bd-doctor

Description

Check and fix common Beads workflow issues across all repos.

Use when:

• Beads sync fails ("JSONL is newer than database", "Push to master blocked")
• Unstaged .beads/issues.jsonl changes
• User says "fix beads", "beads sync failing", "check beads", "beads health"
• Before important operations (commits, syncs, PRs)

Problem solved: Eliminates "Manual Beads operations" pattern (7/69 toil commits, 10% of analyzed toil).

Auto-Activation

This skill activates when:

• bd sync fails with common errors
• User mentions Beads issues ("beads", "bd sync", "JSONL")
• Unstaged .beads/issues.jsonl detected
• Branch/issue mismatch detected

Implementation

The skill performs comprehensive Beads health checks and auto-fixes common issues.

Check Script

#!/bin/bash
# ~/.agent/skills/bd-doctor/check.sh

set -e

echo "🔍 Beads Doctor - Health Check"

ISSUES_FOUND=0

# Check 1: JSONL timestamp skew (most common issue)
echo ""
echo "📋 Checking Beads JSONL sync..."
if bd sync --dry-run 2>&1 | grep -q "JSONL is newer"; then
  echo "⚠️  JSONL timestamp skew detected"
  echo "   Cause: Daemon auto-exported between your changes and sync"
  echo "   Fix: bd export --force (resolves timing issue)"
  ISSUES_FOUND=$((ISSUES_FOUND + 1))
elif bd sync --dry-run 2>&1 | grep -q "Pushing directly to master is blocked"; then
  echo "⚠️  Attempting to push JSONL to protected branch"
  echo "   Cause: Running bd sync on master branch"
  echo "   Fix: Use 'bd export --force' on master (no push), or switch to feature branch"
  ISSUES_FOUND=$((ISSUES_FOUND + 1))
else
  echo "✅ Beads JSONL in sync with database"
fi

# Check 2: Unstaged JSONL changes
echo ""
echo "📋 Checking for unstaged Beads changes..."
if git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null | grep -q ".beads/issues.jsonl"; then
  echo "⚠️  .beads/issues.jsonl has unstaged changes"
  echo "   Stage with: git add .beads/issues.jsonl"
  ISSUES_FOUND=$((ISSUES_FOUND + 1))
else
  echo "✅ No unstaged Beads changes"
fi

# Check 3: Branch/Issue mismatch
echo ""
echo "📋 Checking branch/issue alignment..."
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
if [[ $BRANCH =~ ^feature-bd-([a-z0-9]+) ]]; then
  ISSUE_ID="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
  if bd show "bd-$ISSUE_ID" &>/dev/null; then
    echo "✅ Branch feature-bd-$ISSUE_ID matches Beads issue bd-$ISSUE_ID"
  else
    echo "⚠️  On branch feature-bd-$ISSUE_ID but issue bd-$ISSUE_ID not found"
    echo "   Possible causes:"
    echo "   - Issue was closed/deleted"
    echo "   - Working on wrong branch"
    echo "   - Need to create issue: bd create \"Task name\" --type task"
    ISSUES_FOUND=$((ISSUES_FOUND + 1))
  fi
elif [[ $BRANCH == "master" ]] || [[ $BRANCH == "main" ]]; then
  echo "ℹ️  On $BRANCH branch (no Beads issue expected)"
else
  echo "ℹ️  On non-Beads branch: $BRANCH (custom branch, no issue tracking)"
fi

# Check 4: Feature-Key trailer in recent commits
echo ""
echo "📋 Checking Feature-Key trailers..."
RECENT_COMMIT=$(git log -1 --format=%B 2>/dev/null || echo "")
if [[ -n "$RECENT_COMMIT" ]] && ! echo "$RECENT_COMMIT" | grep -q "Feature-Key:"; then
  # Only warn if on feature branch
  if [[ $BRANCH =~ ^feature- ]]; then
    echo "⚠️  Recent commit missing Feature-Key trailer"
    echo "   Use sync-feature-branch skill for proper commit format"
    ISSUES_FOUND=$((ISSUES_FOUND + 1))
  else
    echo "✅ Not on feature branch (Feature-Key not required)"
  fi
else
  echo "✅ Feature-Key trailer present or not required"
fi

echo ""
echo "═══════════════════════════════════════"
if [[ $ISSUES_FOUND -eq 0 ]]; then
  echo "✅ All Beads checks passed! Healthy workflow."
  exit 0
else
  echo "❌ Found $ISSUES_FOUND Beads issue(s)"
  echo ""
  echo "Run: ~/.agent/skills/bd-doctor/fix.sh    # to auto-fix"
  exit 1
fi

Fix Script

#!/bin/bash
# ~/.agent/skills/bd-doctor/fix.sh

set -e

echo "🔧 Beads Doctor - Fixing issues..."

FIXED=0

# Fix 1: JSONL timestamp skew
echo ""
echo "📋 Fixing JSONL sync..."
if bd sync --dry-run 2>&1 | grep -q "JSONL is newer"; then
  echo "Running: bd export --force"
  bd export --force
  echo "✅ JSONL exported (timestamp skew resolved)"
  FIXED=$((FIXED + 1))
elif bd sync --dry-run 2>&1 | grep -q "Pushing directly to master is blocked"; then
  echo "Running: bd export --force (no push on master)"
  bd export --force
  echo "✅ JSONL exported without pushing to master"
  FIXED=$((FIXED + 1))
else
  echo "✅ JSONL already in sync"
fi

# Fix 2: Stage unstaged JSONL
echo ""
echo "📋 Staging Beads changes..."
if git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null | grep -q ".beads/issues.jsonl"; then
  echo "Running: git add .beads/issues.jsonl"
  git add .beads/issues.jsonl
  echo "✅ Beads JSONL staged"
  FIXED=$((FIXED + 1))
else
  echo "✅ No unstaged Beads changes"
fi

# Fix 3: Branch/Issue mismatch - can't auto-fix, only warn
BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "unknown")
if [[ $BRANCH =~ ^feature-bd-([a-z0-9]+) ]]; then
  ISSUE_ID="${BASH_REMATCH[1]}"
  if ! bd show "bd-$ISSUE_ID" &>/dev/null; then
    echo ""
    echo "⚠️  Cannot auto-fix: Branch feature-bd-$ISSUE_ID but issue bd-$ISSUE_ID not found"
    echo "   Manual action required:"
    echo "   - Create issue: bd create \"Task name\" --type task"
    echo "   - OR switch branch: git checkout feature-bd-{correct-id}"
  fi
fi

echo ""
echo "═══════════════════════════════════════"
if [[ $FIXED -eq 0 ]]; then
  echo "ℹ️  Nothing to fix (already healthy)"
else
  echo "✅ Fixed $FIXED Beads issue(s)"
  echo ""
  echo "Next: Verify with 'bd sync' or continue workflow"
fi

Usage Examples

Check Beads health

bd-doctor check

Auto-fix all Beads issues

bd-doctor fix

Agent workflow integration

Before bd sync:

bd-doctor check || bd-doctor fix
bd sync

Before committing:

bd-doctor check    # Verify JSONL staged, branch/issue aligned
git commit ...

When bd sync fails:

# Error: "JSONL is newer than database"
bd-doctor fix      # Auto-resolves with bd export --force
bd sync            # Should now succeed

Common Issues & Fixes

Issue 1: "JSONL is newer than database"

Cause: Beads daemon auto-exported between your changes and bd sync (timestamp skew) Fix: bd export --force then bd sync Prevention: bd-doctor auto-detects and fixes this

Issue 2: "Pushing directly to master is blocked"

Cause: Running bd sync on master branch (pre-push hook blocks) Fix: Use bd export --force on master (exports without pushing), or switch to feature branch Prevention: bd-doctor detects and guides to correct fix

Issue 3: Unstaged .beads/issues.jsonl

Cause: Beads operations modified JSONL but not staged for commit Fix: git add .beads/issues.jsonl Prevention: bd-doctor auto-stages when detected

Issue 4: Branch/Issue mismatch

Cause: On feature-bd-xyz but issue bd-xyz doesn't exist Fix: Create issue or switch to correct branch Prevention: bd-doctor warns early

Integration with Other Skills

sync-feature-branch Enhancement

Modify sync-feature-branch to call bd-doctor first:

1. Run bd-doctor check
2. If fails, run bd-doctor fix
3. Verify all checks pass
4. Proceed with commit

create-pull-request Enhancement

Call bd-doctor before creating PR:

1. Run bd-doctor check (ensure JSONL in sync)
2. Close Beads issue if work complete
3. Run bd export --force (atomic with code)
4. Create PR

Cross-Repo Deployment

This skill deploys to ~/.agent/skills/ and works across:

• ✅ All repos (prime-radiant-ai, affordabot, any Beads-enabled repo)
• ✅ All AI agents (Claude Code, Codex CLI, Antigravity)
• ✅ All VMs (shared via Universal Skills MCP)

Success Metrics

Baseline: 7 commits (10% of toil) wasted on Beads sync issues Target: <1 commit per 60-commit cycle Impact: ~30 minutes/month saved, reduced frustration

Notes

Design Philosophy:

• Auto-fix where possible (JSONL sync, staging)
• Clear guidance where manual action needed (branch/issue mismatch)
• Non-blocking checks (doesn't prevent work)
• Agent-friendly (clear messages, actionable commands)

Why not auto-amend commits?

• Multi-agent context: auto-amend causes history conflicts
• Explicit > Implicit: agents should explicitly sync via skills
• Skills provide control: invoke when needed, not on every commit

Complementary with:

• sync-feature-branch skill (commits with proper Beads metadata)
• create-pull-request skill (atomic JSONL merge pattern)