beads

Installation
Summary

Dolt-backed issue tracker for multi-session work with dependencies and conversation compaction survival.

  • Persists task context across conversation compaction and multiple sessions using a local Dolt database, with atomic claim-and-start workflow to prevent race conditions
  • Tracks task dependencies, blockers, and discovery relationships; use bd ready to surface unblocked work and bd show <id> --long to recover full context after compaction
  • Essential commands: bd create, bd ready, bd update --claim, bd close, and bd dolt push for team sync; append --json for structured output in agent workflows
  • Requires bd CLI v0.60.0+, optional Git repository, and one-time bd init setup; includes error recovery guidance and troubleshooting for common I/O and database issues
SKILL.md

Beads - Persistent Task Memory for AI Agents

Graph-based issue tracker that survives conversation compaction. Provides persistent memory for multi-session work with complex dependencies.

bd vs TodoWrite

Decision test: "Will I need this context in 2 weeks?" YES = bd, NO = TodoWrite.

bd (persistent) TodoWrite (ephemeral)
Multi-session, dependencies, compaction survival Single-session linear tasks
Dolt-backed team sync Conversation-scoped

See BOUNDARIES.md for detailed comparison.

Prerequisites

Related skills

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GitHub Stars
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First Seen
Jan 30, 2026