Backlog.md

Markdown‑native Task Manager & Kanban visualizer for any Git repository

npm i -g backlog.md or bun add -g backlog.md or brew install backlog-md or nix run github:MrLesk/Backlog.md

---

Backlog.md turns any folder with a Git repo into a self‑contained project board
powered by plain Markdown files and a zero‑config CLI.

Features

• 📝 Markdown-native tasks -- manage every issue as a plain .md file

• 🤖 AI-Ready -- Works with Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex & any other MCP or CLI compatible AI assistants

• 📊 Instant terminal Kanban -- backlog board paints a live board in your shell

• 🌐 Modern web interface -- backlog browser launches a sleek web UI for visual task management

• 🔍 Powerful search -- fuzzy search across tasks, docs & decisions with backlog search

• 📋 Rich query commands -- view, list, filter, or archive tasks with ease

• 📤 Board export -- backlog board export creates shareable markdown reports

• 🔒 100 % private & offline -- backlog lives entirely inside your repo and you can manage everything locally

• 💻 Cross-platform -- runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows

• 🆓 MIT-licensed & open-source -- free for personal or commercial use

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Five‑minute tour

# 1. Make sure you have Backlog.md installed (global installation recommended) 
bun i -g backlog.md 
or 
npm i -g backlog.md 
or 
brew install backlog-md

# 2. Bootstrap a repo + backlog and choose the AI Agent integration mode (MCP, CLI, or skip)
backlog init "My Awesome Project"

# 3. Create tasks manually  
backlog task create "Render markdown as kanban"

# 4. Or ask AI to create them: Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or Codex (Agents automatically use Backlog.md via MCP or CLI)
Claude I would like to build a search functionality in the web view that searches for:
* tasks
* docs
* decisions
  Please create relevant tasks to tackle this request.

# 5. See where you stand
backlog board view or backlog browser

# 6. Assign tasks to AI (Backlog.md instructions tell agents how to work with tasks)
Claude please implement all tasks related to the web search functionality (task-10, task-11, task-12)
* before starting to write code use 'ultrathink mode' to prepare and add an implementation plan to the task
* use multiple sub-agents when possible and dependencies allow

All data is saved under backlog folder as human‑readable Markdown with the following format task-<task-id> - <task-title>.md (e.g. task-10 - Add core search functionality.md).

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Web Interface

Launch a modern, responsive web interface for visual task management:

# Start the web server (opens browser automatically)
backlog browser

# Custom port
backlog browser --port 8080

# Don't open browser automatically
backlog browser --no-open

Features:

• Interactive Kanban board with drag-and-drop
• Task creation and editing with rich forms
• Interactive acceptance criteria editor with checklists
• Real-time updates across all views
• Responsive design for desktop and mobile
• Task archiving with confirmation dialogs
• Seamless CLI integration - all changes sync with markdown files

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🔧 MCP Integration (Model Context Protocol)

The easiest way to connect Backlog.md to AI coding assistants like Claude Code, Codex, and Gemini CLI is via the MCP protocol. You can run backlog init (even if you already initialized Backlog.md) to set up MCP integration automatically, or follow the manual steps below.

Client guides

Important

When adding the MCP server manually, you should add some extra instructions in your CLAUDE.md/AGENTS.md files to inform the agent about Backlog.md. This step is not required when using backlog init as it adds these instructions automatically. Backlog.md's instructions for agents are available at /src/guidelines/mcp/agent-nudge.md.

Claude Code

claude mcp add backlog --scope user -- backlog mcp start

Codex

codex mcp add backlog backlog mcp start

Gemini CLI

gemini mcp add backlog -s user backlog mcp start

Use the shared backlog server name everywhere – the MCP server auto-detects whether the current directory is initialized and falls back to backlog://init-required when needed.

Manual config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backlog": {
      "command": "backlog",
      "args": ["mcp", "start"]
    }
  }
}

Once connected, agents can read the Backlog.md workflow instructions via the resource backlog://docs/task-workflow. Use /mcp command in your AI tool (Claude Code, Codex) to verify if the connection is working.

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CLI reference

Project Setup

Action	Example
Initialize project	backlog init [project-name] (creates backlog structure with a minimal interactive flow)
Re-initialize	backlog init (preserves existing config, allows updates)
Advanced settings wizard	backlog config (no args) — launches the full interactive configuration flow

backlog init keeps first-run setup focused on the essentials:

• Project name – identifier for your backlog (defaults to the current directory on re-run).
• Integration choice – decide whether your AI tools connect through the MCP connector (recommended) or stick with CLI commands (legacy).
• Instruction files (CLI path only) – when you choose the legacy CLI flow, pick which instruction files to create (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, Copilot, or skip).
• Advanced settings prompt – default answer “No” finishes init immediately; choosing “Yes” jumps straight into the advanced wizard documented in Configuration.

You can rerun the wizard anytime with backlog config. All existing CLI flags (for example --defaults, --agent-instructions, or --install-claude-agent true) continue to provide fully non-interactive setups, so existing scripts keep working without change.

Documentation

• Document IDs are global across all subdirectories under backlog/docs. You can organize files in nested folders (e.g., backlog/docs/guides/), and backlog doc list and backlog doc view <id> work across the entire tree. Example: backlog doc create -p guides "New Guide".

Task Management

Action	Example
Create task	backlog task create "Add OAuth System"
Create with description	backlog task create "Feature" -d "Add authentication system"
Create with assignee	backlog task create "Feature" -a @sara
Create with status	backlog task create "Feature" -s "In Progress"
Create with labels	backlog task create "Feature" -l auth,backend
Create with priority	backlog task create "Feature" --priority high
Create with plan	backlog task create "Feature" --plan "1. Research\n2. Implement"
Create with AC	backlog task create "Feature" --ac "Must work,Must be tested"
Create with notes	backlog task create "Feature" --notes "Started initial research"
Create with deps	backlog task create "Feature" --dep task-1,task-2
Create sub task	backlog task create -p 14 "Add Login with Google"
Create (all options)	backlog task create "Feature" -d "Description" -a @sara -s "To Do" -l auth --priority high --ac "Must work" --notes "Initial setup done" --dep task-1 -p 14
List tasks	backlog task list [-s <status>] [-a <assignee>] [-p <parent>]
List by parent	backlog task list --parent 42 or backlog task list -p task-42
View detail	backlog task 7 (interactive UI, press 'E' to edit in editor)
View (AI mode)	backlog task 7 --plain
Edit	backlog task edit 7 -a @sara -l auth,backend
Add plan	backlog task edit 7 --plan "Implementation approach"
Add AC	backlog task edit 7 --ac "New criterion" --ac "Another one"
Remove AC	backlog task edit 7 --remove-ac 2 (removes AC #2)
Remove multiple ACs	backlog task edit 7 --remove-ac 2 --remove-ac 4 (removes AC #2 and #4)
Check AC	backlog task edit 7 --check-ac 1 (marks AC #1 as done)
Check multiple ACs	backlog task edit 7 --check-ac 1 --check-ac 3 (marks AC #1 and #3 as done)
Uncheck AC	backlog task edit 7 --uncheck-ac 3 (marks AC #3 as not done)
Mixed AC operations	backlog task edit 7 --check-ac 1 --uncheck-ac 2 --remove-ac 4
Add notes	backlog task edit 7 --notes "Completed X, working on Y" (replaces existing)
Append notes	backlog task edit 7 --append-notes "New findings"
Add deps	backlog task edit 7 --dep task-1 --dep task-2
Archive	backlog task archive 7

Multi‑line input (description/plan/notes)

The CLI preserves input literally; \n sequences are not auto‑converted. Use one of the following to insert real newlines:

• Bash/Zsh (ANSI‑C quoting)
  • Description: backlog task create "Feature" --desc $'Line1\nLine2\n\nFinal paragraph'
  • Plan: backlog task edit 7 --plan $'1. Research\n2. Implement'
  • Notes: backlog task edit 7 --notes $'Completed A\nWorking on B'
  • Append notes: backlog task edit 7 --append-notes $'Added X\nAdded Y'
• POSIX sh (printf)
  • backlog task create "Feature" --desc "$(printf 'Line1\nLine2\n\nFinal paragraph')"
• PowerShell (backtick)
  • backlog task create "Feature" --desc "Line1nLine2nnFinal paragraph"`

Tip: Help text shows Bash examples with escaped \\n for readability; when typing, $'\n' expands to a newline.

Search

Find tasks, documents, and decisions across your entire backlog with fuzzy search:

Action	Example
Search tasks	backlog search "auth"
Filter by status	backlog search "api" --status "In Progress"
Filter by priority	backlog search "bug" --priority high
Combine filters	backlog search "web" --status "To Do" --priority medium
Plain text output	backlog search "feature" --plain (for scripts/AI)

Search features:

• Fuzzy matching -- finds "authentication" when searching for "auth"
• Interactive filters -- refine your search in real-time with the TUI
• Live filtering -- see results update as you type (no Enter needed)

Draft Workflow

Action	Example
Create draft	backlog task create "Feature" --draft
Draft flow	backlog draft create "Spike GraphQL" → backlog draft promote 3.1
Demote to draft	backlog task demote <id>

Dependency Management

Manage task dependencies to create execution sequences and prevent circular relationships:

Action	Example
Add dependencies	backlog task edit 7 --dep task-1 --dep task-2
Add multiple deps	backlog task edit 7 --dep task-1,task-5,task-9
Create with deps	backlog task create "Feature" --dep task-1,task-2
View dependencies	backlog task 7 (shows dependencies in task view)
Validate dependencies	Use task commands to automatically validate dependencies

Dependency Features:

• Automatic validation: Prevents circular dependencies and validates task existence
• Flexible formats: Use task-1, 1, or comma-separated lists like 1,2,3
• Visual sequences: Dependencies create visual execution sequences in board view
• Completion tracking: See which dependencies are blocking task progress

Board Operations

Action	Example
Kanban board	backlog board (interactive UI, press 'E' to edit in editor)
Export board	backlog board export [file] (exports Kanban board to markdown)
Export with version	backlog board export --export-version "v1.0.0" (includes version in export)

Statistics & Overview

Action	Example
Project overview	backlog overview (interactive TUI showing project statistics)

Web Interface

Action	Example
Web interface	backlog browser (launches web UI on port 6420)
Web custom port	backlog browser --port 8080 --no-open

Documentation

Action	Example
Create doc	backlog doc create "API Guidelines"
Create with path	backlog doc create "Setup Guide" -p guides/setup
Create with type	backlog doc create "Architecture" -t technical
List docs	backlog doc list
View doc	backlog doc view doc-1

Decisions

Action	Example
Create decision	backlog decision create "Use PostgreSQL for primary database"
Create with status	backlog decision create "Migrate to TypeScript" -s proposed

Agent Instructions

Action	Example
Update agent files	backlog agents --update-instructions (updates CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, GEMINI.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md)

Maintenance

Action	Example
Cleanup done tasks	backlog cleanup (move old completed tasks to completed folder)

Full help: backlog --help

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Configuration

Backlog.md merges the following layers (highest → lowest):

1. CLI flags
2. backlog/config.yml (per‑project)
3. ~/backlog/user (per‑user)
4. Built‑ins

Configuration Commands

Action	Example
View all configs	backlog config list
Get specific config	backlog config get defaultEditor
Set config value	backlog config set defaultEditor "code --wait"
Enable auto-commit	backlog config set autoCommit true
Bypass git hooks	backlog config set bypassGitHooks true
Enable cross-branch check	backlog config set checkActiveBranches true
Set active branch days	backlog config set activeBranchDays 30

Interactive wizard (backlog config)

Run backlog config with no arguments to launch the full interactive wizard. This is the same experience triggered from backlog init when you opt into advanced settings, and it walks through the complete configuration surface:

• Cross-branch accuracy: checkActiveBranches, remoteOperations, and activeBranchDays.
• Git workflow: autoCommit and bypassGitHooks.
• ID formatting: enable or size zeroPaddedIds.
• Editor integration: pick a defaultEditor with availability checks.
• Web UI defaults: choose defaultPort and whether autoOpenBrowser should run.

Skipping the wizard (answering “No” during init) applies the safe defaults that ship with Backlog.md:

• checkActiveBranches=true, remoteOperations=true, activeBranchDays=30.
• autoCommit=false, bypassGitHooks=false.
• zeroPaddedIds disabled.
• defaultEditor unset (falls back to your environment).
• defaultPort=6420, autoOpenBrowser=true.

Whenever you revisit backlog init or rerun backlog config, the wizard pre-populates prompts with your current values so you can adjust only what changed.

Available Configuration Options

Key	Purpose	Default
defaultAssignee	Pre‑fill assignee	[]
defaultStatus	First column	To Do
statuses	Board columns	[To Do, In Progress, Done]
dateFormat	Date/time format	yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm
timezonePreference	Timezone for dates	UTC
includeDatetimeInDates	Add time to new dates	true
defaultEditor	Editor for 'E' key	Platform default (nano/notepad)
defaultPort	Web UI port	6420
autoOpenBrowser	Open browser automatically	true
remoteOperations	Enable remote git operations	true
autoCommit	Automatically commit task changes	false
bypassGitHooks	Skip git hooks when committing (uses --no-verify)	false
zeroPaddedIds	Pad all IDs (tasks, docs, etc.) with leading zeros	(disabled)
checkActiveBranches	Check task states across active branches for accuracy	true
activeBranchDays	How many days a branch is considered active	30

Note: Set remoteOperations: false to work offline. This disables git fetch operations and loads tasks from local branches only, useful when working without network connectivity.

Git Control: By default, autoCommit is set to false, giving you full control over your git history. Task operations will modify files but won't automatically commit changes. Set autoCommit: true if you prefer automatic commits for each task operation.

Git Hooks: If you have pre-commit hooks (like conventional commits or linters) that interfere with backlog.md's automated commits, set bypassGitHooks: true to skip them using the --no-verify flag.

Performance: Cross-branch checking ensures accurate task tracking across all active branches but may impact performance on large repositories. You can disable it by setting checkActiveBranches: false for maximum speed, or adjust activeBranchDays to control how far back to look for branch activity (lower values = better performance).

Date/Time Support: Backlog.md now supports datetime precision for all dates. New items automatically include time (YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm format in UTC), while existing date-only entries remain unchanged for backward compatibility. Use the migration script bun src/scripts/migrate-dates.ts to optionally add time to existing items.

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💡 Shell Tab Completion

Backlog.md includes built-in intelligent tab completion for bash, zsh, and fish shells. Completion scripts are embedded in the binary—no external files needed.

Quick Installation:

# Auto-detect and install for your current shell
backlog completion install

# Or specify shell explicitly
backlog completion install --shell bash
backlog completion install --shell zsh
backlog completion install --shell fish

What you get:

• Command completion: backlog <TAB> → shows all commands
• Dynamic task IDs: backlog task edit <TAB> → shows actual task IDs from your backlog
• Smart flags: --status <TAB> → shows configured status values
• Context-aware suggestions for priorities, labels, and assignees

📖 Full documentation: See completions/README.md for detailed installation instructions, troubleshooting, and examples.

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Sharing & Export

Board Export

Export your Kanban board to a clean, shareable markdown file:

# Export to default Backlog.md file
backlog board export

# Export to custom file
backlog board export project-status.md

# Force overwrite existing file
backlog board export --force

# Export to README.md with board markers
backlog board export --readme

# Include a custom version string in the export
backlog board export --export-version "v1.2.3"
backlog board export --readme --export-version "Release 2024.12.1-beta"

Perfect for sharing project status, creating reports, or storing snapshots in version control.

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📊 Backlog.md Project Status (v1.18.0)

This board was automatically generated by Backlog.md

Generated on: 2025-10-27 21:53:12

To Do	In Progress	Done
TASK-310 - Strengthen Backlog workflow overview emphasis on reading detailed guides [@codex]	TASK-289 - Implement resource templates list handler to return empty list instead of error [@codex] #mcp #enhancement	TASK-308 - Add shell tab completion support for CLI commands [@codex] #enhancement #cli #completion
TASK-309 - Improve TUI empty state when task filters return no results [@codex]	TASK-280 - Fix TUI task list selection and detail pane synchronization bug [@codex] #bug #tui	└─ TASK-308.01 - Research shell completion frameworks and implementation approaches #research
TASK-306 - Improve backlog init flow to ask for confirmation when git repo not found	└─ TASK-24.1 - CLI: Kanban board milestone view [@codex]	└─ TASK-308.03 - Implement zsh completion script #zsh #completion
TASK-303 - Optimize Windows CI performance with test sharding	TASK-273 - Refactor search [@codex] #core #search	└─ TASK-308.04 - Implement fish completion script #fish #completion
TASK-276 - Implement drag mode for TUI kanban board		└─ TASK-308.05 - Add dynamic completions for task IDs and config values #completion #dynamic
TASK-270 - Prevent command substitution in task creation inputs [@codex]		└─ TASK-308.06 - Add completion installation command #cli #completion #installation
TASK-268 - Show agent instruction version status [@codex]		└─ TASK-308.07 - Add completion documentation and tests #documentation #testing
TASK-267 - Add agent instruction version metadata [@codex]		└─ TASK-308.02 - Implement bash completion script #bash #completion
TASK-260 - Web UI: Add filtering to All Tasks view [@codex] #web-ui #filters #ui		TASK-307 - Add dual-mode MCP guidance for workflow docs [@codex]
TASK-259 - Add task list filters for Status and Priority #tui #filters #ui		TASK-305 - Improve MCP guidelines to cross-link workflows and clarify documentation notes [@codex] #retroactive
TASK-257 - Deep link URLs for tasks in board and list views		TASK-304 - Update MCP integration documentation and CLI client commands [@codex]
TASK-200 - Add Claude Code integration with workflow commands during init #enhancement #developer-experience		TASK-302 - Support flexible ID formats for tasks and docs [@codex]
TASK-244 - TUI: add live updates via watch in task list and kanban [@codex] #tui #watcher #enhancement		TASK-301 - Feature: MCP document tools [@codex]
TASK-218 - Update documentation and tests for sequences #sequences #documentation #testing		TASK-300 - Fix backlog init MCP registration flags for Claude and Gemini [@codex] #mcp #init
TASK-217 - Create web UI for sequences with drag-and-drop #sequences #web-ui #frontend		TASK-299 - Fix MCP initialization for multiple AI coding agents (Codex, Gemini, Claude) [@codex] #mcp #init #multi-agent-support
└─ TASK-217.03 - Sequences web UI: move tasks and update dependencies #sequences		TASK-298 - Fix document title renames [@codex]
└─ TASK-217.04 - Sequences web UI: tests #sequences		TASK-297 - Fix Windows MCP git fetch hang during task_create [@codex]
└─ TASK-217.02 - Sequences web UI: list sequences #sequences		TASK-290 - Improve MCP status field to use enum dropdown with config values [@codex]
TASK-243 - Enable TUI task reordering with Shift+Arrow keys [@codex] #tui #ui #enhancement		TASK-288 - Fix browser UI error display and make priority optional #bug #ui #validation
TASK-240 - Improve binary resolution on Apple Silicon (Rosetta/arch mismatch) [@codex] #packaging #bug #macos		TASK-284 - Simplify init flow; launch advanced settings via backlog config [@codex] #cli #init #config
TASK-239 - Feature: Auto-link tasks to documents/decisions + backlinks [@codex] #web #enhancement #docs		TASK-287 - Add MCP support for agent integration [@codex] #mcp #integration #agent
TASK-222 - Improve task and subtask visualization in web UI		TASK-286 - Add npm script and shell script for updating bun.nix via Docker [@myself] #tooling #nix #ci
TASK-208 - Add paste-as-markdown support in Web UI #web-ui #enhancement #markdown		TASK-285 - adjust z-index tooltip style

License

Backlog.md is released under the MIT License – do anything, just give credit. See LICENSE.