PolderAPI

Backlog API

Initiatives

Initiatives group projects that serve one goal.

Base URLhttps://backlog.polder.work

An initiative is the layer above projects: a goal that several projects serve. Every member can read initiatives. Creating, changing and deleting needs a role other than guest. Deleting only removes the grouping: the projects and their issues stay.

The initiative object

{
  "id": 4,
  "name": "Self service",
  "slug": "self-service",
  "summary": "Customers solve it themselves",
  "description": "<p>…</p>",
  "status": "in_progress",
  "icon": "target",
  "color": "#10b981",
  "lead": { "id": 5, "name": "Sanne", "email": "sanne@example.com", "isBot": false },
  "starts_at": "2026-07-01",
  "target_at": "2026-12-31",
  "completed_at": null
}

status is backlog, planned, in_progress, completed or canceled.

List initiatives

GET/api/v1/workspaces/{workspace}/initiativesscope initiatives:read

Initiatives ordered by name. Paged with page and per_page (50 by default, at most 200).

curl https://backlog.polder.work/api/v1/workspaces/7/initiatives \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POLDER_TOKEN"

Create an initiative

POST/api/v1/workspaces/{workspace}/initiativesscope initiatives:write

Creates an initiative and answers 201.

Field Type Required Description
name string yes Up to 255 characters.
summary string or null no Up to 500 characters.
description string or null no
status string no One of the statuses above.
icon string or null no Up to 40 characters.
color string or null no Up to 20 characters.
lead_id integer or null no A user id; must be a member of this workspace.
starts_at, target_at date or null no Y-m-d. 
curl https://backlog.polder.work/api/v1/workspaces/7/initiatives \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POLDER_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name": "Self service", "status": "planned", "lead_id": 5}'

Get an initiative

GET/api/v1/initiatives/{initiative}scope initiatives:read

One initiative. 403 when it is in a workspace you are not a member of.

Change an initiative

PATCH/api/v1/initiatives/{initiative}scope initiatives:write

Changes the fields you send, with the rules of Create an initiative except that name is optional. Answers 200 with the initiative.

Delete an initiative

DELETE/api/v1/initiatives/{initiative}scope initiatives:write

Deletes the initiative, not its projects. Answers 204.