors, teams, multi-phase development).

**Setup (one-time):**

```bash
# MCP config in ~/.config/amp/settings.json or Claude Desktop config:
{
  "beads": {
    "command": "beads-mcp",
    "args": []
  }
}
```

**How it works (LSP model):**
The single MCP server instance automatically:

1. Checks for local daemon socket (`.beads/bd.sock`) in your current workspace
2. Routes requests to the correct **per-project daemon** based on working directory
3. Auto-starts the local daemon if not running (with exponential backoff)
4. **Each project gets its own isolated daemon** serving only its database

**Architecture:**

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

**Why per-project daemons?**

- ✅ Complete database isolation between projects
- ✅ No cross-project pollution or git worktree conflicts
- ✅ Simpler mental model: one project = one database = one daemon
- ✅ Follows LSP (Language Server Protocol) architecture

**Note:** The daemon **auto-starts automatically** when you run any `bd` command (v0.9.11+). To disable auto-start, set `BEADS_AUTO_START_DAEMON=false`.

**Version Management:** bd automatically handles daemon version mismatches (v0.16.0+):

- When you upgrade bd, old daemons are automatically detected and restarted
- Version compatibility is checked on every connection
- No manual intervention required after upgrades
- Works transparently with MCP server and CLI
- Use `bd daemons health` to check for version mismatches
- Use `bd daemons killall` to force-restart all daemons if needed

**Alternative (not recommended): Multiple MCP Server Instances**
If you must use separate MCP servers:

```json
{
  "beads-webapp": {
    "command": "beads-mcp",
    "env": {
      "BEADS_WORKING_DIR": "/Users/you/projects/webapp"
    }
  },
  "beads-api": {
    "command": "beads-mcp",
    "env": {
      "BEADS_WORKING_DIR": "/Users/you/projects/api"
    }
  }
}
```

⚠️ **Problem**: AI may select the wrong MCP server for your workspace, causing commands to operate on the wrong database.

### CLI Quick Reference

**Essential commands for AI agents:**

```bash
# Find work
bd ready --json                                    # Unblocked issues
bd stale --days 30 --json                          # Forgotten issues

# Create and manage issues
bd create "Issue title" -t bug|feature|task -p 0-4 --json
bd create "Found bug" -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<parent-id> --json
bd update <id> --status in_progress --json
bd close <id> --reason "Done" --json

# Search and filter
bd list --status open --priority 1 --json
bd list --label-any urgent,critical --json
bd show <id> --json

# Sync (CRITICAL at end of session!)
bd sync  # Force immediate export/commit/push
```

**For comprehensive CLI documentation**, see [docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md](docs/CLI_REFERENCE.md).

### Managing Daemons

bd runs a background daemon per workspace for auto-sync and RPC operations:

```bash
bd daemons list --json          # List all running daemons
bd daemons health --json        # Check for version mismatches
bd daemons logs . -n 100        # View daemon logs
bd daemons killall --json       # Restart all daemons
```

**After upgrading bd**: Run `bd daemons killall` to restart all daemons with new version.

**For complete daemon management**, see [docs/DAEMON.md](docs/DAEMON.md).

### Web Interface (Monitor)

bd includes a built-in web interface for human visualization:

```bash
bd monitor                  # Start on localhost:8080
bd monitor --port 3000      # Custom port
```

**AI agents**: Continue using CLI with `--json` flags. The monitor is for human supervision only.

### Workflow

1. **Check for ready work**: Run `bd ready` to see what's unblocked (or `bd stale` to find forgotten issues)
2. **Claim your task**: `bd update <id> --status in_progress`
3. **Work on it**: Implement, test, document
4. **Discover new work**: If you find bugs or TODOs, create issues:
   - Old way (two commands): `bd create "Found bug in auth" -t bug -p 1 --json` then `bd dep add <new-id> <current-id> --type discovered-from`
   - New way (one command): `bd create "Found bug in auth" -t bug -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<current-id> --json`
5. **Complete**: `bd close <id> --reason "Implemented"`
6. **Sync at end of session**: `bd sync` (see "Agent Session Workflow" below)

### Optional: Agent Mail for Multi-Agent Coordination

**For multi-agent workflows only** - if multiple AI agents work on the same repository simultaneously, consider using Agent Mail for real-time coordination:

**With Agent Mail enabled:**
```bash
# Configure environment (one-time per session)
export BEADS_AGENT_MAIL_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8765
export BEADS_AGENT_NAME=assistant-alpha
export BEADS_PROJECT_ID=my-project

# Workflow (identical commands)
bd ready                                    # Shows available work
bd update bd-42 --status in_progress       # Reserves issue instantly (<100ms)
# ... work on issue ...
bd close bd-42 "Done"                       # Releases reservation automatically
```

**Without Agent Mail (git-only mode):**
```bash
# No environment variables needed
bd ready                                    # Shows available work
bd update bd-42 --status in_progress       # Updates via git sync (2-5s latency)
# ... work on issue ...
bd close bd-42 "Done"                       # Updates via git sync
```

**Key differences:**
- **Latency**: <100ms (Agent Mail) vs 2-5s (git-only)
- **Collision prevention**: Instant reservation (Agent Mail) vs eventual consistency (git)
- **Setup**: Requires server + env vars (Agent Mail) vs zero config (git-only)

**When to use Agent Mail:**
- ✅ Multiple agents working concurrently
- ✅ Frequent status updates (high collision risk)
- ✅ Real-time coordination needed

**When to skip:**
- ✅ Single agent workflows
- ✅ Infrequent updates (low collision risk)
- ✅ Simplicity preferred over latency

See [docs/AGENT_MAIL.md](docs/AGENT_MAIL.md) for complete setup, troubleshooting, and architecture details.

### Issue Types

- `bug` - Something broken that needs fixing
- `feature` - New functionality
- `task` - Work item (tests, docs, refactoring)
- `epic` - Large feature composed of multiple issues (supports hierarchical children)
- `chore` - Maintenance work (dependencies, tooling)

**Hierarchical children:** Epics can have child issues with dotted IDs (e.g., `bd-a3f8e9.1`, `bd-a3f8e9.2`). Children are auto-numbered sequentially. Up to 3 levels of nesting supported. The parent hash ensures unique namespace - no coordination needed between agents working on different epics.

### Priorities

- `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)
- `related` - Soft relationship (issues are connected)
- `parent-child` - Epic/subtask relationship
- `discovered-from` - Track issues discovered during work (automatically inherits parent's `source_repo`)

Only `blocks` dependencies affect the ready work queue.

**Note:** When creating an issue with a `discovered-from` dependency, the new issue automatically inherits the parent's `source_repo` field. This ensures discovered work stays in the same repository as the parent task.

### Duplicate Detection & Merging

AI agents should proactively detect and merge duplicate issues to keep the database clean:

**Automated duplicate detection:**

```bash
# Find all content duplicates in the database
bd duplicates

# Automatically merge all duplicates
bd duplicates --auto-merge

# Preview what would be merged
bd duplicates --dry-run

# During import
bd import -i issues.jsonl --dedupe-after
```

**Detection strategies:**

1. **Before creating new issues**: Search for similar existing issues

   ```bash
   bd list --json | grep -i "authentication"
   bd show bd-41 bd-42 --json  # Compare candidates
   ```

2. **Periodic duplicate scans**: Review issues by type or priority

   ```bash
   bd list --status open --priority 1 --json  # High-priority issues
   bd list --issue-type bug --json             # All bugs
   ```

3. **During work discovery**: Check for duplicates when filing discovered-from issues
   ```bash
   # Before: bd create "Fix auth bug" --deps discovered-from:bd-100
   # First: bd list --json | grep -i "auth bug"
   # Then decide: create new or link to existing
   ```

**Merge workflow:**

```bash
# Step 1: Identify duplicates (bd-42 and bd-43 duplicate bd-41)
bd show bd-41 bd-42 bd-43 --json

# Step 2: Preview merge to verify
bd merge bd-42 bd-43 --into bd-41 --dry-run

# Step 3: Execute merge
bd merge bd-42 bd-43 --into bd-41 --json

# Step 4: Verify result
bd dep tree bd-41  # Check unified dependency tree
bd show bd-41 --json  # Verify merged content
```

**What gets merged:**

- ✅ All dependencies from source → target
- ✅ Text references updated across ALL issues (descriptions, notes, design, acceptance criteria)
- ✅ Source issues closed with "Merged into bd-X" reason
- ❌ Source issue content NOT copied (target keeps its original content)

**Important notes:**

- Merge preserves target issue completely; only dependencies/references migrate
- If source issues have valuable content, manually copy it to target BEFORE merging
- Cannot merge in daemon mode yet (bd-190); use `--no-daemon` flag
- Operation cannot be undone (but git history preserves the original)

**Best practices:**

- Merge early to prevent dependency fragmentation
- Choose the oldest or most complete issue as merge target
- Add labels like `duplicate` to source issues before merging (for tracking)
- File a discovered-from issue if you found duplicates during work:
  ```bash
  bd create "Found duplicates during bd-X" -p 2 --deps discovered-from:bd-X --json
  ```

## Development Guidelines

### Code Standards

- **Go version**: 1.21+
- **Linting**: `golangci-lint run ./...` (baseline warnings documented in [docs/LINTING.md](docs/LINTING.md))
- **Testing**: All new features need tests (`go test -short ./...` for local, full tests run in CI)
- **Documentation**: Update relevant .md files

### File Organization

```
beads/
├── cmd/bd/              # CLI commands
├── internal/
│   ├── types/           # Core data types
│   └── storage/         # Storage layer
│       └── sqlite/      # SQLite implementation
├── examples/            # Integration examples
└── *.md                 # Documentation
```

### Testing Workflow

**IMPORTANT:** Never pollute the production database with test issues!

**For manual testing**, use the `BEADS_DB` environment variable to point to a temporary database:

```bash
# Create test issues in isolated database
BEADS_DB=/tmp/test.db ./bd init --quiet --prefix test
BEADS_DB=/tmp/test.db ./bd create "Test issue" -p 1

# Or for quick testing
BEADS_DB=/tmp/test.db ./bd create "Test feature" -p 1
```

**For automated tests**, use `t.TempDir()` in Go tests:

```go
func TestMyFeature(t *testing.T) {
    tmpDir := t.TempDir()
    testDB := filepath.Join(tmpDir, ".beads", "beads.db")
    s := newTestStore(t, testDB)
    // ... test code
}
```

**Warning:** bd will warn you when creating issues with "Test" prefix in the production database. Always use `BEADS_DB` for manual testing.

### Before Committing

1. **Run tests**: `go test -short ./...` (full tests run in CI)
2. **Run linter**: `golangci-lint run ./...` (ignore baseline warnings)
3. **Update docs**: If you changed behavior, update README.md or other docs
4. **Commit**: Issues auto-sync to `.beads/issues.jsonl` and import after pull

### Git Workflow

**Auto-sync provides batching!** bd automatically:

- **Exports** to JSONL after CRUD operations (30-second debounce for batching)
- **Imports** from JSONL when it's newer than DB (e.g., after `git pull`)
- **Daemon commits/pushes** every 5 seconds (if `--auto-commit` / `--auto-push` enabled)

The 30-second debounce provides a **transaction window** for batch operations - multiple issue changes within 30 seconds get flushed together, avoiding commit spam.

### Git Integration

**Auto-sync**: bd automatically exports to JSONL (30s debounce), imports after `git pull`, and optionally commits/pushes.

**Protected branches**: Use `bd init --branch beads-metadata` to commit to separate branch. See [docs/PROTECTED_BRANCHES.md](docs/PROTECTED_BRANCHES.md).

**Git worktrees**: Daemon mode NOT supported. Use `bd --no-daemon` for all commands. See [docs/GIT_INTEGRATION.md](docs/GIT_INTEGRATION.md).

**Merge conflicts**: Rare with hash IDs. If conflicts occur, use `git checkout --theirs/.beads/beads.jsonl` and `bd import`. See [docs/GIT_INTEGRATION.md](docs/GIT_INTEGRATION.md).

### Landing the Plane

**When the user says "let's land the plane"**, follow this clean session-ending protocol:

1. **File beads issues for any remaining work** that needs follow-up
2. **Ensure all quality gates pass** (only if code changes were made) - run tests, linters, builds (file P0 issues if broken)
3. **Update beads issues** - close finished work, update status
4. **Sync the issue tracker carefully** - Work methodically to ensure both local and remote issues merge safely. This may require pulling, handling conflicts (sometimes accepting remote changes and re-importing), syncing the database, and verifying consistency. Be creative and patient - the goal is clean reconciliation where no issues are lost.
5. **Clean up git state** - Clear old stashes and prune dead remote branches:
   ```bash
   git stash clear                    # Remove old stashes
   git remote prune origin            # Clean up deleted remote branches
   ```
6. **Verify clean state** - Ensure all changes are committed and pushed, no untracked files remain
7. **Choose a follow-up issue for next session**
   - Provide a prompt for the user to give to you in the next session
   - Format: "Continue work on bd-X: [issue title]. [Brief context about what's been done and what's next]"

**Example "land the plane" session:**

```bash
# 1. File remaining work
bd create "Add integration tests for sync" -t task -p 2 --json

# 2. Run quality gates (only if code changes were made)
go test -short ./...
golangci-lint run ./...

# 3. Close finished issues
bd close bd-42 bd-43 --reason "Completed" --json

# 4. Sync carefully - example workflow (adapt as needed):
git pull --rebase
# If conflicts in .beads/issues.jsonl, resolve thoughtfully:
#   - git checkout --theirs .beads/issues.jsonl (accept remote)
#   - bd import -i .beads/issues.jsonl (re-import)
#   - Or manual merge, then import
bd sync  # Export/import/verify
git push
# Repeat pull/push if needed until clean

# 5. Verify clean state
git status

# 6. Choose next work
bd ready --json
bd show bd-44 --json
```

**Then provide the user with:**

- Summary of what was completed this session
- What issues were filed for follow-up
- Status of quality gates (all passing / issues filed)
- Recommended prompt for next session

### Agent Session Workflow

**IMPORTANT for AI agents:** When you finish making issue changes, always run:

```bash
bd sync
```

This immediately:

1. Exports pending changes to JSONL (no 30s wait)
2. Commits to git
3. Pulls from remote
4. Imports any updates
5. Pushes to remote

**Example agent session:**

```bash
# Make multiple changes (batched in 30-second window)
bd create "Fix bug" -p 1
bd create "Add tests" -p 1
bd update bd-42 --status in_progress
bd close bd-40 --reason "Completed"

# Force immediate sync at end of session
bd sync

# Now safe to end session - everything is committed and pushed
```

**Why this matters:**

- Without `bd sync`, changes sit in 30-second debounce window
- User might think you pushed but JSONL is still dirty
- `bd sync` forces immediate flush/commit/push

**STRONGLY RECOMMENDED: Install git hooks for automatic sync** (prevents stale JSONL problems):

```bash
# One-time setup - run this in each beads workspace
./examples/git-hooks/install.sh
```

This installs:

- **pre-commit** - Flushes pending changes immediately before commit (bypasses 30s debounce)
- **post-merge** - Imports updated JSONL after pull/merge (guaranteed sync)
- **pre-push** - Exports database to JSONL before push (prevents stale JSONL from reaching remote)

**Why git hooks matter:**
Without the pre-push hook, you can have database changes committed locally but stale JSONL pushed to remote, causing multi-workspace divergence. The hooks guarantee DB ↔ JSONL consistency.

See [examples/git-hooks/README.md](examples/git-hooks/README.md) for details.



## Current Project Status

Run `bd stats` to see overall progress.

### Active Areas

- **Core CLI**: Mature, but always room for polish
- **Examples**: Growing collection of agent integrations
- **Documentation**: Comprehensive but can always improve
- **MCP Server**: Implemented at `integrations/beads-mcp/` with Claude Code plugin
- **Migration Tools**: Planned (see bd-6)

### 1.0 Milestone

We're working toward 1.0. Key blockers tracked in bd. Run:

```bash
bd dep tree bd-8  # Show 1.0 epic dependencies
```



## Common Tasks

### Adding a New Command

1. Create file in `cmd/bd/`
2. Add to root command in `cmd/bd/main.go`
3. Implement with Cobra framework
4. Add `--json` flag for agent use
5. Add tests in `cmd/bd/*_test.go`
6. Document in README.md

### Adding Storage Features

1. Update schema in `internal/storage/sqlite/schema.go`
2. Add migration if needed
3. Update `internal/types/types.go` if new types
4. Implement in `internal/storage/sqlite/sqlite.go`
5. Add tests
6. Update export/import in `cmd/bd/export.go` and `cmd/bd/import.go`

### Adding Examples

1. Create directory in `examples/`
2. Add README.md explaining the example
3. Include working code
4. Link from `examples/README.md`
5. Mention in main README.md

## Questions?

- Check existing issues: `bd list`
- Look at recent commits: `git log --oneline -20`
- Read the docs: README.md, ADVANCED.md, EXTENDING.md
- Create an issue if unsure: `bd create "Question: ..." -t task -p 2`

## Important Files

- **README.md** - Main documentation (keep this updated!)
- **EXTENDING.md** - Database extension guide
- **ADVANCED.md** - JSONL format analysis
- **CONTRIBUTING.md** - Contribution guidelines
- **SECURITY.md** - Security policy

## Pro Tips for Agents

- Always use `--json` flags for programmatic use
- **Always run `bd sync` at end of session** to flush/commit/push immediately
- Link discoveries with `discovered-from` to maintain context
- Check `bd ready` before asking "what next?"
- Auto-sync batches changes in 30-second window - use `bd sync` to force immediate flush
- Use `--no-auto-flush` or `--no-auto-import` to disable automatic sync if needed
- Use `bd dep tree` to understand complex dependencies
- Priority 0-1 issues are usually more important than 2-4
- Use `--dry-run` to preview import changes before applying
- Hash IDs eliminate collisions - same ID with different content is a normal update
- Use `--id` flag with `bd create` to partition ID space for parallel workers (e.g., `worker1-100`, `worker2-500`)

### Checking GitHub Issues and PRs

**IMPORTANT**: When asked to check GitHub issues or PRs, use command-line tools like `gh` instead of browser/playwright tools.

**Preferred approach:**

```bash
# List open issues with details
gh issue list --limit 30

# List open PRs
gh pr list --limit 30

# View specific issue
gh issue view 201
```

**Then provide an in-conversation summary** highlighting:

- Urgent/critical issues (regressions, bugs, broken builds)
- Common themes or patterns
- Feature requests with high engagement
- Items that need immediate attention

**Why this matters:**

- Browser tools consume more tokens and are slower
- CLI summaries are easier to scan and discuss
- Keeps the conversation focused and efficient
- Better for quick triage and prioritization

**Do NOT use:** `browser_navigate`, `browser_snapshot`, or other playwright tools for GitHub PR/issue reviews unless specifically requested by the user.

## Building and Testing

```bash
# Build
go build -o bd ./cmd/bd

# Test (short - for local development)
go test -short ./...

# Test with coverage (full tests - for CI)
go test -coverprofile=coverage.out ./...
go tool cover -html=coverage.out

# Run locally
./bd init --prefix test
./bd create "Test issue" -p 1
./bd ready
```

## Version Management

**IMPORTANT**: When the user asks to "bump the version" or mentions a new version number (e.g., "bump to 0.9.3"), use the version bump script:

```bash
# Preview changes (shows diff, doesn't commit)
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.9.3

# Auto-commit the version bump
./scripts/bump-version.sh 0.9.3 --commit
git push origin main
```

**What it does:**

- Updates ALL version files (CLI, plugin, MCP server, docs) in one command
- Validates semantic versioning format
- Shows diff preview
- Verifies all versions match after update
- Creates standardized commit message

**User will typically say:**

- "Bump to 0.9.3"
- "Update version to 1.0.0"
- "Rev the project to 0.9.4"
- "Increment the version"

**You should:**

1. Run `./scripts/bump-version.sh <version> --commit`
2. Push to GitHub
3. Confirm all versions updated correctly

**Files updated automatically:**

- `cmd/bd/version.go` - CLI version
- `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` - Plugin version
- `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` - Marketplace version
- `integrations/beads-mcp/pyproject.toml` - MCP server version
- `README.md` - Documentation version
- `PLUGIN.md` - Version requirements

**Why this matters:** We had version mismatches (bd-66) when only `version.go` was updated. This script prevents that by updating all components atomically.

See `scripts/README.md` for more details.

## Release Process (Maintainers)

1. Bump version with `./scripts/bump-version.sh <version> --commit`
2. Update CHANGELOG.md with release notes
3. Run tests locally: `go test -short ./...` (CI will run full suite)
4. Push version bump: `git push origin main`
5. Tag release: `git tag v<version>`
6. Push tag: `git push origin v<version>`
7. GitHub Actions handles the rest

---

**Remember**: We're building this tool to help AI agents like you! If you find the workflow confusing or have ideas for improvement, create an issue with your feedback.

Happy coding! 🔗

<!-- bd onboard section -->

## Issue Tracking with bd (beads)

**IMPORTANT**: This project uses **bd (beads)** for ALL issue tracking. Do NOT use markdown TODOs, task lists, or other tracking methods.

### Why bd?

- Dependency-aware: Track blockers and relationships between issues
- Git-friendly: Auto-syncs to JSONL for version control
- Agent-optimized: JSON output, ready work detection, discovered-from links
- Prevents duplicate tracking systems and confusion

### Quick Start

**FIRST TIME?** Just run `bd init` - it auto-imports issues from git:

```bash
bd init --prefix bd
```

**OSS Contributor?** Use the contributor wizard for fork workflows:

```bash
bd init --contributor  # Interactive setup for separate planning repo
```

**Team Member?** Use the team wizard for branch workflows:

```bash
bd init --team  # Interactive setup for team collaboration
```

**Check for ready work:**

```bash
bd ready --json
```

**Create new issues:**

```bash
bd create "Issue title" -t bug|feature|task -p 0-4 --json
bd create "Issue title" -p 1 --deps discovered-from:bd-123 --json
```

**Claim and update:**

```bash
bd update bd-42 --status in_progress --json
bd update bd-42 --priority 1 --json
```

**Complete work:**

```bash
bd close bd-42 --reason "Completed" --json
```

### Issue Types

- `bug` - Something broken
- `feature` - New functionality
- `task` - Work item (tests, docs, refactoring)
- `epic` - Large feature with subtasks
- `chore` - Maintenance (dependencies, tooling)

### Priorities

- `0` - Critical (security, data loss, broken builds)
- `1` - High (major features, important bugs)
- `2` - Medium (default, nice-to-have)
- `3` - Low (polish, optimization)
- `4` - Backlog (future ideas)

### Workflow for AI Agents

1. **Check ready work**: `bd ready` shows unblocked issues
2. **Claim your task**: `bd update <id> --status in_progress`
3. **Work on it**: Implement, test, document
4. **Discover new work?** Create linked issue:
   - `bd create "Found bug" -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<parent-id>`
5. **Complete**: `bd close <id> --reason "Done"`

### Auto-Sync

bd automatically syncs with git:

- Exports to `.beads/issues.jsonl` after changes (5s debounce)
- Imports from JSONL when newer (e.g., after `git pull`)
- No manual export/import needed!

### MCP Server (Recommended)

If using Claude or MCP-compatible clients, install the beads MCP server:

```bash
pip install beads-mcp
```

Add to MCP config (e.g., `~/.config/claude/config.json`):

```json
{
  "beads": {
    "command": "beads-mcp",
    "args": []
  }
}
```

Then use `mcp__beads__*` functions instead of CLI commands.

### Managing AI-Generated Planning Documents

AI assistants often create planning and design documents during development:

- PLAN.md, IMPLEMENTATION.md, ARCHITECTURE.md
- DESIGN.md, CODEBASE_SUMMARY.md, INTEGRATION_PLAN.md
- TESTING_GUIDE.md, TECHNICAL_DESIGN.md, and similar files

**Best Practice: Use a dedicated directory for these ephemeral files**

**Recommended approach:**

- Create a `history/` directory in the project root
- Store ALL AI-generated planning/design docs in `history/`
- Keep the repository root clean and focused on permanent project files
- Only access `history/` when explicitly asked to review past planning

**Example .gitignore entry (optional):**

```
# AI planning documents (ephemeral)
history/
```

**Benefits:**

- ✅ Clean repository root
- ✅ Clear separation between ephemeral and permanent documentation
- ✅ Easy to exclude from version control if desired
- ✅ Preserves planning history for archaeological research
- ✅ Reduces noise when browsing the project

### Important Rules

- ✅ Use bd for ALL task tracking
- ✅ Always use `--json` flag for programmatic use
- ✅ Link discovered work with `discovered-from` dependencies
- ✅ Check `bd ready` before asking "what should I work on?"
- ✅ Store AI planning docs in `history/` directory
- ❌ Do NOT create markdown TODO lists
- ❌ Do NOT use external issue trackers
- ❌ Do NOT duplicate tracking systems
- ❌ Do NOT clutter repo root with planning documents

For more details, see README.md and QUICKSTART.md.

<!-- /bd onboard section -->