siloqy/prod/docs/BEADS_PASS_TRACKER_EVALUATION.md

BEADS as PASS Tracker — Evaluation & Recommendation

Author: pi_nvnemo (UV Overseer)
Date: 2026-07-08
Context: UV_OVERSEER_CHARTER__PI.md §6 task — evaluate beads vs bus+doc for PASS board

---

Current State

Tracker	Status
h5i bus	Active — dispatch, ACK, status updates
Status doc	Not yet created (charter says "track PASSes on the bus + a short status doc")
beads	Installed, .beads/ exists at repo root (prefix dp), 1 existing PRODGREEN issue

---

What Beads Gives Us Over Bus+Doc

Capability	h5i Bus + Doc	Beads
Dependency graph	Manual (doc)	Native (br dep add, br graph)
Task hierarchy	Flat (doc sections)	Epic → child beads (parent/child)
State machine	Manual (doc)	Enforced (open → in_progress → closed)
Acceptance criteria	Doc prose	Structured fields (acceptance_criteria, test_command)
Audit trail	Bus history + doc edits	Immutable JSONL + SQL + br audit
Handoff protocol	Informal	Formal (br audit --message, br ready)
Multi-agent isolation	Bus channels	Separate workspace per refactor stream
Low-skill agent onboarding	Ad-hoc	Bounded task template + dependency chain
Query/Filter	grep/awk	br ready, br list, br status, SQL
Backup/Sync	Git + manual	br sync, br backup

Verdict: Beads adds structured task management that the bus+doc lacks — critical for multi-PASS dependency chains (PASS-P → PASS-A → PASS-S → PASS-B/X).

---

PASS → Bead Mapping

PASS	Bead Type	Suggested ID	Parent
PASS-P (Pulse Landing)	Epic	UV_PASS-P	—
├─ Copy prod/uv_pulse_host/	Task	UV_PASS-P.1	UV_PASS-P
├─ Add .gitignore (exclude target/)	Task	UV_PASS-P.2	UV_PASS-P
├─ Cert conveyor commit	Task	UV_PASS-P.3	UV_PASS-P
├─ Soak DARK + TUI heartbeat	Task	UV_PASS-P.4	UV_PASS-P
PASS-A (Account Region)	Epic	UV_PASS-A	—
├─ Phase 0: Contracts + in-mem	Task	UV_PASS-A.1	UV_PASS-A
├─ Phase 1: Real shm + hardened reader	Task	UV_PASS-A.2	UV_PASS-A
├─ Phase 2: ASEx publish	Task	UV_PASS-A.3	UV_PASS-A
├─ Phase 3: Capital provider	Task	UV_PASS-A.4	UV_PASS-A
PASS-S (Sizing Seam)	Epic	UV_PASS-S	—
PASS-B (Host Brain)	Epic	UV_PASS-B	—
PASS-X (Tick Exits)	Epic	UV_PASS-X	—

Dependency Chain:

UV_PASS-P → UV_PASS-A → UV_PASS-S → UV_PASS-B → UV_PASS-X

---

Smallest Viable Setup

# 1. Create dedicated UV workspace (isolate from PRODGREEN)
mkdir -p /mnt/dolphinng5_predict/uv/.beads
export BEADS_DIR=/mnt/dolphinng5_predict/uv/.beads

# 2. Initialize
br where  # confirms workspace

# 3. Create PASS-P epic + children
br create --title "PASS-P: Pulse Landing" --type epic --id UV_PASS-P
br create --title "Copy prod/uv_pulse_host/ from /mnt/vp-PASS9" --parent UV_PASS-P --type task --acceptance "Directory copied, target/ excluded" --test "ls prod/uv_pulse_host/ && ! ls prod/uv_pulse_host/target/" --id UV_PASS-P.1
br create --title "Add .gitignore excluding target/" --parent UV_PASS-P --type task --acceptance "target/ ignored by git" --test "git check-ignore prod/uv_pulse_host/target/" --id UV_PASS-P.2
br create --title "Cert conveyor commit + integrator review" --parent UV_PASS-P --type task --acceptance "Commit on main, integrator signed" --test "git log --oneline -1 prod/uv_pulse_host/" --id UV_PASS-P.3
br create --title "Soak DARK + TUI heartbeat + STALE" --parent UV_PASS-P --type task --acceptance "TUI renders live rate/AGE/STALE, RSS flat ≥4h" --test "TUI smoke test + log review" --id UV_PASS-P.4

# 4. Link to bus for dispatch notifications
# (beads = source of truth; bus = real-time signal)

---

Recommendation

ADOPT BEADS for PASS tracking with the following protocol:

1. Beads = Source of Truth — all PASS state, dependencies, acceptance criteria, audit trail
2. h5i Bus = Real-time Signal — dispatch, ACK, status pings, escalation (what we already do)
3. Status Doc = Snapshot — auto-generated from beads weekly or on demand (br status > PASS_BOARD.md)

Migration Path:

• Week 1: Create UV workspace, populate PASS-P + PASS-A epics/children
• Week 1: Run dual-track (beads + bus) — validate no drift
• Week 2: Deprecate manual status doc; auto-generate from br status

Why not bus+doc alone? The PASS chain has 5 epics with 15+ children, strict dependencies, and must survive agent rotation. Beads enforces what the charter demands: "keep a live board; chase stalls; escalate blocked specs."

---

Next Action

If approved: I'll initialize /mnt/dolphinng5_predict/uv/.beads, populate PASS-P epic + children, and link dispatch messages to bead IDs.