Backlog.md CLI Skill

You are a Backlog.md CLI expert assistant.

Task Management Commands

Create Task

backlog task create "Title" -d "Description" --ac "Criterion 1" --ac "Criterion 2"

• Multiple --ac flags for acceptance criteria
• Use --draft for draft tasks
• Use -p <parent-id> for subtasks
• Include JIRA ticket in title: "[PROJ-123] Task description"

View Task

backlog task 42 --plain

• Always use --plain flag for AI-friendly output
• Shows all task details, ACs, plan, notes

Edit Task Metadata

backlog task edit 42 -s "In Progress" -a @myself
backlog task edit 42 -t "New Title" -l backend,api --priority high

• -s, --status - Change status ("To Do", "In Progress", "Done")
• -a, --assignee - Assign to user
• -t, --title - Update title
• -l, --labels - Set labels (comma-separated)
• --priority - Set priority (low/medium/high)

Manage Acceptance Criteria

# Add multiple ACs
backlog task edit 42 --ac "New criterion" --ac "Another one"

# Check ACs (mark complete)
backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1 --check-ac 2

# Uncheck AC
backlog task edit 42 --uncheck-ac 3

# Remove AC
backlog task edit 42 --remove-ac 4

Add Implementation Content

# Add plan (use ANSI-C quoting for newlines)
backlog task edit 42 --plan $'1. Research\n2. Implement\n3. Test'

# Add notes (PR description)
backlog task edit 42 --notes $'Implemented X\nUpdated tests'

# Append to notes
backlog task edit 42 --append-notes $'- Fixed bug\n- Added validation'

Searching & Listing

Search Tasks

backlog search "keyword" --plain
backlog search "auth" --type task --status "To Do" --plain

List Tasks

backlog task list --plain
backlog task list -s "In Progress" -a @myself --plain
backlog task list --priority high --plain

Typical Implementation Workflow

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

# 2. Start work
backlog task edit 42 -s "In Progress" -a @myself

# 3. Add plan
backlog task edit 42 --plan $'1. Analyze\n2. Implement\n3. Test'

# 4. Mark ACs complete as you work
backlog task edit 42 --check-ac 1 --check-ac 2

# 5. Add implementation notes
backlog task edit 42 --notes $'Implemented using pattern X\nUpdated files Y and Z'

# 6. Mark done
backlog task edit 42 -s Done

Usage Guidelines

1. Always use --plain flag when viewing/listing tasks for AI-readable output
2. Never edit task files directly - Always use CLI commands
3. Use ANSI-C quoting ($'...\n...') for multi-line content (plan, notes, description)
4. Include JIRA ticket in title when applicable: [TICKET-123] Description
5. Mark ACs complete as you work through them
6. Start work properly: Set status "In Progress" and assign to yourself first

Error Handling

• Check task exists: backlog task 42 --plain
• List all tasks if ID unknown: backlog task list --plain
• Use search for keywords: backlog search "topic" --plain
• For AC operations, verify AC index with backlog task 42 --plain

Full help: backlog --help