diff --git a/bin/fm-session-start.sh b/bin/fm-session-start.sh
index 76d901e5af..bc73dcca57 100755
--- a/bin/fm-session-start.sh
+++ b/bin/fm-session-start.sh
@@ -209,7 +209,7 @@ print_backlog_tasks_axi_compact() {
 print_backlog_beads_compact() {
   local path=$1 out rc
   printf 'compact backlog listing (beads task store; max %s item(s))\n' "$BACKLOG_LIMIT"
-  out=$(task list --label "status:ready" --limit "$BACKLOG_LIMIT" 2>&1)
+  out=$(task list --ready --limit "$BACKLOG_LIMIT" 2>&1)
   rc=$?
   if [ "$rc" -eq 0 ]; then
     printf '%s\n' "$out"
diff --git a/bin/fm-teardown.sh b/bin/fm-teardown.sh
index dfcf4afab3..38bb35196e 100755
--- a/bin/fm-teardown.sh
+++ b/bin/fm-teardown.sh
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ backlog_refresh_reminder() {
     esac
     printf '%s\n' "Backlog: $ID just finished. Run $done_cmd, then run tasks-axi ready for dependency-cleared candidates, check date gates, and dispatch only work whose blockers are gone and date is due."
   elif [ "$(fm_backlog_backend_value "$CONFIG")" = beads ]; then
-    printf '%s\n' "Backlog: $ID just finished. The beads store has been updated with the completion status. Scan for items with status:ready and dispatch only work whose blockers are gone and date is due."
+    printf '%s\n' "Backlog: $ID just finished. The beads store has been updated with the completion status. Run task list --ready for dependency-cleared candidates, check date gates, and dispatch only work whose blockers are gone and date is due."
   else
     printf '%s\n' "Backlog: $ID just finished. Update data/backlog.md - move $ID to Done, keep Done to the 10 most recent, then re-scan Queued and dispatch only work whose blockers are gone and date is due."
   fi
diff --git a/docs/configuration.md b/docs/configuration.md
index 5801d11eaf..903112b97f 100644
--- a/docs/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/configuration.md
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ Because bootstrap requires `tasks-axi` on `PATH` on every profile, that delegati
 Compatible means the shared bootstrap probe accepts `tasks-axi --version` as 0.1.1 or newer, `tasks-axi update --help` exposes `--archive-body`, and `tasks-axi mv --help` exposes `[<id>...]` for the atomic multi-ID move introduced in 0.2.2 and required by handoff delegation.
 That sentence is the single owner of the tasks-axi compatibility definition; every other document points here instead of restating the version gates.
 Bootstrap requires compatible `tasks-axi` on every profile; see "Toolchain" below for missing-tool reporting and silent default-backend behavior.
-Set the local, gitignored `config/backlog-backend` file to `beads` to use the beads federated `task` store as the queue source; session-start's digest will list items with `status:ready` label from the beads store instead of `data/backlog.md`.
+Set the local, gitignored `config/backlog-backend` file to `beads` to use the beads federated `task` store as the queue source; session-start's digest will list the store's native ready set (via `task list --ready`, bd's dependency-derived readiness with no manual tagging) instead of `data/backlog.md`.
 Beads requires the `task` CLI on `PATH` and access to the active beads store.
 Bootstrap validates the beads backend and reports a `MISSING:` line if the CLI is absent or the store is unreachable.
 Set the local, gitignored `config/backlog-backend` file to `manual` to force manual backlog editing and suppress the verbose `BOOTSTRAP_INFO: tasks-axi available` fact, not missing-tool reporting.
diff --git a/tests/fm-session-start.test.sh b/tests/fm-session-start.test.sh
index 9bcf04eddb..4c79e7da1a 100755
--- a/tests/fm-session-start.test.sh
+++ b/tests/fm-session-start.test.sh
@@ -136,6 +136,38 @@ SH
   chmod +x "$fakebin/tasks-axi"
 }
 
+# make_fake_task_beads_compact <fakebin>: a fake `task` (beads) CLI whose
+# `list --limit 1` (availability probe) and `list --ready` (compact listing)
+# both succeed, so a regression back to the empty `--label "status:ready"`
+# query is caught by asserting the exact --ready invocation and its output.
+make_fake_task_beads_compact() {
+  local fakebin=$1
+  cat > "$fakebin/task" <<'SH'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -u
+log=${FM_FAKE_TASK_LOG:-}
+[ -n "$log" ] && printf '%s\n' "$*" >> "$log"
+case "$*" in
+  'list --limit 1')
+    printf '%s\n' 'fake-ready-1'
+    exit 0
+    ;;
+  *'--label '*'status:ready'*)
+    printf '%s\n' 'No issues found'
+    exit 0
+    ;;
+  *'--ready'*)
+    case "$*" in *'--limit 80'*) : ;; *) printf '%s\n' 'missing compact limit' >&2; exit 9 ;; esac
+    printf '%s\n' 'ready-task-1'
+    printf '%s\n' 'ready-task-2'
+    exit 0
+    ;;
+esac
+exit 1
+SH
+  chmod +x "$fakebin/task"
+}
+
 # make_fake_ps_claude <fakebin>: harness_pid()/holder_alive() (fm-lock.sh) walk
 # `ps` output looking for a harness command name; this fake reports EVERY
 # queried pid as a live `claude` harness, so the very first ancestry check
@@ -1171,6 +1203,32 @@ EOF
   pass "unavailable or incompatible tasks-axi falls back to compact manual backlog rendering"
 }
 
+test_backlog_compact_beads_uses_ready_filter_not_empty_label() {
+  local rec root home fakebin out log
+  rec=$(new_world backlog-compact-beads)
+  IFS='|' read -r root home fakebin <<EOF
+$rec
+EOF
+  make_fake_toolchain "$fakebin"
+  make_fake_ps_claude "$fakebin"
+  make_fake_task_beads_compact "$fakebin"
+  printf '%s\n' beads > "$home/config/backlog-backend"
+  log="$home/task.log"
+
+  out=$(FM_FAKE_TASK_LOG="$log" run_session_start "$home" "$root" "$fakebin:$BASE_PATH")
+
+  assert_contains "$out" "compact backlog listing (beads task store; max 80 item(s))" \
+    "beads backend did not render the compact backlog listing"
+  assert_contains "$out" "ready-task-1" "beads compact listing omitted a ready item from bd's native --ready filter"
+  assert_contains "$out" "ready-task-2" "beads compact listing omitted a second ready item"
+  assert_not_contains "$out" "No issues found" \
+    "beads backend queried the empty status:ready label instead of bd's native --ready filter"
+  assert_grep "list --ready --limit 80" "$log" \
+    "session start did not ask beads for its native --ready set with the bounded limit"
+
+  pass "beads backend lists bd's native ready set, not the empty status:ready label query"
+}
+
 # --- fleet-state digest: no in-flight tasks ----------------------------------
 
 test_fleet_digest_empty_fleet() {
@@ -1404,6 +1462,7 @@ test_composition_invokes_real_scripts
 test_backlog_compact_tasks_axi_omits_bodies_and_keeps_metadata
 test_backlog_compact_manual_backend_skips_indented_bodies
 test_backlog_compact_tasks_axi_unavailable_uses_manual_fallback
+test_backlog_compact_beads_uses_ready_filter_not_empty_label
 test_fleet_digest_empty_fleet
 test_next_step_sources_x_mode_cadence
 test_next_step_afk_delegates_to_daemon