| name | kanban |
| version | 1.2.1 |
| updated | "2026-02-22T00:00:00.000Z" |
| description | Manage kanban cards via CLI with commands for search, create, update, move, problem tracking, cross-agent notes, and scheduled automations |
Kanban CLI Skill
Manage kanban cards via CLI: node scripts/kanban.js <command>
Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|
search | Find cards by query, stage, type, area |
show | Display full card details (NOT view) |
create | Create a new card |
update | Modify card fields |
move | Move card between stages |
archive | Soft delete a card |
checklist | Manage checklist items |
problem | Track issues on cards |
notes | Manage cross-agent notes |
automation | Configure and manage scheduled automations |
areas | List available areas |
Quick Reference
node scripts/kanban.js --help
node scripts/kanban.js <command> --help
node scripts/kanban.js search "query"
node scripts/kanban.js search --stage backlog
node scripts/kanban.js search --type feature
node scripts/kanban.js show card-123
node scripts/kanban.js create --title "Add feature X" --type feature --priority medium
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --title "New title" --areas "web-frontend,terminal-bridge"
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --design-ref "documentation/designs/foo.md"
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --feature-ref "documentation/features/bar.md"
node scripts/kanban.js move card-123 design
node scripts/kanban.js archive card-123
node scripts/kanban.js checklist card-123 list
node scripts/kanban.js checklist card-123 add "Write tests"
node scripts/kanban.js checklist card-123 toggle check-123
node scripts/kanban.js problem card-123 list
node scripts/kanban.js problem card-123 add "Bug description" --severity major
node scripts/kanban.js problem card-123 resolve prob-123
node scripts/kanban.js problem card-123 promote prob-123 --type chore
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 list
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 add "Context for next agent" --agent "Claude"
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 search "blocker"
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 edit 2 "Updated note text"
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 delete 3
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 clear
node scripts/kanban.js areas
Best Practices
- Always
show first: Before any action, run show <card-id> to see current state including existing problems
- Check existing problems: The card may already have problems logged - review before adding duplicates
- Confirm with user: When making significant changes, show the user what you plan to do
- Use areas: When creating/updating cards, set appropriate areas for context-priming
- Track progress: Use checklists for multi-step work items
- Document problems: When issues are found during testing, add them with
problem <card-id> add "description"
Cross-Agent Notes
Agent notes are a shared scratchpad on each card for passing context between agents and sessions.
When to use notes:
- Before starting work:
notes <card-id> list — read what previous agents left
- After completing a session: leave context about decisions, progress, or blockers
- When hitting a blocker: document the issue so the next agent knows
Always identify yourself with --agent:
- Claude:
--agent "Claude"
- Codex:
--agent "Codex"
- Gemini:
--agent "Gemini"
- Notes added from the web UI are automatically tagged as
User
Limits: Max 30 notes per card, max 3000 characters per note.
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 list
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 add "Completed API routes, tests passing. Frontend still needs the Notes tab wired up." --agent "Claude"
node scripts/kanban.js notes card-123 add "Build fails on node 18 — needs --experimental flag for crypto" --agent "Codex"
Integration with Onboard Action
When using the Onboard action on a backlog card:
- Analyze and refine the card details through conversation
- Once the user confirms the refined version, use the CLI to apply changes:
node scripts/kanban.js update <card-id> \
--title "Refined title" \
--description "Structured description" \
--areas "area1,area2" \
--priority high
Linking Documentation
Cards support dedicated reference fields for documentation:
| Field | Flag | Purpose |
|---|
| Design Doc | --design-ref | Link to design document |
| Feature Spec | --feature-ref | Link to feature specification |
| Test Doc | --test-ref | Link to test documentation |
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --design-ref "documentation/designs/my-feature.md"
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --feature-ref "documentation/features/001_my_feature.md"
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --test-ref "documentation/tests/my-feature-tests.md"
These appear as dedicated fields on the card (not in description).
Workflow Examples
Refining a backlog item
node scripts/kanban.js show card-123
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 \
--title "Implement user authentication with OAuth" \
--description "Add Google and GitHub OAuth providers..." \
--areas "backend,auth" \
--priority high
node scripts/kanban.js move card-123 design
Creating a new task from user request
node scripts/kanban.js create \
--title "Fix login button size" \
--type bug \
--priority medium \
--areas "web-frontend"
Tracking testing progress
node scripts/kanban.js checklist card-123 add "Unit tests pass"
node scripts/kanban.js checklist card-123 add "Integration tests pass"
node scripts/kanban.js checklist card-123 add "Manual testing complete"
node scripts/kanban.js checklist card-123 toggle check-xxx
node scripts/kanban.js problem card-123 add "Login fails after timeout" --severity major
Promoting problems to backlog
When a problem is too big for a quick fix and needs its own design/implementation cycle:
node scripts/kanban.js problem card-123 list
node scripts/kanban.js problem card-123 promote prob-xxx --type chore
Scheduled Automations
Cards can be toggled into automation mode — a scheduled task that fires a prompt into a terminal session at a specified time. One card = one automation.
node scripts/kanban.js create --title "Nightly test run" --type chore --automation
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --automation true
node scripts/kanban.js update card-123 --automation false
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 configure --schedule "0 6 * * *" --prompt "Run all tests" --provider claude
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 configure --schedule "0 9 * * 1"
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 configure --prompt "New prompt"
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 configure --fresh-session true
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 configure --report-messaging true
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 enable
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 disable
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 run
node scripts/kanban.js automation card-123 status
node scripts/kanban.js automation list
node scripts/kanban.js automation list --tag "deploy"
Key concepts:
- Automation cards live on a dedicated Automations screen (not in kanban lanes)
- The automation system is a "session starter" — it injects a prompt and confirms activity, nothing more
- Schedule uses cron expressions (recurring) or ISO datetime (one-shot)
- One-shot automations auto-disable after firing, config preserved
- "Report via messaging" toggle appends instructions for the agent to send results
Error Handling
The CLI provides clear error messages:
Card 'xxx' not found - Check the card ID
Invalid stage - Use: backlog, design, implementation, testing, done
Invalid type - Use: feature, chore, bug
Invalid priority - Use: low, medium, high, critical
Notes
- The CLI modifies
documentation/kanban.json directly
- Changes are visible in the web UI on refresh
- Archived cards are hidden by default (use
--include-archived to see them)
- All timestamps are in ISO format