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Junie Integration

How to use beads with Junie (JetBrains AI Agent).

Setup​

Quick Setup​

bd setup junie

This creates:

  • .junie/guidelines.md - Agent instructions for beads workflow
  • .junie/mcp/mcp.json - MCP server configuration

Verify Setup​

bd setup junie --check

How It Works​

  1. Session starts → Junie reads .junie/guidelines.md for workflow context
  2. MCP tools available → Junie can use beads MCP tools directly
  3. You work → Use bd CLI commands or MCP tools
  4. Session ends → Run bd sync to save work to git

Configuration Files​

Guidelines (.junie/guidelines.md)​

Contains workflow instructions that Junie reads automatically:

  • Core workflow rules
  • Command reference
  • Issue types and priorities
  • MCP tool documentation

MCP Config (.junie/mcp/mcp.json)​

Configures the beads MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "beads": {
      "command": "bd",
      "args": ["mcp"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Tools​

With MCP configured, Junie can use these tools directly:

ToolDescription
mcp_beads_readyFind tasks ready for work
mcp_beads_listList issues with filters
mcp_beads_showShow issue details
mcp_beads_createCreate new issues
mcp_beads_updateUpdate issue status/priority
mcp_beads_closeClose completed issues
mcp_beads_depManage dependencies
mcp_beads_blockedShow blocked issues
mcp_beads_statsGet issue statistics

CLI Commands​

You can also use the bd CLI directly:

Creating Issues​

# Always include description for context
bd create "Fix authentication bug" \
  --description="Login fails with special characters in password" \
  -t bug -p 1 --json

# Link discovered issues
bd create "Found SQL injection" \
  --description="User input not sanitized in query builder" \
  --deps discovered-from:bd-42 --json

Working on Issues​

# Find ready work
bd ready --json

# Start work
bd update bd-42 --status in_progress --json

# Complete work
bd close bd-42 --reason "Fixed in commit abc123" --json

Querying​

# List open issues
bd list --status open --json

# Show issue details
bd show bd-42 --json

# Check blocked issues
bd blocked --json

Syncing​

# ALWAYS run at session end
bd sync

Best Practices​

Always Use --json​

bd list --json          # Parse programmatically
bd create "Task" --json # Get issue ID from output
bd show bd-42 --json    # Structured data

Always Include Descriptions​

# Good
bd create "Fix auth bug" \
  --description="Login fails when password contains quotes" \
  -t bug -p 1 --json

# Bad - no context for future work
bd create "Fix auth bug" -t bug -p 1 --json
# When you discover issues during work
bd create "Found related bug" \
  --deps discovered-from:bd-current --json

Sync Before Session End​

# ALWAYS run before ending
bd sync

Troubleshooting​

Guidelines not loaded​

# Check setup
bd setup junie --check

# Reinstall if needed
bd setup junie

MCP tools not available​

# Verify MCP config exists
cat .junie/mcp/mcp.json

# Test MCP server
bd mcp --help

Changes not syncing​

# Force sync
bd sync

# Check system health
bd doctor

Database not found​

# Initialize beads
bd init --quiet

Removing Integration​

bd setup junie --remove

This removes:

  • .junie/guidelines.md
  • .junie/mcp/mcp.json
  • Empty .junie/mcp/ and .junie/ directories

See Also​