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Backlog.md
Markdown-native task manager and Kanban for git repos, structured around three human checkpoints (spec, plan, code) with acceptance criteria per task; works with any MCP/CLI agent.
v1.55.3 released 2026-10-23; repo pushed 2026-10-25 (checked 2026-10-25)
In Spec-driven development
Where it stands apart
- How is it mainly sustained? individual side project, no revenue (6% of 18 others)
- Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on? AGENTS.md (5% of 19 others)
- What form does it mainly ship in? a CLI or MCP server that itself reads and writes the spec or task files (16% of 19 others)
What it shares with most of the community
- Is it actively maintained? active (74% of 19 others)
- How is the main thing licensed? permissive open source (MIT/Apache/BSD) (74% of 19 others)
- Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? yes (79% of 19 others)
- Do you need an account to use it? no account (74% of 19 others)
- Who is it for? developers (100% of 19 others)
- Once code exists, what is the spec? a planning scaffold: code becomes the truth after implementation (53% of 19 others)
- What format are specs written in? markdown from templates or free-form (67% of 18 others)
- Where do specs live? plain files in the project repository (89% of 19 others)
- Which coding agents does it work with? many agents (five or more) (78% of 18 others)
- How is the path from idea to code structured? a fixed sequence of phases (e.g. requirements, design, tasks) (53% of 19 others)
- Does a human approve the spec or plan before code is written? yes, the workflow waits for approval (50% of 18 others)
- By default, once a plan is approved, how is implementation run? the human drives it, phase by phase or task by task (50% of 18 others)
- What does it offer teams beyond sharing files in git? (if both, pick the paid product) nothing beyond git (50% of 18 others)
Nearest neighbors
- Spec Kitty 82% of 17 shared answers match
- GSD (Get Shit Done) / GSD Core 75% of 16 shared answers match
- PRP (Product Requirement Prompts) 71% of 17 shared answers match
Every answer
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Is it actively maintained? | active | source 2026-10-25 |
| How is the main thing licensed? | permissive open source (MIT/Apache/BSD) MIT | source 2026-10-25 |
| How is it mainly sustained? | stands apart individual side project, no revenue Single-maintainer MIT repo; no pricing, sponsor links or FUNDING file found. Absence of revenue evidence. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Can it run entirely on your own device or infrastructure, without the maker's servers? | yes 'no server, no account, no telemetry'. | source 2026-10-25 |
| Do you need an account to use it? | no account README: local-first, no server, no account, no telemetry. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Who is it for? | developers Also usable for non-code planning (--no-git). | source 2026-10-25 |
| Which shared standard or format does it mainly build on? | stands apart AGENTS.md Default setup writes CLI instructions into AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md; MCP is optional; task files are its own. | source 2026-10-26 |
| Once code exists, what is the spec? | a planning scaffold: code becomes the truth after implementation Completed tasks remain 'a permanent record of what was attempted and why'. | source 2026-10-25 |
| After implementation, what built-in step keeps specs and code aligned? (if several, the first that applies) | a step checks code against the spec (tests, review, or verifier) Acceptance criteria and Definition of Done checklists per task. | source 2026-10-25 |
| What format are specs written in? | markdown from templates or free-form Markdown task files with frontmatter. | source 2026-10-25 |
| Where do specs live? | plain files in the project repository | source 2026-10-25 |
| Which coding agents does it work with? | many agents (five or more) Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex, Kiro, any MCP/CLI agent. | source 2026-10-25 |
| What form does it mainly ship in? | stands apart a CLI or MCP server that itself reads and writes the spec or task files The backlog CLI/TUI/web UI reads and writes markdown task files itself; MCP optional. | source 2026-10-26 |
| How is the path from idea to code structured? | a fixed sequence of phases (e.g. requirements, design, tasks) Review spec -> review plan -> review code. | source 2026-10-25 |
| Does a human approve the spec or plan before code is written? | yes, the workflow waits for approval 'Approve it or steer before any code is written'. | source 2026-10-25 |
| By default, once a plan is approved, how is implementation run? | the human drives it, phase by phase or task by task 'one task = one context window = one PR'. | source 2026-10-25 |
| What does it offer teams beyond sharing files in git? (if both, pick the paid product) | nothing beyond git | source 2026-10-25 |
Sources
This page was derived from:
- GitHub · github.com/MrLesk/Backlog.md · read 2026-10-25
- GitHub · github.com/MrLesk/Backlog.md/releases · read 2026-10-25
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