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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/fulsomenko/kanban/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

The Terminal UI (TUI) mode is Kanban’s primary interactive interface, inspired by lazygit. It provides a fast, keyboard-driven experience for managing your kanban boards directly in your terminal.

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Launching the TUI

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Default Mode

Start the TUI with in-memory data: 
kanban

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Load from File

Load an existing board from a JSON file: 
kanban myboard.json
The file will be watched for changes, and modifications will auto-save as you work.

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Interface Layout

The TUI is organized into multiple panel-based views:

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Main View (Normal Mode)

  • Left Panel: Board list showing all your projects
  • Right Panel: Card list displaying tasks for the selected board
  • Bottom Bar: Context-aware keyboard shortcuts
  • Banner: Success/error messages and notifications

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Board Detail View

When you open a board (press Enter on a board):
  • Name Panel: Board name and metadata
  • Description Panel: Board description
  • Settings Panel: Configuration options
  • Sprints Panel: Sprint management
  • Columns Panel: Column configuration

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Card Detail View

When you open a card (press Enter on a card):
  • Title Panel: Card title and ID
  • Metadata Panel: Priority, points, due date, status
  • Description Panel: Full card description
  • Parents Panel: Parent card dependencies
  • Children Panel: Child card relationships

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Basic Navigation

Kanban uses Vim-like keybindings for navigation:

Core Navigation Keys

  • j / k - Move down/up in lists
  • h / l - Move between columns or panels
  • 1-9 - Jump to specific panel
  • gg - Jump to top of list
  • G - Jump to bottom of list
  • { / } - Jump half viewport up/down
Press ? at any time to view all available keyboard shortcuts for your current context.

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Common Workflows

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Creating Your First Board

  1. Launch kanban: kanban
  2. Press n to create a new board
  3. Enter a board name and press Enter
  4. Press Enter to activate the board
The board will be created with default columns: Todo, In Progress, and Done.

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Adding Cards

  1. Focus the tasks panel (press 2 or l)
  2. Press n to create a new card
  3. Enter the card title and press Enter
  4. Optionally fill in description, priority, points, and due date
  5. Press Enter to save

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Organizing Cards

Move cards between columns:
  • H - Move card to left column
  • L - Move card to right column
  • h / l - Navigate to adjacent column
Change card status:
  • c - Toggle card completion (done/not done)
  • p - Set priority (low, medium, high, critical)
  • a - Assign to sprint
Archive or delete:
  • d - Archive card
  • D - View archived cards
  • r - Restore archived card (in archived view)
  • x - Permanently delete archived card

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Working with Multiple Views

Switch between different view modes to match your workflow: 
V  # Cycle through view modes
See Views for detailed information on each view type.

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Searching and Filtering

Search: 
/  # Activate search mode
Type your query and press Enter. Press Esc to clear. Filter by sprint: 
t  # Toggle sprint filter
T  # Open filter options dialog

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Sorting Cards

o  # Open sort menu (by priority, points, date, status, position)
O  # Toggle sort order (ascending/descending)

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Undo and Redo

u  # Undo last action
U  # Redo last undone action
All actions are tracked in an undo/redo history stack.

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Export and Import

Export current board: 
x  # Export board to JSON file
Export all boards: 
X  # Export all boards to single JSON file
Import board: 
i  # Import board from JSON file

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Clipboard Operations

Copy branch names for Git integration: 
y  # Copy branch name to clipboard (format: prefix/card-id/card-title)
Y  # Copy git checkout command
Linux clipboard support requires a clipboard manager:
  • Wayland: wl-clip-persist, cliphist, clipman
  • X11: Built-in with most desktop environments
Without a clipboard manager, copied content is lost when the app exits (Linux platform limitation).

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File Watching and Auto-Save

When you load a file, Kanban automatically:
  • Watches for external changes: Detects modifications from other instances
  • Auto-saves on every action: Changes persist immediately
  • Handles conflicts: Prompts you when external changes conflict with local edits
  • Uses atomic writes: Prevents data corruption on crashes

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Quick Tips

Panel Navigation

Press 1 to focus boards, 2 to focus tasks. In detail views, use 1-5 to jump between panels.

Bulk Operations

Press v to enter selection mode, select multiple cards with j/k, then Ctrl+a to select all visible cards.

External Editor

Press e on a card description to open in your configured editor ($EDITOR, vim, nvim, or nano).

Help Menu

Stuck? Press ? to see all available commands for your current context.

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Next Steps

Keyboard Shortcuts

Complete reference of all keyboard bindings

View Modes

Learn about flat, grouped, and kanban view layouts

CLI Mode

Use kanban from scripts and automation

Development

Architecture and contribution guidelines

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