beads
Beads - A memory upgrade for your coding agent
Beads is a persistent memory and task-tracking agent skill that replaces markdown TODO lists with a dependency-aware graph database powered by Dolt. It enables coding agents to handle long-horizon tasks by providing structured issue tracking, automatic detection of ready tasks, and atomic claim operations that prevent conflicts in multi-agent workflows. The skill integrates with Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, and other coding assistants through auto-installed hooks and instructions. Agents interact with Beads via JSON-friendly CLI commands for creating, claiming, updating, and closing tasks while maintaining context through a versioned SQL backend.
Key Features
Use Cases
- 01Long-running refactoring projects where agents need to track dozens of interdependent tasks across multiple sessions
- 02Multi-agent workflows where several AI assistants collaborate on a codebase without claiming the same work
- 03Distributed development with agents running on different machines syncing task state via Dolt remotes
- 04Open-source contribution workflows where contributors route experimental planning to separate repos
- 05Enterprise codebases requiring audit trails and version control for every task state change
- 06Context-limited agents that need to offload completed task details while retaining high-level project memory
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beads — FAQ
What is Beads and how does it help AI coding agents?+
Beads is a distributed graph-based issue tracker that provides persistent structured memory for coding agents. It replaces messy markdown TODO lists with a dependency-aware database, allowing agents to handle long-horizon tasks without losing context between sessions.
How do I install Beads for my coding agent?+
Install the CLI once system-wide with 'curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gastownhall/beads/main/scripts/install.sh | bash' or 'brew install beads'. Then run 'bd init' in your project directory to set up agent integrations, or use 'bd setup codex', 'bd setup claude', or 'bd setup cursor' for specific agent configurations.
Which AI coding assistants work with Beads?+
Beads supports Claude Code, Codex CLI, Cursor, Factory.ai Droid, GitHub Copilot CLI, Mux, and other coding agents. The 'bd setup' command auto-configures supported agents by installing hooks and instruction files; unsupported agents can use Beads by adding minimal AGENTS.md instructions.
Does Beads require Git or any external services?+
No, Beads works standalone without Git by setting BEADS_DIR and using '--stealth' mode. The Dolt database is the storage backend; git integration for hooks and sync is optional. No external API keys or services are required for local use.
Is Beads free and open source?+
Yes, Beads is open source and available on GitHub under the license specified in the repository. It can be installed via multiple package managers and used freely for personal or commercial projects.
How do agents claim and update tasks in Beads?+
Agents use 'bd ready' to list available tasks with no blockers, 'bd update <id> --claim' to atomically claim a task, and 'bd close <id>' when work is complete. The 'bd prime' command provides workflow context and persistent memories to inject into agent prompts.
How do I install beads?+
Open the source repository on GitHub and follow its README. beads is a skill — MCP Agents Market links you directly to the official repo.
Is beads free?+
beads is an open-source project hosted on GitHub. Check the repository for its license and any usage requirements.