Upgrading bd

How to upgrade bd and keep your projects in sync.

Checking for Updates

# Current version
bd version

# What's new in recent versions
bd info --whats-new
bd info --whats-new --json  # Machine-readable

Upgrading

Use the command that matches your install method.

Install method	Platforms	Command
Quick install script	macOS, Linux, FreeBSD	curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveyegge/beads/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
PowerShell installer	Windows	irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveyegge/beads/main/install.ps1 | iex
Homebrew	macOS, Linux	brew upgrade beads
go install	macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Windows	go install github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd@latest
npm	macOS, Linux, Windows	npm update -g @beads/bd
bun	macOS, Linux, Windows	bun install -g --trust @beads/bd
From source (Unix shell)	macOS, Linux, FreeBSD	git pull && go build -o bd ./cmd/bd

Quick install script (macOS/Linux/FreeBSD)

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

PowerShell installer (Windows)

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/steveyegge/beads/main/install.ps1 | iex

Homebrew

brew upgrade beads

go install

go install github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd@latest

From Source

cd beads
git pull
go build -o bd ./cmd/bd
sudo mv bd /usr/local/bin/

After Upgrading

Important: After upgrading, update your hooks:

# 1. Check what changed
bd info --whats-new

# 2. Update git hooks to match new version
bd hooks install

# 3. Check for any outdated hooks
bd info  # Shows warnings if hooks are outdated

# 4. If using Dolt backend, restart the server
bd dolt stop && bd dolt start

Why update hooks? Git hooks are versioned with bd. Outdated hooks may miss new auto-sync features or bug fixes.

Database Migrations

After major upgrades, check for database migrations:

# Inspect migration plan (AI agents)
bd migrate --inspect --json

# Preview migration changes
bd migrate --dry-run

# Apply migrations
bd migrate

# Migrate and clean up old files
bd migrate --cleanup --yes

Troubleshooting Upgrades

Hooks out of date

bd hooks install

Database schema changed

bd migrate --dry-run
bd migrate

Import errors after upgrade

Check the import configuration:

bd config get import.orphan_handling
bd import -i backup.jsonl --orphan-handling allow