Backlog.md is a Markdown-native task manager and Kanban visualizer designed for Git repositories, enabling seamless project collaboration between humans and AI agents. It offers a zero-configuration CLI and a modern web interface, allowing users to manage tasks entirely within their local repository for enhanced privacy and offline capabilities.

How It Works

Backlog.md stores all project data—tasks, documents, and decisions—as plain Markdown files within a dedicated .backlog folder in your Git repository. This approach ensures data portability, human readability, and version control integration. The CLI interacts with these Markdown files to generate dynamic Kanban boards, manage task lifecycles, and facilitate AI agent workflows, such as assigning tasks or generating implementation plans.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install: npm i -g backlog.md or bun add -g backlog.md or brew install backlog-md or nix run github:MrLesk/Backlog.md
• Prerequisites: Node.js (for npm/bun), Homebrew (for macOS), or Nix.
• Setup: Run backlog init "[project-name]" to bootstrap a new project.
• Docs: https://github.com/MrLesk/Backlog.md

Highlighted Details

• Markdown-native task management with plain .md files.
• Instant terminal Kanban board and a modern web interface (backlog browser).
• AI-ready CLI for integrating with agents like Claude for task execution.
• Cross-platform compatibility (macOS, Linux, Windows).

Maintenance & Community

The project is actively maintained by MrLesk. Further community engagement details are not explicitly provided in the README.

Licensing & Compatibility

MIT License. This license permits free use for personal or commercial purposes, including linking with closed-source projects, with the requirement of attribution.

Limitations & Caveats

While cross-branch checking is enabled by default for accuracy, it may impact performance on very large repositories. Users can disable this feature or adjust the activeBranchDays setting for performance tuning. The project also offers a migration script to add time precision to existing date-only entries.