BullseyeBacklog

Zero-effort backlog management. Your BACKLOG.md stays a plain, portable Markdown file — git-versioned, hand-editable, works with any editor or AI directly. The extension adds an AI-powered control plane on top: interactive At-A-Glance grid, one-click Scrub/Ship/Archive, and an MCP server so agent-mode AI can manage the backlog through the same engine.

Why It's Great

• The file is the source of truth. No database, no proprietary format — just a beautifully formatted BACKLOG.md that lives in your repo. You can read it raw, edit it by hand, or let AI modify it directly.
• AI keeps it honest. Scrub runs mechanical fixes (normalize format, re-derive 🚧 mirror, regenerate view) then hands the judgment calls to your AI model: Is this % real? Is this blocker a false-gate? Is this story actually done? AI doesn't auto-close — it recommends, you confirm.
• Robust and versioned. Every change is an atomic write to the .md file. Git tracks every state. The engine guarantees canonical output — no format drift, no stale anchors, no broken bijection between the AAG table and OPEN bodies.
• Well formatted, always. The engine enforces AAG-table structure, field limits, --- separators, id-ordered stories, and proper DONE receipts with timestamps. You never worry about formatting again.
• Works everywhere. Edit in VS Code, in vim, in GitHub's web editor, or via AI prompts. The extension reads whatever you write and normalizes on next scrub.
• Nothing the AI tells you gets lost. Questions, findings and artifacts are posted onto the story, not into the chat log. They queue up as ❓ on the rows and wait for you — reply or acknowledge in one click, and the answer is recorded next to the work it decided.
• Portable. One BACKLOG.md file per project. Copy it, fork it, archive it — no lock-in.

How It Works

1. At-A-Glance grid — See every story color-coded by priority lane, sort by Pri/%/ID, expand to its OPEN body, edit % and LEFT: inline.
2. Scrub — Mechanical normalization + AI judgment checklist. AI reviews every story and recommends: ship, set honest %, unblock false-gates, or keep as-is.
3. Ship — Close a story to DONE with a timestamped receipt and verification clause. Moved to the DONE section automatically.
4. Archive — Move DONE receipts to BACKLOG_ARCHIVE.md with one click.
5. Ask & Answer — Your AI posts a question, a finding, an artifact link or an update onto the story instead of burying it in chat. It shows as ❓ on the row until you reply or acknowledge it — one click, or type an answer. The whole thread stays in the story body and archives with it.
6. MCP server — Registered for VS Code agent mode. Your AI agent can call create, scrub, ship, archive through the same engine.

Only Requires AI Assists to Keep It in Check

You don't manage the backlog — you review it. The AI surfaces what needs attention. You confirm or override. The file stays clean, the % stay honest, and nothing drifts.

Use

Open a workspace with a BACKLOG.md, then click the 🎯 BullseyeBacklog icon in the Activity Bar. Click Scrub to normalize and invoke AI judgment. Expand any story to see its full OPEN body. Click the % cell to edit inline. Ship stories with Ship….