Clean up backlog, milestones, and agent workflow guardrails #82

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opened 2026-05-22 11:30:33 +00:00 by steve · 0 comments

steve commented

2026-05-22 11:30:33 +00:00

Owner

Perform a backlog and workflow hygiene pass so the next phase of work is easier
to delegate without agents drifting into speculative or duplicate work.

Problem

The backlog contains many useful ideas, but it becomes harder to execute when
items are duplicated, stale, too broad, or not tied to release priorities.
That risk increases when agents are used to pick up implementation work.

Goal

Make the release milestone the main prioritization tool and add enough backlog
and agent workflow structure that future delegated work stays scoped.

Sequencing

This is step 2 of the recommended six-issue sequence.
Start this issue after 77 defines the complete-app milestone.
Complete this issue before 78, 80, 79, and 81 so follow-on implementation work inherits the same scope guardrails.

Scope

Review the active backlog for duplicate, stale, or overly broad work.
Mark release-critical items clearly and separate deferred or speculative work.
Add or update an issue template or guidance that captures problem, goal,
scope, non-goals, acceptance criteria, implementation notes, files or specs to
inspect, validation commands, and follow-ups.
Update agent guidance so assigned work starts from the relevant issue and spec
and does not drift across scope.
Add a short guide for how maintainers and agents should pick the next task.

Non-goals

Migrating to a different issue system.
Introducing heavyweight project management.
Rewriting all specs.
Renaming the project structure.
Solving every backlog item.

Acceptance Criteria

Active backlog has no obvious duplicate open issues.
Release-critical tasks are attached to a milestone or release checklist.
Deferred or speculative work is clearly separated from release-critical work.
The current issue index reflects status accurately.
Issue creation guidance or templates cover the expected structure.
Agent instructions include scope-control and completion guidance.
Validation commands are easy to find.
A short how-to-pick-the-next-task guide exists for maintainers and agents.

Implementation Notes

Prefer closing, archiving, or cross-linking stale work over silently deleting
historical context.
Keep issue descriptions short enough to stay actionable.
Split oversized issues into follow-up items instead of letting them remain as
vague epics.
Use the release milestone as the primary prioritization mechanism.

Suggested Files or Specs To Inspect

.issues/index.md
.issues/template.md
AGENTS.md
spec/src/SUMMARY.md

Validation Commands

pnpm backlog:status
pnpm backlog:sync
make spec-lint
pnpm test:smoke

Follow-up Tasks

Link this cleanup pass from the release milestone once that document exists.
After this lands, move directly to 78.

Implementation Summary

Updated the issue template, maintenance docs, AGENTS guidance, release-critical issue metadata, and next-task workflow so backlog work follows the complete daily-use milestone and sequencing.

Perform a backlog and workflow hygiene pass so the next phase of work is easier to delegate without agents drifting into speculative or duplicate work. ## Problem The backlog contains many useful ideas, but it becomes harder to execute when items are duplicated, stale, too broad, or not tied to release priorities. That risk increases when agents are used to pick up implementation work. ## Goal Make the release milestone the main prioritization tool and add enough backlog and agent workflow structure that future delegated work stays scoped. ## Sequencing - This is step 2 of the recommended six-issue sequence. - Start this issue after [77](77-define-a-complete-daily-use-app-release-milestone-and-acceptance-checklist.md) defines the complete-app milestone. - Complete this issue before [78](78-add-safe-mode-and-recovery-flows-for-startup-plugin-layout-metadata-and-search-failures.md), [80](80-harden-data-export-import-backup-and-generated-state-rebuild-flows.md), [79](79-polish-notebook-v0-into-a-reliable-understandable-feature.md), and [81](81-add-journey-based-e2e-and-smoke-tests-for-the-complete-daily-use-path.md) so follow-on implementation work inherits the same scope guardrails. ## Scope - Review the active backlog for duplicate, stale, or overly broad work. - Mark release-critical items clearly and separate deferred or speculative work. - Add or update an issue template or guidance that captures problem, goal, scope, non-goals, acceptance criteria, implementation notes, files or specs to inspect, validation commands, and follow-ups. - Update agent guidance so assigned work starts from the relevant issue and spec and does not drift across scope. - Add a short guide for how maintainers and agents should pick the next task. ## Non-goals - Migrating to a different issue system. - Introducing heavyweight project management. - Rewriting all specs. - Renaming the project structure. - Solving every backlog item. ## Acceptance Criteria - Active backlog has no obvious duplicate open issues. - Release-critical tasks are attached to a milestone or release checklist. - Deferred or speculative work is clearly separated from release-critical work. - The current issue index reflects status accurately. - Issue creation guidance or templates cover the expected structure. - Agent instructions include scope-control and completion guidance. - Validation commands are easy to find. - A short how-to-pick-the-next-task guide exists for maintainers and agents. ## Implementation Notes - Prefer closing, archiving, or cross-linking stale work over silently deleting historical context. - Keep issue descriptions short enough to stay actionable. - Split oversized issues into follow-up items instead of letting them remain as vague epics. - Use the release milestone as the primary prioritization mechanism. ## Suggested Files or Specs To Inspect - `.issues/index.md` - `.issues/template.md` - `AGENTS.md` - `spec/src/SUMMARY.md` ## Validation Commands - `pnpm backlog:status` - `pnpm backlog:sync` - `make spec-lint` - `pnpm test:smoke` ## Follow-up Tasks - Link this cleanup pass from the release milestone once that document exists. - After this lands, move directly to [78](78-add-safe-mode-and-recovery-flows-for-startup-plugin-layout-metadata-and-search-failures.md). ## Implementation Summary Updated the issue template, maintenance docs, AGENTS guidance, release-critical issue metadata, and next-task workflow so backlog work follows the complete daily-use milestone and sequencing.

steve added the

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2026-05-22 11:30:33 +00:00

steve added this to the Complete Daily-Use App milestone

2026-05-22 11:38:52 +00:00