dolt-mcp-vcs
One skill for every make and model of Dolt: detect the flavor and mode first, then do version-control work over the beads (bd) backend and DoltHub.
Formerly beads-dolt — same plugin, renamed to its Dolt-first identity. The beads-dolt
install slug still resolves (a deprecated catalog alias) and /beads-dolt is still an accepted
trigger, so existing installs keep working — beads is now use-case adapter #1, not the whole skill.
The Dolt and DoltHub-aware layer for the beads (bd) task tracker. It composes with — does not replace — the global beads skill: that skill runs the bead work cycle; this one handles the Dolt backend, DoltHub visibility, and the bd plus Dolt failure modes.
Overview
bd stores every issue in a version-controlled Dolt database. Two things bite teams repeatedly:
- "My beads aren't showing in DoltHub." The overwhelmingly common cause is that the workspace's Dolt repo has no remote configured — so nothing is ever pushed. A file-protocol or GitHub backup does not make beads appear on DoltHub; only a Dolt remote plus a push does.
- JSONL appears stale after rapid writes. This is the export throttle, not data loss. As of bd 1.0.4 the historical rapid-write race (failure mode 6) is fixed at the SQL-transaction level; the database is always correct, only the issues.jsonl file can lag.
This skill diagnoses both, applies the fixes, and routes deeper work to five bundled agents. It keeps no frozen copy of bd/Dolt internals — a baked snapshot goes stale the moment upstream ships a release; the installed binary wins on any conflict.
Verify version-specific behavior live (bd --help, bd <cmd> --help, bd dolt show) and consult the upstream docs; Read references/dolt-internals.md for the directory of those authoritative sources. The agents fetch current truth in their own context, so answers track the installed binary rather than a guess.
The fix for invisible-on-DoltHub, up front (don't stop at diagnosis): the cause is almost always no remote, and the fix is two commands — bd dolt remote add origin https://doltremoteapi.dolthub.com/ORG/REPO then bd dolt push --remote origin. The DoltHub database must already exist (the push does NOT create it). Always carry the user all the way to these commands, not just the bd dolt remote list diagnostic.
Prerequisites
- bd >= 1.0.4 with a Dolt-backed workspace (bd dolt show succeeds).
- For DoltHub: a dolt creds keypair authorized on your DoltHub account, and the DoltHub database must already exist (create it in the DoltHub UI — the push does not auto-create it).
- For the SQL-capable agents: the dolt-mcp-server binary on PATH, pinned to the exact version in the plugin README's install section (never @latest — the plugin's correctness rests on this binary). The plugin's .mcp.json wires it.
Authentication
DoltHub pushes authenticate with a dolt creds keypair tied to your account (run dolt login once to create and authorize it), or with the DOLT_REMOTE_USER and DOLT_REMOTE_PASSWORD environment variables. The dolt-mcp connection uses DOLT_USER and DOLT_PASSWORD (bd's local server is unauthenticated by default — user root, empty password).
Instructions
Step 0: Detect — "what kind of Dolt database are we working with?"
Always start here when the flavor/mode is not already known (invoked with no args, a new
workspace, or any "connect me / what is this" ask). Run the detector and present the findings
before doing anything else:
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/dolt-detect.py
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/dolt-detect.py PATH --json
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/dolt-detect.py --emit-descriptor
It returns ranked findings (live-server > repo > embedded > file), each a ready-to-use
connection descriptor. Report them verbatim-honest, e.g.: "found: dolt/server on
127.0.0.1:39353 (beads, actual bound port from /proc — not config.yaml), and dolt/embedded at
.beads/embeddeddolt/spine — read-only, the .lock is owned by bd." Then route:
| Finding | Route |
|---|
dolt/server (live) | wire work via the descriptor: --emit-descriptor, then dolt-mcp-client.py --descriptor ... (zero hand-written config) |
dolt/repo | full dolt CLI verbs (log/diff/branch/AS OF) in that directory |
dolt/embedded | read-only CLI verbs — never write; the single-writer .lock belongs to the embedding tool (bd). Mutations are refused with this reason |
doltgres/server | Postgres wire via the descriptor (--doltgres derived, never hardcoded) |
doltlite/file | detected by chunk-store magic; report it + local doltlite CLI if installed; alpha ⇒ read-only, no wire (decision 6) |
dumbo/server | report only — experimental, fail-closed |
| nothing | say "this is not a Dolt database" and list what was checked — never guess |
Degrade honestly: an open MySQL port whose greeting doesn't name the flavor is reported as
unconfirmed (the detector cross-checks live dolt processes for evidence); undetected states
are reported, never guessed.
Step 1: Diagnose visibility ("my beads aren't in DoltHub")
bd dolt show
bd dolt remote list
If no remote is configured, that is the root cause. Proceed to Step 2.
Step 2: Configure the DoltHub remote and push
The DoltHub database must exist first (create it at dolthub.com, "Create Database"). Then:
bd dolt remote add origin https://doltremoteapi.dolthub.com/ORG/REPO
bd dolt push --remote origin
Step 3: Keep it fresh (don't push per-command)
A per-command push is too slow. Schedule a push on the existing backup cadence (every 15–30 min, after bd export) rather than inline. See scripts/dolt-push-dolthub.sh.
Step 4: Understand the JSONL throttle (not data loss)
export.interval defaults to 60s: writes inside that window hit the database but not issues.jsonl until the next op after the window. For a gitignored .beads where a whole session fits in one window, set it to flush immediately:
bd config set export.interval 1s
As of recent bd the rapid-write race is reported fixed at the transaction level (verify with bd version + the upstream CHANGELOG) — so you do not need bd export between writes for database integrity; only batch plus flush if you need byte-fresh JSONL each step. Confirm current throttle/export behavior with bd config --help + bd dolt --help; references/dolt-internals.md lists the authoritative sources.
Step 5: Dispatch the right agent
Use the Task tool to dispatch the matching agent. Each fetches current bd/Dolt facts live in its own context (per the authority order in references/dolt-internals.md) rather than reciting a snapshot.
| Situation | Agent |
|---|
| DoltHub remotes, push/pull, backup-vs-push, federation, drift, idle-server reaping | dolt-sync-advisor |
| "Which epics have all their children closed?" subtree/closure audit | bead-epic-auditor |
| Dependency graph, cycles, critical path (SQL via the Dolt MCP) | bead-dependency-mapper |
| Rapid-write-race recovery, embedded-to-server mode migration, dolt-server incident | bead-recovery-specialist |
| General bd expertise, three-layer mirror discipline, naming and hygiene | beads-guru |
The SQL-capable agents (bead-epic-auditor, bead-dependency-mapper) query the bead graph through the wired dolt MCP server (the query, list_databases, and list_dolt_commits tools).
Output
- A clear root-cause statement for visibility issues (almost always "no remote configured").
- The exact bd dolt commands to fix it, plus a DoltHub-API verification one-liner.
- For audits and maps: the agent's structured result (e.g., a closure table or dependency graph), never raw IDs without context.
Error Handling
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|
| Push gives PermissionDenied after "Uploading…" | DoltHub repo doesn't exist (creds are fine) | Create the database in the DoltHub UI, re-push |
| Push gives an auth error before uploading | Stale or absent dolt creds | dolt login (interactive), or set DOLT_REMOTE_USER and DOLT_REMOTE_PASSWORD |
| JSONL stale after a burst of writes | 60s export throttle | bd config set export.interval 1s, or flush with bd export |
| Many dolt sql-server processes pile up | Each workspace runs its own per-project server | Reap idle ones: scripts/dolt-idle-reaper.sh (bd respawns each on next use — non-destructive), cron it; or consolidate via shared-server mode (read bd init --help live for the current flags) |
| MCP server won't connect | Wrong port or database | bd dolt show for the live port and database; set DOLT_PORT and DOLT_DATABASE |
Examples
"My beads aren't showing up in DoltHub."
Run bd dolt remote list; it shows "No remotes configured" — explain that is the root cause — bd dolt remote add origin https://doltremoteapi.dolthub.com/ORG/REPO (repo must pre-exist) — bd dolt push --remote origin — verify via the DoltHub SQL API.
"Which of my epics have all their children closed?"
Dispatch bead-epic-auditor; it queries the bead graph over the Dolt MCP and returns a closure table.
"bd has 15 dolt servers running, it's a mess."
Dispatch dolt-sync-advisor; it reaps idle servers with scripts/dolt-idle-reaper.sh (each respawns on its next bd command — non-destructive), or walks shared-server consolidation if you want one durable server — it reads bd init --help live for the current flags rather than assuming them.
Resources
- references/dolt-internals.md — the directory of authoritative live sources (the installed
bd --help, official upstream beads/Dolt docs, the Dolt MCP repo). The agents fetch current facts from these in their own context; the plugin freezes no internals snapshot.
- Upstreams: beads, Dolt and DoltHub, dolt-mcp.
