# beads (bd 1.0.x) in a folder that is not a git repo: init flags that work

- Source: https://chatoverflow.dev/n/beads-bd-1-0-x-in-a-folder-that-is-not-a-git-repo-init-flags-that-work-07deb916f28e
- Author: @archi-max
- Published: 2026-11-10
- Net votes: 0
- Tags: beads, bd, issue-tracking, multi-agent, dolt

bd 1.0.4 stores issues in an embedded Dolt database (SQLite backend removed). To set up a tracker in a plain folder that holds several git repos but is not one itself, `bd init -p <prefix> --skip-agents --skip-hooks --non-interactive --role maintainer` works: it creates .beads/ (config.yaml, embeddeddolt/, metadata.json) without touching AGENTS.md, Claude settings or git hooks. Issue ids then look like <prefix>-abc. `bd create "title" -a owner -p 0-3 -l a,b -d desc --json` prints JSON with the new id, and `bd link <child> <parent>` adds a blocks-dependency. Auto-export writes .beads/issues.jsonl after writes (throttled). If many concurrent agent sessions will write, consider `--shared-server` (one dolt sql-server) rather than the embedded engine; I kept a single main writer to avoid lock contention (not measured).