Instructions for the usage of Backlog.md CLI Tool

Backlog.md: Comprehensive Project Management Tool via CLI

Assistant Objective

Efficiently manage all project tasks, status, and documentation using the Backlog.md CLI, ensuring all project metadata remains fully synchronized and up-to-date.

Core Capabilities

✅ Task Management: Create, edit, assign, prioritize, and track tasks with full metadata
✅ Search: Fuzzy search across tasks, documents, and decisions with backlog search
✅ Acceptance Criteria: Granular control with add/remove/check/uncheck by index
✅ Definition of Done checklists: Per-task DoD items with add/remove/check/uncheck
✅ Board Visualization: Terminal-based Kanban board (backlog board) and web UI (backlog browser)
✅ Git Integration: Automatic tracking of task states across branches
✅ Dependencies: Task relationships and subtask hierarchies
✅ Documentation & Decisions: Structured docs and architectural decision records
✅ Export & Reporting: Generate markdown reports and board snapshots
✅ AI-Optimized: --plain flag provides clean text output for AI processing

Why This Matters to You (AI Agent)

Comprehensive system - Full project management capabilities through CLI
The CLI is the interface - All operations go through backlog commands
Unified interaction model - You can use CLI for both reading (backlog task 1 --plain) and writing ( backlog task edit 1)
Metadata stays synchronized - The CLI handles all the complex relationships

Key Understanding

Tasks live in backlog/tasks/ as task-<id> - <title>.md files
You interact via CLI only: backlog task create, backlog task edit, etc.
Use --plain flag for AI-friendly output when viewing/listing
Never bypass the CLI - It handles Git, metadata, file naming, and relationships

⚠️ CRITICAL: NEVER EDIT TASK FILES DIRECTLY. Edit Only via CLI

ALL task operations MUST use the Backlog.md CLI commands

✅ DO: Use backlog task edit and other CLI commands
✅ DO: Use backlog task create to create new tasks
✅ DO: Use backlog task edit <id> --check-ac <index> to mark acceptance criteria
❌ DON'T: Edit markdown files directly
❌ DON'T: Manually change checkboxes in files
❌ DON'T: Add or modify text in task files without using CLI

Why? Direct file editing breaks metadata synchronization, Git tracking, and task relationships.

1. Source of Truth & File Structure

📖 UNDERSTANDING (What you'll see when reading)

Markdown task files live under backlog/tasks/ (drafts under backlog/drafts/)
Files are named: task-<id> - <title>.md (e.g., task-42 - Add GraphQL resolver.md)
Project documentation is in backlog/docs/
Project decisions are in backlog/decisions/

🔧 ACTING (How to change things)

All task operations MUST use the Backlog.md CLI tool
This ensures metadata is correctly updated and the project stays in sync
Always use --plain flag when listing or viewing tasks for AI-friendly text output

2. Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ WRONG: Direct File Editing

# DON'T DO THIS:

1. Open backlog/tasks/task-7 - Feature.md in editor
2. Change "- [ ]" to "- [x]" manually
3. Add notes or final summary directly to the file
4. Save the file

✅ CORRECT: Using CLI Commands

# DO THIS INSTEAD:
backlog task edit 7 --check-ac 1  # Mark AC #1 as complete
backlog task edit 7 --notes "Implementation complete"  # Add notes
backlog task edit 7 --final-summary "PR-style summary"  # Add final summary
backlog task edit 7 -s "In Progress" -a @agent-k  # Multiple commands: change status and assign the task when you start working on the task

3. Understanding Task Format (Read-Only Reference)

⚠️ FORMAT REFERENCE ONLY - The following sections show what you'll SEE in task files. Never edit these directly! Use CLI commands to make changes.

Task Structure You'll See

---
id: task-42
title: Add GraphQL resolver
status: To Do
assignee: [@sara]
labels: [backend, api]
---

## Description

Brief explanation of the task purpose.

## Acceptance Criteria

<!-- AC:BEGIN -->

- [ ] #1 First criterion
- [x] #2 Second criterion (completed)
- [ ] #3 Third criterion

<!-- AC:END -->

## Definition of Done

<!-- DOD:BEGIN -->

- [ ] #1 Tests pass
- [ ] #2 Docs updated

<!-- DOD:END -->

## Implementation Plan

1. Research approach
2. Implement solution

## Implementation Notes

Progress notes captured during implementation.

## Final Summary

PR-style summary of what was implemented.

How to Modify Each Section

What You Want to Change	CLI Command to Use
Title	`backlog task edit 42 -t "New Title"`
Status	`backlog task edit 42 -s "In Progress"`
Assignee	`backlog task edit 42 -a @sara`
Labels	`backlog task edit 42 -l backend,api`
Description	`backlog task edit 42 -d "New description"`
Add AC	`backlog task edit 42 --ac "New criterion"`
Add DoD	`backlog task edit 42 --dod "Ship notes"`
Check AC #1	`backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1`
Check DoD #1	`backlog task edit 42 --check-dod 1`
Uncheck AC #2	`backlog task edit 42 --uncheck-ac 2`
Uncheck DoD #2	`backlog task edit 42 --uncheck-dod 2`
Remove AC #3	`backlog task edit 42 --remove-ac 3`
Remove DoD #3	`backlog task edit 42 --remove-dod 3`
Add Plan	`backlog task edit 42 --plan "1. Step one\n2. Step two"`
Add Notes (replace)	`backlog task edit 42 --notes "What I did"`
Append Notes	`backlog task edit 42 --append-notes "Another note"`
Add Final Summary	`backlog task edit 42 --final-summary "PR-style summary"`
Append Final Summary	`backlog task edit 42 --append-final-summary "Another detail"`
Clear Final Summary	`backlog task edit 42 --clear-final-summary`

4. Defining Tasks

Creating New Tasks

Always use CLI to create tasks:

# Example
backlog task create "Task title" -d "Description" --ac "First criterion" --ac "Second criterion"

Title (one liner)

Use a clear brief title that summarizes the task.

Description (The "why")

Provide a concise summary of the task purpose and its goal. Explains the context without implementation details.

Acceptance Criteria (The "what")

Understanding the Format:

Acceptance criteria appear as numbered checkboxes in the markdown files
Format: - [ ] #1 Criterion text (unchecked) or - [x] #1 Criterion text (checked)

Managing Acceptance Criteria via CLI:

⚠️ IMPORTANT: How AC Commands Work

Adding criteria (--ac) accepts multiple flags: --ac "First" --ac "Second" ✅
Checking/unchecking/removing accept multiple flags too: --check-ac 1 --check-ac 2 ✅
Mixed operations work in a single command: --check-ac 1 --uncheck-ac 2 --remove-ac 3 ✅

# Examples

# Add new criteria (MULTIPLE values allowed)
backlog task edit 42 --ac "User can login" --ac "Session persists"

# Check specific criteria by index (MULTIPLE values supported)
backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1 --check-ac 2 --check-ac 3  # Check multiple ACs
# Or check them individually if you prefer:
backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1    # Mark #1 as complete
backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 2    # Mark #2 as complete

# Mixed operations in single command
backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1 --uncheck-ac 2 --remove-ac 3

# ❌ STILL WRONG - These formats don't work:
# backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1,2,3  # No comma-separated values
# backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1-3    # No ranges
# backlog task edit 42 --check 1         # Wrong flag name

# Multiple operations of same type
backlog task edit 42 --uncheck-ac 1 --uncheck-ac 2  # Uncheck multiple ACs
backlog task edit 42 --remove-ac 2 --remove-ac 4    # Remove multiple ACs (processed high-to-low)

Definition of Done checklist (per-task)

Definition of Done items are a second checklist in each task. Defaults come from definition_of_done in backlog/config.yml (or Web UI Settings) and can be disabled per task.

Managing Definition of Done via CLI:

# Add DoD items (MULTIPLE values allowed)
backlog task edit 42 --dod "Run tests" --dod "Update docs"

# Check/uncheck DoD items by index (MULTIPLE values supported)
backlog task edit 42 --check-dod 1 --check-dod 2
backlog task edit 42 --uncheck-dod 1

# Remove DoD items by index
backlog task edit 42 --remove-dod 2

# Create without defaults
backlog task create "Feature" --no-dod-defaults

Key Principles for Good ACs:

Outcome-Oriented: Focus on the result, not the method.
Testable/Verifiable: Each criterion should be objectively testable
Clear and Concise: Unambiguous language
Complete: Collectively cover the task scope
User-Focused: Frame from end-user or system behavior perspective

Good Examples:

"User can successfully log in with valid credentials"
"System processes 1000 requests per second without errors"
"CLI preserves literal newlines in description/plan/notes/final summary; \\n sequences are not auto‑converted"

Bad Example (Implementation Step):

"Add a new function handleLogin() in auth.ts"
"Define expected behavior and document supported input patterns"

Task Breakdown Strategy

Identify foundational components first
Create tasks in dependency order (foundations before features)
Ensure each task delivers value independently
Avoid creating tasks that block each other

Task Requirements

Tasks must be atomic and testable or verifiable
Each task should represent a single unit of work for one PR
Never reference future tasks (only tasks with id < current task id)
Ensure tasks are independent and don't depend on future work

5. Implementing Tasks

5.1. First step when implementing a task

The very first things you must do when you take over a task are:

set the task in progress
assign it to yourself

# Example
backlog task edit 42 -s "In Progress" -a @{myself}

5.2. Review Task References and Documentation

Before planning, check if the task has any attached references or documentation:

References: Related code files, GitHub issues, or URLs relevant to the implementation
Documentation: Design docs, API specs, or other materials for understanding context

These are visible in the task view output. Review them to understand the full context before drafting your plan.

5.3. Create an Implementation Plan (The "how")

Previously created tasks contain the why and the what. Once you are familiar with that part you should think about a plan on HOW to tackle the task and all its acceptance criteria. This is your Implementation Plan. First do a quick check to see if all the tools that you are planning to use are available in the environment you are working in. When you are ready, write it down in the task so that you can refer to it later.

# Example
backlog task edit 42 --plan "1. Research codebase for references\n2Research on internet for similar cases\n3. Implement\n4. Test"

5.4. Implementation

Once you have a plan, you can start implementing the task. This is where you write code, run tests, and make sure everything works as expected. Follow the acceptance criteria one by one and MARK THEM AS COMPLETE as soon as you finish them.

5.5 Implementation Notes (Progress log)

Use Implementation Notes to log progress, decisions, and blockers as you work. Append notes progressively during implementation using --append-notes:

backlog task edit 42 --append-notes "Investigated root cause" --append-notes "Added tests for edge case"

# Example
backlog task edit 42 --notes "Initial implementation done; pending integration tests"

5.6 Final Summary (PR description)

When you are done implementing a task you need to prepare a PR description for it. Because you cannot create PRs directly, write the PR as a clean summary in the Final Summary field.

Quality bar: Write it like a reviewer will see it. A one‑liner is rarely enough unless the change is truly trivial. Include the key scope so someone can understand the impact without reading the whole diff.

# Example
backlog task edit 42 --final-summary "Implemented pattern X because Reason Y; updated files Z and W; added tests"

IMPORTANT: Do NOT include an Implementation Plan when creating a task. The plan is added only after you start the implementation.

Creation phase: provide Title, Description, Acceptance Criteria, and optionally labels/priority/assignee.
When you begin work, switch to edit, set the task in progress and assign to yourself backlog task edit <id> -s "In Progress" -a "...".
Think about how you would solve the task and add the plan: backlog task edit <id> --plan "...".
After updating the plan, share it with the user and ask for confirmation. Do not begin coding until the user approves the plan or explicitly tells you to skip the review.
Append Implementation Notes during implementation using --append-notes as progress is made.
Add Final Summary only after completing the work: backlog task edit <id> --final-summary "..." (replace) or append using --append-final-summary.

Phase discipline: What goes where

Creation: Title, Description, Acceptance Criteria, labels/priority/assignee.
Implementation: Implementation Plan (after moving to In Progress and assigning to yourself) + Implementation Notes (progress log, appended as you work).
Wrap-up: Final Summary (PR description), verify AC and Definition of Done checks.

IMPORTANT: Only implement what's in the Acceptance Criteria. If you need to do more, either:

Update the AC first: backlog task edit 42 --ac "New requirement"
Or create a new follow up task: backlog task create "Additional feature"

6. Typical Workflow

# 1. Identify work
backlog task list -s "To Do" --plain

# 2. Read task details
backlog task 42 --plain

# 3. Start work: assign yourself & change status
backlog task edit 42 -s "In Progress" -a @myself

# 4. Add implementation plan
backlog task edit 42 --plan "1. Analyze\n2. Refactor\n3. Test"

# 5. Share the plan with the user and wait for approval (do not write code yet)

# 6. Work on the task (write code, test, etc.)

# 7. Mark acceptance criteria as complete (supports multiple in one command)
backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1 --check-ac 2 --check-ac 3  # Check all at once
# Or check them individually if preferred:
# backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1
# backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 2
# backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 3

# 8. Add Final Summary (PR Description)
backlog task edit 42 --final-summary "Refactored using strategy pattern, updated tests"

# 9. Mark task as done
backlog task edit 42 -s Done

7. Definition of Done (DoD)

A task is Done only when ALL of the following are complete:

✅ Via CLI Commands:

All acceptance criteria checked: Use backlog task edit <id> --check-ac <index> for each
All Definition of Done items checked: Use backlog task edit <id> --check-dod <index> for each
Final Summary added: Use backlog task edit <id> --final-summary "..."
Status set to Done: Use backlog task edit <id> -s Done

✅ Via Code/Testing:

Tests pass: Run test suite and linting
Documentation updated: Update relevant docs if needed
Code reviewed: Self-review your changes
No regressions: Performance, security checks pass

⚠️ NEVER mark a task as Done without completing ALL items above

8. Finding Tasks and Content with Search

When users ask you to find tasks related to a topic, use the backlog search command with --plain flag:

# Search for tasks about authentication
backlog search "auth" --plain

# Search only in tasks (not docs/decisions)
backlog search "login" --type task --plain

# Search with filters
backlog search "api" --status "In Progress" --plain
backlog search "bug" --priority high --plain

Key points:

Uses fuzzy matching - finds "authentication" when searching "auth"
Searches task titles, descriptions, and content
Also searches documents and decisions unless filtered with --type task
Always use --plain flag for AI-readable output

9. Quick Reference: DO vs DON'T

Viewing and Finding Tasks

Task	✅ DO	❌ DON'T
View task	`backlog task 42 --plain`	Open and read .md file directly
List tasks	`backlog task list --plain`	Browse backlog/tasks folder
Check status	`backlog task 42 --plain`	Look at file content
Find by topic	`backlog search "auth" --plain`	Manually grep through files

Modifying Tasks

Task	✅ DO	❌ DON'T
Check AC	`backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1`	Change `- [ ]` to `- [x]` in file
Add notes	`backlog task edit 42 --notes "..."`	Type notes into .md file
Add final summary	`backlog task edit 42 --final-summary "..."`	Type summary into .md file
Change status	`backlog task edit 42 -s Done`	Edit status in frontmatter
Add AC	`backlog task edit 42 --ac "New"`	Add `- [ ] New` to file

10. Complete CLI Command Reference

Task Creation

Action	Command
Create task	`backlog task create "Title"`
With description	`backlog task create "Title" -d "Description"`
With AC	`backlog task create "Title" --ac "Criterion 1" --ac "Criterion 2"`
With final summary	`backlog task create "Title" --final-summary "PR-style summary"`
With references	`backlog task create "Title" --ref src/api.ts --ref https://github.com/issue/123`
With documentation	`backlog task create "Title" --doc https://design-docs.example.com`
With all options	`backlog task create "Title" -d "Desc" -a @sara -s "To Do" -l auth --priority high --ref src/api.ts --doc docs/spec.md`
Create draft	`backlog task create "Title" --draft`
Create subtask	`backlog task create "Title" -p 42`

Task Modification

Action	Command
Edit title	`backlog task edit 42 -t "New Title"`
Edit description	`backlog task edit 42 -d "New description"`
Change status	`backlog task edit 42 -s "In Progress"`
Assign	`backlog task edit 42 -a @sara`
Add labels	`backlog task edit 42 -l backend,api`
Set priority	`backlog task edit 42 --priority high`

Acceptance Criteria Management

Action	Command
Add AC	`backlog task edit 42 --ac "New criterion" --ac "Another"`
Remove AC #2	`backlog task edit 42 --remove-ac 2`
Remove multiple ACs	`backlog task edit 42 --remove-ac 2 --remove-ac 4`
Check AC #1	`backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1`
Check multiple ACs	`backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1 --check-ac 3`
Uncheck AC #3	`backlog task edit 42 --uncheck-ac 3`
Mixed operations	`backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1 --uncheck-ac 2 --remove-ac 3 --ac "New"`

Task Content

Action	Command
Add plan	`backlog task edit 42 --plan "1. Step one\n2. Step two"`
Add notes	`backlog task edit 42 --notes "Implementation details"`
Add final summary	`backlog task edit 42 --final-summary "PR-style summary"`
Append final summary	`backlog task edit 42 --append-final-summary "More details"`
Clear final summary	`backlog task edit 42 --clear-final-summary`
Add dependencies	`backlog task edit 42 --dep task-1 --dep task-2`
Add references	`backlog task edit 42 --ref src/api.ts --ref https://github.com/issue/123`
Add documentation	`backlog task edit 42 --doc https://design-docs.example.com --doc docs/spec.md`

Multi‑line Input (Description/Plan/Notes/Final Summary)

The CLI preserves input literally. Shells do not convert \n inside normal quotes. Use one of the following to insert real newlines:

Bash/Zsh (ANSI‑C quoting):
- Description: backlog task edit 42 --desc $'Line1\nLine2\n\nFinal'
- Plan: backlog task edit 42 --plan $'1. A\n2. B'
- Notes: backlog task edit 42 --notes $'Done A\nDoing B'
- Append notes: backlog task edit 42 --append-notes $'Progress update line 1\nLine 2'
- Final summary: backlog task edit 42 --final-summary $'Shipped A\nAdded B'
- Append final summary: backlog task edit 42 --append-final-summary $'Added X\nAdded Y'
POSIX portable (printf):
- backlog task edit 42 --notes "$(printf 'Line1\nLine2')"
PowerShell (backtick n):
- backlog task edit 42 --notes "Line1nLine2"`

Do not expect "...\n..." to become a newline. That passes the literal backslash + n to the CLI by design.

Descriptions support literal newlines; shell examples may show escaped \\n, but enter a single \n to create a newline.

Implementation Notes Formatting

Keep implementation notes concise and time-ordered; focus on progress, decisions, and blockers.
Use short paragraphs or bullet lists instead of a single long line.
Use Markdown bullets (- for unordered, 1. for ordered) for readability.

When using CLI flags like --append-notes, remember to include explicit newlines. Example:

backlog task edit 42 --append-notes $'- Added new API endpoint\n- Updated tests\n- TODO: monitor staging deploy'

Final Summary Formatting

Treat the Final Summary as a PR description: lead with the outcome, then add key changes and tests.
Keep it clean and structured so it can be pasted directly into GitHub.
Prefer short paragraphs or bullet lists and avoid raw progress logs.
Aim to cover: what changed, why, user impact, tests run, and risks/follow‑ups when relevant.
Avoid single‑line summaries unless the change is truly tiny.

Example (good, not rigid):

Added Final Summary support across CLI/MCP/Web/TUI to separate PR summaries from progress notes.

Changes:
- Added `finalSummary` to task types and markdown section parsing/serialization (ordered after notes).
- CLI/MCP/Web/TUI now render and edit Final Summary; plain output includes it.

Tests:
- bun test src/test/final-summary.test.ts
- bun test src/test/cli-final-summary.test.ts

Task Operations

Action	Command
View task	`backlog task 42 --plain`
List tasks	`backlog task list --plain`
Search tasks	`backlog search "topic" --plain`
Search with filter	`backlog search "api" --status "To Do" --plain`
Filter by status	`backlog task list -s "In Progress" --plain`
Filter by assignee	`backlog task list -a @sara --plain`
Archive task	`backlog task archive 42`
Demote to draft	`backlog task demote 42`

Common Issues

Problem	Solution
Task not found	Check task ID with `backlog task list --plain`
AC won't check	Use correct index: `backlog task 42 --plain` to see AC numbers
Changes not saving	Ensure you're using CLI, not editing files
Metadata out of sync	Re-edit via CLI to fix: `backlog task edit 42 -s <current-status>`

Remember: The Golden Rule

🎯 If you want to change ANYTHING in a task, use the backlog task edit command. 📖 Use CLI to read tasks, exceptionally READ task files directly, never WRITE to them.

Full help available: backlog --help

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