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Generated from bd help --doc migrate. Database migration and data transformation commands. Without subcommand, checks and updates database metadata to current version. Subcommands: hooks Plan git hook migration to marker-managed format issues Move issues between repositories schema Apply pending schema migrations (idempotent) sync Set up sync.branch workflow for multi-clone setups from-server-to-proxied-server [EXPERIMENTAL] Switch server mode to proxied-server mode from-proxied-server-to-server [EXPERIMENTAL] Switch proxied-server mode to server mode from-shared-server-to-proxied-server [EXPERIMENTAL] Switch shared-server mode to proxied-server mode from-proxied-server-to-shared-server [EXPERIMENTAL] Switch proxied-server mode to shared-server mode On a remote-backed database with pending schema migrations bd refuses to migrate in place (#4259): migrating two clones independently forks the schema so bd dolt pull can no longer merge — the break is silent and unrecoverable. Use —force to confirm you are the single designated migrator, after which you should publish the migrated schema with ‘bd dolt push’. The env-var equivalent BD_ALLOW_REMOTE_MIGRATE=1 remains supported for scripted/CI use. 
bd migrate [flags]
bd migrate [command]
Flags: 
      --dry-run          Show what would be done without making changes
      --force            Bypass the remote-migrate gate as the single designated migrator (equivalent to BD_ALLOW_REMOTE_MIGRATE=1)
      --inspect          Show migration plan and database state for AI agent analysis
      --json             Output migration statistics in JSON format
      --update-repo-id   Update repository ID (use after changing git remote)
      --yes              Auto-confirm prompts

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bd migrate from-proxied-server-to-server

Switch a repo from proxied-server mode to server mode (bd init —server). Both modes root their dolt sql-server at the same .beads/dolt directory, so this only rewrites .beads/metadata.json (dolt_mode) and removes the proxied-server sidecar — no Dolt data is copied or moved. Stop the running proxy first with ‘bd dolt stop’. Note: dolt_mode lives in the committed metadata.json, so this change propagates to clones on the next push. 
bd migrate from-proxied-server-to-server [flags]
Flags: 
      --dry-run   Show what would be done without making changes

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bd migrate from-proxied-server-to-shared-server

Switch a repo from proxied-server mode back to shared-server mode. Only applies to a proxied-server repo rooted at the shared dolt directory (~/.beads/shared-server/dolt) — the reverse of from-shared-server-to-proxied-server. This rewrites .beads/metadata.json (dolt_mode), re-enables dolt.shared-server, and removes the proxied-server sidecar; no Dolt data is copied or moved. Stop the running proxy first with ‘bd dolt stop’. 
bd migrate from-proxied-server-to-shared-server [flags]
Flags: 
      --dry-run   Show what would be done without making changes

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bd migrate from-server-to-proxied-server

Switch a repo from server mode (bd init —server) to proxied-server mode. Both modes root their dolt sql-server at the same .beads/dolt directory, so this only rewrites .beads/metadata.json (dolt_mode) and writes the proxied-server sidecar — no Dolt data is copied or moved. Stop the running server first with ‘bd dolt stop’. Note: dolt_mode lives in the committed metadata.json, so this change propagates to clones on the next push. 
bd migrate from-server-to-proxied-server [flags]
Flags: 
      --dry-run                 Show what would be done without making changes
      --idle-timeout duration   Proxy idle timeout; omit for the 30s default, 0 for indefinite uptime

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bd migrate from-shared-server-to-proxied-server

Switch a repo from shared-server mode to proxied-server mode. The proxied server is rooted at the shared dolt directory (~/.beads/shared-server/dolt), so no Dolt data is copied or moved; this rewrites .beads/metadata.json (dolt_mode), turns off dolt.shared-server for this repo, and writes the proxied-server sidecar. Stop the running shared server first with ‘bd dolt stop’ — note that stops it for every project sharing it. 
bd migrate from-shared-server-to-proxied-server [flags]
Flags: 
      --dry-run                 Show what would be done without making changes
      --idle-timeout duration   Proxy idle timeout; omit for the 30s default, 0 for indefinite uptime

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bd migrate hooks

Analyze git hook files and sidecar artifacts for migration to marker-managed format. Modes: —dry-run Preview migration operations without changing files —apply Apply migration operations Examples: bd migrate hooks —dry-run bd migrate hooks —apply bd migrate hooks —apply —yes bd migrate hooks —dry-run —json 
bd migrate hooks [path] [flags]
Flags: 
      --apply     Apply planned hook migration changes
      --dry-run   Show what would be done without making changes
      --json      Output in JSON format
      --yes       Skip confirmation prompt for --apply

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bd migrate issues

Move issues from one source repository to another with filtering and dependency preservation. This command updates the source_repo field for selected issues, allowing you to:
  • Move contributor planning issues to upstream repository
  • Reorganize issues across multi-phase repositories
  • Consolidate issues from multiple repos
Examples:

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Preview migration from planning repo to current repo

bd migrate-issues —from ~/.beads-planning —to . —dry-run

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Move all open P1 bugs

bd migrate-issues —from ~/repo1 —to ~/repo2 —priority 1 —type bug —status open

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Move specific issues with their dependencies

bd migrate-issues —from . —to ~/archive —id bd-abc —id bd-xyz —include closure

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Move issues with label filter

bd migrate-issues —from . —to ~/feature-work —label frontend —label urgent 
bd migrate issues [flags]
Flags: 
      --dry-run            Show plan without making changes
      --from string        Source repository (required)
      --id strings         Specific issue IDs to migrate (can specify multiple)
      --ids-file string    File containing issue IDs (one per line)
      --include string     Include dependencies: none/upstream/downstream/closure (default "none")
      --label strings      Filter by labels (can specify multiple)
      --priority int       Filter by priority (0-4) (default -1)
      --status string      Filter by status (open/closed/all)
      --strict             Fail on orphaned dependencies or missing repos
      --to string          Destination repository (required)
      --type string        Filter by issue type (bug/feature/task/epic/chore/decision)
      --within-from-only   Only include dependencies from source repo (default true)
      --yes                Skip confirmation prompt

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bd migrate schema

Apply pending schema migrations idempotently. Schema migrations also run automatically on store open, so this subcommand is typically a no-op. It exists to make migration explicit and observable in CI, release gates, and recovery scenarios. Example: bd migrate schema bd migrate schema —json 
bd migrate schema [flags]
Flags: 
      --force   Bypass the remote-migrate gate as the single designated migrator (equivalent to BD_ALLOW_REMOTE_MIGRATE=1)
      --json    Output in JSON format

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bd migrate sync

Configure separate branch workflow for multi-clone setups. This sets the sync.branch config value so that issue data is committed to a dedicated branch, keeping your main branch clean. Example: bd migrate sync beads-sync 
bd migrate sync <branch> [flags]
Flags: 
      --dry-run   Show what would be done without making changes
      --json      Output in JSON format