Using Beads FAQs

Question 1

When should I use this skill instead of Jira or GitHub Issues?

Accepted Answer

Use Beads for local, AI-supervised workflows where immediate task tracking and dependency modeling are required. It is designed for granular tracking of discovered work during development that might be too small for traditional project management tools, yet critical for AI context.

Question 2

What are Epic beads and how are they used?

Accepted Answer

Epic beads serve as high-level design and architecture documentation. They group related task beads through parent-child relationships, allowing you to block entire feature sets until prerequisite design or foundational work is finished.

Question 3

Does this skill support project-local tracking?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The skill is designed to initialize and manage project-local databases within a .beads/ directory. This ensures that issue tracking remains specific to your current codebase and doesn't mix with other projects.

Question 4

What does the Using Beads skill do?

Accepted Answer

The Using Beads skill integrates the Beads CLI tool with Claude Code to manage dependency-aware issue tracking. It allows Claude to create, update, and prioritize tasks while ensuring work follows a logical execution order based on blockers and relationships.

Question 5

How does dependency-aware tracking improve my workflow?

Accepted Answer

By using the 'bd ready' command, Claude can instantly identify which tasks are unblocked and ready for implementation. This prevents logic cycles and ensures foundational architecture or prerequisite tasks are completed before dependent features are started.

Using Beads

Using Beads

About

Key Features

Use Cases

About

Key Features

Use Cases