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refine-backlog-mcp

refine-backlog-mcp

by DavidNielsen1031
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
TypeScript

Speclint

Deterministic spec linter for AI coding agents. Score GitHub issues 0–100 across 5 dimensions before agents touch them — catch vague requirements, missing acceptance criteria, and untestable specs at the source.

What it does

Scores issues like:

  • "users keep saying login is broken"

  • "dashboard loads slow"

  • "need dark mode"

Across 5 dimensions:

  • Problem clarity — Is the problem statement specific and observable?

  • Acceptance criteria — Are there testable, concrete pass/fail conditions?

  • Scope definition — Is the work bounded and decomposable?

  • Verification steps — Can a CI agent prove it's done?

  • Testability — Are edge cases and failure modes addressed?

Returns a 0–100 score with per-dimension breakdown, agent-readiness flag, and optional AI-powered rewrite suggestions.

API

Lint a spec

curl -X POST https://speclint.ai/api/lint \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"items": ["users keep saying login is broken", "dashboard loads slow"]}'

With a license key:

curl -X POST https://speclint.ai/api/lint \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-license-key: SK-YOUR-KEY" \
  -d '{"items": ["users keep saying login is broken"]}'

Example response:

{
  "results": [{
    "item": "users keep saying login is broken",
    "score": 32,
    "agent_ready": false,
    "dimensions": {
      "problem_clarity": 20,
      "acceptance_criteria": 10,
      "scope_definition": 45,
      "verification_steps": 30,
      "testability": 55
    },
    "rewrite_preview": "**Problem:** Users cannot log in to the application..."
  }]
}

Rewrite a spec (Lite tier and above)

curl -X POST https://speclint.ai/api/rewrite \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-license-key: SK-YOUR-KEY" \
  -d '{
    "item": "dashboard loads slow",
    "target_agent": "claude",
    "rewrite_mode": "full"
  }'

Example response:

{
  "rewritten": "**Problem:** The dashboard takes >3s to load on standard connections...",
  "structured": {
    "title": "Optimize dashboard load time to <1s on 4G",
    "problem": "The main dashboard takes 3-8s to load, causing 40% of users to abandon before seeing data.",
    "acceptance_criteria": [
      "Dashboard LCP < 1s on 4G (Lighthouse throttling preset)",
      "First contentful paint < 500ms",
      "All chart data visible within 2s without skeleton loaders"
    ],
    "verification_steps": [
      "Run Lighthouse CI in --preset=perf mode",
      "Assert LCP < 1000ms in CI",
      "Load dashboard with network throttled to 4G in Playwright test"
    ]
  },
  "score_before": 28,
  "score_after": 91,
  "score_delta": 63
}

Full OpenAPI spec: speclint.ai/openapi.yaml

Agent capabilities: speclint.ai/llms.txt

CLI

Install and run from your terminal:

npx @speclint/cli lint "dashboard loads slow"

Or install globally:

npm install -g @speclint/cli
speclint lint "dashboard loads slow"
speclint rewrite "dashboard loads slow" --key SK-YOUR-KEY
speclint batch issues.txt --key SK-YOUR-KEY

Set your key once via env: export SPECLINT_KEY=SK-YOUR-KEY

MCP Server

Use speclint-mcp directly in Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "speclint": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["speclint-mcp"],
      "env": { "SPECLINT_KEY": "SK-YOUR-KEY" }
    }
  }
}

This gives your AI assistant a lint_spec tool it can call automatically before writing code.

GitHub Action

Lint specs automatically in CI. Trigger on issue open, manual dispatch, or any GitHub event.

- uses: DavidNielsen1031/speclint-action@v1
  with:
    items: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
    write-back: "true"
    gherkin: "true"
    key: ${{ secrets.SPECLINT_KEY }}

Posts the score + rewrite suggestions as a comment on the issue.

→ GitHub Marketplace · Full docs + examples

Pricing

Tier

Price

Items/req

Rewrites/day

Keys

Free

$0

5

1 preview

1

Lite

$9/mo

5

10 full

1

Solo

$29/mo

25

500 full

1

Team

$79/mo

50

1,000 full

Unlimited

  • Free: No signup required. Get a free key to track usage. Rewrite previews are 250 chars.

  • Lite: Full rewrites (complete rewritten spec + structured fields + score delta). Unlimited lint requests.

  • Solo: 25 items per batch, 500 rewrites/day, codebase_context field for stack-aware scoring.

  • Team: 50 items per batch, 1,000 rewrites/day, multi-seat. For teams where bad specs cost real money.

Pass your license key via x-license-key header, SPECLINT_KEY env var, or the MCP server config.

Links

Available Tools

1 tool
refine_backlogA

Refine messy backlog items into structured, actionable work items. Returns each item with a clean title, problem statement, acceptance criteria, T-shirt size estimate (XS/S/M/L/XL), priority with rationale, tags, and optional assumptions. Free tier: up to 5 items per request. Pro: 25. Team: 50.

BEFORE calling this tool, ask the user TWO quick questions if they haven't already specified:

  1. Would you like titles formatted as user stories? ("As a [user], I want [goal], so that [benefit]")

  2. Would you like acceptance criteria in Gherkin format? (Given/When/Then) Set useUserStories and useGherkin accordingly based on their answers. Both default to false.

LICENSE KEY: For unlimited requests and higher item limits, set REFINE_BACKLOG_KEY in your MCP server environment config (Claude Desktop → claude_desktop_config.json → env section). Get a key at https://refinebacklog.com/pricing

Inputs: items (required), context, licenseKey, useUserStories, +1 more.

Tool Schema Changelog

Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Loading tool schema changelog…

    Deploy Server
    Claude Code, inside the Godot 4 editorFlockbay puts an AI agent in the real Godot 4 editor: it writes GDScript, runs your game and fixes what breaks. Free, or bring your own Claude Code or Codex.flockbay.comAd

    TDQS

    A4.1/5.0

    Scored across 1 tool

    Disambiguation5/5

    With only one tool, there is no possibility of ambiguity or overlap with other tools. The tool has a single, clearly defined purpose: refining backlog items into structured work items.

    Naming Consistency5/5

    There is only one tool name, 'refine_backlog', which follows a clear verb_noun pattern. Since there are no other tools to compare against, consistency is inherently perfect.

    Tool Count2/5

    A single tool is too few for a server that appears to handle backlog refinement, as it lacks complementary operations like listing, updating, or managing refined items. This minimal scope will likely cause agent failures due to incomplete workflows.

    Completeness2/5

    The tool surface is severely incomplete for backlog management. While the refine_backlog tool performs a specific transformation, there are no tools for creating, retrieving, updating, or deleting backlog items, leaving significant gaps in the domain coverage.

    Resources

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