Beads Operator

Beads (bd) is a distributed, git-backed, graph issue tracker designed for AI agents. This skill guides you to be an excellent Beads operator, ensuring work is properly tracked across sessions and machines.

Core Philosophy

Beads is the source of truth — not chat history.

Think in Beads, not chat. Translate all work into Beads nodes so another LLM can resume with near-zero context. Assume another LLM will pick this up later with no memory of this conversation.

Installation & Setup

First-time Setup

Install the Beads plugin for OpenCode:

opencode install joshuadavidthomas/opencode-beads

On first use in a repository, run:

bd onboard

Daily Discipline

Run bd doctor once per day to verify health of the Beads system.

Operating Mode

1. Atomic, Graph-First Workflow

• •One intent per node
• •Tasks should be small and verifiable
• •Track relationships explicitly: depends_on, blocks, relates_to
• •Track Decisions separately from Tasks (immutable once done)

2. Git Discipline (Mandatory)

• •Beads and git must stay in sync
• •Never leave work unpushed
• •Work is NOT complete until git push succeeds

3. Always Ask

• •"What changed?"
• •"What is the next smallest verifiable step?"

Node Types & Requirements

Every Beads node MUST include:

• •Purpose - Why this node exists
• •Acceptance Criteria - How to know it's done
• •Current State - Where things stand now
• •Next Action - What to do next

Node Types

• •Epic → Owns multiple Issues (large initiatives)
• •Issue → Owns multiple Tasks (features or problems)
• •Task → The only thing that goes Done quickly (atomic work)
• •Decision → Rationale + alternatives rejected (immutable once Done)
• •Handoff → Session-to-session continuity (for LLM handoffs)

Standard Tags

Use consistently across all nodes:

• •scope:<area> - infra, app, docs, monitoring, etc.
• •host:<name> - custodian, ha, vps, etc.
• •session:<name> - primary, remote, followup, etc.
• •change:<type> - code, config, docs
• •risk:<low|med|high> - Risk level
• •prio:<p0|p1|p2> - Priority level

Quick Command Reference

# Check readiness
bd ready

# View node details
bd show <id>

# Update node status
bd update <id> --status in_progress

# Close completed node
bd close <id>

# Sync with git
bd sync

# List all nodes
bd list

# Create new node
bd create issue "Title" --body "Description"

Standard Response Format

For EVERY response when working with Beads, structure output as:

A) Beads Updates

Node: <title>
Type: <epic|issue|task|decision|handoff>
Status: <status>
Tags: <tag1>, <tag2>
Links: depends_on <id>, blocks <id>
Body:
  Purpose: ...
  Acceptance Criteria: ...
  Current State: ...
  Next Action: ...

B) Commands

Provide exact bd and git commands:

bd update issue-123 --status in_progress
git commit -am "Update issue-123 status"
bd sync

C) Working Notes

Terse notes on:

• •Assumptions
• •Risks
• •Unknowns

D) Handoff Snapshot

Compact "resume here" paragraph for the next LLM session.

Session Workflow

Session Start

Before doing any work, gather:

1. •Repo path + git remote
2. •Objective for this session
3. •Other machines or LLM sessions that need handoff

Then propose:

• •1 Epic
• •2-5 Issues
• •5-12 Tasks

With explicit dependencies.

During Work

1. •Create nodes BEFORE starting work
2. •Update status as work progresses
3. •Track all decisions in Decision nodes
4. •Keep Tasks atomic and verifiable
5. •Sync frequently

Landing the Plane (MANDATORY)

When ending ANY work session, complete ALL steps:

1. •

   File Beads issues for remaining work

   • •Don't leave untracked work
2. •

   Run quality gates (if code/config changed)

   • •Tests, linters, etc.
3. •

   Update Beads status

   • •Close finished nodes
   • •Update in-progress nodes
4. •

   Sync + Push (CRITICAL)

   bash

   git pull --rebase
   bd sync
   git push
   git status   # Must show clean + up to date
   

5. •

   Clean up local state

   • •Remove stashes
   • •Delete temp branches
6. •

   Verify nothing uncommitted

   bash

   git status
   

7. •

   Update/Create Handoff node

   • •Summary for next LLM
   • •Current state
   • •Next actions

Critical Rules for Session End

• •Work is NOT complete until git push succeeds
• •NEVER stop with local-only changes
• •NEVER say "ready to push" — YOU push
• •If push fails, resolve and retry until it succeeds

Best Practices

Node Granularity

• •Too Big: "Implement authentication system"
• •Just Right: "Add login endpoint", "Add JWT validation middleware", "Add password hashing"

Decision Tracking

When making architectural or implementation decisions:

bd create decision "Use JWT for auth tokens" \
  --body "Purpose: Choose auth mechanism
Alternatives: Sessions, OAuth only
Rationale: JWT allows stateless auth, better for distributed systems
Rejected: Sessions (stateful), OAuth (overkill for MVP)"

Dependencies

Always track dependencies explicitly:

bd link task-123 --depends-on task-122
bd link issue-45 --blocks issue-46

Session Continuity

For multi-session work, always create/update a Handoff node:

bd create handoff "Session 2025-01-26 handoff" \
  --body "Purpose: Enable next LLM to resume
Current State: Auth endpoints implemented, tests passing
Next Action: Implement rate limiting middleware
Blockers: None
Context: Using Express.js + JWT, see decision-auth-001"

Common Patterns

Starting a New Feature

# Create hierarchy
bd create epic "User Authentication"
bd create issue "Implement login flow" --parent epic-001
bd create task "Add login endpoint" --parent issue-001
bd create task "Add JWT middleware" --parent issue-001

# Add relationships
bd link task-002 --depends-on task-001

# Start work
bd update task-001 --status in_progress

Making a Decision

bd create decision "Database choice: PostgreSQL" \
  --body "Purpose: Select database for production
Alternatives: MySQL, MongoDB
Rationale: PostgreSQL for JSONB support, better concurrency
Rejected: MySQL (limited JSON), MongoDB (need ACID)"

bd update decision-001 --status done

Ending a Session

# Update all nodes
bd update task-001 --status done
bd update task-002 --status in_progress

# Create handoff
bd create handoff "End of session 2025-01-26" \
  --body "Completed: Login endpoint
In Progress: JWT middleware (80% done)
Next: Finish JWT, add tests
Blockers: None"

# Sync everything
git add .
git commit -am "Session end: login endpoint complete"
bd sync
git push

Troubleshooting

Beads Not Syncing

bd doctor
git status
git pull --rebase
bd sync

Lost Context

Check the most recent Handoff node:

bd list --type handoff --sort created --limit 1
bd show <handoff-id>

Conflicts

git pull --rebase
# Resolve conflicts
git add .
git rebase --continue
bd sync
git push

Remember

• •Beads is the memory - Chat history is ephemeral
• •Small tasks - Break down until tasks are < 1 hour
• •Always push - Local work doesn't exist to other LLMs
• •Track decisions - Future you will thank present you
• •Handoffs matter - Next LLM session depends on good handoffs