Beads Dependency Tracking

Beads Dependency Tracking

First-class dependency management for issue tracking with visual graphs and blocking detection.

Overview

Beads treats dependencies as a core primitive, not an afterthought. The system supports:

• 4 dependency types: blocks, related, parent-child, discovered-from
• Bidirectional tracking: What blocks this issue, what this issue blocks
• Cycle detection: Prevents circular dependency chains
• Visual trees: ASCII and Mermaid.js graph outputs
• Blocking analysis: Find issues that can't proceed due to dependencies

Dependencies are the key to intelligent work prioritization and unblocking workflows.

Canonical Sources

Command Reference:

bd dep --help          # Dependency management overview
bd dep add --help      # Adding dependencies
bd dep remove --help   # Removing dependencies
bd dep tree --help     # Viewing dependency trees
bd dep cycles --help   # Detecting cycles
bd blocked --help      # Showing blocked issues
bd ready --help        # Showing unblocked work

Dependency Types:

• blocks: This issue must be completed before the dependent can start
• related: Informational link, no blocking semantics
• parent-child: Hierarchical relationship (epics → tasks)
• discovered-from: Tracks issue discovery context (bugs found during work)

Patterns

Adding Dependencies

# Simple blocking dependency
bd dep add tmnl-abc tmnl-xyz
# Meaning: tmnl-abc is blocked by tmnl-xyz (xyz must complete first)

# Explicit type
bd dep add tmnl-abc tmnl-xyz --type blocks

# Related (non-blocking) dependency
bd dep add tmnl-abc tmnl-xyz --type related

# Parent-child relationship
bd dep add tmnl-child tmnl-parent --type parent-child

# Discovery context
bd dep add tmnl-bug tmnl-feature --type discovered-from
# Meaning: bug was discovered while working on feature

Adding Dependencies During Creation

# Inline dependency specification
bd create "Wire UI to backend" \
  --type task \
  --deps "blocks:tmnl-api,blocks:tmnl-ui,related:tmnl-docs"

# Multiple dependencies with different types
bd create "Fix integration bug" \
  --type bug \
  --deps "discovered-from:tmnl-feature,blocks:tmnl-infra"

Removing Dependencies

# Remove specific dependency
bd dep remove tmnl-abc tmnl-xyz

# Remove all dependencies of an issue
bd dep remove tmnl-abc --all  # (if supported)

Viewing Dependency Trees

# Show what blocks this issue (dependencies, down direction)
bd dep tree tmnl-abc
bd dep tree tmnl-abc --direction down

# Show what this issue blocks (dependents, up direction)
bd dep tree tmnl-abc --direction up

# Show full bidirectional graph
bd dep tree tmnl-abc --direction both

# Filter by status (only open issues)
bd dep tree tmnl-abc --status open

# Limit depth
bd dep tree tmnl-abc --max-depth 3

# Mermaid.js output for visualization
bd dep tree tmnl-abc --format mermaid > graph.mmd

Finding Blocked Issues

# Show all blocked issues
bd blocked

# Filter blocked issues by priority
bd blocked | grep "\[P0\]"

# Show blocking dependencies for a specific issue
bd show tmnl-abc  # Lists dependencies at bottom

Finding Ready Work

# Show unblocked issues (no open dependencies)
bd ready

# Filter ready work by priority
bd ready --priority 0  # P0 only

# Filter by assignee
bd ready --assignee val

# Show unassigned ready work
bd ready --unassigned

# Limit results
bd ready --limit 5

# Sort by priority (default), oldest, or hybrid
bd ready --sort priority
bd ready --sort oldest
bd ready --sort hybrid  # Balances priority + age

Detecting Dependency Cycles

# Check for circular dependencies
bd dep cycles

# Example output if cycle detected:
# Cycle detected: tmnl-a → tmnl-b → tmnl-c → tmnl-a

Examples

Example 1: Feature Implementation Chain

# 1. Create foundation tasks
API_ID=$(bd create "Build API endpoint" --type task --priority P1 --json | jq -r '.id')
SCHEMA_ID=$(bd create "Design data schema" --type task --priority P1 --json | jq -r '.id')
UI_ID=$(bd create "Build UI component" --type task --priority P1 --json | jq -r '.id')

# 2. Add blocking dependencies
bd dep add $API_ID $SCHEMA_ID      # API blocked by schema
bd dep add $UI_ID $API_ID          # UI blocked by API

# 3. View dependency chain
bd dep tree $UI_ID

# Output:
# tmnl-ui: Build UI component
#   └─ tmnl-api: Build API endpoint
#      └─ tmnl-schema: Design data schema

# 4. Find what's ready to start
bd ready --limit 5

# Output shows tmnl-schema as unblocked, ready to work

Example 2: Unblocking Workflow

# 1. Check blocked work
bd blocked

# Output:
# [P0] tmnl-integration: Wire services together
#   Blocked by 3 open dependencies: [tmnl-api, tmnl-db, tmnl-cache]

# 2. View dependency tree
bd dep tree tmnl-integration

# 3. Start work on blocking issues
bd update tmnl-api --status in_progress

# 4. Close completed blockers
bd close tmnl-api --reason "Endpoint implemented and tested"

# 5. Check if integration is now unblocked
bd show tmnl-integration  # Shows remaining 2 blockers
bd blocked                # No longer shows tmnl-integration when all blockers closed

Example 3: Epic Decomposition with Dependencies

# 1. Create epic
EPIC_ID=$(bd create "Search System v2" --from-template epic --priority P0 --json | jq -r '.id')

# 2. Create phases with parent relationship
PHASE1=$(bd create "Phase 1: Infrastructure" --type task --priority P0 --parent $EPIC_ID --json | jq -r '.id')
PHASE2=$(bd create "Phase 2: Indexing" --type task --priority P0 --parent $EPIC_ID --json | jq -r '.id')
PHASE3=$(bd create "Phase 3: UI" --type task --priority P1 --parent $EPIC_ID --json | jq -r '.id')

# 3. Add sequential blocking
bd dep add $PHASE2 $PHASE1  # Phase 2 blocked by Phase 1
bd dep add $PHASE3 $PHASE2  # Phase 3 blocked by Phase 2

# 4. Create subtasks for Phase 1
TASK1=$(bd create "Setup PostgreSQL FTS" --type task --priority P0 --json | jq -r '.id')
TASK2=$(bd create "Setup Redis cache" --type task --priority P0 --json | jq -r '.id')

bd dep add $PHASE1 $TASK1  # Phase 1 blocked by Task 1
bd dep add $PHASE1 $TASK2  # Phase 1 blocked by Task 2

# 5. View full dependency graph
bd dep tree $EPIC_ID --direction down

# Output shows waterfall structure:
# epic → phase1 → [task1, task2]
#     → phase2 (blocked by phase1)
#     → phase3 (blocked by phase2)

# 6. Find ready work
bd ready --limit 10
# Shows task1 and task2 as ready (no blockers)

Example 4: Bug Discovery Chain

# 1. During feature work, discover a bug
FEATURE_ID=$(bd show tmnl-feature-123 --json | jq -r '.id')

# 2. Create bug with discovery context
BUG_ID=$(bd create "Null pointer in auth handler" \
  --type bug \
  --priority P0 \
  --deps "discovered-from:$FEATURE_ID" \
  --json | jq -r '.id')

# 3. Bug blocks feature completion
bd dep add $FEATURE_ID $BUG_ID --type blocks

# 4. View feature's dependency tree
bd dep tree $FEATURE_ID

# Output:
# tmnl-feature-123: Implement user profile
#   └─ tmnl-bug-456: Null pointer in auth handler
#      └─ (discovered-from) tmnl-feature-123

# 5. Close bug, unblocking feature
bd close $BUG_ID --reason "Fixed NPE with null check"
bd ready --limit 5  # Now shows tmnl-feature-123 as ready

Example 5: Parallel Work Identification

# 1. Find all unblocked work
bd ready --limit 20 --sort priority

# 2. Filter to specific labels
bd ready --label backend --limit 10

# 3. Assign parallel work to team members
bd update tmnl-abc --assignee alice --status in_progress
bd update tmnl-xyz --assignee bob --status in_progress
bd update tmnl-def --assignee val --status in_progress

# 4. Check blocked work that will become ready soon
bd blocked | grep "\[P0\]"
# Shows high-priority blocked issues

# 5. View dependency trees for blocked work
bd dep tree tmnl-blocked-issue
# Identify which blockers to prioritize

Anti-Patterns

DON'T: Create circular dependencies

# WRONG - creates cycle
bd dep add tmnl-a tmnl-b  # a blocked by b
bd dep add tmnl-b tmnl-c  # b blocked by c
bd dep add tmnl-c tmnl-a  # c blocked by a (CYCLE!)

# System will reject or warn. Fix by breaking cycle:
bd dep remove tmnl-c tmnl-a  # Remove problematic link

DON'T: Start work on blocked issues

# WRONG - working on blocked issue
bd blocked | grep tmnl-abc
# Output: tmnl-abc has 3 open blockers
bd update tmnl-abc --status in_progress  # BAD!

# CORRECT - work on unblocked issues
bd ready --limit 10
bd update tmnl-xyz --status in_progress  # Good, no blockers

DON'T: Forget to remove dependencies when requirements change

# WRONG - leaving stale dependencies
# (Original plan: UI blocked by API)
bd dep add tmnl-ui tmnl-api

# (Plan changes: UI can use mock data, doesn't need real API)
# But dependency is still there, blocking UI work!

# CORRECT - remove stale dependency
bd dep remove tmnl-ui tmnl-api
bd ready  # Now tmnl-ui shows as ready

DON'T: Use wrong dependency type

# WRONG - using "blocks" for informational links
bd dep add tmnl-ui tmnl-docs --type blocks
# (UI doesn't actually need docs to be complete)

# CORRECT - use "related" for informational links
bd dep add tmnl-ui tmnl-docs --type related

DON'T: Create deep dependency chains without reviewing

# WRONG - creating long chain without visualization
bd dep add tmnl-a tmnl-b
bd dep add tmnl-b tmnl-c
bd dep add tmnl-c tmnl-d
bd dep add tmnl-d tmnl-e
# (Creates 5-level waterfall, may be inefficient)

# CORRECT - visualize and refactor if needed
bd dep tree tmnl-a
# Review if some tasks can be parallelized
bd dep remove tmnl-c tmnl-d  # Break chain if possible

DON'T: Ignore blocked issue warnings

# WRONG - closing issue with open dependents
bd close tmnl-api  # (tmnl-ui depends on this)
# This orphans tmnl-ui's dependency, may cause confusion

# CORRECT - check reverse dependencies first
bd dep tree tmnl-api --direction up  # See what depends on this
# If closing, update or remove dependents
bd dep remove tmnl-ui tmnl-api  # If dependency no longer valid
bd close tmnl-api --reason "Obsolete, replaced by new endpoint"

Quick Reference Card

Dependency Types Reference

Workflow Tips

1. Start with bd ready: Always check unblocked work before starting new tasks
2. Review bd blocked: Identify bottlenecks and prioritize unblocking work
3. Use bd dep tree: Visualize complex dependency chains before starting work
4. Check reverse dependencies: Before closing, verify what depends on the issue
5. Detect cycles early: Run bd dep cycles after adding complex dependency chains
6. Prefer parallel over sequential: Only use blocking deps when truly necessary

Integration Points

• Issue creation: Use --deps flag (see beads-issue-management skill)
• Session workflow: bd ready and bd blocked inform daily work (see beads-session-workflow skill)
• Git workflow: Dependencies preserved across bd sync operations
• AI context: Dependency graphs help AI understand project structure