# beads | Gas Town Hall | Knowledge Base | Instagit

Beads - A memory upgrade for your coding agent

GitHub Stars: 21.9k

Repository: https://github.com/gastownhall/beads

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## Articles

### [How to Run All Tests for Beads: Complete Guide to the Test Suite](/gastownhall/beads/how-do-i-run-all-tests-for-beads)

Master running all Beads tests with `make test`. This guide covers test suite execution, flaky test skipping, and environment variable configurations for timeouts and coverage.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How to Access Beads Storage and Issue Operations Using the Go API](/gastownhall/beads/how-can-i-programmatically-access-beads-storage-and-issue-operations-using-the-go-api)

Access Beads storage and issue operations programmatically with the Go API. Learn to use methods like CreateIssue, AddDependency, and RunInTransaction for CRUD and atomic transactions.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How to List Tasks That Are Ready to Be Worked on in Beads](/gastownhall/beads/how-do-i-list-tasks-that-are-ready-to-be-worked-on-in-beads)

List ready tasks in Beads with the bd ready command or store.GetReadyWork() Go API. Discover issues without active blockers for immediate development.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How to Create a New Task with a Specific Priority Using the Beads CLI](/gastownhall/beads/how-do-i-create-a-new-task-with-a-specific-priority-using-the-beads-cli)

Easily create a new task with a specific priority using the Beads CLI. Learn how to use the bd create command with the -p flag to set priority levels from 0 to 4.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [Beads Git Integration: How It Uses Git as Primary Storage](/gastownhall/beads/how-does-beads-integrate-with-git)

Discover how Beads Git integration uses Git as primary storage. Learn about its work-tree aware helper for O(1) path lookups and seamless operation.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [Complete Guide to Beads Environment Variables: Configuration Reference for the bd CLI](/gastownhall/beads/what-environment-variables-can-i-use-to-configure-beads)

Master Beads environment variables to configure UI rendering, Dolt connections, tests, telemetry, and integrations. Explore the comprehensive `bd` CLI configuration reference.

- Tags: api-reference
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How to Initialize Beads in Contributor Mode for Forked Repositories](/gastownhall/beads/how-do-i-initialize-beads-in-contributor-mode-for-forked-repositories)

Initialize Beads in contributor mode for forked repos using bd init --contributor. Keep upstream PRs clean and manage personal issues privately.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [What Is Beads Stealth Mode and When to Use It: A Complete Guide](/gastownhall/beads/what-is-beads-stealth-mode-and-when-should-i-use-it)

Discover Beads stealth mode, a flush-only configuration perfect for CI/CD pipelines and automation. Learn when to use this powerful feature to suppress Git operations while generating workflow context.

- Tags: tutorial
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How to Initialize Beads in Standard Mode: Interactive Setup Guide](/gastownhall/beads/how-do-i-initialize-beads-in-standard-mode)

Initialize Beads in standard mode using the interactive setup wizard. Run "bd init" in your Git repo root to create a .beads directory, embed a Dolt database, and configure your project role.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How the Beads Messaging System with Threading Support Works](/gastownhall/beads/how-does-the-messaging-system-with-threading-support-work-in-beads)

Discover how the Beads messaging system with threading support efficiently handles conversations by storing messages as ephemeral issues and threading replies via dependency edges.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [What Is Semantic Compaction and Memory Decay in Beads?](/gastownhall/beads/what-is-semantic-compaction-and-memory-decay-in-beads)

Learn about semantic compaction and memory decay in Beads. Discover how Beads summarizes closed issues to reduce database size and LLM context, while agents intentionally forget details.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How the Priority System Works in Beads: P0-P4 Implementation Explained](/gastownhall/beads/how-is-the-priority-system-structured-in-beads)

Understand the Beads priority system P0-P4 with clear explanations. Learn how to implement this validated, color-coded system for effective task management.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [Complete Guide to Issue Statuses in Beads: Built-in and Custom Workflows](/gastownhall/beads/what-are-the-available-issue-statuses-in-beads)

Discover all Beads issue statuses, from built-in open and in_progress to custom workflows. Manage your work queues effectively with a clear overview of your project's progress.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How Beads’ Hash-Based ID System Prevents Merge Conflicts](/gastownhall/beads/how-does-the-hash-based-id-system-in-beads-prevent-merge-conflicts)

Discover how Beads' innovative hash-based ID system prevents merge conflicts by using SHA-256 hashes for guaranteed global uniqueness, eliminating coordination needs and making conflicting IDs impossible.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How Beads Prevents and Detects Circular Dependencies](/gastownhall/beads/how-does-beads-prevent-and-detect-circular-dependencies)

Learn how the Beads library prevents circular dependencies with a pre-insertion CTE guard and detects existing cycles using a post-insertion DFS scan for robust dependency management.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [What Is a Wisp in Beads? Understanding Ephemeral Workflows](/gastownhall/beads/what-is-a-wisp-in-the-context-of-beads)

Discover what a Wisp is in Beads. Learn about ephemeral, non-persisted workflows managed locally with automatic cleanup via TTL policies. Explore this key Beads concept now.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How Hierarchical Grouping of Tasks (Epics) Works in Beads](/gastownhall/beads/how-does-the-heirarchical-grouping-of-tasks-epics-work-in-beads)

Discover how Beads uses an Epic issue type for hierarchical task grouping. Learn how parent-child dependencies work without blocking the queue, ensuring efficient workflow.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How Dependencies Are Represented and Managed in Beads: The Complete DAG Edge Implementation](/gastownhall/beads/how-are-dependencies-represented-and-managed-in-beads)

Learn how Beads represents and manages dependencies using directed acyclic graphs with first class directed edges in transactional storage for cycle detection and ready-work semantics.

- Tags: internals
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [Core Issue Types in the Beads Issue Model: The Complete Developer Guide](/gastownhall/beads/what-are-the-core-issue-types-in-the-beads-issue-model)

Explore the 12 immutable core issue types in the Beads issue model, including bug, feature, epic, and spike. Master the canonical taxonomy to streamline your development workflow with this complete developer guide.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How to Configure Beads Server Mode for External Dolt Connections](/gastownhall/beads/how-do-i-configure-beads-server-mode-for-external-dolt-connections)

Configure Beads server mode for external Dolt connections by setting BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_MODE=1 or running bd init --server. Connect to an existing Dolt sql-server easily.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [What is Dolt and How Beads Uses It as a Version-Controlled Database](/gastownhall/beads/what-is-dolt-and-how-is-it-used-in-beads)

Discover Dolt, the version-controlled SQL database. Learn how Beads leverages Dolt for Git-like issue tracking workflows and data persistence.

- Tags: how-to-guide
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [Beads Markdown Plans vs Dependency-Aware Graphs: A Technical Comparison](/gastownhall/beads/what-is-the-difference-between-beads-markdown-plans-and-dependency-aware-graphs)

Compare Beads markdown plans to dependency-aware graphs. Discover how DAGs with blocker relationships enable queryable ready queues and safe multi-agent workflows in this technical deep dive.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-04-27

### [How Beads Handles Persistent Memory for AI Agents: A Dolt‑Backed Key‑Value Implementation](/gastownhall/beads/how-does-beads-handle-persistent-memory-for-ai-agents)

Learn how Beads implements persistent memory for AI agents using a Dolt-backed key-value store. Discover durable, version-controlled memories that persist across clones and branches.

- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-04-27