> ## 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 flatten

> Squash all Dolt history into a single commit

Generated from `bd help --doc flatten`.

Nuclear option: squash ALL Dolt commit history into a single commit.

This uses the Tim Sehn recipe:

1. Create a new branch from the current state
2. Soft-reset to the initial commit (preserving all data)
3. Commit everything as a single snapshot
4. Swap main branch to the new flattened branch
5. Run Dolt GC to reclaim space from old history

This is irreversible — all commit history is lost. The resulting database
has exactly one commit containing all current data.

Use this when:

* Your .beads/dolt directory has grown very large
* You don't need commit-level history (time travel)
* You want to start fresh with minimal storage

Examples:
bd flatten --dry-run               # Preview: show commit count and disk usage
bd flatten --force                 # Actually squash all history
bd flatten --force --json          # JSON output

```
bd flatten [flags]
```

**Flags:**

```
      --dry-run   Preview without making changes
  -f, --force     Confirm irreversible history squash
```