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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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Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you get up and running with Kanban CLI in minutes. We’ll cover both the TUI (Terminal User Interface) and CLI modes.

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TUI Mode (Interactive)

The TUI provides a visual, keyboard-driven interface for managing your boards.
1

Launch Kanban

Start Kanban in TUI mode:
kanban                 # Launch with default/empty board
kanban myboard.json    # Load a specific board file
The interface will launch with a keyboard-driven UI. Press ? at any time to view the help menu with all available bindings.
2

Create Your First Board

If this is your first time:
  1. Press n to create a new board
  2. Enter a board name (e.g., “My Project”)
  3. Press Enter to activate it
Boards automatically come with default columns: Todo, In Progress, and Done. You can customize these later.
3

Add Cards

Create your first task card:
  1. Press n to create a new card
  2. Enter a card title (e.g., “Set up development environment”)
  3. Press Enter to save
Your card is now visible in the board!
4

Navigate the Interface

Use vim-like keyboard shortcuts to navigate:Basic Navigation:
  • j / k - Move up/down through cards
  • h / l - Move left/right between columns
  • Enter - Open/view card details
Card Operations:
  • n - Create new card
  • e - Edit card details
  • r - Rename card
  • d - Archive card
  • c - Toggle card as done
  • p - Set priority (low, medium, high)
Views & Search:
  • V - Toggle view mode (Flat List / Grouped / Kanban Board)
  • / - Search cards
  • t - Filter by sprint
  • D - View archived cards
Other:
  • u - Undo last action
  • U - Redo action
  • y - Copy card info to clipboard
  • H / L - Move card left/right between columns
  • ? - Show help menu
  • q - Quit
All changes are automatically saved as you make them. No need to manually save!
5

Explore Multiple Views

Press V to cycle through view modes:
  • Flat List: See all cards in a simple list with details
  • Grouped by Column: Cards organized under their respective columns
  • Kanban Board: Classic columnar board layout for visual workflow
Choose the view that works best for your current task.
6

Export Your Board (Optional)

To save your board as a JSON file:
  1. Press x to export
  2. Choose a filename (e.g., myproject.json)
  3. The board is now saved and can be version controlled
Board files are JSON format, making them easy to version control with git or share with your team.

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CLI Mode (Scriptable)

The CLI provides programmatic access to your boards for automation and scripting.
1

Set Your Data File

First, set the environment variable to specify your board file:
export KANBAN_FILE=myboard.json
Add this to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to make it permanent.
2

Board Management

Create and manage boards:
# List all boards
kanban board list
All CLI commands output JSON for easy parsing and scripting.
3

Card Operations

Create and manage cards:
# List all cards in a board
kanban card list --board-id <BOARD_ID>
4

Sprint Planning

Create and manage sprints:
# Create a sprint
kanban sprint create --board-id <BOARD_ID>
5

View Full Command Reference

Get help for any command:
kanban --help              # Main help
kanban board --help        # Board commands
kanban card --help         # Card commands
kanban sprint --help       # Sprint commands

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Example Workflow

Here’s a complete example of creating a project from scratch: 
# Set up environment
export KANBAN_FILE=~/projects/webapp.json

# Create a board
BOARD_ID=$(kanban board create --name "Web App Project" | jq -r '.id')

# List columns (they're auto-created)
COLUMNS=$(kanban column list --board-id $BOARD_ID)
TODO_ID=$(echo $COLUMNS | jq -r '.[0].id')

# Create some cards
kanban card create \
  --board-id $BOARD_ID \
  --column-id $TODO_ID \
  --title "Design database schema" \
  --priority high \
  --points 5

kanban card create \
  --board-id $BOARD_ID \
  --column-id $TODO_ID \
  --title "Set up CI/CD pipeline" \
  --priority medium \
  --points 3

# Create and activate a sprint
SPRINT_ID=$(kanban sprint create --board-id $BOARD_ID --name "Sprint 1" | jq -r '.id')
kanban sprint activate $SPRINT_ID --duration-days 14

# Now open in TUI to start working
kanban

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Terminal Output Examples

When you run CLI commands, you’ll see JSON output: 
// kanban board create --name "My Project"
{
  "id": "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-7890-abcd-ef1234567890",
  "name": "My Project",
  "card_prefix": "CARD",
  "columns": [
    {"id": "...", "name": "Todo", "position": 0},
    {"id": "...", "name": "In Progress", "position": 1},
    {"id": "...", "name": "Done", "position": 2}
  ],
  "created_at": "2026-03-05T10:30:00Z"
}

// kanban card list --board-id <ID>
[
  {
    "id": "card-uuid-1",
    "title": "Design database schema",
    "priority": "high",
    "points": 5,
    "status": "todo",
    "column_id": "column-uuid-1",
    "created_at": "2026-03-05T10:31:00Z"
  }
]

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Pro Tips

Use jq for Parsing

Pipe CLI output through jq to extract specific fields:
kanban card list --board-id $ID | jq -r '.[].title'

Version Control Your Boards

Store board JSON files in git to track project history:
git add myproject.json
git commit -m "Update sprint 1 tasks"

Learn Keyboard Shortcuts

Press ? in the TUI to see context-aware keyboard shortcuts for your current view.

Use Multiple Boards

Keep separate boards for different projects by using different JSON files:
kanban ~/work/project-a.json
kanban ~/personal/todos.json

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Multi-Instance Support

Kanban supports running multiple instances on the same board file:
  • Real-time file watching detects changes from other instances
  • Automatic reload when no local changes exist
  • User prompt when local edits conflict with external changes
  • Last-write-wins conflict resolution for concurrent edits

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Next Steps

Now that you know the basics, explore advanced features:

Core Concepts

Learn about boards, cards, sprints, and dependencies

CLI Reference

Complete CLI command reference with all options

Keyboard Shortcuts

Full list of keyboard shortcuts and bindings

Configuration

Customize Kanban with environment variables and settings

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