Refine Backlog MCP Server

Use Refine Backlog directly inside Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client. Tell your AI to refine your backlog and it calls the API automatically — no copy-paste required.

What it does

Exposes a single tool: refine_backlog

Give it a list of rough backlog items. Get back structured work items with:

• Clean, actionable titles
• Problem statements
• Acceptance criteria (2-4 per item)
• T-shirt size estimates (XS/S/M/L/XL)
• Priorities with rationale
• Tags
• Clarifying assumptions (when needed)

Quick Start

Option 1: npx (no install)

npx refine-backlog-mcp

Option 2: Local build

cd mcp
npm install
npm run build
node dist/server.js

Claude Desktop Setup

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on Mac):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "refine-backlog": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["refine-backlog-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

With a license key (Pro/Team tier):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "refine-backlog": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["refine-backlog-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "REFINE_LICENSE_KEY": "your-license-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. You'll see "refine_backlog" in the tools list.

Cursor Setup

Add to your Cursor MCP config (~/.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "refine-backlog": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["refine-backlog-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Once configured, just talk to your AI naturally:

"Refine these backlog items: fix login bug, add CSV export, improve dashboard load time"

"Take these 10 stories and run them through Refine Backlog. Context: we're building a B2B SaaS for HR teams."

"Refine this backlog item as a user story with Gherkin acceptance criteria: users need to reset their password"

Rate Limits

| Tier | Items per request | Price | |------|-------------------|-------| | Free | 5 | $0 — no key needed | | Pro | 25 | $9/month | | Team | 50 | $29/month |

Get a license key at refinebacklog.com/pricing

Prefer automation over chat?

If you want to run Refine Backlog in scripts, GitHub Actions, or CI pipelines — without an LLM in the loop — use the CLI instead:

npx refine-backlog-cli "Fix login bug" --gherkin
cat backlog.txt | npx refine-backlog-cli --user-stories --format json

CLI repo: github.com/DavidNielsen1031/refine-backlog-cli

API Reference

Full API docs: refinebacklog.com/llms.txt
OpenAPI spec: refinebacklog.com/openapi.yaml