Beads

When to use this skill

Use Beads when an AI agent needs a reusable SKILL.md workflow for this job: Use for authorized Lotti maintainer work that needs private durable task tracking, issue dependencies, blocker management, multi-session handoff, or shared agent memory. Public contributors use GitHub Issues instead.

When not to use it

Skip Beads when the task is outside the productivity category, or when a more specific skill in this directory already covers the same workflow with clearer triggers.

How to install

1. Personal install: create ~/.claude/skills/beads/SKILL.md (and any bundled scripts) so Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and compatible agents can load it in every project.
2. Project install: commit the same folder at .claude/skills/beads/ so teammates get the skill with the repo.
3. Restart the agent session after copying files so it re-scans the skills directory, then ask for the task in words that match the skill description.

Full install guide for Claude, Cursor, and Codex

What this skill does

# Beads

Use Beads as the private durable task system for authorized Lotti maintainers. Public bugs, feature requests, and contributor coordination stay in GitHub Issues. Local plans remain useful for the current turn.

## First Step

First confirm that the private tracker is available:

```bash bd --readonly list --json ```

If no database exists and the current user is an authorized maintainer, run:

```bash chmod 700 .beads git config beads.role maintainer bd bootstrap ```

If access is denied, do not initialize a competing database. Use GitHub Issues and PR discussion instead.

Run `bd prime` manually when workflow context is needed. Do not install Git, Codex, or Claude hooks for Beads in this repository.

## Core CLI Workflow

1. Pull and find work:

```bash bd dolt pull bd ready bd list --status=open bd list --status=in_progress ```

2. Inspect before editing:

```bash bd show <id> ```

3. Claim work atomically:

```bash bd update <id> --claim ```

4. Create durable follow-up work when implementation reveals new tasks:

```bash bd create "Short title" --description="Why this exists and what needs to be done" --type=task --priority=2 ```

5. Close completed work:

```bash bd close <id> --reason="Completed" ```

6. With explicit authority, publish durable changes:

```bash bd dolt push ```

## What Belongs In Beads

Maintainers use Beads for:

- shared project tasks - blockers and dependencies - discovered follow-up work - work that must survive thread reset, compaction, or handoff - status that another person or agent should be able to resume

Public-facing context must still be copied into GitHub issues, PR descriptions, or review discussion so contributors never need private tracker access.

## Rules

- Do not use `bd edit`; it opens an interactive editor. Use `bd update` flags instead. - Prefer `--json` when parsing `bd` output programmatically. - Do not auto-close or mutate tasks unless the work is actually complete. - Do not store credentials, private user data, or other secrets in Beads. - Do not commit, push Git, or sync Dolt without explicit authority.

Intended uses

• Use Beads when this documented workflow matches the task.