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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. 
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:
PhaseWhat it isLifecycle
Proto (solid)template epic with {{variables}}, carries the template labelreusable, 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

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Pages in this section

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