Lists & Projects

BEAM organizes work as projects containing lists containing tasks. These commands create, inspect, and retire the containers. Destructive operations confirm before running.

list

Aliases: none
Purpose: Show, create, or delete lists in the active project.
Syntax:

>list
>list "Name"
>list rm <name-or-#>

Flags: none
Examples:

>list
>list "Slide work"
>list rm "Slide work"

See also: lists, move, project

With no arguments, shows the active project's lists with active/done counts. With a name, creates the list (or opens it if it already exists).

list rm deletes the list and every task in it — that cascade is the part
worth knowing, and it is why the command names each task before it asks. Answer
y and BEAM re-reads the workspace and reports what actually went. undo
reverses it while the tab stays open; there is no trash copy.

lists

Aliases: none
Purpose: Show all lists in the active project.
Syntax:

>lists

Flags: none
Examples:

>lists

See also: list, projects

project

Aliases: none
Purpose: Show, create, delete, or configure projects.
Syntax:

>project
>project "Name"
>project rm <name> [--force]
>project link <name> <url> ["title"]
>project unlink <name> <index-or-url>
>project links <name>
>project instructions [show|set "..."|clear]

Flags:

>--force    delete a project that still has tasks in it

Examples:

>project "Tuesday talk"
>project instructions set "Answers about this project should assume a 30-minute talk slot."
>project rm "Old sandbox"

See also: projects, archive, list

project instructions attaches standing guidance the AI reads whenever it works inside that project.

Deleting a project cascades to its lists and tasks — they land in trash, and
restore "<name>" brings them back. It also removes every memory whose text
happens to contain the project's name, and those are gone for good. That is a
plain substring match, not a link, so a project called "Notes" matches memories
about taking notes; the confirm lists every memory it matched, by name, before it
asks.

Because those two answers differ, the confirm says both — one line for the
project and its tasks, one for the memories — and when it matched any memories
it asks for a typed code rather than a y, which is what every other permanent
removal in BEAM costs. A project that matched no memories is a plain y.
Afterwards BEAM re-reads the workspace and reports what actually went.

Corrected 2026-09-10 (A3/#1249): --force no longer skips the confirm. It means
only "yes, delete this project even though it still has tasks in it" — the
confirm happens either way.

projects

Aliases: none
Purpose: List all projects.
Syntax:

>projects

Flags: none
Examples:

>projects

See also: project, archives