Markdown‑native Task Manager & Kanban visualizer for any Git repository
npm i -g backlog.md or bun add -g 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.
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📝 Markdown-native tasks — manage every issue as a plain
.mdfile -
🔒 100 % private & offline — backlog lives entirely inside your repo
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📊 Instant terminal Kanban —
backlog boardpaints a live board in your shell -
🌐 Modern web interface —
backlog browserlaunches a sleek web UI for visual task management -
🤖 AI-ready CLI — “Claude, please take over task 33”
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🔍 Rich query commands — view, list, filter, or archive tasks with ease
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💻 Cross-platform — runs on macOS, Linux, and Windows
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🆓 MIT-licensed & open-source — free for personal or commercial use
# 1. Bootstrap a repo + backlog
backlog init hello-world
# 2. Capture work
backlog task create "Render markdown as kanban"
# 3. See where you stand
backlog board view
All data is saved under backlog folder as human‑readable Markdown with the following format task- (e.g. task-12 - Fix typo.md).
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
The web interface provides:
- Interactive Kanban board with drag-and-drop functionality
- Task creation and editing with rich forms and validation
- Real-time updates as you manage tasks
- Responsive design that works on desktop and mobile
- Archive tasks with confirmation dialogs
- Seamless CLI integration – changes sync with your markdown files
CLI reference (essentials)
| 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 deps | backlog task create "Feature" --dep task-1,task-2 |
| Create sub task | backlog task create -p 14 "Add Login with Google" |
| Create draft | backlog task create "Feature" --draft |
| Create (all options) | backlog task create "Feature" -d "Description" -a @sara -s "To Do" -l auth --priority high --ac "Must work" --dep task-1 -p 14 |
| List tasks | backlog task list [-s |
| 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,Another one" |
| Add deps | backlog task edit 7 --dep task-1 --dep task-2 |
| Archive | backlog task archive 7 |
| Draft flow | backlog draft create "Spike GraphQL" → backlog draft promote 3.1 |
| Demote to draft | backlog task demote |
| Kanban board | backlog board (interactive UI, press ‘E’ to edit in editor) |
| Web interface | backlog browser (launches web UI on port 6420) |
| Web custom port | backlog browser --port 8080 --no-open |
| Config editor | backlog config set defaultEditor "code --wait" |
| View config | backlog config list |
Full help: backlog --help
Backlog.md merges the following layers (highest → lowest):
- CLI flags
backlog/config.yml(per‑project)~/backlog/user(per‑user)- Built‑ins
Key options:
| Key | Purpose | Default |
|---|---|---|
default_assignee |
Pre‑fill assignee | [] |
default_status |
First column | To Do |
statuses |
Board columns | [To Do, In Progress, Done] |
date_format |
ISO or locale | yyyy-mm-dd |
default_editor |
Editor for ‘E’ key | Platform default (nano/notepad) |
default_port |
Web UI port | 6420 |
auto_open_browser |
Open browser automatically | true |
Backlog.md is released under the MIT License – do anything, just give credit. See LICENSE.