kanboard-cli

A Python SDK and CLI for the Kanboard JSON-RPC API — complete coverage of all 158 API methods, a plugin system for custom workflows, and a first-class developer experience.

Documentation: CLI Reference • SDK Guide • Configuration • Workflows • Contributing

Overview

kanboard-cli provides two complementary interfaces for Kanboard:

kanboard (SDK) — An importable Python library (import kanboard) with typed models, structured exceptions, and resource-based access to the full Kanboard API.
kanboard (CLI) — A Click-based command-line tool with rich table output, JSON/CSV/quiet modes, named configuration profiles, and a plugin system for user-defined workflows.

Both are distributed as a single kanboard-cli package installable from PyPI.

Key Features

Complete API coverage — All 158 Kanboard JSON-RPC methods across 24 resource categories
Typed Python SDK — Dataclass models, structured exceptions, and IDE-friendly type hints
Powerful CLI — Subcommand groups for every resource, four output formats, shell completions
Multiple output formats — table (rich/colored), json, csv, quiet (IDs only)
Named profiles — Manage multiple Kanboard instances (production, dev, staging) via TOML config
Layered configuration — Config file → environment variables → CLI flags
Workflow plugins — Drop .py files into ~/.config/kanboard/workflows/ to add custom CLI commands
Context manager support — KanboardClient works with with statements for clean resource management
Cross-project orchestration — Portfolio management, cross-project milestones, dependency analysis, and critical-path computation as a client-side meta-construct (no server plugin required)

Cross-Project Orchestration

kanboard-cli ships a Phase 0 orchestration layer that treats multiple Kanboard projects as a unified portfolio — using only the existing Kanboard API (task links, metadata) as a persistence layer with no server-side plugin required.

What it enables

Capability	Description
Portfolio management	Group multiple projects into a named portfolio stored locally in `~/.config/kanboard/portfolios.json`
Cross-project milestones	Define milestones that span tasks from multiple projects; track percent-complete and at-risk status
Dependency analysis	Discover cross-project `blocks`/`is blocked by` relationships; detect blocked and blocking tasks
Critical path	Compute the longest dependency chain (topological sort) across all portfolio tasks
Metadata sync	Push portfolio and milestone membership into Kanboard project/task metadata using the `kanboard_cli:` key prefix

Quick example

# Create a portfolio grouping two projects
kanboard portfolio create "Platform Launch" --description "Q3 release"
kanboard portfolio add-project "Platform Launch" 1
kanboard portfolio add-project "Platform Launch" 2

# Create a milestone spanning both projects
kanboard milestone create "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" --target-date 2026-06-30
kanboard milestone add-task "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" 42
kanboard milestone add-task "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" 99 --critical

# Check progress and risks
kanboard milestone progress "Platform Launch"
kanboard portfolio show "Platform Launch"

# Visualise cross-project dependencies
kanboard portfolio dependencies "Platform Launch"
kanboard portfolio blocked "Platform Launch"
kanboard portfolio critical-path "Platform Launch"

SDK example

from kanboard import KanboardClient
from kanboard.orchestration import PortfolioManager, DependencyAnalyzer, LocalPortfolioStore

with KanboardClient(url=URL, token=TOKEN) as kb:
    store = LocalPortfolioStore()
    manager = PortfolioManager(kb, store)
    analyzer = DependencyAnalyzer(kb)

    # Aggregate tasks across all portfolio projects
    tasks = manager.get_portfolio_tasks("Platform Launch")

    # Find blocked cross-project tasks
    edges = analyzer.get_dependency_edges(tasks, cross_project_only=True)
    blocked = analyzer.get_blocked_tasks(tasks)

    # Compute critical path
    critical = analyzer.get_critical_path(tasks)

Server-side visualization (optional)

For in-browser Kanboard UI features — including interactive dependency graphs, multi-project Gantt timelines, portfolio dashboards, and board-level blocking indicators — see the companion Kanboard Portfolio plugin.

The CLI's portfolio and milestone commands work independently of the plugin, but the plugin provides the visual layer within Kanboard's web interface.

See docs/sdk-guide.md#cross-project-orchestration and docs/cli-reference.md#portfolio for full reference documentation.

Prerequisites

Python 3.11+ (required for tomllib, modern typing features)
A running Kanboard instance with API access enabled
API token from Kanboard Settings → API

Installation

From PyPI

pip install kanboard-cli

From source (development)

git clone https://github.com/geekmuse/kanboard-cli.git
cd kanboard-cli
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Quick Start

1. Configure your connection

Create ~/.config/kanboard/config.toml:

[profiles.default]
url = "https://kanboard.example.com/jsonrpc.php"
token = "your-api-token-here"

[settings]
default_profile = "default"
output_format = "table"

Or use environment variables:

export KANBOARD_URL="https://kanboard.example.com/jsonrpc.php"
export KANBOARD_API_TOKEN="your-api-token-here"

2. Use the CLI

# List all projects
kanboard project list

# Create a task
kanboard task create 1 "Fix login bug" --color red --priority 3

# Get task details as JSON
kanboard task get 42 --output json

# Search tasks
kanboard task search 1 "status:open assignee:me"

# View the board
kanboard board show 1

# List overdue tasks across all projects
kanboard task overdue

3. Use the SDK

from kanboard import KanboardClient

with KanboardClient(url="https://kanboard.example.com/jsonrpc.php",
                     token="your-api-token") as kb:
    # Create a project
    project_id = kb.projects.create_project(name="My Project")

    # Create a task
    task_id = kb.tasks.create_task(
        title="Implement feature X",
        project_id=project_id,
        color_id="green",
        priority=2,
    )

    # Get all active tasks
    tasks = kb.tasks.get_all_tasks(project_id, status_id=1)
    for task in tasks:
        print(f"#{task.id} [{task.color_id}] {task.title}")

    # Work with columns, swimlanes, comments, tags, and more
    columns = kb.columns.get_columns(project_id)
    kb.comments.create_comment(task_id=task_id, user_id=1, content="Started work")
    kb.tags.set_task_tags(project_id, task_id, ["backend", "urgent"])

For the full SDK guide including all resource examples, exception handling, and batch usage, see docs/sdk-guide.md.

Configuration

Config File

Location: ~/.config/kanboard/config.toml

[profiles.default]
url = "https://kanboard.example.com/jsonrpc.php"
token = "your-api-token-here"

[profiles.dev]
url = "http://localhost:8080/jsonrpc.php"
token = "dev-token"

[settings]
default_profile = "default"
output_format = "table"            # table | json | csv | quiet

Environment Variables

Variable	Overrides
`KANBOARD_URL`	`profiles.<active>.url`
`KANBOARD_API_TOKEN`	`profiles.<active>.token`
`KANBOARD_PROFILE`	`settings.default_profile`
`KANBOARD_OUTPUT`	`settings.output_format`

CLI Flags

Flag	Purpose
`--url URL`	Kanboard JSON-RPC endpoint
`--token TOKEN`	API token
`--profile NAME`	Config profile to use
`--output FORMAT`	Output format: `table`, `json`, `csv`, `quiet`
`--verbose`	Enable debug logging

Resolution order: config file → environment variables → CLI flags (highest priority)

CLI Reference

Every Kanboard resource has a corresponding command group:

Command Group	Description
`kanboard task`	Tasks: list, get, create, update, close, open, remove, search, move
`kanboard project`	Projects: list, get, create, update, remove, enable, disable, activity
`kanboard board`	Board view for a project
`kanboard column`	Column management
`kanboard swimlane`	Swimlane management
`kanboard comment`	Task comments
`kanboard category`	Project categories
`kanboard tag`	Tags (global and per-project)
`kanboard subtask`	Subtask management
`kanboard timer`	Subtask time tracking
`kanboard user`	User administration
`kanboard me`	Current user dashboard and activity
`kanboard link`	Link type definitions
`kanboard task-link`	Internal task-to-task links
`kanboard external-link`	External task links
`kanboard group`	Group management and membership
`kanboard action`	Automatic action configuration
`kanboard project-file`	Project file attachments
`kanboard task-file`	Task file attachments
`kanboard project-meta`	Project key-value metadata
`kanboard task-meta`	Task key-value metadata
`kanboard project-access`	Project permissions (users/groups)
`kanboard app`	Application info (version, colors, roles)
`kanboard config`	Configuration management
`kanboard workflow`	List discovered workflow plugins
`kanboard completion`	Shell completion (bash/zsh/fish)
`kanboard portfolio`	Portfolio management + dependency analysis (cross-project orchestration)
`kanboard milestone`	Cross-project milestone tracking

Use kanboard <command> --help for detailed usage of any command.

For the full command reference, see docs/cli-reference.md.

Output Formats

All list/get commands support four output formats via --output / -o:

# Rich colored table (default)
kanboard task list 1

# JSON (for scripting and piping)
kanboard task list 1 -o json

# CSV (for spreadsheets and data tools)
kanboard task list 1 -o csv

# Quiet / ID-only (for shell pipelines)
kanboard task list 1 -o quiet | xargs -I{} kanboard task close {}

Workflows (Plugin System)

kanboard-cli supports user-defined workflow plugins for custom automation.

Creating a workflow

Create a Python file in ~/.config/kanboard/workflows/:

# ~/.config/kanboard/workflows/my_workflow.py
import click
from kanboard_cli.workflows.base import BaseWorkflow

class MyWorkflow(BaseWorkflow):
    @property
    def name(self) -> str:
        return "my-workflow"

    @property
    def description(self) -> str:
        return "My custom automation workflow"

    def register_commands(self, cli: click.Group) -> None:
        @cli.command("my-workflow")
        @click.pass_context
        def run(ctx):
            """Run my custom workflow."""
            client = ctx.obj["client"]
            # Use the full SDK here
            tasks = client.tasks.get_all_tasks(project_id=1, status_id=1)
            click.echo(f"Found {len(tasks)} active tasks")

Optionally add config in ~/.config/kanboard/config.toml:

[workflows.my-workflow]
target_project = 1

The workflow is automatically discovered on next CLI invocation:

kanboard workflow list       # See discovered workflows
kanboard my-workflow         # Run your workflow

See docs/plan/05-milestone-3-extended.md (Tasks 40–41) for full architecture details.

Project Structure

kanboard-cli/
├── src/
│   ├── kanboard/                   # SDK package (import kanboard)
│   │   ├── __init__.py             # Public API surface
│   │   ├── client.py               # JSON-RPC transport layer
│   │   ├── config.py               # Layered configuration resolution
│   │   ├── exceptions.py           # Typed exception hierarchy
│   │   ├── models.py               # Dataclass response models
│   │   ├── resources/              # One module per API category (24 modules)
│   │   └── orchestration/          # Cross-project orchestration (opt-in)
│   │       ├── __init__.py         # Exports: PortfolioManager, DependencyAnalyzer, LocalPortfolioStore
│   │       ├── portfolio.py        # PortfolioManager — multi-project aggregation
│   │       ├── dependencies.py     # DependencyAnalyzer — graph traversal, critical path
│   │       └── store.py            # LocalPortfolioStore — JSON persistence
│   └── kanboard_cli/               # CLI package
│       ├── main.py                 # Click app root, global options
│       ├── formatters.py           # Table / JSON / CSV / quiet renderers
│       ├── renderers.py            # ASCII dependency graph, progress bar renderers
│       ├── workflow_loader.py      # Plugin discovery and loading
│       ├── commands/               # One module per CLI command group
│       └── workflows/
│           └── base.py             # BaseWorkflow ABC
├── tests/
│   ├── unit/                       # Mocked httpx tests
│   │   └── orchestration/          # Orchestration unit tests
│   ├── integration/                # Docker-based lifecycle tests
│   └── cli/                        # CliRunner output tests
├── docs/
│   ├── plan/                       # Architecture and build plan
│   ├── design/                     # Design documents and research
│   └── tasks/                      # Per-task implementation notes
├── pyproject.toml
├── Makefile
├── LICENSE
└── CHANGELOG.md

Development

Setup

git clone https://github.com/geekmuse/kanboard-cli.git
cd kanboard-cli
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Common Commands

make install          # Install in editable mode with dev dependencies
make lint             # Run ruff linter
make test             # Run unit and CLI tests
make test-integration # Run integration tests (requires Docker)
make coverage         # Run tests with coverage report

Testing

Unit tests — Mocked httpx via pytest-httpx; covers all SDK resource methods and exception paths
CLI tests — Click CliRunner-based; verifies output across all four formats
Integration tests — Docker-based (docker-compose.test.yml) with a live Kanboard instance; full CRUD lifecycle for every resource

Dependencies

Package	Purpose
`httpx`	HTTP client (JSON-RPC transport)
`click`	CLI framework
`rich`	Colored table output
`tomli-w`	TOML config writing
`pytest`	Test framework (dev)
`pytest-httpx`	HTTP mocking for tests (dev)
`ruff`	Linter and formatter (dev)
`coverage`	Code coverage reporting (dev)

Exception Hierarchy

The SDK provides structured exceptions for programmatic error handling:

KanboardError (base)
├── KanboardConfigError          # Missing/invalid configuration
├── KanboardConnectionError      # Network/connection failures
├── KanboardAuthError            # HTTP 401/403, invalid credentials
├── KanboardAPIError             # JSON-RPC error responses
│   ├── KanboardNotFoundError    # Resource not found (null response)
│   └── KanboardValidationError  # Invalid parameters
└── KanboardResponseError        # Malformed/unparseable responses

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 149 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
.ralphi		.ralphi
docs		docs
scripts		scripts
src		src
tests		tests
.gitignore		.gitignore
AGENTS.md		AGENTS.md
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
CONTRIBUTING.md		CONTRIBUTING.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
docker-compose.test.yml		docker-compose.test.yml
pyproject.toml		pyproject.toml

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kanboard-cli

Overview

Key Features

Cross-Project Orchestration

What it enables

Quick example

SDK example

Server-side visualization (optional)

Prerequisites

Installation

From PyPI

From source (development)

Quick Start

1. Configure your connection

2. Use the CLI

3. Use the SDK

Configuration

Config File

Environment Variables

CLI Flags

CLI Reference

Output Formats

Workflows (Plugin System)

Creating a workflow

Project Structure

Development

Setup

Common Commands

Testing

Dependencies

Exception Hierarchy

License

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