tracking

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Tracks complex, multi-session work using the Beads issue tracker and dependency graphs, and provides persistent memory that survives conversation compaction. Use when work spans multiple sessions, has complex dependencies, or needs persistent context across compaction cycles. Trigger with phrases like "create task for", "what's ready to work on", "show task", "track this work", "what's blocking", or "update status". MUST load maestro-core skill first for routing.

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[Memory and Context Management]

When & Why to Use This Skill

The Tracking skill is a sophisticated persistent memory and task management system designed for AI agents to handle complex, multi-session workflows. By utilizing the Beads issue tracker and dependency graphs, it ensures that critical project context, task statuses, and blockers survive conversation compaction and context window resets. It provides a structured 'source of truth' for long-running projects, allowing agents to resume work seamlessly across different sessions with full awareness of historical progress and dependencies.

Use Cases

  • Managing long-term software development projects where work spans multiple days and requires context preservation across AI session restarts.
  • Orchestrating complex tasks with intricate dependency chains, ensuring that agents prioritize work based on what is 'ready' and what is 'blocking'.
  • Maintaining a persistent audit trail of progress through detailed notes that remain accessible even after the chat history has been compacted or cleared.
  • Syncing agent-led task progress with remote git repositories to facilitate collaborative workflows between human developers and AI agents.
nametracking
description>
version"2.2.0"

Prerequisites

  • Load maestro-core first - maestro-core for routing table and fallback policies
  • Routing and fallback policies are defined in AGENTS.md.

Tracking - Persistent Memory for AI Agents

Graph-based issue tracker that survives conversation compaction. Provides persistent memory for multi-session work with complex dependencies.

Entry Points

Trigger Reference Action
bd, beads references/workflow.md Core CLI operations
fb, file-beads references/FILE_BEADS.md File beads from plan → auto-orchestration
rb, review-beads references/REVIEW_BEADS.md Review filed beads

Quick Decision

bd vs TodoWrite:

  • "Will I need this in 2 weeks?" → YES = bd
  • "Could history get compacted?" → YES = bd
  • "Has blockers/dependencies?" → YES = bd
  • "Done this session?" → YES = TodoWrite

Rule: If resuming in 2 weeks would be hard without bd, use bd.

Essential Commands

Command Purpose
bd ready Show tasks ready to work on
bd create "Title" -p 1 Create new task
bd show <id> View task details
bd update <id> --status in_progress Start working
bd update <id> --notes "Progress" Add progress notes
bd close <id> --reason completed Complete task
bd dep add <child> <parent> Add dependency
bd sync Sync with git remote

Session Protocol

  1. Start: bd ready → pick highest priority → bd show <id> → update to in_progress
  2. Work: Add notes frequently (critical for compaction survival)
  3. End: Close finished work → bd sync → git push

Reference Files

Category Files
Workflows workflow.md, WORKFLOWS.md, FILE_BEADS.md, REVIEW_BEADS.md
CLI CLI_REFERENCE.md, DEPENDENCIES.md, LABELS.md
Integration conductor-integration.md, VILLAGE.md, GIT_INTEGRATION.md
Operations AGENTS.md, RESUMABILITY.md, TROUBLESHOOTING.md

Anti-Patterns

  • ❌ Using TodoWrite for multi-session work
  • ❌ Forgetting to add notes (loses context on compaction)
  • ❌ Not running bd sync before ending session
  • ❌ Creating beads for trivial single-session tasks