Beads: Git-Backed Memory for Your Coding Agent

Stop losing context. Start shipping smarter.

Every AI coding session starts the same way — you re-explain the project, re-list open tasks, re-share context your agent had yesterday. Beads fixes that. It’s a git-backed agentic memory system that gives your AI coding agent persistent, structured context across sessions — stored in your repo, versioned with your code, and ready at the start of every session without you lifting a finger.

This course takes you from zero to a fully configured Beads workflow in under three hours. You’ll learn how to install and use Beads, build a daily task loop, wire it into Claude Code, and keep the whole system healthy over time. No prior Beads or Dolt experience required.

What You’ll Learn

  1. Install and initialize Beads in any project

  2. Use bd create, bd ready, bd update, and bd close as your daily task loop

  3. Configure Claude Code to prime Beads context automatically at session start

  4. Keep your Beads installation healthy with bd doctor, cleanup, and upgrade commands

  5. (Bonus) Connect Beads to a GitHub repo and link issues to pull requests

Prerequisites

  • Comfortable with git and a terminal

  • No Beads or Dolt experience needed — this course starts from scratch

  • Claude Code is recommended but not required for Modules 1 and 2; it is required for Module 3

Course Modules

Module Title Time

1

The Problem & The Fix

~35 min

2

The Daily Loop

~35 min

3

Claude Code as Your Beads Partner

~40 min

4

Keeping It Healthy

~25 min

Bonus

Integrating with GitHub

~30 min

Total

~2h 45min

Before You Begin

Install Beads

  • macOS (Homebrew)

  • Linux / WSL (curl)

Install Beads via Homebrew:

brew install gastownhall/tap/beads

Install Beads using the install script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gastownhall/beads/main/install.sh | bash

After installation, verify it worked:

bd --version

Install Claude Code

Claude Code is required for Module 3 (Claude Code as Your Beads Partner) and the Bonus module. Modules 1 and 2 work with any terminal and git — no Claude Code needed.

Install Claude Code from claude.ai/code.

If you plan to work through the full course, install Claude Code before starting Module 3. You do not need it to complete Modules 1 and 2.

Key Resources