backlog vs MCP Task Orchestrator
backlog is a plugin bundle for AI coding tools published by backloghq. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Claude Code: claude-plugins-community, Community GitHub marketplaces). MCP Task Orchestrator is an MCP server published by jpicklyk. Marketplaces we read that list it: 2 (Official MCP Registry, Docker MCP Catalog). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-15. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace |  backlog |  MCP Task Orchestrator |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code: claude-plugins-community | Listed Version: 2.4.3 Forks (GitHub): 2 Stars (GitHub): 5 Not marked · First seen |
Not listed |
| Official MCP Registry | Not listed | Listed Version: 3.16.0 Forks (GitHub): 24 Stars (GitHub): 207 Not marked · First seen |
| Docker MCP Catalog | Not listed | Listed Version: sha256:eab0bb62611a Forks (GitHub): 24 Stars (GitHub): 207 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | backlog | MCP Task Orchestrator |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 2 | 2 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 5 (worse) | 207 (better) |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 2 (worse) | 24 (better) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | Installs as a plugin bundle | On your machine (ghcr.io/jpicklyk/task-orchestrator:3.16.0) |
| Transport (differs) | Not stated | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | Not published | 42 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 1, secrets among them: 0 | 7, secrets among them: 0 |
| Hooks it runs (differs) | 4 | Not published |
| Parts of the bundle (differs) | 13 | Not a bundle |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/backloghq/backlog | github.com/jpicklyk/task-orchestrator |
| Changes in the last 7 days (differs) | 2 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
backlog
Persistent, cross-session task management for Claude Code. 24 tools, 7 skills, and hooks that sync Claude's built-in tasks to a durable backlog. Zero external dependencies.
MCP Task Orchestrator
Server-enforced workflow discipline for AI agents: work items, dependency graphs, quality gates
How to run each
backlog As a Claude Code plugin
/plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-community
/plugin install backlog@claude-communityMCP Task Orchestrator As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --transport stdio task-orchestrator -- docker run -i --rm -v mcp-task-data:/app/data ghcr.io/jpicklyk/task-orchestrator:3.16.0Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
The marketplaces of backlog publish no list of tools, so we do not compare tools.
Settings each asks for
Only backlog asks for
TASKDATA_ROOT
Only MCP Task Orchestrator asks for
AGENT_CONFIG_DIRDATABASE_PATHLOG_FILELOG_LEVELMCP_HTTP_PORTMCP_TRANSPORTUSE_FLYWAY
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: backlog · What it can do: MCP Task Orchestrator · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the public marketplace file https://github.com/anthropics/claude-plugins-community/blob/HEAD/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json. Data comes from public marketplace files in GitHub repositories of their authors. Data comes from the Official MCP Registry (registry.modelcontextprotocol.io), CC0 1.0. Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.