# kanbo

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**A Kanban board your coding agents work, and you approve.**

[Website](https://kanbo.aioomi.com) · [npm](https://www.npmjs.com/package/kanbo-cli)

## Quick start

```bash
npm install -g kanbo-cli
kanbo connect claude              # once: registers kanbo's MCP server for every project
cd your-project && kanbo init     # a board for this project
```

Then tell your agent: **"take the next card from kanbo."** Watch the board and approve cards with `kanbo serve`.

`kanbo` with no board here starts a short setup wizard; run it again any time for the home screen. See [Getting started](docs/getting-started.md) for the walkthrough — every question it asks, what your agent does, and how to approve a card.

## What you get

- **A board in a file, or a shared Postgres database.** `.kanbo/board.db` next to your code for one project on one machine, or an external Postgres (Supabase works) for a team of people and agents. See [storage](docs/storage.md).
- **Agents work it over MCP.** Seventeen `kanbo_*` tools, and the server explains the rules itself when the client connects — nothing is written into your project's `CLAUDE.md` or `AGENTS.md`. See [MCP reference](docs/mcp.md); the [CLI reference](docs/cli.md) covers the commands you run.
- **You approve. kanbo enforces it, not just asks.** `approve`, `return` and column changes are a person's; an agent's shell is refused with exit code `4`, and on Postgres the database roles refuse it too. See [agents](docs/agents.md#agents-and-people).
- **Watch it in a terminal, or in your browser.** `kanbo board` and the interactive home screen, or `kanbo serve` for a board page over HTTP (sub-tasks inside their parent card, a List view, keys, bulk changes). See [HTTP API](docs/http-api.md).

## Works with

Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Gemini CLI — and anything else that speaks MCP over stdio. See [using kanbo with agents](docs/agents.md).

## Documentation

- [Getting started](docs/getting-started.md) — the wizard, the home screen, connecting an agent, approving a card
- [Installation](docs/installation.md) — npm, npx, from source, native module notes, upgrading
- [Using kanbo with agents](docs/agents.md) — `kanbo connect`, what the MCP server tells an agent; the agent-vs-person rules
- [Orchestrator examples](docs/orchestrator.md) — an instruction text to paste, Claude Code subagents, Codex, a worked session
- [CLI reference](docs/cli.md) — every command and flag
- [MCP reference](docs/mcp.md) — every `kanbo_*` tool and its inputs
- [HTTP API](docs/http-api.md) — `kanbo serve`, routes, security model, the board page
- [Storage](docs/storage.md) — board files, shared Postgres/Supabase, roles, schema, migrations
- [Configuration](docs/configuration.md) — `KANBO_*` environment variables and `.kanbo/binding.json`
- [Performance](docs/performance.md) and [Agent efficiency](docs/agent-efficiency.md) — how fast, and how many tool calls an agent needs
- [FAQ](docs/faq.md) · [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md)
- [Full index](docs/README.md) · [Contributing](CONTRIBUTING.md) · [Security](SECURITY.md) · [Changelog](CHANGELOG.md)

## License

[PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0](LICENSE) — free for noncommercial use (personal, research, educational, and more; read the [license](LICENSE) for the exact terms). Commercial use — selling it, or building it into a paid product or service — needs a separate license: write to lionmause999@gmail.com.

Versions up to and including 0.2.0 were released under MIT and stay under MIT.