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Last reviewed: 2026-05-08 Freshness source: cmd/bd/output.go, cmd/bd/errors.go, and cmd/bd/protocol/json_contract_test.go. All bd commands that support --json output can wrap their response in a uniform envelope by setting BD_JSON_ENVELOPE=1. This will become the default format in v2.0.

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Migration Guide

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Opt in to the envelope format

export BD_JSON_ENVELOPE=1

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Envelope format (BD_JSON_ENVELOPE=1, default in v2.0)

Every --json command wraps output as: 
{"schema_version": 1, "data": <original-payload>}
The original payload is untouched inside .data — no type corruption, no field injection. Works identically for objects, arrays, and maps.

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Updating consumers

# Before (legacy):
bd list --json | jq '.[0].id'
bd show beads-abc --json | jq '.title'

# After (envelope):
bd list --json | jq '.data[0].id'
bd show beads-abc --json | jq '.data.title'

# Version check:
bd show beads-abc --json | jq '.schema_version'

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Timeline

  • Current release: Legacy format is default. Set BD_JSON_ENVELOPE=1 to opt in. A deprecation notice is printed to stderr when --json is used without the env var.
  • v2.0: Envelope becomes the default. BD_JSON_ENVELOPE=0 available as temporary escape hatch for one release cycle.

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Schema Version

Current version: 1 The schema_version field is an integer that increments when:
  • Fields are added, renamed, or removed
  • Output structure changes (e.g., nesting depth)
  • Field types change (e.g., string to integer)
Additive changes (new optional fields) do NOT bump the version.

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Output Formats

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Envelope mode (BD_JSON_ENVELOPE=1)

All commands emit a uniform envelope: 
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "data": {
    "id": "beads-abc",
    "title": "Example issue",
    "status": "open"
  }
}
Arrays are wrapped the same way: 
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "data": [
    {"id": "beads-abc", "title": "First"},
    {"id": "beads-def", "title": "Second"}
  ]
}

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Legacy mode (default, until v2.0)

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Object commands (show, create, close, update, etc.)

Commands that return a single issue or result emit a JSON object with schema_version as a top-level field alongside the data: 
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "id": "beads-abc",
  "title": "Example issue",
  "status": "open",
  "priority": 1,
  "issue_type": "task",
  "created_at": "2026-04-20T12:00:00Z"
}

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List commands (list, ready, search, stale, etc.)

Commands that return multiple items emit a raw JSON array: 
[
  {"id": "beads-abc", "title": "First", ...},
  {"id": "beads-def", "title": "Second", ...}
]

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Error output (stderr)

Errors with --json active emit JSON to stderr: 
{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "error": "issue not found: beads-xyz",
  "code": "not_found"
}

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Field Contracts by Command

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bd list —json

Required fields per item:
  • id (string): Issue ID (e.g., “beads-abc”)
  • title (string): Issue title
  • status (string): open, in_progress, closed, deferred
  • priority (number): 0-4
  • issue_type (string): bug, feature, task, epic, chore
  • created_at (string): RFC3339 timestamp
Optional fields:
  • description, owner, updated_at, closed_at
  • labels (string[]): Attached labels
  • dependencies (object[]): Dependency records
  • dependency_count, dependent_count, comment_count (number)
  • parent (string|null): Parent issue ID

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bd ready —json

Same schema as bd list --json. Items are filtered to unblocked issues only. Each item includes dependency_count, dependent_count, comment_count, and optional parent fields.

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bd blocked —json

Returns issues that are blocked by unresolved dependencies. Each item includes all standard issue fields plus:
  • blocked_by_count (number): Number of blocking dependencies
  • blocked_by (string[]): IDs of blocking issues

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bd show —json

Returns a single object (not wrapped in items). Same required fields as list items, plus:
  • description (string)
  • acceptance_criteria (string)
  • dependencies (object[]): Full dependency records
  • comments (object[]): Comment thread

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import --json

Returns a summary object when --json is active:
  • source (string): File path or “stdin”
  • created (number): Issues created
  • updated (number): Existing issues updated
  • skipped (number): Issues skipped (stale rows + dedup)
  • dedup_skipped (number): Issues skipped by --dedup title match
  • memories (number): Memory records imported
  • ids (string[]): IDs of created issues
  • updated_issues (object[]): Per-issue summary of what an update changed
  • tie_kept_local_ids (string[]): Equal-updated_at rows where local state won
  • stale_skipped_ids (string[]): Rows older than the local issue, skipped
  • skipped_dependencies (string[]): Dependency edges whose target id was absent
  • dry_run (boolean): Whether --dry-run was active

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bd export —json

Outputs JSONL (one JSON object per line), not wrapped in an envelope. Each line is a self-contained issue or memory record, discriminated by _type ("issue" / "memory"). Export lines do not carry schema_version — that field belongs to the --json command envelope, not to the interchange stream. The interchange’s own version marker is the optional _schema header record ({"_schema":"beads-jsonl/1"}), which readers skip.

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Consumer Guidelines

  1. Check schema_version on object output. If the version is higher than expected, log a warning but attempt to parse anyway (additive changes are backward-compatible).
  2. For list commands, parse the output as a JSON array directly.
  3. Ignore unknown fields. New fields may be added without bumping the schema version.
  4. Use --json flag, not --format json. The --json flag is the stable contract; --format is for human-readable variants.