Ergo Backlog

See the work behind your code.

Ergo Backlog turns a repository's dependency-aware Ergo backlog into a clear, navigable view inside VS Code. Find the next ready task, understand how work fits into an epic, and open readable details without inspecting JSONL or leaving the editor.

What you can do

• Scan the active backlog. See tasks grouped under their epics, with compact status and dependency cues.
• Focus on ready work. Filter out blocked and in-progress tasks while keeping their epic context visible.
• Find anything quickly. Search tasks and epics by title or six-character Ergo ID.
• Read task and epic details. Open the selected item as a formatted Markdown preview in its own editor tab.
• Open the backlog naturally. Select .ergo/backlog.jsonl in the Explorer to see the backlog view instead of the raw event log.

Ergo Backlog is read-only. Planning and lifecycle changes remain explicit CLI actions, while VS Code provides a comfortable place to browse and understand the current plan.

Get started

1. Install Ergo 4.2.0 or later.
2. Open a folder that contains an Ergo backlog.
3. Open the Command Palette and run Ergo: Backlog.

Search for a task or epic and select it to open its details. You can also open .ergo/backlog.jsonl from the Explorer for a browsable overview of the whole backlog.

Install Ergo

On macOS:

brew install sandover/tap/ergo

On Windows and Linux, download the appropriate archive from the latest Ergo release and place ergo.exe or ergo on PATH.

Ergo Backlog uses the Ergo CLI from the VS Code extension host environment. Remote, WSL, SSH, and development-container windows therefore need Ergo installed in that environment.

How the backlog view works

The overview preserves the structure that helps you choose and understand work:

• Epics remain visible as stable landmarks.
• Tasks appear beneath their epic or at the top level.
• Status glyphs distinguish ready, blocked, active, and completed work.
• The Ready tasks only filter narrows the task list without hiding its epic context.
• Clicking an Ergo ID opens that task or epic in a readable detail tab.

Use Reopen Editor With → Text Editor when you specifically want to inspect the underlying JSONL event log.

Configure the Ergo executable

The extension normally resolves ergo from the extension host's PATH. To use a specific installation, set Ergo: Executable Path in VS Code Settings to an absolute path such as:

/opt/homebrew/bin/ergo

If Ergo is missing or older than 4.2.0, the extension reports the path it tried and explains how to install or select a compatible executable.

Read-only by design

Ergo Backlog asks the installed Ergo CLI to interpret the repository's event log. It does not parse or write .ergo/backlog.jsonl, mutate tasks, invoke commands through a shell, add telemetry, or send backlog content to an Ergo service.

Use the Ergo CLI to create, claim, complete, block, reorder, or otherwise change work.

Preview

Ergo Backlog is an early Preview focused on fast, dependable backlog reading. The current release provides the backlog overview, ready-work filter, task and epic search, and formatted detail previews.

Found a problem or have an idea? Open an issue in the Ergo issue tracker. Include your operating system, VS Code version, extension version, and ergo --version. Do not attach a private backlog.

About Ergo

Ergo is a fast, repository-local, dependency-aware backlog for coding agents and humans. It keeps tasks, epics, dependencies, and lifecycle history close to the code so the plan can travel with the repository.