This Claude skill enables seamless management of kanban boards using the Kan CLI. It allows users to create, track, and organize tasks, cards, and projects through a local, file-based system. By integrating CLI commands into the AI workflow, it provides a powerful developer-centric approach to project tracking, supporting everything from basic task lists to complex hierarchical project structures with a built-in web interface.

When should I use kan?

kan is useful in the following scenarios: • Task Lifecycle Management: Quickly add, edit, and move cards across custom columns (e.g., backlog, in-progress, done) to maintain an up-to-date project status. • Hierarchical Project Tracking: Organize complex features by creating subtasks and parent-child relationships between cards for better granularity. • Custom Workflow Configuration: Initialize boards with specific column names, colors, and custom metadata fields (like priority or bug type) tailored to specific team needs. • Local Data Visualization: Launch a local web UI directly from the CLI to provide a visual overview of the kanban board for easier progress reviews. • Automated Task Scripting: Use the non-interactive mode to integrate task updates into development scripts or CI/CD pipelines.

name	kan
description	Manage kanban boards using the Kan CLI. Use when working with tasks, cards, boards, columns, or project tracking via the kan command.

Kan CLI

Kan is a file-based kanban board CLI. All data lives in .kan/ as plain files.

Getting Help

Every command supports --help for detailed usage:

kan --help
kan add --help
kan column --help

Initialize

kan init                              # Create .kan/ in current directory
kan init -l .kanboard                 # Custom location
kan init -c todo,doing,done           # Custom columns
kan init -n myboard                   # Custom board name
kan init -p myproject                 # Custom project name for favicon/title
kan init -c a,b,c -n project          # Both custom columns and name

Flag	Description
`-l, --location`	Custom location for .kan directory
`-c, --columns`	Comma-separated column names (default: backlog,next,in-progress,done)
`-n, --name`	Board name (default: main)
`-p, --project-name`	Project name for favicon and page title (default: git repo or directory name)

Adding Cards

kan add "Fix login bug"                         # Add card, prompted for details
kan add "Fix login bug" -c backlog              # Add to specific column
kan add "Feature" -b features -c todo           # Specify board and column
kan add "Title" "Description here" -c backlog   # Title + description
kan add "Subtask" -p 12                         # Add as child of card 12
kan add "Task" -f priority=high -f type=bug     # Add with custom fields

Flag	Description
`-b, --board`	Target board
`-c, --column`	Target column
`-p, --parent`	Parent card ID or alias
`-f, --field`	Custom field (key=value, repeatable)

Listing Cards

kan list                     # List all cards grouped by column
kan list -c done             # Filter by column
kan list -b myboard          # Filter by board

Showing Card Details

kan show 12              # Show card by ID
kan show fix             # Show card by alias or partial match
kan show fix -b myboard  # Specify board

Editing Cards

kan edit 12                              # Edit interactively
kan edit fix -t "New title"              # Update title
kan edit fix -c done                     # Move to column
kan edit fix -d "New description"        # Update description
kan edit fix -f priority=low             # Update custom field

Flag	Description
`-b, --board`	Board name
`-t, --title`	Set card title
`-d, --description`	Set card description
`-c, --column`	Move card to column
`-p, --parent`	Set parent card
`-a, --alias`	Set explicit alias
`-f, --field`	Set custom field (key=value, repeatable)

Board Management

kan board create features    # Create a new board
kan board list               # List all boards

Column Management

kan column add review                    # Add column to end
kan column add review --color "#9333ea"  # With custom color
kan column add review --position 2       # Insert at position
kan column delete review                 # Delete column
kan column rename review code-review     # Rename column
kan column edit review --color "#ec4899" # Change column color
kan column list                          # List columns
kan column move review --position 1      # Reorder column
kan column move review --after backlog   # Insert after another

Web Interface

kan serve                # Start web UI (opens browser)
kan serve -p 8080        # Custom port
kan serve --no-open      # Don't auto-open browser

Migration

kan migrate              # Migrate data to current schema
kan migrate --dry-run    # Preview changes without applying

Global Flags

Flag	Description
`-I, --non-interactive`	Fail instead of prompting for input

Tips

Cards are identified by flexible IDs: numeric ID, alias, or partial match
Use -I for scripting to ensure commands fail rather than prompt

kan

When & Why to Use This Skill

Use Cases