How do I install the Backlog skill?

Run npx skillmds add tools-only/backlog in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Backlog safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Backlog?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Backlog free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Backlog?

tools-only (@tools-only) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Backlog by tools-only — Agent Skill

Name: Backlog
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: tools-only

Backlog

Single interface for backlog items and GitHub Issues. GitHub Issues are the source of truth; .claude/backlog/ per-item files are the local cache. All backlog CRUD goes through the backlog script — no direct edits. Use when create-backlog-item or work-backlog-item invoke it, or when syncing P0/P1 to GitHub.

tools-only cc92d90 3 files · 5.4 KB Updated Sep 9, 2026 7 repo stars

File contents

Backlog Script

The backlog script is the sole interface for backlog items and GitHub Issues. GitHub Issues are the source of truth; .claude/backlog/ per-item files are the local cache. Skills and agents invoke it; no direct Write/Grep edits to per-item files.

Invocation

uv run .claude/skills/backlog/scripts/backlog.py <subcommand> [options]

Subcommands

Subcommand	Purpose
`add`	Create per-item file in .claude/backlog/; create GitHub issue if P0/P1
`list`	List items (for interactive browser)
`sync`	Create issues for P0/P1 items missing them
`close`	Mark DONE, close issue (requires `--checklist-pass`)
`resolve`	Mark RESOLVED, close issue
`update`	Add Plan, set status:in-progress, or create issue

Usage

add

backlog add --title "Item title" --priority P1 --description "Description" \
  [--source "Source"] [--type Feature] [--research-first "questions"] [--create-issue]

list

backlog list [--format text|json]

sync

backlog sync [--dry-run]

close

Skill must verify checklist first, then:

backlog close "<title or #N>" --plan <path> --checklist-pass

resolve

backlog resolve "<title or #N>" --reason "reason text"

update

backlog update "<title or #N>" [--plan <path>] [--status in-progress] [--create-issue]

Environment

GITHUB_TOKEN — Required for issue operations (add, sync, close, resolve, update --create-issue)

Integration

create-backlog-item — invokes backlog add to create per-item files in .claude/backlog/
work-backlog-item — invokes backlog list, backlog close, backlog resolve, backlog update
GitHub Action — invokes backlog sync on .claude/backlog/ changes

---name: backlogdescription: Single interface for backlog items and GitHub Issues. GitHub Issues are the source of truth; .claude/backlog/ per-item files are the local cache. All backlog CRUD goes through the backlog script — no direct edits. Use when create-backlog-item or work-backlog-item invoke it, or when syncing P0/P1 to GitHub.---# Backlog Script The backlog script is the **sole interface** for backlog items and GitHub Issues. GitHub Issues are the source of truth; `.claude/backlog/` per-item files are the local cache. Skills and agents invoke it; no direct Write/Grep edits to per-item files. ## Invocation ```bash uv run .claude/skills/backlog/scripts/backlog.py <subcommand> [options] ``` ## Subcommands | Subcommand | Purpose | |------------|---------| | `add` | Create per-item file in .claude/backlog/; create GitHub issue if P0/P1 | | `list` | List items (for interactive browser) | | `sync` | Create issues for P0/P1 items missing them | | `close` | Mark DONE, close issue (requires `--checklist-pass`) | | `resolve` | Mark RESOLVED, close issue | | `update` | Add Plan, set status:in-progress, or create issue | ## Usage ### add ```bash backlog add --title "Item title" --priority P1 --description "Description" \ [--source "Source"] [--type Feature] [--research-first "questions"] [--create-issue] ``` ### list ```bash backlog list [--format text|json] ``` ### sync ```bash backlog sync [--dry-run] ``` ### close Skill must verify checklist first, then: ```bash backlog close "<title or #N>" --plan <path> --checklist-pass ``` ### resolve ```bash backlog resolve "<title or #N>" --reason "reason text" ``` ### update ```bash backlog update "<title or #N>" [--plan <path>] [--status in-progress] [--create-issue] ``` ## Environment - `GITHUB_TOKEN` — Required for issue operations (add, sync, close, resolve, update --create-issue) ## Integration - **create-backlog-item** — invokes `backlog add` to create per-item files in `.claude/backlog/` - **work-backlog-item** — invokes `backlog list`, `backlog close`, `backlog resolve`, `backlog update` - **GitHub Action** — invokes `backlog sync` on `.claude/backlog/` changes

Frequently asked questions