# Issue tracker: br (beads_rust)

Issues and specs for this repo live in the beads database at `.beads/`. The source of truth is `.beads/issues.jsonl`, managed through the `br` CLI (v0.7.6). beads state is versioned in the repo and synced with `git push`; there is no separate Dolt remote.

**Note:** `br` is non-invasive and never executes git commands. After `br sync --flush-only`, you must manually run `git add .beads/ && git commit`.

The forge remote (`git.millerson.name`, self-hosted Gitea) is not the issue tracker. Do not open Gitea, GitHub, or GitLab issues for work in this repo.

## Core commands

```bash
br robot-docs guide    # session context and command reference (run first)
br ready               # open issues with no active blockers
br show <id>           # full issue detail
br list                # list issues
br search "<text>"     # text search
br create "title" -d "description" -p 2 -l label1,label2
br q "quick capture"   # create and print only the id
br update <id> --claim # claim before starting work
br close <id> --reason "..."
br reopen <id>
br comments add <id> "..."          # conversation history
br update <id> --append-notes "..." # append to the issue notes field
br label add <id> <label>
br label remove <id> <label>
br label list <id>
br status              # database overview
```

Issue ids look like `nix-overlay-4g1`. New work must be claimed with `br update <id> --claim` before it starts.

## When a skill says "publish to the issue tracker"

Run `br create`. Use one issue per ticket. Put the full body in `--description` (markdown is fine). Add labels per `triage-labels.md`. For a multi-part spec, create a parent issue and link children with `--deps`.

## When a skill says "fetch the relevant ticket"

Run `br show <id>` and read the description. Use `br show <id> --json` for machine-readable output, and `br comments list <id>` for the comment thread. The user normally passes the issue id directly.

## Dependencies

`br create --deps 'blocked-by:nix-overlay-4g1,discovered-from:nix-overlay-2a3'`

Bare ids, `blocked-by:` and `discovered-from:` all make the new issue depend on the target. `depends-on:` is not a valid br dependency type and is rejected. `br dep add <issue> <depends-on>` adds a dependency after creation, `br dep list <issue>` shows the graph, and `br dep tree <issue>` shows it as a tree. `br ready` already excludes anything with an unresolved blocker, so a ticket is unblocked when every issue that blocks it is closed.

## Wayfinding operations

Used by `/wayfinder`. The map is a parent bead; the children are its sub-issues.

- **Map**: a bead created for the effort. Its description holds the Notes / Decisions-so-far / Fog body.
- **Child ticket**: a bead created with `--parent <map-id>`, which links it to the map as a parent-child dependency (br ids the child `<map-id>.1`). The question goes in the description. Record the ticket type as a label (`research`, `prototype`, `grilling`, `task`).
- **Blocking**: a `blocked-by:<id>` dependency on the blocking bead.
- **Frontier**: `br ready` output, restricted to children of the map (`br list --tree` groups children under their parent, or filter `br ready` by label). Lowest priority number, then oldest, wins.
- **Claim**: `br update <id> --claim` before any work starts.
- **Resolve**: append the answer with `br update <id> --append-notes "..."` or `br comments add <id> "..."`, then `br close <id> --reason "<answer gist>"`, then add a context pointer (gist plus issue id) to the map's Decisions-so-far with `br comments add <map-id> "..."`.

## Session end

Work is not complete until pushed. The project workflow requires:

```bash
git pull --rebase
br sync --flush-only    # export issue state to .beads/issues.jsonl
git add .beads/
git commit -m "sync beads"
git push
git status              # must show up to date with origin
```