Backlog notation (Backlog記法) syntax reference.
When this applies
Every Backlog project is set to one text formatting rule: Markdown (the default for new projects) or Backlog notation. This reference covers Backlog notation only. It is not a Backlog-wide standard, and it does not apply to Markdown projects — in those, write plain Markdown and ignore everything below.
Backlog renders text strictly by the project's rule: Backlog notation posted to a Markdown project (or vice versa) is not converted — it shows up as literal characters like ''bold'' or **bold**. Determine the rule like this:
-
The user or project instructions (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md) already state the rule — the usual case. Follow what is stated; do not spend an API call re-verifying it.
-
The rule is not stated anywhere — check it once before posting:
bee project view -p PROJECT_KEY --json textFormattingRule # {"textFormattingRule":"backlog"} -> use this reference # {"textFormattingRule":"markdown"} -> use Markdown instead
If you cannot run bee (e.g. this skill is installed without it), fetch /api/v2/projects/PROJECT_KEY from the Backlog API and read textFormattingRule, or ask the user.
Backlog notation is not Markdown — never mix the two syntaxes in one text.
Quick Reference
| Feature | Syntax |
|---|---|
| Heading | * H1 / ** H2 / *** H3 / **** H4 |
| Bold | ''text'' |
| Italic | '''text''' |
| Strikethrough | %%text%% |
| Color | &color(red) { text } |
| Color + background | &color(#fff, #333) { text } |
| Bullet list | - item (nest with --) |
| Numbered list | + item (nest with ++) |
| Checklist | - [ ] todo / - [x] done (issue descriptions only) |
| Link | [[https://example.com]] |
| Labeled link | [[label>https://example.com]] |
| Issue link | PROJECT-123 (auto-linked) |
| Quote | > text or {quote}...{/quote} |
| Code block | {code}...{/code} |
| Code (lang) | {code:java}...{/code} |
| Image | #image(URL or filename) |
| Thumbnail | #thumbnail(URL or filename) (< 200KB) |
| Table of contents | #contents |
| Line break | &br; |
| Escape | \ before special characters |
Tables
Separate cells with |. End a row with h for a header row. Prefix a cell with ~ for a row header. Use > to merge a cell with the one to its left.
|Name|Value|Note|h
|~Header|data 1|data 2|
|Span two||>|
Markdown → Backlog Notation Conversion
| Markdown | Backlog Notation |
|---|---|
# H1 |
* H1 |
**bold** |
''bold'' |
*italic* |
'''italic''' |
~~strike~~ |
%%strike%% |
1. item |
+ item |
``` |
{code} / {/code} |
[text](url) |
[[text>url]] |
 |
#image(url) |
|---| separator |
|h at end of row |
| N/A | &color(red) { text } |
Complete Example
A realistic issue description combining the elements above:
* 障害報告: 画像アップロードが失敗する
** 概要
''2026-08-21 14:00'' 頃から、5MB 以上のファイルで失敗する。%%当初はネットワーク起因と推測%% → サーバ側の設定と判明。
** 再現手順
+ 課題画面を開く
+ 5MB 以上の画像を添付する
+ &color(red) { エラー「upload failed」が表示される }
** 環境
|項目|値|h
|~ブラウザ|Chrome 128|
|~プラン|スタンダード|
** 対応
- [x] 原因調査
- [ ] nginx の client_max_body_size を修正
- [ ] BUG-101 の再発防止策に反映
{code:shell}
curl -F "file=@large.png" https://xxx.backlog.com/api/v2/...
{/code}
詳細は [[運用wiki>https://xxx.backlog.com/wiki/PROJ/ops]] を参照。
Gotchas
- No inline code syntax — only block-level
{code}...{/code} {quote}blocks cannot be nested- Checklists work only in issue descriptions, not in comments or wikis
- Supported code languages:
java,cs,js,python,ruby,perl,php,sql,html,xml,css,shell, etc.