Backlog Buddy MCP

An MCP server that gives AI assistants a product owner's checklist for user stories.

The assistant does the writing. Backlog Buddy checks the drafts against INVEST and acceptance-criteria rules, suggests how to split stories that are too big, and exports the finished backlog to Markdown, CSV or Jira's CSV importer.

Why

AI assistants write plausible-looking user stories quickly, but they routinely:

• skip the "so that" (the value),

• write acceptance criteria that only cover the happy path,

• use untestable words like fast, intuitive or seamless,

• bundle two or three stories into one.

Backlog Buddy turns those habits into specific, fixable findings, so the assistant can revise its own work before you ever see it.

Related MCP server: refine-backlog-mcp

What it provides

Example check

Input:

As a user, I want to search and export transactions quickly Acceptance criteria: Search should be fast and intuitive

Backlog Buddy reports, among other things:

• no "so that" clause, so the value is implied rather than stated

• "user" is a generic persona

• the goal contains "and", which often means two stories

• "quickly", "fast" and "intuitive" can't be tested

• the acceptance criterion isn't in Given / When / Then form

Setup

Requires Node.js 20 or later.

npm install
npm run build
npm test        # unit tests for the checking, splitting and export logic
npm run e2e     # starts the server and exercises every tool over MCP

Use it in Claude Desktop

Add this to claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config), using the full path to dist/server.js on your machine, then restart Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backlog-buddy": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\backlog-buddy-mcp\\dist\\server.js"]
    }
  }
}

Then try: "Use the feature_to_stories prompt for: let borrowers verify income by linking their bank account."

Inspect it

npm run inspect

opens the MCP Inspector so you can call each tool by hand.

Design notes

• Deterministic checks, not another LLM call. The server uses rules and heuristics, so results are fast, free, repeatable and explainable. The assistant supplies the judgment; the server supplies the standard.

• Logic separated from protocol. src/stories.ts has no MCP dependency and is unit-tested on its own; src/server.ts is a thin wrapper that registers tools, a prompt and a resource.

• Heuristics are opinionated on purpose. They flag things worth a second look, not hard failures. Only a missing narrative or missing acceptance criteria makes a story "not ready".

Roadmap

• Configurable rules (custom vague-word lists, point thresholds)

• Push stories directly to Jira or Azure DevOps

• Definition of Ready checklist per team

License

MIT