Bds Setup

Beads Setup

One-time per-repository setup for the beads-starter workflow.

On Activation

Walk the user through the steps below. For each command, show the command first, then ask "Run this?" before executing. Do not chain commands silently.

Steps

1. Check for bd

Show:

command -v bd && bd version

If bd is already installed and reports a version, skip to step 3. Otherwise proceed to step 2.

2. Install bd (if missing)

The beads team recommends Homebrew. Show the user the options and ask which they want:

Homebrew (macOS / Linux, recommended)

brew install beads

npm (Node.js users)

npm install -g @beads/bd

Install script (other platforms)

curl -sSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveyegge/beads/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

For Windows, Arch AUR, go install, or building from source, point them to https://github.com/steveyegge/beads/blob/main/docs/INSTALLING.md.

3. Determine the prefix

The prefix is used for issue IDs (e.g., MYPROJ-42). Default suggestion: the current directory's basename. Confirm with the user before proceeding.

4. Initialize

Show all five commands together, then ask "Run all five?":

bd init --shared-server --prefix <PREFIX> --skip-agents --skip-hooks
bd config set no-git-ops true
bd config set export.git-add false
bd config set dolt.local-only true
bd config unset sync.remote

Substitute <PREFIX> with the value from step 3.

5. Verify

Show:

bd ready --json

Run it after confirmation. A successful exit (even with empty JSON output) means setup is complete.

6. Brief the user on expected warnings

After setup, the following warnings are normal under this preset and should not trigger action:

From bd init:

• Server host defaulted to 127.0.0.1 — correct for single-machine use.
• Setup incomplete. No dolt database found — clears on the next bd command.

From bd doctor:

• Git Hooks: No recommended git hooks installed — intentional (--skip-hooks).
• Phantom Databases: beads_global — cosmetic, see beads GH#2051.
• Dolt Status / Dolt Locks: Uncommitted changes — pending bd config writes auto-commit on the next bd command.
• Git Working Tree: Uncommitted changes — files outside .beads/. Commit them separately from bd work.
• Claude Plugin: beads plugin not installed / Claude Integration: Not configured — not part of this preset.

7. Warn against bd doctor --fix

bd init may suggest bd doctor --fix. Tell the user not to run it under this preset — it can re-apply changes the preset intentionally skipped (e.g., installing git hooks). Interpret warnings individually against the list above; anything outside that list should be surfaced for human review, not auto-fixed.

Flag Notes (for the user's reference)

• --shared-server — use the shared Dolt server at ~/.beads/shared-server/; all bd projects on this machine share one server process.
• --prefix <PREFIX> — issues are named <PREFIX>-<id>.
• --skip-agents — do not regenerate AGENTS.md (this plugin owns workflow content via the bds-workflow skill).
• --skip-hooks — do not install bd's git hooks.
• no-git-ops: true — suppress bd's automatic Dolt push.
• export.git-add: false — suppress automatic git add of .beads/issues.jsonl.
• dolt.local-only: true — declare local-only operation so bd does not (re)wire a Dolt sync remote on later init/repair runs. Must run after bd init (the key lives in .beads/config.yaml).
• unset sync.remote — remove the Dolt remote URL already wired by the bd init above.

After Setup

Tell the user:

• The full workflow is available via the bds-workflow skill.
• Current queue status via the bds-status skill.