--- title: Troubleshooting description: Fixes for common bd problems across installation, the database and Dolt server, sync, git hooks, dependencies, and platform-specific issues. --- Common issues and solutions. For step-by-step runbooks, see the [Recovery section](/recovery/index). ## Installation Issues ### `bd: command not found` ```bash # Check if installed which bd go list -f {{.Target}} github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd # Add Go bin to PATH (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) export PATH="$PATH:$(go env GOPATH)/bin" # Or reinstall with the recommended installer curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gastownhall/beads/main/scripts/install.sh | bash ``` ### Wrong version of bd running If `bd version` shows an unexpected version (e.g., older than what you just installed), you likely have multiple `bd` binaries in your PATH: ```bash # Check all bd binaries in PATH which -a bd # Example output showing conflict: # /Users/you/go/bin/bd <- From go install (older) # /opt/homebrew/bin/bd <- From Homebrew (newer) # Remove the old go install version rm ~/go/bin/bd # Or remove mise-managed Go installs rm ~/.local/share/mise/installs/go/*/bin/bd # Verify which bd bd version ``` This happens when a binary from an earlier `go install` sits in `~/go/bin/` ahead of a newer package-manager install. Choose one installation method (Homebrew recommended) and stick with it. ### `zsh: killed bd` on macOS CGO/SQLite compatibility issue: ```bash CGO_ENABLED=1 GOFLAGS=-tags=gms_pure_go go install github.com/steveyegge/beads/cmd/bd@latest # Or if building from source git clone https://github.com/gastownhall/beads cd beads CGO_ENABLED=1 go build -tags gms_pure_go -o bd ./cmd/bd sudo mv bd /usr/local/bin/ ``` Homebrew builds already enable CGO, so this shouldn't be necessary there. If you still see crashes with the Homebrew version, please [file an issue](https://github.com/gastownhall/beads/issues). ### Permission denied ```bash chmod +x $(which bd) # Or install to a user directory instead mkdir -p ~/.local/bin mv bd ~/.local/bin/ export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH" ``` ### Antivirus flags bd as malware Kaspersky, Windows Defender, and others sometimes flag `bd` as a generic trojan. This is a **false positive** — Go binaries commonly trigger antivirus heuristics. Verify the binary's SHA256 checksum against the [GitHub release page](https://github.com/gastownhall/beads/releases) before adding an exclusion. See [Antivirus False Positives](/reference/antivirus) for per-vendor instructions. ## Database Issues ### Database not found ```bash # Initialize beads bd init --quiet # Or point bd at an existing .beads directory BEADS_DIR=/path/to/.beads bd list ``` ### Database locked ```bash # Stop the Dolt server if running (server mode) bd dolt stop # Find and kill hanging bd processes ps aux | grep bd kill # Try again bd list ``` Do NOT remove files inside `.dolt/` directories (including `noms/LOCK`). These are Dolt-internal files — removing them WILL cause unrecoverable data corruption. Dolt manages these files itself. For high-concurrency scenarios (multiple agents), server mode (`bd init --server`) handles concurrent access natively via `dolt sql-server`. ### `bd init` refuses to run `bd init` and `bd dolt` refuse operations that could destroy local or remote history, printing a pattern code such as `init-local-exists` or `pk-fork-refused`. Each code has a runbook — see [Recovery Playbooks](/recovery/init-safety). Export first (`bd export -o backup.jsonl`) if you intend to re-initialize over existing data. ### Corrupted database Distinguish **logical consistency issues** (ID collisions, wrong prefixes) from **physical database corruption** (disk failures, power loss, filesystem errors). For logical consistency issues — this is not corruption: ```bash bd doctor --fix ``` For physical corruption, rebuild from a Dolt remote or a backup: ```bash # Move the damaged data directory aside: mv .beads/embeddeddolt .beads/embeddeddolt.backup # embedded mode (default) mv .beads/dolt .beads/dolt.backup # server mode bd init bd dolt pull # Pull from Dolt remote if configured # Or restore from a backup: # bd backup restore [path] --force ``` See [Database Corruption](/recovery/database-corruption) for the full runbook. ### Dolt journal corruption after restart **Symptom (server mode):** After a system restart, `bd` reports that the Dolt server started but is not accepting connections, and `.beads/dolt-server.log` contains: ```text possible data loss detected in journal file at offset ...: corrupted journal ``` **Cause:** Dolt detected damaged journal blocks after an unclean shutdown. This is not the same as a stale PID, stale port, or stale lock file. `bd` will not run Dolt's data-loss repair mode automatically. **Safe recovery when your remote is current:** ```bash # Server mode data lives at .beads/dolt; embedded mode at .beads/embeddeddolt mv .beads/dolt .beads/dolt.corrupt.$(date +%Y%m%dT%H%M%S) bd bootstrap --dry-run bd bootstrap --yes bd stats ``` If the remote may be stale, keep the corrupt directory for forensics and inspect it with `dolt fsck` before considering `dolt fsck --revive-journal-with-data-loss`. Only use the revive path after reviewing Dolt's data-loss warning. ### `failed to import: issue already exists` You're trying to bootstrap a database with issues that conflict with existing ones. Clear the local database and re-initialize from an export: ```bash # DESTROYS the local database — export first if unsure rm -rf .beads/embeddeddolt # embedded mode (default) rm -rf .beads/dolt # server mode bd init --from-jsonl ``` ### Imported children whose parent is gone Bootstrapping from JSONL or pulling hierarchical issues (e.g., `bd-abc.1`) can land children whose parent `bd-abc` no longer exists — typically after `bd delete` on a parent, a branch merge where one side deleted it, or an incomplete import. Import accepts these orphans rather than failing, so the children still arrive and stay usable. Recreate the parent (or close out the orphaned children) once the import finishes. **Prevention:** use `bd delete --cascade` to also delete children, and review children first with `bd children `. ### Old data returns after reset `bd admin reset --force` only removes **local** beads data. Old issues can return from configured Dolt remotes or from other machines that push after you reset. For a complete clean slate, reset every clone (or clear the remote's beads data) before re-running `bd init`. If you previously used the removed legacy sync-branch feature, also delete its branch and worktrees — see [Worktrees: Legacy Cleanup](/reference/worktrees#legacy-cleanup). ### `bd` shows 0 issues but the database has data **Symptom (server mode):** All `bd` commands return empty results even though your data exists. **Cause:** `bd` is connecting to a different Dolt server or database than expected — an empty "shadow" database on the wrong server. **Diagnosis:** ```bash # Check what mode and server bd is using cat .beads/metadata.json | grep -E "dolt_mode|dolt_server_port" # Run server-mode health checks bd doctor --server # Confirm what the connected database contains bd sql 'SELECT COUNT(*) FROM issues' ``` **Fix:** ensure your Dolt server is running from the correct data directory and that `metadata.json` points at the right server and port. If a stale `.beads/dolt/` directory exists alongside an external-server configuration, it can shadow the real database — confirm your real data lives on the server before removing the stale directory. ### Configured server unreachable (auto-start disabled) **Symptom (server mode):** commands fail with "Dolt server unreachable at 127.0.0.1:3307", and bd says that `dolt_server_port` (or `BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_PORT`) declares that server externally managed, so it did not start one. **Cause:** When `metadata.json` has an explicit `dolt_server_port`, or the environment sets `BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_PORT`, bd treats the server as externally managed and intentionally disables auto-start — spawning a different server would create a shadow database. A `dolt_server_port` does so even when `config.yaml`'s `dolt.port` chose the port; bd then says the setting declares this workspace's server externally managed without claiming it names the endpoint. After a command reaches the server, bd records its port in `.beads/dolt-server.port`, which outranks `dolt_server_port`. `bd dolt set port` leaves that file alone, so when the file chose the port bd names it: remove it and bd falls back to the next configured port: `dolt_server_port`, unless `config.yaml`'s `dolt.port` or the data directory's `listener.port` names another. When one of those names the file's own port, removing the file changes nothing, so bd does not name it. **Fix:** start the server that should be listening there, with its own data directory. Unless that server is bd's own over `.beads/dolt` (for example one you started with `bd dolt start` after `bd dolt set port`), `bd dolt start` is not it: it would start one of bd's own over `.beads/dolt` on the same port. ```bash dolt sql-server --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3307 --data-dir /path/to/your/dolt/data ``` If you want auto-start behavior, remove `dolt_server_port` from `.beads/metadata.json`, and unset `BEADS_DOLT_SERVER_MODE` or a port variable if one also declares the server externally managed. ### Port conflicts with multiple projects **Symptom (server mode):** Commands in a second project fail or connect to the wrong database, and multiple `dolt sql-server` processes are running. **Cause:** Each server-mode project starts its own Dolt server by default, which can conflict on machines with many projects. **Fix:** Enable shared server mode so all projects use a single Dolt server: ```bash # Option 1: Machine-wide (add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc) export BEADS_DOLT_SHARED_SERVER=1 # Option 2: Per-project bd config set dolt.shared-server true ``` After enabling, existing projects may need `bd init --reinit-local -q` to create their database on the shared server. **Verify:** `bd dolt status` from any project should show the same server, port 3308, and `~/.beads/shared-server/` as the data directory. ### Multiple databases detected warning bd warns when it finds more than one `.beads` directory in your directory hierarchy, marking the one in use with `▶` (usually the closest to your current directory). Multiple databases risk working in the wrong one or tracking the same work twice. - **Nested projects (intentional):** this is supported — just note which database is active, or pin it explicitly. - **Accidental duplicates:** export from the unwanted database (`bd export -o issue-export.jsonl`), then remove its `.beads` directory. - **Override selection:** ```bash # Point bd at a specific .beads directory (recommended) export BEADS_DIR=/path/to/.beads # Legacy method (deprecated, points at the database file directly) export BEADS_DB=/path/to/db ``` ### Circuit breaker: "server appears down, failing fast" **Symptom (server mode):** Every `bd` command fails with `dolt circuit breaker is open: server appears down, failing fast (cooldown 30s)`, persisting across repeated invocations. **Cause:** The circuit breaker tripped after repeated connection failures. Its state lives in a file under `/tmp/beads-circuit/` (named `beads-dolt-circuit--[-].json`, keyed on host:port) and is shared across all `bd` processes. Once tripped, all commands to that host:port are rejected until a successful probe resets it. For beads-managed local servers, `bd dolt status` reports from the server's PID file — a "running" status does not guarantee the server is actually accepting connections on the expected port. **Diagnosis:** ```bash # Check circuit breaker state cat /tmp/beads-circuit/beads-dolt-circuit-*.json # Check if the Dolt server is actually listening lsof -i : # Compare the configured port with what's running cat .beads/metadata.json | grep port ``` **Fix:** ```bash rm /tmp/beads-circuit/beads-dolt-circuit-*.json bd dolt stop bd dolt start bd list ``` On macOS, `/tmp` is a symlink to `/private/tmp`, which is not always cleared on restart — the state file can persist across reboots. ## Dolt Server Issues ### Server not starting ```bash # Check server health bd doctor # Check server logs (server mode; embedded mode runs in-process, no server log) cat .beads/dolt-server.log # Restart the server bd dolt stop bd dolt start ``` ### Version mismatch After upgrading bd: ```bash bd dolt stop bd dolt start ``` ### Proxied-server mode: "dolt is older than the recommended minimum" warning Managed proxied-server mode spawns an external `dolt` CLI it finds via `BEADS_DOLT_BIN` or PATH (in that order — see [Environment Variables](/reference/configuration#environment-variables); a clone-local sidecar setting will slot between the two when the sidecar reader lands in contract part 2). On startup it probes that binary with `dolt version` and recommends **dolt >= 2.5.0** (the embedded engine `bd` links, and the release CI pins, is 2.5.1). Older releases have known problems: - Dolt 2.4.0 through 2.4.2 return no row for an ungrouped `MAX` or `MIN` over an unmatched primary-key prefix (dolthub/dolt#12093). - Dolt before 2.4.0 has a join bug that returns wrong results (dolthub/dolt#11886). - Dolt before 2.3.3 cannot write to a database holding a descending index column (dolthub/dolt#11746). Every database `bd` creates in embedded mode holds one, and so does any database whose schema a `dolt sql-server` 2.3.3 or newer created. On such a database an `UPDATE` or `DELETE` on `issues`, which `bd create` and `bd update` both run, fails with `cannot add or update a child row: a foreign key constraint fails` on `fk_comp_snap_issue`. Other writes and `information_schema` queries fail with `table has unknown fields`. [Which Dolt version to install](/architecture/dolt#which-dolt-version-to-install) records the dated measurements. (Earlier, the 2026-07-25 cross-version matrix had found that dolt < 2.0.0 cannot even *read* storage the module wrote.) This is a warning, not a hard failure — there is deliberately no hard version floor, so an older dolt can still be used at your own risk. To resolve it, install the pinned dolt version — see [Which Dolt version to install](/architecture/dolt#which-dolt-version-to-install) — and either update PATH or set `BEADS_DOLT_BIN` to the new binary's path. Install that specific version rather than `latest`: the pin is the release measured clean for a [separate data-operation defect](/architecture/dolt#which-dolt-version-to-install), and `releases/latest` can move to an unmeasured release. The advisory repeats at most once per day, not on every command: the probe result and the warning timestamp are cached (keyed by the binary's path, size, and mtime, in the user cache directory), so day-to-day `bd` use stays quiet while the reminder still resurfaces until the binary is upgraded. Upgrading or replacing the dolt binary re-probes immediately. If the probe can't parse `dolt version`'s output at all (most commonly a dev/custom build with non-standard version output), that also only warns — proxied-server mode still starts, since an unparseable version means "we don't know", not "this is definitely broken". A genuinely missing or broken `dolt` binary (not found, not executable, or the probe itself fails/times out) is a hard error, not a warning. ### Prefix routing: "proxy server store needs to be uow provider" A lookup routed through the orchestrator's `routes.jsonl` prefix routes fails with this error when the rig that owns the prefix is itself running in proxied-server mode — routed reads cannot open a proxied-server rig. In an all-proxied shared-server topology that applies to every routed target, so cross-rig bead gates and a plain `bd show ` both dead-end here. Run the command from the owning rig's own workspace instead, where the ID resolves locally rather than through a route. Tracked in [#5861](https://github.com/gastownhall/beads/issues/5861). ## Sync Issues ### Changes not syncing ```bash # Force push to Dolt remote bd dolt push # Check hooks bd hooks list ``` ### Recovery from backup ```bash # Restore from a Dolt backup bd backup restore [path] --force # Or pull from Dolt remote bd dolt pull ``` ### Merge conflicts Dolt merges at the cell level, so concurrent changes conflict only when they touch the same field of the same issue. Hash-based IDs mean different issues never collide on ID. ```bash # Check for and fix Dolt conflicts bd doctor --fix # Re-push bd dolt push ``` See [Merge Conflicts](/recovery/merge-conflicts) for the full runbook. ## Git Hook Issues ### Hooks not running ```bash # Check if installed ls -la .git/hooks/ # Reinstall bd hooks install ``` ### Hook errors ```bash # Check hook script cat .git/hooks/pre-commit # Run manually .git/hooks/pre-commit ``` ### Hook timeout kills chained pre-commit hooks **Symptom:** After `bd hooks install`, chained pre-commit hooks (eslint, prettier, ruff, etc.) stop running, with: `beads: hook 'pre-commit' timed out after 300s -- continuing without beads`. **Cause:** The beads hook shim wraps `bd hooks run` with an OS-level timeout. Since `bd hooks run` chains to your original hook internally, the timeout covers both beads' own work and your entire hook pipeline. **Fix:** Increase the timeout (default 300 seconds): ```bash # Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc export BEADS_HOOK_TIMEOUT=600 # 10 minutes (in seconds) ``` The value must be a positive whole number of seconds. Invalid values and zero warn and fall back to 300 seconds. Beads accepts `timeout` or `gtimeout` only when a successful version probe identifies GNU coreutils or uutils coreutils; native Windows `timeout.exe` is not compatible. If neither a coreutils timeout nor Perl is available, the hook warns that it is running directly without a deadline. The coreutils helper sends `TERM`; on POSIX hosts, Perl's alarm applies to the direct `bd` process. Git for Windows Perl does not guarantee that alarm across `exec`, so a coreutils `timeout` (GNU or uutils) is preferred there. TERM-resistant work and descendant processes are not guaranteed to stop. Already-installed hook sections are not refreshed automatically. After upgrading to a version that changed the timeout probe — the name-only check, or the uutils coreutils banner — run `bd hooks install` once to refresh existing canonical sections. ### Permission denied on git hooks Git hooks need execute permissions: ```bash chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-commit chmod +x .git/hooks/post-merge chmod +x .git/hooks/post-checkout ``` ### Corrupted symlinked `CLAUDE.md` **Symptom:** Git reports `CLAUDE.md` as a symlink entry (mode `120000`), but the indexed blob contains multi-line Markdown instead of a one-line symlink target. On macOS this can make clones or checkouts fail. This affects repositories corrupted by older setup behavior (fixed in [#4192](https://github.com/gastownhall/beads/pull/4192)). To repair an existing bad index entry: ```bash # Confirm the bad entry: mode 120000 but Markdown content git ls-files -s CLAUDE.md git cat-file -p :CLAUDE.md | sed -n '1,5p' # Convert the blob to a regular tracked file without changing content sha=$(git rev-parse :CLAUDE.md) git update-index --cacheinfo 100644,$sha,CLAUDE.md git checkout-index -f -- CLAUDE.md # Verify: first column should now be 100644 git ls-files -s CLAUDE.md git diff -- CLAUDE.md ``` Commit the mode repair after review. ### "Branch already checked out" or unexpected `.git/beads-worktrees/` Older beads versions created hidden git worktrees for a removed sync-branch feature; leftovers can lock branches (`fatal: 'main' is already checked out at .../beads-worktrees/...`). Remove them: ```bash rm -rf .git/beads-worktrees rm -rf .git/worktrees/beads-* git worktree prune ``` See [Worktrees: Legacy Cleanup](/reference/worktrees#legacy-cleanup). ## Dependency Issues ### `bd ready` shows nothing but I have open issues Those issues probably have open blockers: ```bash # See blocked issues bd blocked # Show the dependency tree (default max depth: 50) bd dep tree bd dep tree --max-depth 10 # Remove a blocking dependency if needed bd dep remove

``` Remember: only `blocks` dependencies affect ready work. ### Circular dependencies bd prevents dependency cycles, which break ready work detection: ```bash # Detect cycles bd dep cycles # Remove one dependency bd dep remove bd-A bd-B ``` See [Circular Dependencies](/recovery/circular-dependencies) for the full runbook. ### Dependencies not showing up ```bash # Show full issue details including dependencies bd show # Visualize the dependency tree bd dep tree ``` Different dependency types have different meanings — only `blocks` gates ready work. See [Dependencies](/core-concepts/dependencies). ## Performance Issues ### Slow queries ```bash # Check database stats bd stats # Check on-disk size du -sh .beads/embeddeddolt # embedded mode (default) du -sh .beads/dolt # server mode # Preview compaction candidates bd admin compact --dry-run --all # Compact if large bd admin compact --analyze ``` Consider splitting very large projects into multiple databases: ```bash cd ~/project/component1 && bd init --prefix comp1 cd ~/project/component2 && bd init --prefix comp2 ``` ### High memory usage ```bash # Run Dolt garbage collection to compact storage bd admin compact --dolt ``` If this or `bd flatten` stops with `Error 1105 (HY000): context canceled`, see [Storage reclaim fails with "context canceled"](#storage-reclaim-fails-with-context-canceled) below. ### Storage reclaim fails with "context canceled" `bd flatten` and the Dolt-history compaction in `bd admin compact` finish by hard-resetting `main` onto a temporary branch; the merge-settle path behind `bd dolt pull` / `bd sync` falls back to a hard reset when it abandons a merge. On Dolt 2.3.x a few percent of freshly created databases come up with `CALL DOLT_RESET('--hard')` broken for the life of the server process, so on an affected database those commands stop with: ``` Error 1105 (HY000): context canceled ``` Nothing else looks wrong — ordinary queries, commits, soft resets, `CALL DOLT_CLEAN()` and `CALL DOLT_CHECKOUT('.')` all still work — so the problem only shows up when something needs a hard reset. Confirm with the check in [Which Dolt version to install](/architecture/dolt#which-dolt-version-to-install), which also covers the fix: restarting `dolt sql-server` clears it for now, and installing the pinned Dolt version keeps it clear. This applies to server and proxied-server mode, which use the standalone `dolt` CLI. Embedded mode links its own Dolt engine at the version pinned in `go.mod` and is not affected by which `dolt` CLI is on your PATH. ## Agent Issues ### Agent creates duplicate issues Agents may not realize an issue already exists. Prevention strategies: - Have agents search first: `bd list --json | grep "title"` - Label auto-created issues: `bd create "..." -l auto-generated` - Consolidate duplicates: `bd duplicate --of ` closes the duplicate with a reference to the canonical issue ### Agent gets confused by complex dependencies Simplify the dependency structure: ```bash # Check for overly complex trees bd dep tree # Remove unnecessary dependencies bd dep remove

# Use labels instead of dependencies for loose relationships bd label add related-to-feature-X ``` ### MCP server not working ```bash # Verify the MCP server is installed pip list | grep beads-mcp # Check MCP configuration (Claude Desktop on macOS) cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json # Test that the CLI itself works bd version bd ready bd doctor ``` See [MCP Server](/integrations/mcp-server) for setup and configuration. ### Sandboxed environments (Codex, Claude Code, etc.) Sandboxes that restrict process and network permissions can prevent bd from controlling a Dolt server, causing persistent "database out of sync" errors or `bd dolt stop` failing with "operation not permitted". bd auto-detects sandboxed environments and prints `Sandbox detected, using direct mode`. If auto-detection fails, pass the global `--sandbox` flag explicitly: ```bash bd --sandbox ready bd --sandbox create "Fix bug" -p 1 ``` Sandbox mode disables Dolt auto-push so bd works without server control or network access. Sync manually once outside the sandbox: ```bash bd dolt push ``` If staleness errors persist, `bd doctor --fix` forces a metadata refresh (low risk — it updates tracking metadata, not issues). Background: [GH#353](https://github.com/gastownhall/beads/issues/353). ## Platform-Specific Issues ### Windows: Path issues ```pwsh # Check if bd.exe is in PATH where.exe bd # Add Go bin to PATH (permanently) [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable( "Path", $env:Path + ";$env:USERPROFILE\go\bin", [EnvironmentVariableTarget]::User ) # Reload PATH in current session $env:Path = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") ``` ### Windows: Firewall blocking the Dolt server In server mode, the Dolt server listens on loopback TCP. Allow `bd.exe` through Windows Firewall: Windows Security → Firewall & network protection → "Allow an app through firewall" → add `bd.exe` for Private networks. ### Windows: Controlled Folder Access blocks `bd init` **Symptom:** `bd init` hangs indefinitely with high CPU usage, and CTRL+C doesn't work. Controlled Folder Access may block bd without showing a notification, making this hard to diagnose without the `-v` flag: ```pwsh bd init -v # Error: failed to create .beads directory: mkdir .beads: The system cannot find the file specified ``` **Solution:** Whitelist `bd.exe`: Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Ransomware protection → Controlled folder access → "Allow an app through Controlled folder access" → browse to `bd.exe` (typically `%USERPROFILE%\go\bin\bd.exe`). Then retry `bd init`. ### Windows: `ENOENT` when a Node program spawns `bd` **Symptom:** An editor extension, MCP server, or script that shells out to `bd` fails on Windows with `spawn bd ENOENT`, even though `bd` runs fine in the same terminal. The npm package installs `bd` as a generated `bd.cmd` shim, not as an executable named `bd`. Node's `execFile()` and `spawn()` run their target directly instead of through a shell, so they never apply the `PATHEXT` resolution that finds `bd.cmd` — and a batch file is not directly executable in the first place. **Solution:** Name the shim explicitly and give it a shell: ```js const { execFile } = require('node:child_process'); const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32'; execFile( isWindows ? 'bd.cmd' : 'bd', ['ready', '--json'], { shell: isWindows }, (err, stdout) => { /* ... */ }, ); ``` To avoid a shell — and the argument quoting that comes with it — spawn the native binary the shim wraps, at `node_modules/@beads/bd/bin/bd.exe`. ### Windows: `/tmp` paths silently land in the drive root **Symptom:** A `bd` command given a `/tmp/...` path reports success, but the file is not where you look for it — it was written to `C:\tmp\...`. `bd.exe` is a native Windows binary and does not share Git Bash's emulated POSIX filesystem. When a literal `/tmp/...` string reaches `bd`, it resolves against the current drive root. In a default interactive Git Bash this usually does *not* happen — Git for Windows converts standalone POSIX-path arguments to Windows paths before `bd.exe` sees them. The trap appears when that conversion is out of play: - `MSYS_NO_PATHCONV=1` or `MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL` is set (common in Docker-heavy environments) - the path comes from a config value or a file, not a command-line argument - `bd` is spawned by a non-MSYS parent — a Node script, editor extension, or MCP server — which passes the string through verbatim: ```js // From Node on Windows: no path conversion happens execFile('bd.cmd', ['export', '-o', '/tmp/issues.jsonl'], { shell: true }, ...); // bd writes C:\tmp\issues.jsonl — and exits 0 ``` **Solution:** Hand `bd` a Windows path — `os.tmpdir()` from Node, `"$(cygpath -w /tmp)\issues.jsonl"` from Git Bash scripts. This applies to any path argument, including `--db` and config values. ### macOS: Gatekeeper blocking execution 1. Verify the downloaded binary checksum matches the release `checksums.txt`. 2. If you used `scripts/install.sh`, note that macOS ad-hoc re-signing is opt-in (`BEADS_INSTALL_RESIGN_MACOS=1`). 3. Approve the binary: ```bash # Remove quarantine attribute xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/bd # Or: System Preferences → Security & Privacy → General → "Allow anyway" ``` ## Debug Environment Variables bd supports environment variables for debugging specific subsystems. Enable them when troubleshooting or when requested by maintainers. | Variable | Purpose | Output | |----------|---------|--------| | `BD_DEBUG` | General debug logging | stderr | | `BD_DEBUG_RPC` | RPC communication between CLI and Dolt server | stderr | | `BD_DEBUG_SYNC` | Sync and import timestamp protection | stderr | | `BD_DEBUG_ROUTING` | Issue routing and multi-repo resolution | stderr | | `BD_DEBUG_FRESHNESS` | Database file replacement detection | server log | Set any of them to `1` to enable; `unset` to disable. ```bash # General debugging BD_DEBUG=1 bd ready # Capture debug output to a file BD_DEBUG=1 bd dolt push 2> debug.log # Sync timestamp protection, e.g.: # [debug] Protected bd-123: local=2024-01-20T10:00:00Z >= incoming=2024-01-20T09:55:00Z BD_DEBUG_SYNC=1 bd dolt push # Freshness output goes to the server log (server mode), not stderr BD_DEBUG_FRESHNESS=1 bd dolt start tail -f .beads/dolt-server.log | grep freshness ``` For multi-repo routing configuration, see [Routing](/multi-agent/routing). ## Getting Help ### Debug output ```bash bd --verbose list ``` ### Logs ```bash # Server mode (embedded mode runs in-process, no server log) cat .beads/dolt-server.log ``` ### System info ```bash bd info --json ``` ### File an issue ```bash # Include this info bd version bd info --json uname -a ``` Report at: https://github.com/gastownhall/beads/issues — or ask in [GitHub Discussions](https://github.com/gastownhall/beads/discussions).