refine-backlog

name	refine-backlog
description	Refine the backlog — screen drafts, remove duplicates, fill in missing details, classify, link, and move to pending

Refine draft tasks to meet the Definition of Ready so they can move from draft to pending.

$ARGUMENTS

If specific tasks were given above, focus on those. Otherwise, work through the draft tasks listed below.

Draft Tasks

!binder search type=Task status=draft -f "key,title,taskType,priority,size,partOf" --format tsv

If no drafts are listed above, tell the user there's nothing to refine and stop.

Refinement Steps

For each task, work through these steps. Use binder read <key> --format yaml to inspect full details first.

Draft tasks from capture may already have fields set. Respect what's there -- only fill gaps unless user said otherwise.

1. Duplicate Check

• Compare against existing tasks, features, and concepts in Context below
• Also check cancelled tasks — don't recreate something deliberately cancelled
• If overlap found:
  • Exact duplicate → cancel the draft, link to the existing one
  • Partial overlap → merge the unique parts into the existing task, cancel the draft
  • Related but distinct → keep both, link with relatesTo

2. Classify

• Set taskType if missing — match to the closest category (fix, feat, tweak, refactor, perf, agent, build, docs, test)
• Set size if missing — small: few files, no design decisions. medium: several files, 1-2 decisions. large: multiple commits, non-trivial decisions required.
• Set priority if missing — p0=Blocker, p1=Urgent, p2=High, p3=Medium (default), p4=Low
• Set module if missing — which part of the codebase this belongs to
• Set sourceFiles if relevant files are obvious from the description

3. Describe

• Improve title if unclear (2-7 words, no verb prefix, max 70 chars)
• Write description if missing (1-2 sentences with enough context)

4. Definition of Ready

Required for all tasks: title, taskType, size, priority, module, description. Additional by size:

• medium+ tasks: add constraints
• large tasks: add outOfScope

Additional by type:

• feat tasks: add acceptanceCriteria with testable scenarios
• fix tasks: add acceptanceCriteria (how to verify the fix)
• refactor tasks: add constraints stating what behavior must not change

For acceptanceCriteria, constraints, and outOfScope: propose to the user for validation. Don't fill these silently -- better empty than hallucinated.

5. Split

• If a task touches multiple independent concerns or modules, split it
• Create new draft tasks for each piece (binder create Task <key> title=... taskType=... ...), link them as children of the original
• The original becomes a parent task — set its status to pending, keep its description as the umbrella summary
• Each child stays as draft and goes through the remaining refinement steps independently
• Each child should be independently implementable and testable

6. Link

• Set requires for dependencies on other tasks or problems
• Link related concepts or features with relatesTo
• Assign to a milestone via partOf if appropriate

Session Guidance

• If there are more than 10 drafts, ask the user which to focus on or suggest a batch size
• Present each task's proposed changes before applying
• If a draft is too vague to refine, ask the user for clarification rather than guessing
• Tasks captured with full details may already be pending — verify their DoR and links, but don't re-do classification from scratch

Instructions

• Use Binder CLI (binder read/search/update/tx) for all reads and updates
• Propose changes to the user and wait for approval before executing
• Do not move to pending without evaluating step 6 (Link) — every link type must be considered, but not every task needs all links
• After refinement, move tasks from draft to pending
• After moving to pending, verify the Definition of Ready fields are all filled
• Summarize all changes at the end: tasks refined, cancelled, split, linked
• If the user asks to start or pick up a task, use the implement-task skill

Writing List Fields

Use newline-delimited syntax for list fields like acceptanceCriteria, constraints, outOfScope, sourceFiles:

binder update <key> $'acceptanceCriteria=Exports all visible columns\nHandles special characters\nWorks with filtered results'

Append a single item with +=:

binder update <key> 'constraints+=Must not break existing API'

Context

If no items are listed in a section below, that category is empty. If commands fail, ensure the binder workspace is initialized.

Task Schema

!binder schema --types Task

Existing Tasks

!binder search type=Task status=pending,active,complete -f "key,title,taskType,status,partOf" --format tsv

Cancelled Tasks

!binder search type=Task status=cancelled -f "key,title" --format tsv

Milestones

!binder search type=Milestone status=active,draft -f "key,title,status,description" --format tsv

Features

!binder search type=Feature -f "key,title,description" --format tsv

Concepts

!binder search type=Concept -f "key,title,description" --format tsv

Problems

!binder search type=Problem -f "key,title,status" --format tsv