Backlog Overview
The backlog is the primary list of all work items in a project. Every feature, bug, spike, and chore lives here.
Item Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Feature | New user-facing functionality |
| Bug | A defect in existing behaviour |
| Chore | Technical task with no direct user impact (refactor, dependency upgrade) |
| Spike | Time-boxed research or investigation |
Status Lifecycle
Items move through the following statuses:
draft → ready → in-progress → in-review → done| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Incomplete; not ready to be worked on |
| Ready | Fully defined; quality score ≥ 80; can be picked up |
| In Progress | Actively being worked on |
| In Review | Work complete; awaiting human validation |
| Done | Validated and closed |
| Split | Decomposed into child tasks; retained as an epic reference |
Backlog List View
The default view shows all items in a table-like list with columns for:
- Status badge
- Title and description excerpt
- Type icon
- Priority indicator
- Story points
- Labels
Click any item to open its detail page.
Sorting and Ordering
Items are displayed in priority order by default — drag and drop rows to reorder them. Use the Move to top and Move to bottom quick actions on the row overflow menu for faster reordering.
Filtering
Use the filter bar at the top of the backlog to narrow items by:
- Status (quick-filter chips)
- Type
- Priority
- Label
- Theme
Filters are preserved in the URL so you can bookmark or share a filtered view.
Creating a Backlog Item
There are several ways to create a backlog item:
Manual (New Item) — Click New Item at the top-right of the backlog. Fill in title, type, and priority. Use the AI Refinement tool (from the item detail page) to generate acceptance criteria, edge cases, and validation steps automatically.
Quick Intake — Click Quick Intake in the backlog toolbar to use the AI-powered wizard. Choose from three paths: Draft for me (AI generates a complete draft using your codebase and backlog for context), Talk it through (interactive chat session), or Guide me (Q&A step-by-step). See the Quick Intake article for details.
Auto-Elaborate Drafts — Click the chevron (▾) next to the Quick Intake button and choose Auto-elaborate drafts… to queue multiple existing draft items for background AI enrichment in one action. See Auto-Elaboration for details.
Batch Select and Auto-Elaboration
When your project has a connected GitHub repository, a Select items button appears in the backlog toolbar. Click it to enter select mode:
- Checkboxes appear on each draft or ready item row.
- Tick items to select them (up to 50 at once).
- A floating action bar appears at the bottom of the screen with an Auto-elaborate button.
- Click Auto-elaborate, confirm the prompt, and the selected items are queued for background AI enrichment.
- Click ✕ or Select items again to exit select mode.
Items currently in-progress, in-review, done, abandoned, or split cannot be selected.
Quality Score
Each item has a quality score from 0–100, calculated based on how many required fields are populated. Items need a quality score of 80+ to be considered “ready.” The score updates in real time as you add content.