Is Beads — Memory Upgrade Layer for Coding Agents free to use?

Yes. Beads — Memory Upgrade Layer for Coding Agents is freely available on TokRepo. Check the Source & Thanks section on the asset page for the specific open-source license.

How do I install Beads — Memory Upgrade Layer for Coding Agents?

Visit the asset page on TokRepo and click "Copy for agent" to get the installation instructions. Most assets can be installed with a single command.

SkillsMay 11, 2026·2 min read

Beads — Memory Upgrade Layer for Coding Agents

Beads adds persistent, structured memory for coding agents via a dependency-aware graph and a CLI, keeping long-horizon tasks on track across runs.

Script Depot · Community

Agent ready

This asset can be read and installed directly by agents

TokRepo exposes a universal CLI command, install contract, metadata JSON, adapter-aware plan, and raw content links so agents can judge fit, risk, and next actions.

Needs Confirmation · 64/100Policy: confirm

Agent surface

Any MCP/CLI agent

Kind

Skill

Install

Single

Trust

Trust: Established

Entrypoint

Asset

Universal CLI install command

npx tokrepo install 5c4ed407-394d-459f-9266-e76363bf09ca

install contract metadata JSON adapter plan raw content

Intro

Beads adds persistent, structured memory for coding agents via a dependency-aware graph and a CLI, keeping long-horizon tasks on track across runs.

Best for: Coding agents that need durable task state (issues, dependencies, claims) instead of losing context between runs
Works with: CLI-first workflow; integrates with multiple agent/IDE setups (see README)
Setup time: 12 minutes

How to Use It Well

Setup time ~12 minutes (install CLI + bd init in one repo)
Persistent graph beats markdown plans for long-horizon work (dependencies, status, claims)
GitHub stars + forks (verified): see Source & Thanks

Treat memory as a data structure, not prose. If an agent can query a graph (what’s blocked, what’s claimed, what changed), it can plan more reliably and avoid re-deriving the same context every run.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to clone the repo into my project? A: No. The README recommends installing the CLI system-wide and using it across repos.

Q: What’s the first command to learn? A: bd prime (or equivalent) to get workflow context, then bd show/update/close for issue lifecycle.

Q: Is it tied to one agent? A: No. The README mentions multiple integrations (Codex, Claude, Cursor, etc.); use the setup that matches your tool.

🙏

Source & Thanks

Source: https://github.com/gastownhall/beads > License: MIT > GitHub stars: 23,532 · forks: 1,554

Discussion

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