SHOULD invoke when bugs, deferred tasks, or future improvements are identified during development.
Captures deferred bugs, features, and technical debt during development into a structured backlog file. Use when items are discovered but out of scope for current work, ensuring nothing is lost while keeping focus on immediate tasks.
/plugin marketplace add astrosteveo/harness/plugin install astrosteveo-harness@astrosteveo/harnessThis skill inherits all available tools. When active, it can use any tool Claude has access to.
Track bugs, deferred tasks, and future improvements in a centralized backlog. This ensures nothing is lost when items are discovered during brainstorming, planning, or implementation but aren't immediately actionable.
Backlog location: .harness/BACKLOG.md
Add items to the backlog when:
Do NOT use for:
The backlog file uses a structured markdown format:
# Project Backlog
> Items discovered during development that are deferred for future work.
> Review periodically and promote items to active plans.
---
## Bugs
### [BUG-001] Short description of the bug
- **Discovered:** YYYY-MM-DD
- **Context:** .harness/NNN-feature-slug/ (if related to a feature)
- **Severity:** Critical | High | Medium | Low
- **Description:** Detailed description of the bug
- **Reproduction:** Steps to reproduce (if known)
- **Notes:** Any additional context
---
## Deferred Features
### [FEAT-001] Short description of the feature
- **Discovered:** YYYY-MM-DD
- **Context:** .harness/NNN-feature-slug/ (if related to a feature)
- **Priority:** High | Medium | Low
- **Description:** What the feature should do
- **Rationale for deferral:** Why this was deferred
- **Dependencies:** Any prerequisites
---
## Technical Debt
### [DEBT-001] Short description of the debt
- **Discovered:** YYYY-MM-DD
- **Context:** File or directory affected
- **Impact:** How this affects the codebase
- **Suggested fix:** Proposed approach to address
- **Effort:** Small | Medium | Large
---
## Improvements
### [IMPROVE-001] Short description of the improvement
- **Discovered:** YYYY-MM-DD
- **Context:** .harness/NNN-feature-slug/ (if related to a feature)
- **Category:** Performance | UX | DX | Maintainability
- **Description:** What should be improved
- **Benefit:** Expected outcome
---
## Completed (Archive)
Items moved here when addressed. Include resolution date and reference to the fix.
### [BUG-001] Description - RESOLVED YYYY-MM-DD
- **Resolution:** How it was fixed
- **PR/Commit:** Reference to the fix
When adding a new item:
Periodically review the backlog to:
When features are identified but deferred:
"I'm adding this to the backlog as FEAT-XXX for future consideration."
When tasks are intentionally skipped:
"I'm deferring this task to the backlog as DEBT-XXX."
When bugs are discovered:
"I've logged this bug as BUG-XXX in the backlog for later investigation."
The backlog feeds into .harness/dashboard.md - a "what's next" view for session start.
Dashboard location: .harness/dashboard.md
Dashboard format:
# Project Dashboard
> Auto-generated summary of priority work. Updated after each feature completion.
## Recommended Next Steps
| Priority | Item | Source | Notes |
|----------|------|--------|-------|
| High | [Short description] | FEAT-001 | [Context] |
| Medium | [Short description] | BUG-002 | [Context] |
## Quick Wins (< 30 min)
- [ ] [DEBT-003] Fix typo in error message (src/errors.ts:24)
- [ ] [IMPROVE-001] Add missing null check (src/utils.ts:88)
## Priority Bugs
- [ ] [BUG-001] Race condition in session handling - **Critical**
- [ ] [BUG-002] Validation bypassed on edge case - **High**
## Tech Debt Queue
- [ ] [DEBT-001] Refactor duplicated validation logic - High impact
- [ ] [DEBT-002] Update deprecated API calls - Medium impact
When to update dashboard:
Dashboard generation:
Session start integration: The session-start hook reads dashboard.md and surfaces top items.
YAGNI ("You Aren't Gonna Need It") applies to building features, not tracking them. Track ideas you defer, even ones you may never build—this documents the decision, not a commitment.
The backlog is a parking lot, not a promise. Items can sit indefinitely or be pruned entirely. Review periodically: promote what's valuable, delete what's stale.
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