Install issues with Github CoPilot on MacOs (beads is cloned into project repo)

[thomaseyde]

I did naively in CoPilot as suggested here: https://steve-yegge.medium.com/the-beads-revolution-how-i-built-the-todo-system-that-ai-agents-actually-want-to-use-228a5f9be2a9

That did not produce the expected result, but was the start of a long conversation trying to get the agent to focus on beads as a product. I finally got it to accepts that, yes indeed, beads will be useful:

Would you like to proceed with installation, review bd command documentation, or start mapping your workflow needs to beads features?

I respond:

beads is not installed

Then I did not fall into the pit of success:

1. It feels wrong that beads where cloned into my project repo
2. Installing homebrew and go is necessary, but build and copy to /usr/local/bin is scary
3. Most output in terminal is ok, but installing git hooks is scary

I aborted after there. I use git, but don't know about git hooks. All the loops the agent run through, in speed I cannot follow, scares me.

My main blocker is that beads is cloned into my repo. I don't mind experiment with beads, but no way I will force that decision upon anyone else.

[thomaseyde]

I went back to the readme and installed beads manually. Installation is fine. Github CoPilot, however, do not cooperate. I don't understand how to use this product in CoPilot agent chats.

[steveyegge]

Thanks for the feedback! The confusion here is about where beads gets installed vs how agents use it.

Installation (one-time setup): Beads should be installed system-wide (via homebrew or manual install), NOT cloned into your project repo. Once installed, bd commands work from any directory.

Agent usage:

• GitHub Copilot doesn't have native beads integration yet
• Best experience is with Claude Code (has MCP server support) or Amp (built-in support)
• With Copilot, agents would need to use CLI commands (bd create, bd ready, etc.)

For your project: You can safely delete the beads clone from your project repo. Just use the system-installed bd command.

The git hooks are optional - they auto-sync issues to git, but you can skip them if you prefer manual sync.

Would adding a "Getting Started with Copilot" section to the docs help clarify this workflow?

[andrjohn]

I have just stumbled upon this issue when looking for guidance on integrating beads with Github Copilot. It seems that there isn't much available yet, however it was reasonably straightforward to get this working. I'll share what I did here in the hope it will help others. Note that Github Copilot now supports MCP servers.

First, I installed the mcp-server using "pip install beads-mcp". I then added the server to my mcp.json configuation:

	    "beads": {
            "command": "beads-mcp"
        }

I then asked my agent to merge the onboarding instructions into my .github/copilot-instructions.md file with the prompt:

Run 'bd onboard' and review the instructions. These instructions are designed for a different agent environment (Claude), and here we are using github copilot. In our environment:
* DO NOT USE `AGENT.md`, all agent instructions should be merged into `.github/copilot-instructions.md`
* The beads-mcp server has already been installed and the agents have been configured. The agents already have access to the MCP Server tools.
  - If missing, ask the user to install the mcp-server (`pip install beads-mcp`) and add it to their `mcp.json` file '"beads": {
"command": "beads-mcp"
}'
Given these differences, read ALL THE INSTRUCTIONS provided by "bd onboard" and update them to reflect this different environment before merging them, in their entirety, into `.github/copilot-instructions.md`. DO NOT SUMMARISE THEM OR SKIP ANY.

That seemed to work well. When asking the agent to "list open issues" it used the beads-mcp server and found the one issue that I have added so far. With that in place, I look forward to trying out beads :).

[thomaseyde]

Would adding a "Getting Started with Copilot" section to the docs help clarify this workflow?

Yes please. Because I still wonder how to use Beads. I will try @andrjohn's solution next...

[thomaseyde]

First, I installed the mcp-server using "pip install beads-mcp". I then added the server to my mcp.json configuation:

If you don't have pip on mac:

brew install pipx
pipx install beads-mcp