Backlog MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for syncing Backlog issues to a local .tasks folder. This allows you to use Backlog issue management within your code editor through MCP-compatible tools like Cursor or Claude Desktop.

Features

• 🔄 Bidirectional Sync: Download issues from Backlog and push local changes back
• 📝 Simple Format: Clean markdown files with just title and description
• 📁 Flexible Organization: Organize tasks in nested folders (sprint-3, backlog, etc.)
• 🕐 Automatic Timestamps: Incremental sync based on last update time
• 🔍 Smart Updates: Only syncs changed issues after initial sync
• 🔌 MCP Compatible: Works with Cursor, Claude Desktop, and other MCP clients

Installation

Option 1: NPM (Recommended)

npm install -g backlog-mcp

Option 2: Local Development

git clone <repository-url>
cd backlog-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configuration

This server uses environment variables for configuration.

Get Your Backlog API Key

1. Log in to your Backlog space
2. Go to Personal Settings > API
3. Generate a new API key
4. Copy the key for use in the configuration below

Configuration Options

Option 1: Environment Variables (Recommended)

Set the following environment variables:

Required:

• BACKLOG_API_KEY - Your Backlog API key
• BACKLOG_BASE_URL - Your Backlog space URL (e.g., https://yourspace.backlog.com)
• BACKLOG_PROJECT_KEY - Your project key (e.g., PROJ)

Optional:

• BACKLOG_TASKS_DIR - Local tasks directory (defaults to .tasks)
• BACKLOG_IGNORE_ISSUE_TYPES - Comma-separated list of issue types to ignore (e.g., Bug,Task)

Option 2: Configuration File

Create a config.json file in your project root:

{
  "apiKey": "your-backlog-api-key",
  "baseUrl": "https://yourspace.backlog.com",
  "projectKey": "YOUR_PROJECT_KEY",
  "tasksDir": ".tasks",
  "ignoreIssueTypes": ["Bug", "Task"]
}

Usage with Cursor/Claude Desktop

Add to your MCP settings file:

Using NPM Installation

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backlog-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", 
        "github:danglephuc/backlog-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "BACKLOG_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "BACKLOG_BASE_URL": "https://yourspace.backlog.com",
        "BACKLOG_PROJECT_KEY": "YOUR_PROJECT_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Local Build

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backlog-mcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/backlog-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "BACKLOG_API_KEY": "your-api-key",
        "BACKLOG_BASE_URL": "https://yourspace.backlog.com",
        "BACKLOG_PROJECT_KEY": "YOUR_PROJECT_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace:

• your-api-key with your Backlog API key
• yourspace with your Backlog space name
• YOUR_PROJECT_KEY with your project key (e.g., "PROJ")

Available Tools

sync-issues

Syncs issues from Backlog to local .tasks folder with automatic incremental updates.

Parameters: None (uses automatic timestamp tracking)

Features:

• First sync: Downloads all issues
• Subsequent syncs: Only downloads updated issues
• Preserves your folder organization

update-issue

Pushes local changes back to Backlog.

Parameters:

• issueKey (required): Issue key (e.g., "PROJ-123")

Example: "Update task PROJ-123 to Backlog"

get-issue

Gets details of a specific issue from local files.

Parameters:

• issueKey (required): Issue key (e.g., "PROJ-123")
• parentIssue (optional): If true, include all child issues when this is a parent issue/feature

Features:

• Reads from local .tasks folder
• When parentIssue=true, returns the main issue plus all child issues in the same folder
• Useful for understanding the full scope of a feature with all its sub-tasks

Examples:

• Get single issue: "Get task PROJ-123"
• Get parent with all children: "Get feature PROJ-100 with all child issues"

test-connection

Tests your Backlog API connection.

Parameters: None

list-task-files

Lists all synced task files.

Parameters: None

bulk-create-tasks

Creates Backlog issues from local temporary task files in parent folders. This tool scans for parent task folders (e.g., SBK-2) and creates issues from temporary files with pattern PARENT-{number}-{random} (e.g., SBK-2-1, SBK-2-2).

Parameters: None

Features:

• Scans for parent task folders following pattern PARENT-{number}
• Finds temporary task files with pattern PARENT-{number}-{random}
• Skips files that already have real Backlog issue keys (e.g., PROJ-123.md)
• Creates issues in Backlog with proper parent-child relationships
• Renames local files to use real Backlog issue keys
• Preserves folder organization

Example Workflow:

1. Create parent folder: SBK-2/
2. Create temporary files: SBK-2-1.md, SBK-2-2.md, etc.
3. Run bulk-create-tasks tool
4. Files are renamed to real issue keys: PROJ-123.md, PROJ-124.md
5. Issues are created in Backlog with proper parent relationships

Example Folder Structure:

.tasks/
├── SBK-2/                    ← Parent task folder
│   ├── SBK-2-1.md           ← Temporary file (will be processed)
│   ├── SBK-2-2.md           ← Temporary file (will be processed)
│   ├── PROJ-123.md          ← Real issue key (will be skipped)
│   └── PROJ-124.md          ← Real issue key (will be skipped)
└── PROJ-100/                ← Another parent folder
    ├── PROJ-100-1.md        ← Temporary file (will be processed)
    └── PROJ-100-2.md        ← Temporary file (will be processed)

File Organization

Smart Folder Structure

.tasks/
├── .last-sync           ← Automatic timestamp tracking
├── others/              ← New synced tasks go here
│   ├── PROJ-123.md
│   └── PROJ-124.md
├── sprint-3/            ← Organize however you want
│   ├── backend/
│   │   └── PROJ-125.md
│   └── frontend/
│       └── PROJ-126.md
└── backlog/
    ├── high-priority/
    │   └── PROJ-127.md
    └── PROJ-128.md

How It Works

1. Initial sync: All issues go to others/ folder
2. Manual organization: Move files to your preferred folders
3. Subsequent syncs: Updates issues wherever they are located
4. New issues: Always go to others/ folder

Simple File Format

# Task Title

Task description content goes here.
All content after the title is treated as description.

## Sections
You can use any markdown formatting you want.

- Lists
- **Bold text**
- Links, etc.

Workflow Example

1. Sync issues: sync-issues → Downloads to others/ folder
2. Organize: Move PROJ-123.md to sprint-3/backend/
3. Edit locally: Modify title or description
4. Push changes: update-issue with issueKey: PROJ-123
5. Next sync: Updates PROJ-123.md in sprint-3/backend/, new issues go to others/

Development

Scripts

• npm run build - Build TypeScript
• npm run dev - Watch mode for development
• npm start - Run built server

Project Structure

src/
├── index.ts              # Entry point
├── server.ts             # MCP server and tools
├── services/
│   ├── BacklogClient.ts  # Backlog API client with pagination
│   └── TaskFileManager.ts # File management with nested search
├── types/
│   └── backlog.ts        # TypeScript types
└── utils/
    └── config.ts         # Configuration handling

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

• Invalid API Key: Check your API key has proper permissions
• Wrong Base URL: Ensure URL matches your Backlog space
• Project Access: Verify you have access to the specified project

MCP Protocol Issues

• JSON Parse Errors: Ensure you're using the latest build
• Tool Not Found: Check server configuration in your MCP client
• No Response: Verify environment variables are set correctly

File Issues

• Missing Files: Run sync-issues to download latest
• Update Failed: Check if issue exists in Backlog
• Organization Lost: Files stay where you put them across syncs

License

MIT