Project Backlog

Project Backlog

Overview

Use a project-local backlog/ folder as the source of truth for backlog item status. Work with the Obsidian vault as plain Markdown files. Resolve the vault path directly from OBSIDIAN_VAULT or VAULT; if neither is set and the human did not provide a vault path, ask for it before reading or writing backlog files.

Lifecycle hook: if work starts, pauses, resumes, opens PR, or completes, update the matching backlog item.

Folder Convention

Each project folder may contain:

backlog/
  intake/
  next/
  ongoing/
  paused/
  done/
  canceled/

Before filing or moving backlog items, create the project backlog/ directory and any missing status subdirectories from the project folder.

Copyable initializer:

mkdir -p backlog/{intake,next,ongoing,paused,done,canceled}

Status is canonical from the folder name. A backlog item must live in exactly one status folder.

Do not create alternate status folders such as todo/, active/, blocked/, archive/, or shipped/. Use tags/properties for metadata only, not as competing status systems. If a note has a status property, keep it synchronized with the containing folder or remove it only with permission.

Item Format

One Markdown note per item. Keep filenames short/stable, e.g. add-search.md. Folder = status; do not add a status property.

---
tags: [backlog]
type: feature # feature | bug | chore | research
priority: P2 # P0 | P1 | P2 | P3
description: One concise sentence explaining the item.
created: 2026-06-19
updated: 2026-06-19
due:
agent_run:
---

# Title

## Request
## Context / Links
## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ]
## Activity Log
- 2026-06-19 — Created.

Preserve frontmatter, wikilinks, and Markdown when moving or editing notes.

Async Agent Workflow

1. Capture: create or move new requests into backlog/intake/.
2. Triage: clarify scope, deduplicate, add acceptance criteria, then move to next/, canceled/, or leave in intake/.
3. Assign: before starting an async agent or human work session, move the item to ongoing/ and add a brief activity-log entry with date, owner, and run/session identifier if useful.
4. Track: update the item with links to branches, PRs, review notes, blockers, and decisions. Do not mark a note done just because an agent reported completion.
5. Finish: after verification and cleanup, move completed feature/fix notes to done/. If work is blocked or intentionally stopped, move to paused/; if abandoned or rejected, move to canceled/.

Housekeeping

On request, perform safe maintenance:

• ensure backlog/ and all six status subdirectories exist before filing items;
• list duplicate or near-duplicate backlog items before merging them;
• identify stale ongoing/ items with no recent activity;
• identify paused/ items missing blocker/resume notes;
• move verified completed items from ongoing/ or paused/ to done/;
• move rejected, obsolete, or duplicate items to canceled/;
• normalize filenames only when links/backlinks can be preserved;
• ask before deleting files, bulk-moving notes, overwriting frontmatter, or changing wikilinks.

Backlog Tree Helper

For a quick read-only snapshot by unique project folder name, run from this skill directory:

./backlog-project-tree "projectName"

Set the vault path with OBSIDIAN_VAULT or VAULT:

OBSIDIAN_VAULT=/path/to/vault ./backlog-project-tree "projectName"
# or
VAULT=/path/to/vault ./backlog-project-tree "projectName"

It prints Markdown files under intake/, next/, ongoing/, paused/, done/, and canceled/, with best-effort metadata (type, priority, description, updated, due, agent_run). It reports missing categories without creating, moving, or deleting anything.

Backlog State Review

When asked for a backlog review, scan only the requested project unless told otherwise:

1. Confirm the project folder and vault path.
2. Count items in each status folder.
3. Summarize intake/ triage candidates, next/ ready work, stale ongoing/, and blocked paused/ items.
4. Recommend specific moves or edits, grouped by status.
5. Ask for confirmation before applying bulk moves or destructive cleanup.
6. After approved changes, report the final counts and notable remaining risks.

Common Mistakes

• Creating both blocked/ and paused/; blocked work belongs in paused/ with a blocker note.
• Treating done/ as an archive for canceled work; rejected work belongs in canceled/.
• Moving async agent output to done/ without human/agent verification.
• Deleting old backlog notes during cleanup without explicit confirmation.
• Rewriting notes instead of using small edits that preserve Obsidian links and properties.