update

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description: Update an issue's status, priority, or other fields argument-hint: "[issue-id] [status]"

Update a beads issue.

If arguments are provided:

• $1: Issue ID
• $2: New status (open, in_progress, blocked, closed)

If arguments are missing, ask the user for:

1. Issue ID
2. What to update (status, priority, assignee, title, description)
3. New value

Use the beads MCP update tool to apply the changes. Show the updated issue to confirm the change.

Note: Comments are managed separately with bd comments add. The update command is for singular, versioned properties (title, status, priority, etc.), while comments form a discussion thread that's appended to, not updated.

Common workflows:

• Start work: bd update <id> --claim (atomic claim + in_progress)
• Mark blocked: Update status to blocked
• Reprioritize: Update priority (0-4)