How do I install the Using Beads For Task Management skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add lhohan/using-beads-for-task-management in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Using Beads For Task Management skill do?

Use when managing tasks and long-term memory with Beads in a repository or workspace. It is listed under Productivity on SkillMD.

Is Using Beads For Task Management safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Using Beads For Task Management?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Using Beads For Task Management free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Using Beads For Task Management?

lhohan (@lhohan) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Using Beads For Task Management by lhohan

Name: Using Beads For Task Management
Author: lhohan

File contents

Issue Tracking with bd (beads)

IMPORTANT: Use this skill only in repositories/workspaces that intentionally use bd (beads) for issue tracking. Do NOT use markdown TODOs, task lists, or other tracking methods.

Why bd?

Dependency-aware: Track blockers and relationships between issues
Git-friendly: Dolt-powered version control with native sync
Agent-optimized: JSON output, ready work detection, discovered-from links
Prevents duplicate tracking systems and confusion

Quick Start

Check for ready work:

bd ready --json

Create new issues:

bd create "Issue title" --description="Detailed context" -t bug|feature|task -p 0-4 --json
bd create "Issue title" --description="What this issue is about" -p 1 --deps discovered-from:bd-123 --json

Claim and update:

bd update <id> --claim --json
bd update bd-42 --priority 1 --json

Complete work:

bd close bd-42 --reason "Completed" --json

Issue Types

bug - Something broken
feature - New functionality
task - Work item (tests, docs, refactoring)
epic - Large feature with subtasks
chore - Maintenance (dependencies, tooling)

Priorities

0 - Critical (security, data loss, broken builds)
1 - High (major features, important bugs)
2 - Medium (default, nice-to-have)
3 - Low (polish, optimization)
4 - Backlog (future ideas)

Workflow for AI Agents

Check ready work: bd ready shows unblocked issues
Claim your task atomically: bd update <id> --claim
Work on it: Implement, test, document
Discover new work? Create linked issue:
- bd create "Found bug" --description="Details about what was found" -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<parent-id>
Complete: bd close <id> --reason "Done"

Quality

Use --acceptance and --design fields when creating issues
Use --validate to check description completeness

Lifecycle

bd defer <id> / bd supersede <id> for issue management
bd stale / bd orphans / bd lint for hygiene
bd human <id> to flag for human decisions
bd formula list / bd mol pour <name> for structured workflows

Auto-Sync

bd automatically syncs via Dolt:

Each write auto-commits to Dolt history
Use bd dolt push/bd dolt pull for remote sync
No manual export/import needed!

Important Rules

✅ Use bd for ALL task tracking
✅ Always use --json flag for programmatic use
✅ Link discovered work with discovered-from dependencies
✅ Check bd ready before asking "what should I work on?"
❌ Do NOT create markdown TODO lists
❌ Do NOT use external issue trackers
❌ Do NOT duplicate tracking systems

For more details, see README.md and docs/QUICKSTART.md.

---name: using-beads-for-task-managementdescription: Use when managing tasks and long-term memory with Beads in a repository or workspace.---## Issue Tracking with bd (beads)**IMPORTANT**: Use this skill only in repositories/workspaces that intentionally use **bd (beads)** for issue tracking. Do NOT use markdown TODOs, task lists, or other tracking methods.### Why bd?- Dependency-aware: Track blockers and relationships between issues- Git-friendly: Dolt-powered version control with native sync- Agent-optimized: JSON output, ready work detection, discovered-from links- Prevents duplicate tracking systems and confusion### Quick Start**Check for ready work:**```bashbd ready --json```**Create new issues:**```bashbd create "Issue title" --description="Detailed context" -t bug|feature|task -p 0-4 --jsonbd create "Issue title" --description="What this issue is about" -p 1 --deps discovered-from:bd-123 --json```**Claim and update:**```bashbd update <id> --claim --jsonbd update bd-42 --priority 1 --json```**Complete work:**```bashbd close bd-42 --reason "Completed" --json```### Issue Types- `bug` - Something broken- `feature` - New functionality- `task` - Work item (tests, docs, refactoring)- `epic` - Large feature with subtasks- `chore` - Maintenance (dependencies, tooling)### Priorities- `0` - Critical (security, data loss, broken builds)- `1` - High (major features, important bugs)- `2` - Medium (default, nice-to-have)- `3` - Low (polish, optimization)- `4` - Backlog (future ideas)### Workflow for AI Agents1. **Check ready work**: `bd ready` shows unblocked issues2. **Claim your task atomically**: `bd update <id> --claim`3. **Work on it**: Implement, test, document4. **Discover new work?** Create linked issue: - `bd create "Found bug" --description="Details about what was found" -p 1 --deps discovered-from:<parent-id>`5. **Complete**: `bd close <id> --reason "Done"`### Quality- Use `--acceptance` and `--design` fields when creating issues- Use `--validate` to check description completeness### Lifecycle- `bd defer <id>` / `bd supersede <id>` for issue management- `bd stale` / `bd orphans` / `bd lint` for hygiene- `bd human <id>` to flag for human decisions- `bd formula list` / `bd mol pour <name>` for structured workflows### Auto-Syncbd automatically syncs via Dolt:- Each write auto-commits to Dolt history- Use `bd dolt push`/`bd dolt pull` for remote sync- No manual export/import needed!### Important Rules- ✅ Use bd for ALL task tracking- ✅ Always use `--json` flag for programmatic use- ✅ Link discovered work with `discovered-from` dependencies- ✅ Check `bd ready` before asking "what should I work on?"- ❌ Do NOT create markdown TODO lists- ❌ Do NOT use external issue trackers- ❌ Do NOT duplicate tracking systemsFor more details, see README.md and docs/QUICKSTART.md.

Frequently asked questions

Using Beads For Task Management