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
Comments
kan comment add fix-login "Found the issue" # Add comment to card
kan comment add fix-login # Add comment (opens editor)
kan comment edit c_9kL2x "Updated text" # Edit comment by ID
kan comment delete c_9kL2x # Delete comment
| Flag |
Description |
-b, --board |
Board name |
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
diegosouzapw