From agent-flow
Task and document management with Backlog.md. Use this skill whenever working with tasks, tracking work, creating subtasks, searching or viewing existing tasks, or any time work should be preserved across sessions or handed off. Triggers include: "create a task", "track this", "add to backlog", "what tasks do I have", "mark as done", "continue on task", "break this into tasks", or any request where the outcome has a concrete deliverable worth tracking. Always use this skill when a project includes a Backlog.md setup and work needs to be logged. Prefer CLI commands unless MCP tools are confirmed working in the current environment.
npx claudepluginhub timgranlundmarsden/claude-agent-flowThis skill uses the workspace's default tool permissions.
**Default: CLI.** Use `backlog` CLI commands unless MCP tools are confirmed working in the current environment. MCP command equivalents are noted in the fallback section at the bottom.
Tracks tasks via Backlog.md CLI for agent workflows: creates deferred issues during implementation, files audit findings, manages priorities/labels, and completes assigned tasks.
Defines conventions for TASKS.md files: structure with optional sections, status symbols ([ ] todo, [/] ongoing, [x] done, [-] backlog), task descriptions, and testable acceptance criteria. Use for creating, editing, updating tasks or tracking progress.
Manages backlog items across GitHub Issues, Linear, and Beads backends via unified CREATE/LIST/UPDATE/COMPLETE operations. Configure task_management in .agents.yml for team workflows with dependencies.
Share bugs, ideas, or general feedback.
Default: CLI. Use backlog CLI commands unless MCP tools are confirmed working in the current environment. MCP command equivalents are noted in the fallback section at the bottom.
After executing ANY backlog operation (task create, task edit, doc create, etc.), ALWAYS run:
git push -u origin $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
This ensures all backlog changes are immediately synced to the remote branch, regardless of whether hooks execute.
Create a task when:
Skip task creation when:
backlog search "keywords"backlog search "keywords" or backlog task listbacklog task <id> --plain/backlog/docs/backlog task create -p <parent-id> "Subtask title"Every task must have:
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Title | Short, specific, describes the deliverable |
Description (-d) | What needs to be done + related doc references |
Plan (--plan) | Background, approach, prerequisites, expected deliverables |
Priority (--priority) | high / medium / low |
To Do → In Progress → Done
# Create
backlog task create "Title" -d "Description" --plan "Approach" --priority medium
# Create with all options
backlog task create "Title" \
-d "What needs doing" \
--plan "Approach and background" \
--priority high \
--ac "Must pass tests,Must be reviewed" \
--dep task-1,task-2 \
-l auth,backend
# Create subtask under parent
backlog task create -p <parent-id> "Subtask title"
# List
backlog task list
backlog task list -s "In Progress"
backlog task list -p <parent-id>
# View (AI-friendly plain output)
backlog task <id> --plain
# Edit / update status
backlog task edit <id> -s "In Progress"
backlog task edit <id> -s "Done"
backlog task edit <id> --priority high
backlog task edit <id> --append-notes "Completed X, working on Y"
# Acceptance criteria
backlog task edit <id> --ac "New criterion"
backlog task edit <id> --check-ac 1
backlog task edit <id> --remove-ac 2
# Dependencies
backlog task edit <id> --dep task-1 --dep task-2
backlog search "keywords"
backlog search "auth" --status "In Progress"
backlog search "bug" --priority high
backlog search "feature" --plain # for scripts / AI use
backlog doc create "Title"
backlog doc create "Setup Guide" -p guides/setup
backlog doc list
backlog doc view doc-<id>
backlog board # interactive Kanban
backlog board export # export to markdown
| Priority | When to use |
|---|---|
| High | Blockers, security issues, production bugs, critical features |
| Medium | Regular feature work, non-blocking improvements |
| Low | Nice-to-have, refactoring, docs, tech debt |
One task = one PR:
If larger → break into parent task + subtasks.
Always create documents before tasks when relevant:
# 1. Create the doc
backlog doc create "Auth Architecture"
# → returns doc-001
# 2. Reference it in the task description
backlog task create "Implement OAuth" \
-d $'Implement OAuth login flow\n\n## Related Documents\n- [doc-001] Auth Architecture - Overall design' \
--plan "Follow design in doc-001. Use existing session middleware." \
--priority high
Use ANSI-C quoting for real newlines:
backlog task create "Feature" \
-d $'What needs doing\n\n## Related Documents\n- [doc-001] Title' \
--plan $'1. Research\n2. Implement\n3. Test'
If CLI is unavailable and MCP tools are confirmed working, use these equivalents:
| CLI | MCP |
|---|---|
backlog task create ... | mcp__backlog__task_create |
backlog task edit <id> -s "Done" | mcp__backlog__task_edit --id <id> --status "Done" |
backlog task <id> --plain | mcp__backlog__task_view --id <id> |
backlog task list | mcp__backlog__task_list |
backlog search "keywords" | mcp__backlog__task_search --query "keywords" |
backlog doc create "Title" | mcp__backlog__document_create --title "Title" |
MCP follows the same field requirements and status lifecycle as CLI.