How to use beads with Junie (JetBrains AI Agent).
Setup
Quick Setup
This creates:
.junie/guidelines.md - Agent instructions for beads workflow
.junie/mcp/mcp.json - MCP server configuration
Verify Setup
How It Works
- Session starts → Junie reads
.junie/guidelines.md for workflow context
- MCP tools available → Junie can use beads MCP tools directly
- You work → Use
bd CLI commands or MCP tools
- Session ends → Run
bd dolt push to push changes to Dolt remote
Configuration Files
Guidelines (.junie/guidelines.md)
Contains workflow instructions that Junie reads automatically:
- Core workflow rules
- Command reference
- Issue types and priorities
- MCP tool documentation
MCP Config (.junie/mcp/mcp.json)
bd setup junie currently writes an MCP config that invokes bd mcp, a
command that does not exist in current bd builds — that config will not
start a server. Until the recipe is fixed, point Junie at the standalone
beads-mcp server instead:
See MCP Server for the server’s tool catalog
and other install options (pip/pipx).
CLI Commands
You can also use the bd CLI directly:
Creating Issues
Working on Issues
Querying
Syncing
Best Practices
Always Use --json
Always Include Descriptions
Push Before Session End
Troubleshooting
Guidelines not loaded
Changes not syncing
Database not found
Removing Integration
This removes:
.junie/guidelines.md
.junie/mcp/mcp.json
- Empty
.junie/mcp/ and .junie/ directories
See Also