> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://beads.gascity.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # bd dep > Manage dependencies Generated from `bd help --doc dep`. Manage dependencies between issues. When called with an issue ID and --blocks flag, creates a blocking dependency: bd dep \ --blocks \ This is equivalent to: bd dep add \ \ Examples: bd dep bd-xyz --blocks bd-abc # bd-xyz blocks bd-abc bd dep add bd-abc bd-xyz # Same as above (bd-abc depends on bd-xyz) ``` bd dep [issue-id] [flags] bd dep [command] ``` **Flags:** ``` -b, --blocks string Issue ID that this issue blocks (shorthand for: bd dep add ) --no-cycle-check Skip per-edge cycle checks for speed (bulk wiring); bulk --file adds still run one final whole-graph check before commit ``` ## bd dep add Add a dependency between two issues. The depends-on-id can be provided as: * A positional argument: bd dep add issue-123 issue-456 * A flag: bd dep add issue-123 --blocked-by issue-456 * A flag: bd dep add issue-123 --depends-on issue-456 The --blocked-by and --depends-on flags are aliases and both mean "issue-123 depends on (is blocked by) the specified issue." The depends-on-id can be: * A local issue ID (e.g., bd-xyz) * An external reference: external:\:\ For bulk wiring, pass newline-delimited JSON with --file. Each line must be an object with "from" and "to" fields, and may include "type". The aliases "issue\_id" and "depends\_on\_id" are also accepted. Use --file - to read stdin. External references are stored as-is and resolved at query time using the external\_projects config. They block the issue until the capability is "shipped" in the target project. Examples: bd dep add bd-42 bd-41 # Positional args bd dep add bd-42 --blocked-by bd-41 # Flag syntax (same effect) bd dep add bd-42 --depends-on bd-41 # Alias (same effect) bd dep add gt-xyz external:beads:mol-run-assignee # Cross-project dependency bd dep add bd-42 bd-41 --no-cycle-check # Skip cycle check (bulk wiring) bd dep add --file deps.jsonl # Bulk JSONL: \{"from":"bd-42","to":"bd-41"} ``` bd dep add [issue-id] [depends-on-id] [flags] ``` **Flags:** ``` --blocked-by string Issue ID that blocks the first issue (alternative to positional arg) --depends-on string Issue ID that the first issue depends on (alias for --blocked-by) --file string Read dependency edges from JSONL file, or '-' for stdin --no-cycle-check Skip per-edge cycle checks for speed (bulk wiring); bulk --file adds still run one final whole-graph check before commit -t, --type string Dependency type (blocks|tracks|related|parent-child|discovered-from|until|caused-by|validates|relates-to|supersedes) (default "blocks") ``` ## bd dep cycles Detect dependency cycles ``` bd dep cycles [flags] ``` ## bd dep list List dependencies or dependents of one or more issues with optional type filtering. By default shows dependencies (what issues depend on). Use --direction to control: * down: Show dependencies (what this issue depends on) - default * up: Show dependents (what depends on this issue) Multiple IDs can be provided for batch dep listing. With --json, the output is a flat array of dependency records across all requested issues. Use --type to filter by dependency type (e.g., tracks, blocks, parent-child). Examples: bd dep list gt-abc # Show what gt-abc depends on bd dep list gt-abc gt-def # Batch: deps for both issues bd dep list gt-abc --direction=up # Show what depends on gt-abc bd dep list gt-abc --direction=up -t tracks # Show what tracks gt-abc (convoy tracking) ``` bd dep list [issue-id...] [flags] ``` **Flags:** ``` --direction string Direction: 'down' (dependencies), 'up' (dependents) (default "down") -t, --type string Filter by dependency type (e.g., tracks, blocks, parent-child) ``` ## bd dep relate Create a loose 'see also' relationship between two issues. The relates\_to link is bidirectional - both issues will reference each other. This enables knowledge graph connections without blocking or hierarchy. Examples: bd relate bd-abc bd-xyz # Link two related issues bd relate bd-123 bd-456 # Create see-also connection ``` bd dep relate [flags] ``` ## bd dep remove Remove a dependency ``` bd dep remove [issue-id] [depends-on-id] [flags] ``` **Aliases:** rm ## bd dep tree Show dependency tree rooted at the given issue. By default, shows dependencies (what blocks this issue). Use --direction to control: * down: Show dependencies (what blocks this issue) - default * up: Show dependents (what this issue blocks) * both: Show full graph in both directions Examples: bd dep tree gt-0iqq # Show what blocks gt-0iqq bd dep tree gt-0iqq --direction=up # Show what gt-0iqq blocks bd dep tree gt-0iqq --status=open # Only show open issues bd dep tree gt-0iqq --depth=3 # Limit to 3 levels deep ``` bd dep tree [issue-id] [flags] ``` **Flags:** ``` --direction string Tree direction: 'down' (dependencies), 'up' (dependents), or 'both' --format string Output format: 'mermaid' for Mermaid.js flowchart -d, --max-depth int Maximum tree depth to display (safety limit) (default 50) --reverse Show dependent tree (deprecated: use --direction=up) --show-all-paths Show all paths to nodes (no deduplication for diamond dependencies) --status string Filter to only show issues with this status (open, in_progress, blocked, deferred, closed) ``` ## bd dep unrelate Remove a relates\_to relationship between two issues. Removes the link in both directions. Example: bd unrelate bd-abc bd-xyz ``` bd dep unrelate [flags] ```