kanban-python

A Terminal Kanban Application written in Python to boost your productivity :rocket:

Introduction

Note: I am no longer actively working on this project (besides bug fixes), you might take a look at the next iteration kanban-tui, which offers a better kanban experience with a full TUI build with textual

Welcome to kanban-python, your Terminal Kanban-Board Manager.

The clikan Kanban App inspired me to write my own Terminal Kanban Application since I preferred a more simple and guided workflow.

kanban-python also comes with more features, like custom column creation, automatic scanning and customizable config file to support you being productive.

This package was initially developed with pyscaffold, which provides awesome project templates and takes over much of the boilerplate for python packaging. It was a great help for developing my first package and I can highly recommend it. With version 0.5.X the repository structure was changed to use uv.

Features

Installation

You can install kanban-python with:

python -m pip install kanban-python

or using pipx / uv / rye:

pipx install kanban-python # using pipx
uv tool install kanban-python # using uv
rye install kanban-python # using rye

I recommend using pipx, rye or uv to install CLI Tools into an isolated environment.

Usage

After Installation of kanban-python, there are 5 commands available:

Create new Boards

kanban init

Is used to create a new kanban board i.e. it asks for a name and then creates a pykanban.json file with a Welcome Task. On first use of any command, the pykanban.ini configfile and the kanban-python folder will be created automatically.

You can create local boards in the current working directory by using the name local or the flags -l or --local when using kanban init. kanban-python checks for local boards and updates the config file accordingly. Local boards can only be accessed when using kanban in the same folder.

Interact with Tasks/Boards

kanban

This is your main command to interact with your boards and tasks. It also gives the option to show the current settings and adjust them. Adjusting the settings can also be done directly by using the command kanban configure:

Use Ctrl-C or Ctrl-D to exit the application at any time. :warning: If you exit in the middle of creating/updating a task, or changing settings, your progress wont be saved.

Automatic Task Creation

kanban scan

After executing this command, kanban-python scans your current directory recursively for the defined filetypes and searches for lines that start with the pattern provided.

After confirmation to add the found tasks to table they will be added to the board. The alphanumeric Part of the Pattern will be used as tag. The filepath were the task was found will be added as description of the task.

You can also define a different path to scan with the -p or --path argument.

Create Report

kanban report

Goes over all your Boards and creates a single markdown file by checking the Completion Dates of your tasks. Also shows a nice github-like contribution table for the current year.

You can define a different output path of the pykanban.md report file with the -p or --path argument.

Change Settings

kanban configure

To create a new custom Column, you have to edit the pykanban.ini manually and add a new column name + visibility status under the settings.columns.visible section. The other options are all customizable now via the new settings menu.

Feedback and Issues

Feel free to reach out and share your feedback, or open an Issue, if something doesnt work as expected. Also check the Changelog for new updates.

:warning: With release v0.3.0 kanban-python switched to the XDG Basedir Spec. So some file migrations and config edits might be needed to continue working with your already created boards if you update from v0.2.X to v0.3.X