CLI Overview - Kanban

Overview

The Kanban CLI provides a comprehensive command-line interface for managing kanban boards, cards, columns, and sprints. All commands output JSON for easy integration with scripts and automation tools.

Basic Usage

kanban [OPTIONS] <COMMAND>

Global Options

--file

string

default:"$KANBAN_FILE"

Path to the kanban data file. Can also be set via the KANBAN_FILE environment variable.

--help

flag

Display help information for any command.

--version

flag

Display version information including git commit hash.

Environment Variables

KANBAN_FILE

Set the default path to your kanban data file:

export KANBAN_FILE=~/.config/kanban/data.json
kanban board list

This avoids having to specify --file on every command.

JSON Output Format

All commands output JSON for easy parsing and automation. Example:

kanban board list | jq '.[] | .name'

Shell Completions

Generate shell completions for your preferred shell:

# Bash
kanban completions bash > ~/.local/share/bash-completion/completions/kanban

# Zsh
kanban completions zsh > ~/.zfunc/_kanban

# Fish
kanban completions fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/kanban.fish

# PowerShell
kanban completions powershell > $PROFILE

Supported shells: bash, zsh, fish, powershell, elvish

Available Commands

board - Board operations (create, list, get, update, delete)
card - Card operations (create, list, move, archive, sprint management)
column - Column operations (create, list, update, reorder)
sprint - Sprint operations (create, activate, complete, cancel)
export - Export board data to JSON
import - Import board data from JSON
completions - Generate shell completions

Examples

Basic Workflow

# Create a board
kanban board create --name "My Project" --card-prefix "PROJ"

# Create columns
kanban column create --board-id <BOARD_ID> --name "Todo" --position 0
kanban column create --board-id <BOARD_ID> --name "In Progress" --position 1
kanban column create --board-id <BOARD_ID> --name "Done" --position 2

# Create a card
kanban card create --board-id <BOARD_ID> --column-id <COLUMN_ID> \
  --title "Implement feature" --priority "high" --points 5

# Move card to next column
kanban card move <CARD_ID> --column-id <NEW_COLUMN_ID>

Using with jq

# Get all high priority cards
kanban card list --board-id <BOARD_ID> | jq '.[] | select(.priority == "high")'

# Count cards per column
kanban card list --board-id <BOARD_ID> | jq 'group_by(.column_id) | map({column: .[0].column_id, count: length})'

Commands

Documentation Index

​Overview

​Basic Usage

​Global Options

​Environment Variables

​KANBAN_FILE

​JSON Output Format

​Shell Completions

​Available Commands

​Examples

​Basic Workflow

​Using with jq

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