Refine Backlog

Review the current backlog and improve its quality. This is a grooming pass — make tasks actionable, well-prioritized, and properly connected.

Process

1. Load the backlog — call

   task_list

   with filter

   status:pending

   to get all pending tasks.

2. Analyze each task for these issues:

   Vague descriptions — tasks that are too broad or unclear. A good description starts with a verb and is specific enough that someone could implement it without asking questions. Flag tasks that need to be broken down or clarified.

   Missing priorities — tasks without H/M/L priority. Suggest a priority based on the task's description and context.

   Missing dependencies — tasks that logically depend on other tasks but don't have

   depends

   set. Look for ordering constraints (e.g., "write tests" should depend on the feature it tests).

   Tasks needing specs — complex tasks (multi-step, architectural, or ambiguous) that don't have a doc attached. Check with

   task_count

   filter

   +doc status:pending

   and identify which tasks SHOULD have specs but don't.

   Stale tasks — tasks created long ago with no activity. Check

   entry

   dates and annotations. Flag anything older than 30 days with no progress.

   Urgency mismatches — tasks with high urgency scores but low priority, or vice versa. These might need priority adjustments.

3. Present findings — group issues by category. For each issue, show the task ID, description, and the specific problem.

4. Fix with permission — for each category, ask if the user wants to apply the suggested fixes. Then use

   task_modify

   ,

   task_doc_write

   , or

   task_annotate

   to make the changes.

Guidelines

• Don't create new tasks — refinement improves existing ones
• Don't delete tasks — flag stale ones for the user to decide
• Suggest specific fixes, don't just list problems
• If the backlog is small and clean, say so — don't invent issues