kendo-cli

name

kendo-cli

description

Kendo CLI tool for managing issues, projects, sprints, epics, reports, and time tracking directly from the terminal. Use this skill whenever interacting with kendo issues, checking board status, creating or updating issues, searching across projects, logging time, managing sprints and epics, or triaging reports (bug reports, feedback) — especially when the MCP server is unavailable or when a quick CLI command is simpler than an MCP tool call. Also use when the user mentions "kendo cli", "kendo command", or wants to run kendo operations via the terminal.

Kendo CLI

Manage kendo issues, projects, sprints, epics, reports, and time tracking via the kendo CLI. The CLI communicates with the kendo REST API using OAuth Device Flow authentication.

Installation

Quick install (Linux / macOS)

curl -sSL https://central.kendo.dev/cli/install.sh | sh

The script detects OS/arch, downloads the correct binary, verifies checksums, and installs to ~/.local/bin/kendo (or /usr/local/bin/kendo with sudo).

Update

kendo update           # Download and install latest version
kendo update --check   # Check for updates without installing

Verify

kendo version

Authentication

After installing, the user must log in interactively (Claude cannot do this step — it requires stdin for the OAuth device flow):

kendo auth login

This will prompt for the tenant URL (e.g., yourteam.kendo.dev), then open a browser for authorization. Tokens are stored in ~/.config/kendo/tokens.json.

Check auth status or log out:

kendo auth status
kendo auth logout

Active Project

Most commands require an active project. Set it once and it persists across sessions:

kendo project select <PROJECT_CODE>

The active project is stored in ~/.config/kendo/config.yaml.

Global Flags

These flags work on any command:

• --json — Output as JSON instead of table (use when you need to parse/extract specific fields)
• --project <CODE> — Override the active project for this single command

The --project flag is useful for quick cross-project lookups without switching the active project.

Output Modes

• Table (default): Human-readable aligned columns with ANSI colors
• JSON (--json): Machine-readable, ideal for parsing in scripts

Table output is usually fine for displaying results to the user. Use --json only when you need to programmatically extract specific fields (e.g., getting an issue ID to use in a follow-up command). Always append 2>&1 to capture errors alongside output.

Commands That Don't Need an Active Project

These commands work without kendo project select — they operate across all accessible projects:

• kendo issue my — issues assigned to current user across all projects
• kendo search — global search across all projects
• kendo team list — all teams

Don't waste time selecting a project before running these.

Commands Reference

Projects

kendo project list                    # List all projects (ID, code, name, issue count)
kendo project select <CODE>           # Set active project
kendo project view                    # View active project details

Issues

kendo issue list                      # List all issues in active project
kendo issue list --lane "To Do"       # Filter by lane name or ID
kendo issue list --sprint active      # Filter by sprint ID or "active"
kendo issue list --type bug           # Filter by type
kendo issue list --priority high      # Filter by priority
kendo issue view <REF>                # View issue by key (e.g. PROJ-0255) or ID (e.g. 390)
kendo issue my                        # List issues assigned to current user
kendo issue search <QUERY>            # Search issues by text (title, description, key)
kendo issue create --title "Title"    # Create issue (see flags below)
kendo issue update <REF> [flags]      # Update issue fields
kendo issue move <REF> <LANE_ID>      # Move issue to a lane
kendo issue comment <REF> -m "text"   # Add comment to issue
kendo issue delete <REF>              # Delete issue (destructive!)
kendo issue link-branch <REF>         # Link current git branch to issue

Filters can be combined for precise queries:

kendo issue list --sprint active --lane "In Progress"       # What's being worked on right now
kendo issue list --sprint active --type bug --priority high  # Urgent bugs in current sprint
kendo issue list --sprint active --lane "In Review"          # What's waiting for review

Issue create flags:

Flag	Required	Default	Description
--title	yes	—	Issue title
--description	yes	—	Issue description (markdown)
--type	no	feature	feature or bug
--priority	no	medium	highest, high, medium, low, lowest
--lane	no	first lane	Lane ID
--sprint	no	—	Sprint ID
--assignee	no	—	User ID

Issue update flags (all optional — only changed fields are updated):

Flag	Type	Description
--title	string	Issue title
--description	string	Issue description (markdown)
--type	string	feature or bug
--priority	string	highest, high, medium, low, lowest
--lane	int	Lane ID
--sprint	int	Sprint ID
--assignee	int	User ID

Search (Cross-Project)

kendo search <QUERY>                  # Search across all projects
kendo search <QUERY> --project-id 1   # Filter by project
kendo search <QUERY> --type bug       # Filter by type
kendo search <QUERY> --priority high  # Filter by priority
kendo search <QUERY> --lane 2         # Filter by lane
kendo search <QUERY> --sprint 12      # Filter by sprint
kendo search <QUERY> --epic 9         # Filter by epic
kendo search <QUERY> --assignee 1     # Filter by assignee
kendo search <QUERY> --limit 50       # Max results (1-100, default 25)

Board

kendo board                           # Visual kanban board for active sprint
kendo board --rows 10                 # Show more rows per column (default: 6)
kendo board --rows 0                  # Show all issues (no truncation)
kendo board --json                    # Structured JSON with all issues per lane

The board shows lanes as columns with issue counts. Issues assigned to you are marked with * and sorted to the top. Columns truncate at 6 rows with ...+N overflow.

Sprints

kendo sprint list                     # List all sprints
kendo sprint active                   # Show current active sprint
kendo sprint todo                     # To Do issues in active sprint (sorted by priority)

Epics

kendo epic list                       # List epics with issue counts and dates
kendo epic issues <epic>              # List issues in epic (by ID or name)
kendo epic issues "My Epic"           # By name (case-insensitive)
kendo epic issues 9                   # By ID
kendo epic create --title "Title"     # Create epic (defaults: color blue, order 0)
kendo epic create --title "T" --start 2026-03-17 --end 2026-04-01 --color red

Reports

kendo report list                                          # List all reports in active project
kendo report create --title "T" --description "D"          # Create a new report
kendo report promote <id> [id...] --title "T" --description "D"  # Promote reports to issue
kendo report promote 1 2 --title "Bug fix" --description "..." --priority high --type bug
kendo report dismiss <id>                                  # Dismiss report (soft-archive)
kendo report delete <id>                                   # Delete report permanently

Report promote flags (all optional except --title and --description):

Flag	Type	Description
--title	string	Title for the new issue (required)
--description	string	Description for the new issue (required)
--lane	int	Lane ID (default: first lane)
--priority	string	highest, high, medium, low, lowest
--type	string	feature or bug
--assignee	int	User ID
--sprint	int	Sprint ID
--epic	int	Epic ID
--estimate	int	Estimated time in minutes

Lanes

kendo lane list                       # List board lanes (ID, title, order)

Teams

kendo team list                       # List teams and member counts

Time Tracking

kendo time log <REF> --minutes 60                        # Log 60 minutes on issue
kendo time log <REF> --minutes 30 --notes "Code review"  # With description
kendo time log <REF> --minutes 45 --date 2026-03-16      # Specific date
kendo time list                                           # This week's time entries
kendo time list --from 2026-03-01 --to 2026-03-31        # Custom date range
kendo time list <REF>                                     # All time logged on a specific issue

time list defaults to the current week (Monday through today). Pass --from and --to (YYYY-MM-DD) for a custom range. Pass an issue ref to see all time logged on that issue regardless of date. Output includes a total time summary (hours:minutes).

Update

kendo update                          # Download and install latest version
kendo update --check                  # Check for updates without installing

Utility

kendo version                         # Show CLI version
kendo commands --json                 # Machine-readable command manifest
kendo completion bash                 # Generate bash completions
kendo completion zsh                  # Generate zsh completions
kendo completion fish                 # Generate fish completions
kendo completion powershell           # Generate powershell completions

Common Workflows

Find and view an issue

kendo issue view PROJ-0255
# or search first:
kendo search "translation error" --json

Create a bug report

kendo issue create \
  --title "Button not responding on mobile" \
  --type bug \
  --priority high \
  --description "The submit button on the login form does not respond to tap events on iOS Safari."

Move an issue through the board

# Check available lanes
kendo lane list
# Move to In Progress (lane 2)
kendo issue move PROJ-0255 2

Link current branch to an issue

# Auto-detects current git branch via `git rev-parse`
kendo issue link-branch PROJ-0255

Daily standup overview

kendo board                           # Full sprint board at a glance (your issues marked with *)
kendo issue my                        # What's assigned to me across all projects
kendo sprint todo                     # What's in the sprint backlog (sorted by priority)

Board overview for current sprint

kendo board                           # Visual kanban board — all lanes, counts, your issues on top
kendo board --json                    # Full board data for programmatic use

Quick cross-project lookup

# Check another project without switching active project
kendo issue list --project OTHER --type bug
kendo search "deploy" --project-id 8

Triage incoming reports

kendo report list                                       # See what's pending
kendo report promote 5 --title "Fix login bug" --description "..." --type bug --priority high
kendo report dismiss 3                                  # Not actionable

Time tracking

kendo time log PROJ-0255 --minutes 90 --notes "Refactored adapter store"
kendo time list                                         # This week's entries
kendo time list --from 2026-03-01 --to 2026-03-31      # Monthly summary
kendo time list PROJ-0255                               # All time on one issue

Tips for Claude Code Usage

• Table vs JSON: Table output is readable enough for displaying to users. Only use --json when you need to programmatically extract a specific field (e.g., getting a sprint ID to use in a follow-up filter command).
• Error capture: Always append 2>&1 so error messages are visible in the output.
• Command discovery: Run kendo commands --json to get a machine-readable list of all commands and their flags — useful if you're unsure about a command's exact syntax.
• Board command: Use kendo board for a quick sprint overview instead of running multiple kendo issue list commands with different --lane filters.
• No project needed: kendo issue my, kendo search, and kendo team list work without an active project — don't waste a step on kendo project select before using them.

Relation to MCP

The CLI and MCP server access the same backend API. Key differences:

	CLI	MCP
Invocation	Bash tool — single command	MCP tool call — structured params
Dependencies	kendo binary + auth token	MCP server running
Output	Table or --json	Structured JSON
Best for	Quick lookups, scripting, batch ops	Programmatic integration, resource URIs

Use whichever is available. If both are, the CLI is often simpler for quick reads (one bash command vs. MCP tool invocation), while MCP is better for writes that benefit from structured parameter validation.

Issue References

Issues can be referenced by key (e.g., PROJ-0255) or numeric ID (e.g., 390). The backend accepts both formats. Prefer keys for readability.

User Stories

When creating issues, write descriptions in English following the user story format: "As a [role], I want [functionality] so that [goal]". See the kendo-mcp skill's references/issue-templates.md for the full feature + bug templates.