bd cook

Generated from bd help --doc cook

Cook transforms a .formula.json file into a proto.

By default, cook outputs the resolved formula as JSON to stdout for ephemeral use. The output can be inspected, piped, or saved to a file.

Two cooking modes are available:

COMPILE-TIME (default, --mode=compile): Produces a proto with {{variable}} placeholders intact. Use for: modeling, estimation, contractor handoff, planning. Variables are NOT substituted - the output shows the template structure.

RUNTIME (--mode=runtime or when --var flags provided): Produces a fully-resolved proto with variables substituted. Use for: final validation before pour, seeing exact output. Requires all variables to have values (via --var or defaults).

Formulas are high-level workflow templates that support:

Variable definitions with defaults and validation
Step definitions that become issue hierarchies
Composition rules for bonding formulas together
Inheritance via extends

The --persist flag enables the legacy behavior of writing the proto to the database. This is useful when you want to reuse the same proto multiple times without re-cooking.

For most workflows, prefer ephemeral protos: pour and wisp commands accept formula names directly and cook inline.

Examples: bd cook mol-feature.formula.json # Compile-time: keep {{vars}} bd cook mol-feature --var name=auth # Runtime: substitute vars bd cook mol-feature --mode=runtime --var name=auth # Explicit runtime mode bd cook mol-feature --dry-run # Preview steps bd cook mol-release.formula.json --persist # Write to database bd cook mol-release.formula.json --persist --force # Replace existing

Output (default): JSON representation of the resolved formula with all steps.

Output (--persist): Creates a proto bead in the database with:

ID matching the formula name (e.g., mol-feature)
The "template" label for proto identification
Child issues for each step
Dependencies matching depends_on relationships

bd cook <formula-file> [flags]

Flags:

      --dry-run               Preview what would be created
      --force                 Replace existing proto if it exists (requires --persist)
      --mode string           Cooking mode: compile (keep placeholders) or runtime (substitute vars)
      --persist               Persist proto to database (legacy behavior)
      --prefix string         Prefix to prepend to proto ID (e.g., 'gt-' creates 'gt-mol-feature')
      --search-path strings   Additional paths to search for formula inheritance
      --var stringArray       Variable substitution (key=value), enables runtime mode