Tasks & Kanban

GenieBuilder integrates with Backlog to provide comprehensive task management directly in your development workspace. The task panel in the right sidebar gives you access to task lists, Kanban boards, and detailed task editing.

Architecture

Task management is implemented on top of the MCP (Model Context Protocol) layer:

• Main process owns all MCP orchestration and tool calls
• Renderer communicates through typed IPC (window.api.tasks)
• Backlog sidecar provides the actual task storage and operations
• No direct file editing — all changes go through MCP tools

This architecture ensures:

• Data consistency across the application
• Atomic operations with proper error handling
• Extensibility through additional MCP tools

Task List View

The task list provides a filterable, sortable view of all tasks:

Columns displayed:

• ID (e.g., TASK-123)
• Title
• Status
• Priority
• Labels
• Milestone

Filtering options:

• Status (To Do, In Progress, Done)
• Priority (High, Medium, Low)
• Labels (custom tags)
• Milestone
• Search text (title/description)

Sorting:

• Click column headers to sort
• Secondary sort by creation date

Kanban Board

The Kanban view provides a visual workflow for task management:

Columns:

• To Do: Tasks not yet started
• In Progress: Active tasks
• Done: Completed tasks

Drag and drop:

• Move tasks between columns to update status
• Status changes are persisted through MCP

Card display:

• Task ID and title
• Priority indicator (color-coded)
• Labels (chips)
• Assignee avatar (if available)

Card View

Tasks can also be viewed as cards in the task board:

Task Detail View

Click any task to open the detail panel:

Editable Fields

Field	Description
Title	Short task name
Description	Detailed explanation
Acceptance Criteria	Checklist of requirements
Status	Current workflow state
Priority	High, Medium, or Low
Labels	Comma-separated tags
Milestone	Target milestone

Read-Only Sections

Additional Backlog sections are displayed read-only:

• Implementation notes
• Definition of Done
• References
• Dependencies

These sections can be edited directly in the Backlog files if needed.

Creating Tasks

New tasks can be created from the task panel:

1. Click New Task button
2. Fill in required fields (title, status)
3. Optionally add description, criteria, labels
4. Save to create the task

The task ID is auto-generated by Backlog following the TASK-XXX pattern.

Task Context in Workflows

Tasks provide context for workflow execution:

Template Variables

Workflows can access task data through template variables:

{{task.id}}           - Task identifier (e.g., "TASK-123")
{{task.title}}        - Task title
{{task.description}}  - Full description
{{task.slug}}         - URL-friendly title

Branch Naming

Git branches can be auto-generated from tasks:

feature/{{task.slug}}-{{task.id}}
# Results in: feature/my-feature-TASK-123

Commit Messages

Commit templates can include task context:

[{{task.id}}] {{task.title}}
# Results in: [TASK-123] Implement user authentication

Task Status Workflow

The default Backlog status workflow:

Draft → To Do → In Progress → Done
         ↑___________↓
              (can revert)

Status transitions:

• Forward: Progress tasks toward completion
• Backward: Revert if needed (e.g., reopen a done task)
• Archive: Move completed tasks to archive (separate from active board)

Archive Flow

Completed tasks can be archived:

1. Select task(s) in the task list
2. Click Archive button
3. Confirm the action
4. Tasks are moved to Backlog archive folder

Archived tasks:

• Are removed from the active board
• Can be viewed in the archive folder
• Can be restored if needed

Integration with Chat

Tasks are available as context in chat:

• Task-aware prompts: Reference tasks naturally in conversation
• Tool access: Chat can use Backlog tools to read/update tasks
• Approval gates: Mutating task operations require confirmation

Example chat interaction:

User: "Update TASK-123 to In Progress"
→ Tool call: backlog.task_edit
→ Approval dialog shown
→ Task updated on confirmation

Backlog Compatibility

GenieBuilder works with standard Backlog files:

---
id: TASK-123
title: Implement user authentication
status: In Progress
priority: high
labels: [auth, backend]
milestone: v1.0
---

# Description

Implement JWT-based authentication for the API.

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] User can register with email/password
- [ ] User can log in with credentials
- [ ] Token refresh mechanism
- [ ] Password reset flow

The MCP sidecar parses these files and exposes them through the tool interface.

Task Search

Full-text search across tasks:

• Searches title and description
• Filters in real-time as you type
• Highlights matching terms
• Supports partial word matching

Best Practices

1. Use descriptive titles — Clear, actionable task names
2. Write acceptance criteria — Define "done" explicitly
3. Label consistently — Create a taxonomy for your project
4. Link to milestones — Group related work
5. Keep descriptions concise — Link to external docs for details
6. Update status promptly — Keep the board reflective of reality

Troubleshooting

Task List Not Loading

If the task list stays empty:

1. Check that the Backlog MCP sidecar is running
2. Verify the workspace has a backlog/ directory
3. Check the MCP connection status in Settings
4. Review the main process logs for errors

Task Updates Failing

If task edits don't persist:

1. Verify MCP tool calls are enabled
2. Check file permissions in the backlog directory
3. Ensure no other process is locking the files
4. Try refreshing the task list

Status Changes Not Reflecting

If Kanban drag-and-drop doesn't update status:

1. Check the Backlog sidecar is responsive
2. Verify the task file is writable
3. Try using the detail panel to change status
4. Check for JavaScript errors in DevTools