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Aider Integration

How to use beads with Aider.

Setup​

Quick Setup​

bd setup aider

This creates/updates .aider.conf.yml with beads context.

Verify Setup​

bd setup aider --check

Configuration​

The setup adds to .aider.conf.yml:

# Beads integration
read:
  - .beads/issues.jsonl

# Optional: Auto-run bd prime
auto-commits: false

Workflow​

Start Session​

# Aider will have access to issues via .aider.conf.yml
aider

# Or manually inject context
bd prime | aider --message-file -

During Work​

Use bd commands alongside aider:

# In another terminal or after exiting aider
bd create "Found bug during work" --deps discovered-from:bd-42 --json
bd update bd-42 --status in_progress
bd ready

End Session​

bd sync

Best Practices​

  1. Keep issues visible - Aider reads .beads/issues.jsonl
  2. Sync regularly - Run bd sync after significant changes
  3. Use discovered-from - Track issues found during work
  4. Document context - Include descriptions in issues

Example Workflow​

# 1. Check ready work
bd ready

# 2. Start aider with issue context
aider --message "Working on bd-42: Fix auth bug"

# 3. Work in aider...

# 4. Create discovered issues
bd create "Found related bug" --deps discovered-from:bd-42 --json

# 5. Complete and sync
bd close bd-42 --reason "Fixed"
bd sync

Troubleshooting​

Config not loading​

# Check config exists
cat .aider.conf.yml

# Regenerate
bd setup aider

Issues not visible​

# Check JSONL exists
ls -la .beads/issues.jsonl

# Export if missing
bd export

See Also​