| name | obsidian-kanban |
| description | This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a Kanban board", "make an Obsidian Kanban board", "Kanban board format", "add a Kanban column", "edit Kanban cards", "Kanban board settings", or wants to create, edit, or understand Obsidian Kanban plugin board files (.md files with kanban-plugin frontmatter). Use when this capability is needed. |
| metadata | {"author":"erich3000"} |
Obsidian Kanban Skill
Create and manage Obsidian Kanban plugin board files. The Kanban plugin
(mgmeyers/obsidian-kanban) renders plain Markdown files as drag-and-drop
Kanban boards inside any Obsidian vault.
Board File Format (Quick Reference)
A Kanban board is a regular .md file with this structure:
---
kanban-plugin: board
---
## Column Name
- [ ] Card text
- [ ] [[path/to/note/index]]
- [x] Completed card
## Another Column
- [ ] Card with #tag
- [ ] [[some/note/index]] @{2026-02-20}
***
## Archive
- [x] Done items go here
%% kanban:settings
```
{"kanban-plugin":"board","list-collapse":[false,false]}
```
%%
Key rules:
- Frontmatter:
kanban-plugin: board is required — triggers board rendering. Note the blank lines around the property inside the frontmatter block.
- Columns:
## H2 headings — column order matches heading order in file
- Cards:
- [ ] (open) or - [x] (complete) checkbox list items
- Single-line cards: All card text must be on one line (no blank lines within a card)
- Wiki-links:
[[path/to/note/index]] — link cards to vault notes. No display text alias needed; the plugin resolves the note title automatically.
- Tags:
#tag inline — rendered as colored pills in board view
- Dates:
@{YYYY-MM-DD} appended to card text — shown as date pills
- Archive separator: A
*** horizontal rule before ## Archive
- Archive:
## Archive column stores completed/archived cards
- Settings:
%% kanban:settings ... %% comment block at the very end, using plain triple backticks (no language hint)
- Double blank lines: The plugin outputs double blank lines between columns
Creating a Board
To create a Kanban board from scratch:
- Create a new
.md file with a descriptive name (filename = board title)
- Add
kanban-plugin: board in YAML frontmatter (with blank lines around the property)
- Add
## Column headings for each lane
- Add
- [ ] items under each column for cards
- Add
*** horizontal rule before ## Archive
- Add the settings comment block at the very end
Additional frontmatter properties (e.g. tags, aliases) may coexist alongside kanban-plugin.
Linking Cards to Existing Notes
Use wiki-links for cards that reference other vault notes:
- [ ] [[Projects/Website Redesign/index]]
- [ ] [[Meeting Notes/2026-02-16/index]]
When a card is a wiki-link, the plugin displays the linked note title as the card label.
Creating Notes from Cards
In Obsidian's board view, right-click a card or use the three-dot menu and select
"Create note". The card text becomes the note title, and the card is replaced with
a [[link]] to the new note. Configure the target folder and template in board settings.
Card Metadata
Cards support Obsidian inline fields (Dataview-compatible):
- [ ] Task [priority:: high] [assignee:: John]
Editing Existing Boards
When modifying a Kanban board file:
- Preserve the
kanban-plugin: board frontmatter — removing it breaks board rendering
- Keep the settings comment block at the end intact
- Maintain the
- [ ] / - [x] checkbox format for cards
- Column order in the file = column order in the board
- Adding/removing/reordering
## H2 headings adds/removes/reorders columns
- Keep the
*** separator before ## Archive
Board Settings
Settings are stored in the %% kanban:settings ... %% block using plain triple backticks. Common keys:
| Key | Type | Description |
|---|
kanban-plugin | "board" | Required identifier |
list-collapse | boolean[] | Collapsed state per column |
lane-width | number | Column width in pixels |
show-checkboxes | boolean | Show/hide card checkboxes |
new-line-trigger | string | "enter" or "shift-enter" |
date-picker-week-start | 0-6 | First day of week in date picker |
Settings are also accessible via the board's gear icon in the UI, which provides options
for note folder, note template, date/time format, archive size, and display preferences.
Additional Resources
Reference Files
For the complete Kanban plugin Markdown format specification:
references/kanban-format.md — Detailed format reference including all card syntax variants, settings keys, board settings UI options, and file naming conventions
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