OpenBacklog

AI-powered task management built specifically for solo developers.

You spend more time deciding what to work on than actually coding. Your brilliant feature ideas get lost in a maze of half-finished tasks and forgotten priorities. OpenBacklog empowers solo developers with intelligent project management that understands your workflow and keeps you in flow state.

🎬 See It In Action

SCENE: A Solo Developer's Morning

Developer opens OpenBacklog, sees a cluttered backlog of 23 tasks

Developer: "I have no idea what to work on next. This feature request is huge..."

Types in chat: "Help me break down 'Add user authentication system' into manageable tasks"

AI Assistant: Immediately updates the task card with 6 specific subtasks: Set up Auth0, Create login component, Add middleware, etc.

Developer clicks "Start Coding" and OpenBacklog data flows seamlessly into Claude Code

Claude Code: "I can see from OpenBacklog that you're working on authentication. I've pulled your task context - let's implement the Auth0 setup first."

Cut to: Developer coding in flow state, with AI assistance grounded in their actual project goals

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SCENE: Feature Planning Made Simple

Developer has a brilliant idea mid-coffee

Developer: Types quickly: "Add real-time collaboration for task comments"

AI Assistant: Instantly analyzes the existing codebase and creates a complete implementation plan with technical considerations, effort estimates, and prerequisite tasks

The new feature automatically slots into the backlog at the right priority level

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This is the OpenBacklog experience: AI that actually understands your project, seamlessly integrated with your coding workflow.

🎯 Why OpenBacklog?

Built for Solo Developers, Not Teams

• Simple, uncluttered interface focused on your backlog and your code
• No cluttered enterprise features you'll never use
• AI-assisted product management giving you the capacity of a much bigger team
• Claude code integration keeps you in your workflow
• Opinionated tools that nudge you toward best practices

Key Features:

• 🤖 AI Product Management - Get intelligent suggestions for task breakdown and project planning
• 🎯 Solo-First Design - Clean, focused interface without team management overhead
• 📚 Best Practice Guidance - AI mentorship helping you grow and build better
• 🔗 Developer Workflow Integration - Seamless connection with your existing development process

🌐 Open Source & Transparency

OpenBacklog is a paid SaaS service that I've open-sourced for complete transparency. I believe developers should be able to audit the code they rely on, understand how their data is handled, and contribute to the tools they use daily.

This repository enables you to:

• 🔍 Audit the codebase for security and privacy practices
• 🛠️ Run tests and contribute improvements via pull requests
• 📖 Understand the architecture and implementation details
• 🤝 Join a community of developers building better tools together

Note: This codebase represents the full production application but is intended for transparency and contribution rather than self-hosting. I hope to simplify the infrastructure for self-hosting in the future. The live service is available at openbacklog.com.

🚀 Quick Start

For Users: Get Started in 3 Minutes

1. Sign up at openbacklog.com
2. Create your first workspace and project
3. Set up Claude Code integration with the mcp tools
4. Start chatting with AI to break down your first big feature
5. Get Coding by asking ClaudeCode to "pick up some work from OpenBacklog"

That's it! Your AI-powered development workflow is ready.

For Contributors: Development Setup

Want to contribute or run tests? See our comprehensive CONTRIBUTING.md guide for detailed instructions on:

• 🚀 Getting Started - Complete setup instructions and prerequisites
• 🛠️ Development Workflow - Backend and frontend development processes
• 📋 Code Standards - Python/TypeScript conventions and testing requirements
• 🔄 Pull Request Process - Branch strategy, commit messages, and quality gates
• 🐛 Issue Reporting - Bug reports and feature request guidelines

🏗️ Architecture Overview

OpenBacklog is built with a modern, scalable architecture:

Backend (Python)

• FastAPI - High-performance API server
• PostgreSQL - Primary database with advanced querying
• SQLAlchemy - ORM with Alembic migrations
• LangChain - AI/LLM integration framework
• Stripe - Payment processing
• Auth0 - Authentication and user management

Frontend (React)

• React 18 - Modern UI with hooks and functional components
• TypeScript - Type safety throughout the frontend
• Tailwind CSS - Utility-first styling system
• Webpack - Asset bundling and optimization
• Storybook - Component development and testing

Key Directories:

• /src/ - Python backend source code
• /static/react-components/ - React frontend application
• /tests/ - Python test suite
• /scripts/ - Build and deployment scripts
• /alembic/ - Database migrations

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are very welcome! Here's how to get involved:

Before You Submit a PR

1. Run the full test suite to ensure your changes don't break existing functionality:

   # Python tests with formatting checks
   ENVIRONMENT=test pytest --cov=src --cov-report=term-missing
   black --check --diff src/ tests/
   isort --check-only --diff src/ tests/
   
   # React tests with TypeScript compilation
   cd static/react-components
   npm run test
   npm run compile

2. Follow code style - Code must pass all formatting checks

3. Update tests when adding new features

4. Keep commits focused - One logical change per commit

5. Test with PostgreSQL - Ensure database tests pass locally

Development Guidelines

Python Backend:

• Follow PEP 8, use black for formatting with isort for imports
• Write tests for new endpoints and business logic
• Use type hints and maintain SQLAlchemy model consistency
• Follow existing patterns for FastAPI routes and dependency injection

React Frontend:

• Use TypeScript with strict mode enabled
• Functional components with hooks (no class components)
• Follow existing patterns in static/react-components/
• Maintain Tailwind CSS consistency
• Use existing import aliases (#api/*, #hooks/*, #components/*)

Database Changes:

• Create Alembic migrations for schema changes
• Test migrations both up and down
• Ensure test database setup scripts are updated if needed

Troubleshooting

Test Database Issues:

# Reset test database if needed
./scripts/bootstrap_blank_test_database.sh

Asset Build Issues:

# Clean rebuild of all assets
rm -rf static/react-components/dist
./scripts/build_static_files.sh

Import/Module Issues:

# Ensure Python path is set correctly
export PYTHONPATH=.

Code Style References

• CLAUDE.md - Comprehensive development guidelines and workflow
• CONVENTIONS.md - Python backend coding conventions
• static/react-components/CLAUDE.md - React frontend guidelines
• static/react-components/CONVENTIONS.md - Frontend-specific conventions
• .github/workflows/ - GitHub Actions CI/CD definitions

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🔗 Links

• Live Application: openbacklog.com
• Issues: Report bugs and request features
• Discussions: Join the community conversation

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Built with ❤️ for the solo developer community

OpenBacklog empowers you to redefine what's possible, creating AI-driven solutions that reflect your personal passions and enrich lives.