BeadsX Extension

December 9, 2025 · View on GitHub

A VSCode extension that provides a panel for viewing and managing beads issue tracking state.

Installation

Install directly from:

Or search for "BeadsX" in the Extensions view.

From VSIX

Download the .vsix file from GitHub Releases and install:

code --install-extension beadsx-*.vsix

Requirements

  • beads (bd CLI) must be installed and available in PATH
  • A beads-initialized project (.beads/ directory)

Features

Issue Tree View

  • Hierarchical display: Issues organized by parent-child and blocking dependencies
  • Issue type icons: Visual indicators for bug, feature, epic, chore, and task types
  • Status indicators: [O] open, [>] in progress, [B] blocked, [C] closed
  • Smart expansion: Open/in-progress issues auto-expand to show children

Filtering

Filter issues using the filter icon in the panel toolbar:

FilterDescription
AllShow all issues regardless of status
OpenShow only open and in-progress issues
ReadyShow issues ready to work (no blockers)
RecentShow open issues + recently closed (configurable time window)

Filter selection persists across restarts.

Issue Detail Panel

Double-click any issue to open a detail panel showing:

  • Full issue information (title, description, status, priority)
  • Dependencies and dependents
  • Creation and update timestamps

Auto-Reload

Issues automatically refresh at a configurable interval (default: 10 seconds). Disable by setting to 0.

Short IDs

Optionally display shortened issue IDs without the prefix (e.g., "123" instead of "beadsx-123") to save space.

Configuration

Access settings via: Settings → Extensions → BeadsX Extension

SettingDefaultDescription
beadsx.autoReloadInterval10Seconds between auto-refresh (0 to disable)
beadsx.commandPath""Path to bd command (empty = use PATH)
beadsx.autoExpandOpentrueAuto-expand open/in-progress issues
beadsx.shortIdsfalseShow IDs without prefix
beadsx.recentWindowMinutes60Time window for "Recent" filter (1-10080 minutes)

Usage

  1. Open a project with beads initialized (.beads/ directory)
  2. Click the Beads icon in the activity bar (checklist icon)
  3. View your issues in the tree view
  4. Double-click an issue to see full details
  5. Use the filter icon to switch between views

Commands

CommandDescription
Filter IssuesClick filter icon to switch between All/Open/Ready/Recent
Refresh IssuesClick refresh icon to manually reload