> ## 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.

# Workflows

> Declare multi-step work once as a formula, then stamp it out as molecules of real, dependency-ordered beads.

Repeatable multi-step work — a release checklist, a feature pipeline, a
review process — shouldn't be re-planned by hand every time. Beads lets you
declare the shape once and instantiate it on demand: a **formula** (TOML
source) is cooked into a **proto** (template), and the proto is poured into a
**molecule** — real beads whose steps flow through `bd ready` like any other
work. The full pipeline is diagrammed in
[How Beads Works](/core-concepts/index).

```bash theme={null}
bd formula list                    # formulas visible on the search paths
bd cook release.formula.toml       # compile the formula into a proto
bd mol pour release --var version=1.2.0   # instantiate real work
bd ready --mol <mol-id>            # which steps can run right now
```

The three phases, in the chemistry metaphor the CLI uses:

| Phase                 | What it is                                                       | Lifecycle                                                       |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Proto** (solid)     | template epic with `{{variables}}`, carries the `template` label | reusable, not live work                                         |
| **Molecule** (liquid) | persistent beads poured from a proto (`bd mol pour`)             | synced like any bead                                            |
| **Wisp** (vapor)      | ephemeral instantiation (`bd mol wisp`)                          | excluded from federation push by default; deleted by `bd purge` |

## Pages in this section

* [Molecules](/workflows/molecules) — instantiated work graphs: pouring,
  inspecting, bonding, and squashing molecules.
* [Formulas](/workflows/formulas) — the TOML/JSON source format: steps,
  `needs` dependencies, variables, and composition rules.
* [Gates](/workflows/gates) — async wait conditions (human, timer, GitHub
  run/PR, cross-rig bead) that park a step until the world catches up.
* [Wisps](/workflows/wisps) — ephemeral molecules for transient operational
  work that shouldn't clutter history.
* [TODO Command](/workflows/todo) — `bd todo`, the lightweight interface for
  managing TODO items as task beads.