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Lesson 16
8 min
Beads: Issue Tracking
Graph-aware task management with dependencies
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Graph-aware task management with dependencies
Mark complete to track your learning progress.
Track issues with dependencies and let graph analysis guide your work.
beads_rust (br) is a graph-aware issue tracking system designed for agent workflows. It tracks dependencies between tasks and uses graph algorithms to tell you what to work on next.
BV (Beads Viewer) is the TUI and CLI for working with beads. It provides both interactive views and machine-readable outputs for agents.
br is the CLI for the beads_rust issue tracker. Use br --help for all available commands.Issues can block other issues
PageRank, betweenness, critical path
Know what to work on next
All data lives in .beads/
br is the CLI for managing beads issues:
bv—it launches a TUI. Use bv --robot-* flags for agent output.BV provides machine-readable outputs with precomputed graph metrics:
bv --robot-triageTHE mega-command: recommendations, quick wins, blockers to clear
bv --robot-nextJust the single top pick + claim command
bv --robot-planParallel execution tracks with unblocks lists
bv --robot-insightsFull graph metrics
bugSomething brokenfeatureNew functionalitytaskWork to doepicLarge initiativechoreMaintenancebr create "Setup DB schema" -t task -p 1Click a ready node to start, click in-progress to close.
bd-5Admin dashboard← bd-3, bd-4bd-6Email service← bd-4bd-7Fix login bug← bd-3bd-8Integration tests← bd-5, bd-6BV calculates graph metrics to help prioritize work:
How central is this issue? High PageRank = many things depend on it
→ Focus on high PageRank blockers first
How often does this issue sit on critical paths?
→ Clearing high betweenness issues unblocks the most work
The longest chain of dependencies
→ Prioritize work on the critical path to reduce total time
Circular dependencies (A blocks B, B blocks A)
→ Must be resolved—they create deadlocks
Start with br ready
Find work that has no blockers—you can start immediately
Use br dep add for dependencies
Explicit dependencies enable smart prioritization
Claim work with --status=in_progress
Prevents duplicate work by other agents
Close issues promptly
Unblocks dependent work faster
Run br sync at session end
Keeps .beads/ in sync across agents and machines
.beads/ with your code changes. It's the authoritative source of truth for issue state.1# See what's ready to work on2$ br ready34# Get smart triage recommendations5$ bv --robot-triage | jq '.quick_ref'67# Create a task8$ br create "Add login page" -t feature -p 2910# Start working on it11$ br update bd-1 --status=in_progress1213# Sync when done14$ br sync