BEADS Multi-Agent Orchestration Skill

This skill coordinates a swarm of specialized AI agents to autonomously handle GitHub Issues from creation to merged PR.

Quick Start

Start Work on a GitHub Issue

bash

# User triggers via any of:
@beads start #123
bd start 123
/project:beads-start 123

Check BEADS Status

bash

bd ready          # Show tasks ready to work
bd list           # Show all tasks
bd stats          # Show project statistics
bd doctor         # Check system health

Agent Roster

Agent	Role	Spawned When
Issue Orchestrator	Main coordinator per Issue	Issue receives `agent-ready` label
Researcher Agent	Codebase exploration	Orchestrator creates research task
Architect Agent	Implementation planning	Research complete
Product Manager Agent	Use case & user benefit review	Design review gate (parallel)
Designer Agent	UX/API design review	Design review gate (parallel)
Security Design Agent	Security threat modeling	Design review gate (parallel)
CTO Agent	TDD readiness & plan review	Design review gate (parallel)
Coder Agent	TDD implementation	Design review gate approved
Code Review Agent	Internal code review	Implementation complete
Security Auditor	Security review (code)	Implementation complete
PR Shepherd	PR lifecycle management	PR created

See agents/ directory for detailed agent definitions.

Design Review Gate (NEW)

For complex features created via brainstorming, an automatic Design Review Gate ensures quality before implementation:

code

Design Document Created
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           DESIGN REVIEW GATE                     │
│                                                  │
│  Spawns in PARALLEL:                            │
│  • Architect Agent (technical architecture)     │
│  • Designer Agent (UX/API design)               │
│  • CTO Agent (TDD readiness)                    │
│                                                  │
│  ALL THREE must approve to proceed              │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ├── Any NEEDS_REVISION? → Iterate on design (max 3x)
        │
       ALL APPROVED
        │
        ▼
   Create BEADS Epic → Begin Implementation

Triggering the Design Review Gate

The gate is automatically triggered when:

•superpowers:brainstorming completes and commits a design doc
•User runs /project:review-design <path-to-design.md>

Review Criteria by Agent

Agent	Focus Areas
Product Manager	Use case clarity, user benefits, scope, success metrics
Architect	Service architecture, dependencies, patterns, integration
Designer	API design, UX flows, developer experience, consistency
Security Design	Threat modeling, auth/authz, data protection, OWASP Top 10
CTO	TDD readiness, codebase alignment, completeness, risks

Iteration Protocol

•Max 3 iterations before human escalation
•Each iteration: revise design → re-run all reviewers
•Escalation options: Override / Defer / Cancel

See goodtogo:design-review-gate skill for full details.

Workflow Overview

code

GitHub Issue #123 (agent-ready label)
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Issue Orchestrator             │
│  Creates BEADS epic, delegates work  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Research Phase                 │
│  Researcher Agent explores codebase  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Planning Phase                 │
│  Architect Agent creates plan        │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│              DESIGN REVIEW GATE (PARALLEL)                     │
│                                                                │
│  ┌─────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌───────┐ │
│  │   PM    │ │ Architect│ │ Designer │ │ Security │ │  CTO  │ │
│  │(users)  │ │  (tech)  │ │ (UX/API) │ │ (threats)│ │ (TDD) │ │
│  └─────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └───────┘ │
│                                                                │
│  ALL FIVE must approve (max 3 iterations)                      │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Implementation Phase           │
│  Coder Agent implements with TDD     │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ├──────────────────────────────┐
        ▼                              ▼
┌───────────────────┐    ┌───────────────────┐
│   Code Review     │    │  Security Audit   │
│   Agent           │    │  Agent            │
└───────────────────┘    └───────────────────┘
        │                              │
        └──────────────┬───────────────┘
                       ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│   PR Creation (Auto-Shepherd)        │
│   bin/create-pr-with-shepherd.sh     │
│   → Auto-invokes pr-shepherd skill   │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│       PR Shepherd (Automatic)        │
│  Monitors CI, handles reviews,       │
│  resolves threads automatically      │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Human Approval & Merge         │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘
        │
        ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│       Close Epic & Extract Learnings │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Automatic PR Review Cycles

When a PR is created via bin/create-pr-with-shepherd.sh, the script outputs instructions to start monitoring:

•Creates the PR with proper title/body
•Start pr-shepherd using /project:pr-shepherd <pr-number>
•PR Shepherd monitors: CI status, review comments, thread resolution
•Auto-fixes: Lint, type errors, test failures in your code
•Reports when ready: All CI green, all threads resolved

For manually-created PRs, invoke /project:pr-shepherd <pr-number> to start the monitoring cycle.

BEADS Commands Reference

Issue Management

bash

# Create epic for GitHub Issue
bd create "Feature: User Auth" --type epic --issue 123

# Create task under epic
bd create "Research auth patterns" --type task --parent bd-abc123

# Add dependency
bd dep add <blocked-task> <blocking-task>

# Update status
bd update <task-id> --status open|in_progress|blocked|closed

# Close with reason
bd close <task-id> --reason "Completed successfully"

Task Discovery

bash

# Show ready (unblocked) tasks
bd ready --json

# List all tasks under epic
bd list --parent <epic-id>

# Show blocked tasks
bd blocked

# Show task details
bd show <task-id> --json

Labels for Custom States

bash

# Waiting for human input
bd label add <task-id> waiting:human

# Waiting for CI
bd label add <task-id> waiting:ci

# Agent failed, needs intervention
bd label add <task-id> agent:failed

# Review iteration tracking
bd label add <task-id> review:iteration-1

Sync Operations

bash

# Check sync status
bd sync --status

# Pull updates from main
bd sync --from-main

# Export to JSONL
bd export

Starting Work on an Issue

Step 1: Verify Issue is Ready

bash

# Check Issue has agent-ready label
gh issue view 123 --json labels | jq '.labels[].name' | grep agent-ready

Step 2: Create BEADS Epic

bash

# Get Issue details
ISSUE=$(gh issue view 123 --json title,body,number)

# Create epic linked to Issue
bd create "$(echo $ISSUE | jq -r .title)" --type epic --issue 123 --json

Step 3: Post Acknowledgment

bash

gh issue comment 123 --body "🤖 Agent claiming this issue. BEADS epic created."

Step 4: Spawn Issue Orchestrator

Use the Task tool to spawn the Issue Orchestrator agent:

typescript

Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  description: "Issue Orchestrator for #123",
  prompt: `You are the ISSUE ORCHESTRATOR agent.

Read the agent definition at:
.claude/plugins/goodtogo/skills/beads/agents/issue-orchestrator.md

Your task:
- Epic ID: <epic-id>
- GitHub Issue: #123
- Begin the orchestration workflow

Follow the workflow phases exactly as specified.`,
});

Human Escalation Protocol

When to Escalate

•Ambiguous Requirements: Issue lacks clarity
•Conflicting Constraints: Can't satisfy all requirements
•Risk Decision: Security or data concerns
•Blocked > 1 Hour: External dependency needed
•3 Failed Iterations: Agent can't resolve issue

How to Escalate

bash

# Mark task as waiting
bd update <task-id> --status blocked
bd label add <task-id> waiting:human

# Post to GitHub Issue
gh issue comment <number> --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## 🤖 Agent Request: <type>

**Task**: <task-id>
**Question**: <clear question>

### Options
1. **Option A**: <description>
2. **Option B**: <description>

### Agent Recommendation
<recommendation>

---
Reply: `@beads approve <task-id>` or `@beads respond <task-id> <option>`
EOF
)"

Human Response Patterns

bash

# Approve a blocked task
@beads approve bd-abc123

# Respond with choice
@beads respond bd-abc123 "Use option A"

# Request changes
@beads request-changes bd-abc123 "Need more error handling"

# Defer to later
@beads defer bd-abc123 "Discuss in Monday standup"

Agent Spawning Patterns

Sequential Spawning

typescript

// Spawn Researcher first
const researchResult = await Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  description: "Research for issue #123",
  prompt: researcherPrompt,
});

// Then spawn Architect with research output
const planResult = await Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  description: "Planning for issue #123",
  prompt: architectPrompt + researchResult,
});

Parallel Spawning

typescript

// Spawn Code Review and Security Audit in parallel
const [reviewResult, securityResult] = await Promise.all([
  Task({
    subagent_type: "general-purpose",
    description: "Code review for #123",
    prompt: codeReviewPrompt,
  }),
  Task({
    subagent_type: "general-purpose",
    description: "Security audit for #123",
    prompt: securityAuditPrompt,
  }),
]);

Knowledge Integration

CRITICAL: Prime Before Starting Work

ALL agents MUST prime their context before starting ANY work. This prevents bad assumptions and ensures alignment with established patterns.

bash

# General prime (loads critical rules + gotchas)
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts

# Prime for specific files you'll modify
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --files "src/lib/services/*.ts" "src/app/api/*.ts"

# Prime for specific topic
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --keywords "authentication" "jwt"

# Prime for work type
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --work-type planning     # Before planning
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --work-type implementation  # Before coding
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --work-type review       # Before reviewing
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --work-type research     # Before exploring

# Combined (most thorough)
npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --files "<files>" --keywords "<topic>" --work-type <type>

The prime command outputs relevant facts categorized as:

•MUST FOLLOW: Critical rules (NEVER/ALWAYS/MUST statements)
•GOTCHAS: Common pitfalls to avoid
•PATTERNS: Best practices for this codebase
•DECISIONS: Architectural choices

After Completing Work

Run self-reflection to extract learnings:

bash

# Fetch recent PR comments
GITHUB_TOKEN=$(gh auth token) npx tsx scripts/beads-fetch-pr-comments.ts --days 7

# Use self-reflect skill to evaluate and add learnings
/project:self-reflect

Or spawn Knowledge Curator agent:

typescript

Task({
  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
  description: "Extract learnings from epic",
  prompt: `Review completed epic <epic-id> and extract learnings.

FIRST: Run \`npx tsx scripts/beads-prime.ts --work-type review\` to load context.

Then analyze:
- What patterns were used?
- What gotchas were discovered?
- What should future agents know?

Use the knowledge capture service to store learnings.`,
});

Success Criteria Checklist

Before closing an epic, verify ALL:

• All BEADS tasks under epic are closed
• PR is created and linked to GitHub Issue

• gtg returns READY status (deterministic PR readiness gate)

bash

gtg "$PR_NUMBER" --repo "$OWNER/$REPO" --format json > /tmp/gtg.json
STATUS=$(jq -r '.status' /tmp/gtg.json)
# Must return READY status before proceeding

• Human has approved merge
• PR is merged to main
• GitHub Issue is closed
• Learnings extracted to knowledge base

gtg as the Deterministic Gate

The gtg command replaces manual verification of:

•All CI checks passing
•All PR comments addressed
•All PR threads resolved

A PR is NOT ready until gtg returns READY status.

bash

# Check PR readiness deterministically (recommended: parse JSON status)
gtg 123 --repo owner/repo --format json > /tmp/gtg.json
STATUS=$(jq -r '.status' /tmp/gtg.json)
echo "Status: $STATUS"  # Must be READY

# Alternative: use semantic exit codes for shell scripts
gtg 123 --repo owner/repo -q  # Exit code 0 = READY

# For details on what's blocking:
gtg 123 --repo owner/repo --format json | jq '.action_items'

Troubleshooting

Task Stuck in Progress

bash

# Check task status
bd show <task-id> --json

# Check for orphaned agent
# If agent failed, reset and retry
bd update <task-id> --status open
bd label remove <task-id> agent:failed

Circular Dependencies

bash

# Run doctor to detect
bd doctor

# If found, restructure dependencies
bd dep remove <task1> <task2>

BEADS Sync Issues

bash

# Check sync status
bd sync --status

# Force export
bd export

# Pull from main
bd sync --from-main

Directory Structure

code

.claude/plugins/goodtogo/skills/beads/
├── SKILL.md                    # This file
└── agents/
    ├── issue-orchestrator.md   # Main coordinator
    ├── researcher-agent.md     # Codebase exploration
    ├── architect-agent.md      # Implementation planning
    ├── product-manager-agent.md # Use case & user benefit review (NEW)
    ├── designer-agent.md       # UX/API design review (NEW)
    ├── security-design-agent.md # Security threat modeling (NEW)
    ├── cto-agent.md            # TDD readiness review
    ├── coder-agent.md          # TDD implementation
    ├── code-review-agent.md    # Internal code review
    ├── security-auditor-agent.md # Security review (implementation)
    └── pr-shepherd-agent.md    # PR lifecycle management

.claude/plugins/goodtogo/skills/design-review-gate/
└── SKILL.md                    # Design review gate orchestrator (NEW)

.claude/plugins/goodtogo/skills/brainstorming-extension/
└── SKILL.md                    # Hooks brainstorming to review gate (NEW)

.claude/commands/
└── review-design.md            # /project:review-design command (NEW)

.claude/rubrics/
├── plan-review-rubric.md       # Used by CTO Agent
└── code-review-rubric.md       # Used by Code Review Agent

.beads/
├── beads.db                    # SQLite database
├── issues.jsonl                # Issue/task data
└── knowledge/                  # Curated learnings
    ├── codebase-facts.jsonl
    ├── patterns.jsonl
    └── anti-patterns.jsonl