Minimal task tracking for AI agents — one active task, zero distractions

bits is a file-based task tracker designed for AI coding agents. It enforces a single active task at a time, preventing agents from context-switching and losing focus.

• One task at a time: Only one task can be active. This constraint keeps agents focused and prevents half-finished work.
• File-based storage: Tasks are Markdown files with YAML frontmatter. Human readable, no database required.
• Git repository scoping: Tasks are scoped to the git repository you're working in. Different projects have different task lists.
• Dependencies with cycle detection: Tasks can depend on other tasks. bits prevents circular dependencies.

go install github.com/abatilo/bits/cmd/bits@latest

git clone https://github.com/abatilo/bits.git
cd bits
go build -o bits ./cmd/bits

# Initialize bits for this repository
bits init

# Add a task
bits add "Fix the login bug" -d "Users can't log in with email addresses containing a plus sign"

# See what's ready to work on
bits ready

# Start working on a task
bits claim abc123

# When done, close it with a reason
bits close abc123 "Fixed in commit 1a2b3c4"

All commands support --json for machine-readable output.

Initialize bits for the current git repository.

bits init
bits init --force  # Reinitialize even if already exists

Create a new task.

bits add "Task title"
bits add "Task title" -d "Detailed description"
bits add "Urgent fix" -p critical  # Priority: critical, high, medium, low

Output:

[abc123] Task title
  Status:   open
  Priority: medium
  Created:  2025-01-19 10:30

List tasks with optional status filters.

bits list              # All tasks
bits list --open       # Only open tasks
bits list --active     # Only active tasks
bits list --closed     # Only closed tasks

Output:

[*] P1 [def456] Implement caching
[ ] P2 [abc123] Fix the login bug
[X] P3 [ghi789] Update readme

Status icons: [ ] open, [*] active, [X] closed Priority marks: P0 critical, P1 high, P2 medium, P3 low

Display full details of a task.

bits show abc123

Output:

[abc123] Fix the login bug
  Status:   open
  Priority: medium
  Created:  2025-01-19 10:30
  Depends:  xyz789

Users can't log in with email addresses containing a plus sign.

List tasks that are ready to be worked on (open, with all dependencies closed).

bits ready

Start working on a task. The task must be open and all its dependencies must be closed. Only one task can be active at a time.

bits claim abc123

Errors:

• If another task is already active
• If the task has unclosed dependencies
• If the task is not in open status

Stop working on a task without completing it. Returns it to open status.

bits release abc123

Complete a task. Requires a reason explaining what was done.

bits close abc123 "Fixed in commit 1a2b3c4"

The task must be in active status to be closed.

Add a dependency. The first task will depend on the second task.

bits dep abc123 xyz789  # abc123 depends on xyz789

bits prevents circular dependencies. If adding the dependency would create a cycle, the command fails.

Remove a dependency.

bits undep abc123 xyz789

Remove a task and clean up any references to it in other tasks' dependencies.

bits rm abc123

Remove all closed tasks.

bits prune

Session management commands for Claude Code integration. These commands support multi-instance scenarios where multiple Claude Code sessions may be running.

Claim primary session ownership for this project. Reads session info from stdin.

echo '{"session_id": "abc", "source": "claude-code"}' | bits session claim

Output:

{"claimed": true}

If another session already owns this project:

{"claimed": false, "owner": "existing-session-id"}

Release session ownership. Only the owner can release.

echo '{"session_id": "abc", "source": "claude-code"}' | bits session release

Manually remove a stale session file.

bits session prune

Stop hook with session ownership check. Only blocks if:

1. This session is the owner (session_id matches)
2. Drain mode is active
3. Tasks remain (active or open)

echo '{"session_id": "abc", "source": "claude-code"}' | bits session hook

Drain mode commands for working through all tasks before exiting.

Activate drain mode. Uses the session owner from the session file.

bits drain claim

Output:

{"success": true, "drain_active": true, "message": "Drain mode activated"}

Drain mode is automatically deactivated when the stop hook detects all tasks are complete.

Deactivate drain mode manually.

bits drain release

Tasks are stored in ~/.bits/<sanitized-project-path>/.

For example, if your project is at /Users/alice/projects/myapp, tasks are stored in ~/.bits/Users-alice-projects-myapp/.

Each task is a Markdown file with YAML frontmatter:

---
id: abc123
title: Fix the login bug
status: open
priority: medium
created_at: 2025-01-19T10:30:00Z
depends_on:
  - xyz789
---

Users can't log in with email addresses containing a plus sign.
The `+` character is being URL-encoded incorrectly.

open ──claim──> active ──close──> closed
  ^               │
  └───release─────┘

• open: Task exists but no one is working on it
• active: Task is being worked on (only one allowed)
• closed: Task is complete

bits includes a Claude Code plugin with skills, commands, and hooks for seamless integration.

1. Add the bits marketplace to your claude_settings.json:

{
  "extraKnownMarketplaces": {
    "bits-plugins": {
      "source": {
        "type": "path",
        "path": "/path/to/bits"
      }
    }
  }
}

2. Enable the plugin:

{
  "enabledPlugins": {
    "bits@bits-plugins": true
  }
}

If you prefer to configure hooks manually without the plugin:

{
  "hooks": {
    "SessionStart": [
      {
        "matcher": "",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bits session claim"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "SessionEnd": [
      {
        "matcher": "",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bits session release"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "Stop": [
      {
        "matcher": "",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "bits session hook"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

The stop hook only blocks exit when:

1. This session is the primary owner
2. Drain mode is active (bits drain claim was called)
3. Tasks remain to be completed

When all tasks are complete, drain mode is automatically deactivated.

bits supports multiple Claude Code instances working on the same project:

This enables workflows like:

• Planning instances that create tasks and exit freely
• Work instances that drain all tasks before exiting
• Multiple parallel read-only instances

All commands support --json for machine-readable output:

bits list --json

[
  {
    "id": "abc123",
    "title": "Fix the login bug",
    "status": "open",
    "priority": "medium",
    "created_at": "2025-01-19T10:30:00Z",
    "depends_on": ["xyz789"],
    "description": "Users can't log in with email addresses containing a plus sign."
  }
]

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.