Agent skill

Beads

A skill your agent uses when working in a repository that uses bd or Beads for durable project task tracking, issue dependencies, blocker management, multi-session handoff, or shared work memory.

EPL-1.0Auto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install Beads

skills CLI

$ npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install liwp/again beads --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/liwp/again.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/beads .claude/skills/beads && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "beads" agent skill from https://github.com/liwp/again/tree/main/.agents/skills/beads into .claude/skills/beads/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "beads", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/liwp/again/tree/main/.agents/skills/beads

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install liwp/again beads --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/liwp/again.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/beads .agents/skills/beads && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "beads" agent skill from https://github.com/liwp/again/tree/main/.agents/skills/beads into .agents/skills/beads/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "beads", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install liwp/again beads --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/liwp/again.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/beads .cursor/skills/beads && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "beads" agent skill from https://github.com/liwp/again/tree/main/.agents/skills/beads into .cursor/skills/beads/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "beads", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/liwp/again.git --path .agents/skills/beads

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install liwp/again beads --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/liwp/again.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/beads .gemini/skills/beads && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "beads" agent skill from https://github.com/liwp/again/tree/main/.agents/skills/beads into .gemini/skills/beads/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "beads", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install liwp/again beads

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/liwp/again.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/beads .github/skills/beads && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "beads" agent skill from https://github.com/liwp/again/tree/main/.agents/skills/beads into .github/skills/beads/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "beads", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install liwp/again beads --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/liwp/again.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/.agents/skills/beads .opencode/skills/beads && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "beads" agent skill from https://github.com/liwp/again/tree/main/.agents/skills/beads into .opencode/skills/beads/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "beads", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: beads
GitHub stars: 118
Used in: 6 other repos
Token cost: ~537 tokens
SKILL.md length: 216 words
Files: 2
Skills in repo: 1
Repo updated: Sep 15, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: EPL-1.0

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when working in a repository that uses bd or Beads for durable project task tracking, issue dependencies, blocker management, multi-session handoff, or shared work memory.

Works in 5 steps: Find work → Inspect before editing → Claim work atomically → …
Working in a repository that uses bd
SKILL.md covers First Step, Preferred Route, Core CLI Workflow and What Belongs In Beads, plus 1 more section
Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Beads is an agent skill from liwp/again. Use when working in a repository that uses bd or Beads for durable project task tracking, issue dependencies, blocker management, multi-session handoff, or shared work memory. Trigger when the user asks to find ready work, claim or close tasks, create follow-up work, inspect blockers, recover project context, or choose between local planning and persistent project tracking.

Its SKILL.md is about 540 tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. The skill folder holds 2 other files (for example `agents/openai.yaml`).

It sits in Agent Workflows, covering Task management and Session handoff. The repository describes itself as: A retry library for Clojure.

When your agent uses it

Working in a repository that uses bd
Beads for durable project task tracking
Issue dependencies
Blocker management

Example prompts

“/beads”

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Find work
Inspect before editing
Claim work atomically
Create durable follow-up work when implementation reveals new tasks
Close completed work

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 2b1eb71. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md (its code samples are bash).
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
No URLs in SKILL.md.
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Beads loads about 537 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 96 tokens; SKILL.md has 216 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~96
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~537

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

Its licence (EPL-1.0) doesn't allow us to republish the file, so here is its outline and opening line. It has 216 words (~537 tokens).

“Use Beads as the shared project task system. Local plans, scratch files, and personal memories are useful, but they are not the durable source of truth for project work.”

— opening of SKILL.md by liwp, EPL-1.0

name: beads

Read the full SKILL.md on GitHub

Files

SKILL.md and 1 other file in .agents/skills/beads of liwp/again.

SKILL.md
agents/openai.yaml

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 2b1eb71

Used in 8 other repositories

We found 8 copies of this SKILL.md (exact, near-identical or edited) in other folders, from 6 other GitHub owners. This page covers the copy in liwp/again, which our catalogue first saw on October 7, 2026.

Compare with similar skills

Beads next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Beads compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
Beads this skillliwp/again	118	6 repos	~537	Automated safety check: Pass	EPL-1.0	21 days ago
Beads Task Memorygastownhall/beads	28k	—	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	today
Beadsmatthiasn/lotti	1.2k	—	~589	Automated safety check: Pass	GPL-3.0	today
Mex RelayBenCodez/VotingPlugin	100	1 repos	~1.1k	Automated safety check: Pass	Custom licence	2 days ago
Gh Issuesserejaris/personal-corp-os	229	—	~1.8k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	3 days ago
Swarm Coordinationdralgorhythm/claude-agentic-framework	124	—	~1.6k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	2 mo ago

Similar skills

Beads Task Memory
gastownhall/beads
Tracks multi-session work with dependencies in the bd issue tracker so the agent can find ready tasks and recover its context after conversation compaction.
28k GitHub stars~1.2k tokensUpdated today
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed
Beads
matthiasn/lotti
A skill your agent uses for authorized Lotti maintainer work that needs private durable task tracking, issue dependencies, blocker management, multi-session handoff, or shared agent memory.
1.2k GitHub stars~589 tokensUpdated today
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed
Mex Relay
BenCodez/VotingPlugin
Prepare and manage durable MEX team handoffs. An agent skill from BenCodez/VotingPlugin.
100 GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~1.1k tokens
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed
Gh Issues
serejaris/personal-corp-os
A skill your agent uses when creating, searching, updating, or managing GitHub issues via CLI.
229 GitHub stars~1.8k tokensUpdated 3 days ago
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed
Swarm Coordination
dralgorhythm/claude-agentic-framework
Rules for several agents sharing one repository: an orchestrator tracks work in two tiers, workers write to scratch files, and every handoff leaves a pointer to an artifact.
124 GitHub stars~1.6k tokensUpdated 2 mo ago
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check passed
Session Checkpoint
myICOR/myPKA
Ends a session on purpose: reads the checkpoint report, closes or carries every task the session touched, rules on each WiP folder with the user, links the…
305 GitHub stars~445 tokensUpdated yesterday
Agent WorkflowsAuto-check: notes

Questions about Beads

What does Beads do?

A skill your agent uses when working in a repository that uses bd or Beads for durable project task tracking, issue dependencies, blocker management, multi-session handoff, or shared work memory. Beads is an agent skill from liwp/again. Use when working in a repository that uses bd or Beads for durable project task tracking, issue dependencies, blocker management, multi-session handoff, or shared work memory.

When should I use Beads?

Beads fits situations like: working in a repository that uses bd; beads for durable project task tracking; issue dependencies; blocker management.

How do I install Beads in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/beads in liwp/again) into .claude/skills/beads in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Beads in Codex?

Run `npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.agents/skills/beads in liwp/again) into .agents/skills/beads in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Beads in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add liwp/again --skill beads -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/beads, .gemini/skills/beads, .github/skills/beads and .opencode/skills/beads in your project.

What does Beads need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Beads is instructions for the agent only.

Does Beads access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Beads safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Beads use?

Beads is published under the EPL-1.0 licence (the repository's licence).

How many tokens does Beads use?

About 537 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 2.1k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Beads?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Beads: Beads Task Memory (gastownhall/beads, 28k stars), Beads (matthiasn/lotti, 1.2k stars), Mex Relay (BenCodez/VotingPlugin, 100 stars) and Gh Issues (serejaris/personal-corp-os, 229 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Beads?

liwp (a GitHub user) maintains it in liwp/again, which has 118 GitHub stars. The repository was last updated on September 15, 2026.

Source: liwp/again on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install Beads

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

Files

Used in 8 other repositories

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

Beads Task Memory

Beads

Mex Relay

Gh Issues

Swarm Coordination

Session Checkpoint

Related

Questions about Beads