Beads: Graph Memory CLI for AI Agents
write-up
· for knighthk-irc
in #systemcrafters
· 2026-08-26 13:37 UTC
Beads is a CLI tool that provides persistent, dependency-aware graph memory for AI coding agents using Dolt as its backend.
- Replaces unstructured markdown plans with a structured issue tracker to help agents maintain context during long-horizon tasks.
- Supports cross-machine synchronization via Dolt push/pull and offers "Stealth Mode" for local use without committing files to the main repository.
- Integrates with various AI tools (Claude, Codex, Cursor, etc.) by automatically updating configuration files like
AGENTS.md during initialization.
- Requires manual checksum verification for downloaded binaries to ensure security, with specific handling for macOS code signing and Windows antivirus false positives.
- Handles schema migrations carefully to prevent errors when older binaries attempt to access databases migrated by newer versions.
Source: https://github.com/gastownhall/beads