# Install beads_viewer with Homebrew Terminal-based UI for the Beads issue tracker. Version 0.18.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-07. ## Install ```sh sudo av install brew:beads_viewer ``` Additional install commands: ### macOS - Homebrew (100%): ```sh brew install beads_viewer ``` Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata ## Package facts - **Package key:** brew:beads_viewer - **Package manager:** Homebrew - **Package manager page:** - **Version:** 0.18.0 - **Source summary:** Terminal-based UI for the Beads issue tracker - **Homepage:** - **Repository:** - **Upstream docs:** - **License:** MIT - **Source archive:** - **Last updated:** 2026-07-07T03:21:35Z - **Generated:** 2026-07-08T07:18:31+00:00 ## Executables - bv (cli) - bv (alias) ## Build dependencies - go ## Install behavior - Post-install hook: not defined - Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux ## Freshness - Page generated: 2026-07-08 - Package-manager version: 0.18.0 - Package-manager updated: 2026-07-07 - Local data: ok - Upstream repository: https://github.com/Dicklesworthstone/beads_viewer - Upstream latest detected: v0.18.0 (current) ## Project history and usage Beads Viewer, invoked as bv, is a terminal UI and robot-mode analyzer for projects that use the Beads issue tracker. It turns Beads JSONL exports into browsable lists, kanban boards, dependency graphs, graph metrics, and deterministic JSON/TOON outputs for agents. ### Project history The public repository was created on 2025-11-26, shortly after Beads itself appeared. The README positions it as a keyboard-driven terminal interface for Beads and describes graph-aware features such as PageRank, critical path, cycles, kanban, dependency DAG visualization, and robot-mode JSON APIs. The release stream moved quickly from v0.8.2 and v0.9.x on 2025-11-27 through v0.10.x in late 2025 and v0.17.x in June 2026. Repository metadata showed 1,596 stars and 130 forks on 2026-06-30, substantial adoption for a companion tool. ### Adoption history Beads Viewer adoption follows Beads adoption: users install it when they want a richer terminal workflow or when agents need graph calculations without parsing raw JSONL. The README documents Homebrew for macOS/Linux, Scoop for Windows, direct release archives, and install scripts. Its agent-facing adoption is explicit: the README warns not to run bare bv in an agent context and instead documents --robot-triage, --robot-next, --robot-plan, --robot-insights, --robot-history, and related structured-output modes. ### How it is used Human users run bv as an interactive TUI over .beads/issues.jsonl or legacy .beads/beads.jsonl exports, with views for lists, kanban, insights, history, graph navigation, and markdown export. Agent users call robot flags to get deterministic triage, graph metrics, label health, dependency flow, plans, histories, diffs, forecasts, alerts, suggestions, and graph exports. The README emphasizes stdout-only structured data, stderr diagnostics, bounded history analysis, and checking status fields for approximated or skipped metrics. ### Why package nerds care Beads Viewer matters as a package because it is a sidecar rather than the primary datastore: it consumes an issue export and supplies terminal UX plus graph algorithms. That split mirrors a broader CLI trend where small tools expose both human TUI and machine JSON modes. For agent workflows, bv packages graph algorithms as a command-line contract. That is useful because LLMs should not have to reconstruct dependency DAGs, PageRank, cycle checks, or critical paths from raw JSONL on every turn. ### Timeline - 2025-11-26: Dicklesworthstone/beads_viewer repository is created. - 2025-11-27: v0.8.2 and v0.9.x releases are published. - 2025-11-30: v0.10.x releases are published. - 2026-06-09: v0.17.0 is published. - 2026-06-26: v0.17.1 is published. ### Related projects - Beads is the issue tracker whose JSONL exports bv reads. - Graphviz and Mermaid are output formats mentioned for graph export. - MCP Agent Mail is referenced by the README as a separate coordination tool for agent-to-agent messaging. ### Sources - - - ## Security Notes No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for beads_viewer. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL. ## Configuration and credential file locations These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval. ## Configuration files - Unix: ~/.config/bv/config.yaml, .bv/hooks.yaml, .bv/workspace.yaml, .beads/recipes/*.yaml ## Source Database Details - **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API - **Tap:** homebrew/core - **Full Name:** beads_viewer - **Version Scheme:** 0 - **Revision:** 0 - **Bottle Stable Root URL:** - **Deprecated:** no - **Disabled:** no - **Keg Only:** no - **URL Keys:** stable ## Related links - [Source-control packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/source-control-tools/) - Belongs to a source-control command family. - [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata. - [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata. - [Developer build packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/developer-build-tools/) - Matched build, compiler, generator, or developer workflow metadata. - [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew. - [cdk](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cdk/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [desed](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/desed/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [dhex](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dhex/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [diagram](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/diagram/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [dialog](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dialog/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [difi](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/difi/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [dockly](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dockly/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [fpp](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/fpp/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, developer-tools, terminal-ui. - [beads](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/beads/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: beads, cli, developer, developer-tools. - [lazycontainer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/lazycontainer/) - Local package facts share a topical domain. Shared terms: cli, developer, developer-tools, terminal, terminal-ui. ## Combined YAML source View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/beads_viewer.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/beads_viewer.yml) ## Sources - Nucleus package database - Geiger risk classifier - package-page enrichment - curated configuration and credential file locations - curated package history - package version freshness - av.db category and tag curation - package relationship graph - cross-ecosystem install command graph