Workflows - Beads — ContextQMD

Repeatable multi-step work — a release checklist, a feature pipeline, a review process — shouldn't be re-planned by hand every time. Beads lets you declare the shape once and instantiate it on demand: a formula (TOML source) is cooked into a proto (template), and the proto is poured into a molecule — real beads whose steps flow through bd ready like any other work. The full pipeline is diagrammed in How Beads Works.

bash

bd formula list                    # formulas visible on the search paths
bd cook release.formula.toml       # compile the formula into a proto
bd mol pour release --var version=1.2.0   # instantiate real work
bd ready --mol <mol-id>            # which steps can run right now

The three phases, in the chemistry metaphor the CLI uses:

Phase	What it is	Lifecycle
Proto (solid)	template epic with `{{variables}}`, carries the `template` label	reusable, not live work
Molecule (liquid)	persistent beads poured from a proto (`bd mol pour`)	synced like any bead
Wisp (vapor)	ephemeral instantiation (`bd mol wisp`)	excluded from federation push by default; deleted by `bd purge`

Pages in this section

Molecules — instantiated work graphs: pouring, inspecting, bonding, and squashing molecules.
Formulas — the TOML/JSON source format: steps, needs dependencies, variables, and composition rules.
Gates — async wait conditions (human, timer, GitHub run/PR, cross-rig bead) that park a step until the world catches up.
Wisps — ephemeral molecules for transient operational work that shouldn't clutter history.
TODO Command — bd todo, the lightweight interface for managing TODO items as task beads.