CLI Reference

Complete reference for the kanboard command-line tool.

Global Options
Output Formats
Command Groups
- task
- project
- board
- column
- swimlane
- comment
- category
- subtask
- timer
- user
- me
- tag
- link
- task-link
- external-link
- group
- action
- project-file
- task-file
- project-meta
- task-meta
- project-access
- app
- config
- completion
- workflow
- portfolio
- milestone

Global Options

Global options apply to every subcommand and must be placed before the command group name.

kanboard [GLOBAL OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Option	Short	Env var	Default	Description
`--url URL`		`KANBOARD_URL`	config file	Kanboard JSON-RPC endpoint URL
`--token TOKEN`		`KANBOARD_TOKEN`	config file	Kanboard API token
`--profile NAME`		`KANBOARD_PROFILE`	config file	Named config profile to use
`--output FORMAT`	`-o`		`table`	Output format: `table`, `json`, `csv`, `quiet`
`--verbose`	`-v`		off	Enable DEBUG-level logging
`--auth-mode MODE`		`KANBOARD_AUTH_MODE`	`app`	Auth mode: `app` (token) or `user` (username+password)
`--portfolio-backend BACKEND`		`KANBOARD_PORTFOLIO_BACKEND`	`local`	Portfolio storage backend: `local` (JSON file) or `remote` (plugin API)
`--version`				Print the CLI version and exit
`--help` / `-h`				Show help and exit

Resolution order (lowest → highest priority):

config file → environment variables → CLI flags

Examples

# Use a named profile for a staging server
kanboard --profile staging project list

# Override URL and token on the fly
kanboard --url https://kb.example.com/jsonrpc.php --token abc123 task list 1

# Get JSON output for scripting
kanboard --output json task list 1

# Enable debug logging
kanboard --verbose task get 42

# Use user auth mode (required for 'me' commands)
kanboard --auth-mode user me

Output Formats

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

`table` (default)

Rich-formatted, colorized table. Best for interactive use.

kanboard task list 1

 id   title                  is_active   priority   column_id   owner_id   date_due
 42   Fix login bug          True        2          3           1          2025-12-31
 43   Refactor API           True        1          2           None       None

`json`

JSON output. Lists return a JSON array; single-resource commands return a JSON object. Ideal for piping to jq or scripts.

kanboard --output json task list 1

[
  {"id": 42, "title": "Fix login bug", "is_active": true, "priority": 2, ...},
  {"id": 43, "title": "Refactor API", "is_active": true, "priority": 1, ...}
]

kanboard --output json task get 42

{"id": 42, "title": "Fix login bug", "project_id": 1, "column_id": 3, ...}

`csv`

CSV output with a header row. Useful for import into spreadsheets or data processing pipelines.

kanboard --output csv task list 1

id,title,is_active,priority,column_id,owner_id,date_due
42,Fix login bug,True,2,3,1,2025-12-31
43,Refactor API,True,1,2,,

`quiet`

Prints only the IDs (or the primary identifier), one per line. Useful for shell pipelines.

# Close all active tasks in project 1
kanboard --output quiet task list 1 | xargs -I{} kanboard task close {}

42
43

Command Groups

task

Manage Kanboard tasks.

kanboard task SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

`task list`

List tasks in a project.

kanboard task list PROJECT_ID [--status active|inactive]

Argument / Option	Description
`PROJECT_ID`	Project to list tasks from
`--status`	Filter by status (`active` or `inactive`; default: `active`)

kanboard task list 1
kanboard task list 1 --status inactive
kanboard --output json task list 1

`task get`

Show full details for a task.

kanboard task get TASK_ID

kanboard task get 42
kanboard --output json task get 42

`task create`

Create a new task.

kanboard task create PROJECT_ID TITLE [OPTIONS]

Option	Description
`--owner-id INT`	Assign to this user ID
`--column-id INT`	Place in this column
`--swimlane-id INT`	Place in this swimlane
`--due DATE`	Due date (`YYYY-MM-DD`)
`--description / -d TEXT`	Task description
`--color TEXT`	Color identifier (e.g. `red`, `blue`, `green`)
`--category-id INT`	Category ID
`--score INT`	Complexity / effort score
`--priority INT`	Priority (higher = more urgent)
`--reference TEXT`	External reference (e.g. ticket number)
`--tag TAG`	Tag to apply (repeatable)

kanboard task create 1 "Fix login bug"
kanboard task create 1 "API refactor" --due 2025-12-31 --priority 2
kanboard task create 1 "Feature" --tag backend --tag api --color green

`task update`

Update fields on an existing task. Only supplied options are changed.

kanboard task update TASK_ID [OPTIONS]

Options: --title, --color, --due DATE, --description / -d, --owner-id INT, --category-id INT, --score INT, --priority INT, --reference TEXT, --tag TAG

kanboard task update 42 --title "Renamed task"
kanboard task update 42 --priority 3 --due 2025-11-01

`task close`

Close (complete) a task.

kanboard task close TASK_ID

`task open`

Reopen a closed task.

kanboard task open TASK_ID

`task remove`

Permanently delete a task. Requires --yes or interactive confirmation.

kanboard task remove TASK_ID [--yes]

kanboard task remove 42 --yes

`task search`

Search tasks using Kanboard's filter syntax.

kanboard task search PROJECT_ID QUERY

kanboard task search 1 "assignee:me status:open"
kanboard task search 1 "due:<2025-12-31"

`task move`

Move a task to a different column / position within the same project.

kanboard task move TASK_ID --project-id INT --column-id INT --position INT --swimlane-id INT

kanboard task move 42 --project-id 1 --column-id 3 --position 1 --swimlane-id 0

`task move-to-project`

Move a task to a different project.

kanboard task move-to-project TASK_ID PROJECT_ID [OPTIONS]

Options: --swimlane-id INT, --column-id INT, --category-id INT, --owner-id INT

kanboard task move-to-project 42 2
kanboard task move-to-project 42 2 --column-id 5 --owner-id 3

`task duplicate`

Duplicate a task into another project.

kanboard task duplicate TASK_ID PROJECT_ID [--swimlane-id INT] [--column-id INT]

kanboard task duplicate 42 3
kanboard task duplicate 42 3 --swimlane-id 1 --column-id 2

`task overdue`

List overdue tasks across all projects or within a specific project.

kanboard task overdue [--project-id INT]

kanboard task overdue
kanboard task overdue --project-id 1

project

Manage Kanboard projects.

kanboard project SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

`project list`

List all accessible projects.

kanboard project list
kanboard --output json project list

`project get`

Show full details for a project.

kanboard project get PROJECT_ID

`project create`

Create a new project.

kanboard project create NAME [OPTIONS]

Options: --description / -d TEXT, --owner-id INT, --identifier CODE, --start-date DATE, --end-date DATE

kanboard project create "My Project"
kanboard project create "Backend" --owner-id 2 --identifier BACK
kanboard project create "Sprint" --start-date 2025-01-01 --end-date 2025-03-31

`project update`

Update fields on a project. Only supplied options are changed.

kanboard project update PROJECT_ID [OPTIONS]

Options: --name TEXT, --description / -d TEXT, --owner-id INT, --identifier CODE

kanboard project update 1 --name "Renamed Project"
kanboard project update 1 --owner-id 3 --identifier NEW

`project remove`

Permanently delete a project and all its data. Requires --yes or interactive confirmation.

kanboard project remove PROJECT_ID [--yes]

`project enable` / `project disable`

Enable or disable a project.

kanboard project enable 1
kanboard project disable 1

`project activity`

Show the activity feed for a project.

kanboard project activity PROJECT_ID

board

View the board layout for a project.

kanboard board show PROJECT_ID

In table / csv mode the top-level column fields are shown. Use --output json for the full nested structure including swimlanes and tasks.

kanboard board show 1
kanboard --output json board show 1

column

Manage board columns.

kanboard column SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

`column list`

List all columns for a project.

kanboard column list 1

`column get`

Show full details for a column.

kanboard column get 5

`column add`

Add a new column to a project.

kanboard column add PROJECT_ID TITLE [--task-limit INT] [--description / -d TEXT]

kanboard column add 1 "In Review"
kanboard column add 1 "Done" --task-limit 20 --description "Completed tasks"

`column update`

Update a column title and optional fields.

kanboard column update COLUMN_ID TITLE [--task-limit INT] [--description / -d TEXT]

kanboard column update 5 "In Progress"
kanboard column update 5 "WIP" --task-limit 10

`column remove`

Permanently delete a column. Requires --yes.

kanboard column remove COLUMN_ID [--yes]

`column move`

Move a column to a new position (1-based, leftmost = 1).

kanboard column move PROJECT_ID COLUMN_ID POSITION

kanboard column move 1 5 3

swimlane

Manage project swimlanes.

kanboard swimlane SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommands

Subcommand	Description
`swimlane list PROJECT_ID [--all]`	List swimlanes (active only by default; `--all` includes inactive)
`swimlane get SWIMLANE_ID`	Show full details
`swimlane get-by-name PROJECT_ID NAME`	Look up by name
`swimlane add PROJECT_ID NAME [--description / -d TEXT]`	Add a swimlane
`swimlane update PROJECT_ID SWIMLANE_ID NAME [--description / -d TEXT]`	Update a swimlane
`swimlane remove PROJECT_ID SWIMLANE_ID [--yes]`	Delete a swimlane
`swimlane enable PROJECT_ID SWIMLANE_ID`	Enable a swimlane
`swimlane disable PROJECT_ID SWIMLANE_ID`	Disable a swimlane
`swimlane move PROJECT_ID SWIMLANE_ID POSITION`	Move to new position (1-based, topmost = 1)

kanboard swimlane list 1
kanboard swimlane list 1 --all
kanboard swimlane add 1 "High Priority"
kanboard swimlane move 1 3 2

comment

Manage task comments.

kanboard comment SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`comment list TASK_ID`	List all comments for a task
`comment get COMMENT_ID`	Show full details
`comment add TASK_ID CONTENT --user-id INT`	Add a comment
`comment update COMMENT_ID CONTENT`	Update comment text
`comment remove COMMENT_ID [--yes]`	Delete a comment

kanboard comment list 42
kanboard comment add 42 "Looks good to me." --user-id 1
kanboard comment update 7 "Updated comment text."
kanboard comment remove 7 --yes

Subcommand	Description
`category list PROJECT_ID`	List all categories for a project
`category get CATEGORY_ID`	Show full details
`category create PROJECT_ID NAME [--color-id TEXT]`	Create a category
`category update CATEGORY_ID NAME [--color-id TEXT]`	Update a category
`category remove CATEGORY_ID [--yes]`	Delete a category

subtask

Manage subtasks within tasks.

kanboard subtask SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`subtask list TASK_ID`	List all subtasks
`subtask get SUBTASK_ID`	Show full details
`subtask create TASK_ID TITLE [OPTIONS]`	Create a subtask (`--user-id INT`, `--time-estimated FLOAT`, `--status INT`)
`subtask update SUBTASK_ID TASK_ID [OPTIONS]`	Update a subtask (`--title`, `--user-id INT`, `--time-estimated FLOAT`, `--time-spent FLOAT`, `--status INT`)
`subtask remove SUBTASK_ID [--yes]`	Delete a subtask

Subtask status values: 0 = todo, 1 = in progress, 2 = done.

kanboard subtask list 42
kanboard subtask create 42 "Write tests" --user-id 3 --time-estimated 1.5
kanboard subtask update 10 42 --status 1 --time-spent 0.5
kanboard subtask remove 10 --yes

timer

Start and stop subtask time-tracking timers.

kanboard timer SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`timer status SUBTASK_ID [--user-id INT]`	Check whether a timer is running
`timer start SUBTASK_ID [--user-id INT]`	Start the timer
`timer stop SUBTASK_ID [--user-id INT]`	Stop the timer
`timer spent SUBTASK_ID [--user-id INT]`	Show total hours spent

kanboard timer start 7
kanboard timer status 7
kanboard timer stop 7
kanboard timer spent 7

user

Manage Kanboard users.

kanboard user SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`user list`	List all users
`user get USER_ID`	Show full details
`user get-by-name USERNAME`	Look up by username
`user create USERNAME [OPTIONS]`	Create a user (`--password TEXT`, `--name TEXT`, `--email TEXT`, `--role TEXT`)
`user update USER_ID [OPTIONS]`	Update user fields (`--username`, `--name`, `--email`, `--role`)
`user remove USER_ID [--yes]`	Delete a user
`user enable USER_ID`	Enable a user account
`user disable USER_ID`	Disable a user account
`user is-active USER_ID`	Report active/inactive status

Common roles: app-user, app-admin, app-manager.

kanboard user create jdoe --name "John Doe" --email jdoe@example.com
kanboard user update 3 --role app-admin
kanboard user enable 3
kanboard user disable 3
kanboard user remove 3 --yes

me

Commands for the authenticated user. All subcommands require --auth-mode user with KANBOARD_USERNAME and KANBOARD_PASSWORD.

kanboard --auth-mode user me [SUBCOMMAND]

Invoked without a subcommand, me shows the current user profile.

Subcommand	Description
(none)	Show current user profile
`me dashboard`	Show the current user's dashboard (projects, tasks, subtasks)
`me activity`	Show recent activity stream
`me projects`	List projects the current user is a member of
`me overdue`	List the current user's overdue tasks
`me create-project NAME [--description TEXT]`	Create a private project

# Authenticate with username + password
export KANBOARD_USERNAME=admin
export KANBOARD_PASSWORD=admin

kanboard --auth-mode user me
kanboard --auth-mode user me dashboard
kanboard --auth-mode user me activity
kanboard --auth-mode user me projects
kanboard --auth-mode user me overdue
kanboard --auth-mode user me create-project "My Private Project"

tag

Manage tags.

kanboard tag SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`tag list [--project-id INT]`	List tags (all, or filtered by project)
`tag get TASK_ID`	Show tags assigned to a task
`tag create PROJECT_ID TAG_NAME [--color-id TEXT]`	Create a tag
`tag update TAG_ID TAG_NAME [--color-id TEXT]`	Update a tag
`tag remove TAG_ID [--yes]`	Delete a tag
`tag set PROJECT_ID TASK_ID TAG...`	Assign tags to a task (replaces existing)

kanboard tag list --project-id 1
kanboard tag create 1 "urgent" --color-id red
kanboard tag set 1 42 urgent bug
kanboard tag get 42

link

Manage link type definitions (e.g. "blocks", "is blocked by").

kanboard link SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`link list`	List all link type definitions
`link get LINK_ID`	Show details for a link type
`link get-by-label LABEL`	Look up a link type by label
`link create LABEL [--opposite-label TEXT]`	Create a link type
`link update LINK_ID OPPOSITE_LINK_ID LABEL`	Update a link type
`link remove LINK_ID [--yes]`	Delete a link type

kanboard link list
kanboard link create blocks --opposite-label "is blocked by"
kanboard link update 1 2 blocks

task-link

Manage internal task-to-task links.

kanboard task-link SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`task-link list TASK_ID`	List all links for a task
`task-link get TASK_LINK_ID`	Show details for a link
`task-link create TASK_ID OPPOSITE_TASK_ID LINK_ID`	Create a link between two tasks
`task-link update TASK_LINK_ID TASK_ID OPPOSITE_TASK_ID LINK_ID`	Update a link
`task-link remove TASK_LINK_ID [--yes]`	Delete a link

kanboard task-link list 42
kanboard task-link create 10 20 1
kanboard task-link remove 7 --yes

external-link

Manage external (URL-based) links on tasks.

kanboard external-link SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`external-link list TASK_ID`	List external links for a task
`external-link get EXTERNAL_LINK_ID`	Show details
`external-link types`	List available external link types
`external-link add TASK_ID URL [OPTIONS]`	Add an external link (`--link-type TEXT`, `--dependency TEXT`, `--title TEXT`)
`external-link update EXTERNAL_LINK_ID [OPTIONS]`	Update an external link
`external-link remove EXTERNAL_LINK_ID [--yes]`	Delete an external link

kanboard external-link list 42
kanboard external-link add 42 https://github.com/org/repo/issues/10 --link-type weblink
kanboard external-link remove 5 --yes

group

Manage user groups.

kanboard group SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`group list`	List all groups
`group get GROUP_ID`	Show group details
`group create NAME [--external-id TEXT]`	Create a group
`group update GROUP_ID [--name TEXT] [--external-id TEXT]`	Update a group
`group remove GROUP_ID [--yes]`	Delete a group

kanboard group create "Developers"
kanboard group update 1 --name "Engineering"
kanboard group remove 1 --yes

`group member` (sub-group)

Subcommand	Description
`group member list GROUP_ID`	List members of a group
`group member groups USER_ID`	List groups a user belongs to
`group member add GROUP_ID USER_ID`	Add a user to a group
`group member remove GROUP_ID USER_ID [--yes]`	Remove a user from a group
`group member check GROUP_ID USER_ID`	Check whether a user is a member

kanboard group member list 1
kanboard group member add 1 5
kanboard group member check 1 5
kanboard group member remove 1 5 --yes

action

Manage automatic actions on projects.

kanboard action SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`action list PROJECT_ID`	List automatic actions for a project
`action available`	List all available action types
`action events`	List all available action events
`action compatible-events ACTION_NAME`	List events compatible with an action type
`action create PROJECT_ID EVENT_NAME ACTION_NAME [-p KEY=VALUE]...`	Create an automatic action
`action remove ACTION_ID [--yes]`	Delete an automatic action

kanboard action available
kanboard action events
kanboard action create 1 task.move.column "\\TaskClose" -p column_id=5
kanboard action list 1
kanboard action remove 5 --yes

project-file

Manage file attachments on projects.

kanboard project-file SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`project-file list PROJECT_ID`	List all files attached to a project
`project-file get FILE_ID`	Show file details
`project-file upload PROJECT_ID PATH [--filename TEXT]`	Upload a file to a project
`project-file download FILE_ID PATH`	Download a project file
`project-file remove FILE_ID [--yes]`	Delete a file
`project-file remove-all PROJECT_ID [--yes]`	Delete all files from a project

task-file

Manage file attachments on tasks.

kanboard task-file SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`task-file list TASK_ID`	List all files attached to a task
`task-file get FILE_ID`	Show file details
`task-file upload TASK_ID PATH [--filename TEXT]`	Upload a file to a task
`task-file download FILE_ID PATH`	Download a task file
`task-file remove FILE_ID [--yes]`	Delete a file
`task-file remove-all TASK_ID [--yes]`	Delete all files from a task

project-meta

Manage project key-value metadata.

kanboard project-meta SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`project-meta list PROJECT_ID`	List all metadata for a project
`project-meta get PROJECT_ID NAME`	Get a metadata value by name
`project-meta set PROJECT_ID NAME VALUE`	Set (create or update) a metadata value
`project-meta remove PROJECT_ID NAME [--yes]`	Delete a metadata entry

kanboard project-meta set 1 sprint "Sprint 5"
kanboard project-meta get 1 sprint
kanboard project-meta list 1

task-meta

Manage task key-value metadata.

kanboard task-meta SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`task-meta list TASK_ID`	List all metadata for a task
`task-meta get TASK_ID NAME`	Get a metadata value by name
`task-meta set TASK_ID NAME VALUE`	Set (create or update) a metadata value
`task-meta remove TASK_ID NAME [--yes]`	Delete a metadata entry

project-access

Manage user and group access to projects.

kanboard project-access SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`project-access list PROJECT_ID`	List users assigned to a project
`project-access assignable PROJECT_ID`	List users assignable to tasks in a project
`project-access add-user PROJECT_ID USER_ID [--role TEXT]`	Add a user to a project
`project-access add-group PROJECT_ID GROUP_ID [--role TEXT]`	Add a group to a project
`project-access remove-user PROJECT_ID USER_ID [--yes]`	Remove a user from a project
`project-access remove-group PROJECT_ID GROUP_ID [--yes]`	Remove a group from a project
`project-access set-user-role PROJECT_ID USER_ID ROLE`	Change a user's project role
`project-access set-group-role PROJECT_ID GROUP_ID ROLE`	Change a group's project role
`project-access user-role PROJECT_ID USER_ID`	Get a user's current role

Common project roles: project-viewer, project-member, project-manager.

kanboard project-access add-user 1 42 --role project-member
kanboard project-access set-user-role 1 42 project-manager
kanboard project-access user-role 1 42
kanboard project-access remove-user 1 42 --yes

app

Application-level information from the Kanboard server.

kanboard app SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`app version`	Show the Kanboard server version
`app timezone`	Show the server default timezone
`app colors`	Show all task colour definitions
`app default-color`	Show the default task colour identifier
`app roles`	Show application-level and project-level roles

kanboard app version
kanboard app colors
kanboard app roles

config

Manage the CLI configuration file (~/.config/kanboard/config.toml).

kanboard config SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`config init [--force]`	Create the config file interactively (prompts for URL and token)
`config show`	Display the active config with token masked
`config path`	Print the config file path
`config profiles`	List all profile names
`config test`	Test connectivity to the configured server

# First-time setup
kanboard config init

# Overwrite existing config
kanboard config init --force

# Verify active configuration
kanboard config show

# Check where the config file lives
kanboard config path

# List all named profiles
kanboard config profiles

# Verify server connectivity
kanboard config test

completion

Generate and install shell completion scripts.

kanboard completion SUBCOMMAND

Subcommand	Description
`completion bash`	Output bash completion script to stdout
`completion zsh`	Output zsh completion script to stdout
`completion fish`	Output fish completion script to stdout
`completion install bash\|zsh\|fish`	Install completion to the appropriate shell config file

# One-time evaluation in the current shell
eval "$(kanboard completion bash)"
eval "$(kanboard completion zsh)"

# Permanent installation
kanboard completion install bash    # appends to ~/.bashrc
kanboard completion install zsh     # appends to ~/.zshrc
kanboard completion install fish    # writes to ~/.config/fish/completions/kanboard.fish

workflow

List and run workflow plugins.

kanboard workflow list

Plugins are discovered from ~/.config/kanboard/workflows/. Each .py file that contains a BaseWorkflow subclass is loaded automatically. Once registered, plugins appear as top-level kanboard subcommands.

kanboard workflow list         # Show all discovered plugins
kanboard my-workflow           # Run a custom workflow

See the main README for workflow plugin development details.

portfolio

Cross-project portfolio management, task aggregation, dependency analysis, critical-path computation, and bidirectional migration between local and plugin backends.

Portfolio data can be stored in either of two backends, selected via the --portfolio-backend global flag, KANBOARD_PORTFOLIO_BACKEND env var, or the portfolio_backend TOML profile key:

Backend	Value	Notes
Local JSON file	`local` (default)	No plugin required; stored in `~/.config/kanboard/portfolios.json`
Plugin API	`remote`	Requires kanboard-plugin-portfolio-management installed on your server

kanboard [--portfolio-backend local|remote] portfolio SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`portfolio list`	List all portfolios (name, description, project count, milestone count)
`portfolio show NAME`	Portfolio dashboard: summary, milestone progress bars, at-risk items
`portfolio create NAME [--description TEXT]`	Create a new portfolio
`portfolio remove NAME --yes`	Delete a portfolio (best-effort metadata cleanup for local backend)
`portfolio add-project NAME PROJECT_ID`	Add a project to a portfolio (validates project exists via API)
`portfolio remove-project NAME PROJECT_ID --yes`	Remove a project from a portfolio
`portfolio tasks NAME [--status active\|closed] [--project ID] [--assignee ID]`	List all tasks across all portfolio projects
`portfolio sync NAME`	Push portfolio/milestone metadata to Kanboard (no-op for remote backend)
`portfolio dependencies NAME [--cross-project-only] [--format graph\|table\|json]`	Visualise task dependency graph
`portfolio blocked NAME`	List cross-project tasks blocked by unresolved dependencies
`portfolio blocking NAME`	List cross-project open tasks that are blocking others
`portfolio critical-path NAME`	Numbered list of the longest dependency chain; marks the bottleneck task
`portfolio migrate SUBCOMMAND`	Migrate data between local and remote backends (see below)

Portfolio list

kanboard portfolio list
kanboard --output json portfolio list

Portfolio show

Displays a portfolio dashboard combining local store data with live API data. Falls back to cached store data with a warning if the API is unreachable.

kanboard portfolio show "Platform Launch"

Portfolio create / remove

kanboard portfolio create "Platform Launch" --description "Q3 release programme"
kanboard portfolio remove "Platform Launch" --yes

Portfolio add-project / remove-project

# Add projects (validates project exists via API first)
kanboard portfolio add-project "Platform Launch" 1
kanboard portfolio add-project "Platform Launch" 2

kanboard portfolio remove-project "Platform Launch" 2 --yes

Portfolio tasks

Lists all tasks across every project in the portfolio. Columns: id, title, project_name, column_title, owner_username, date_due, priority.

kanboard portfolio tasks "Platform Launch"
kanboard portfolio tasks "Platform Launch" --status closed
kanboard portfolio tasks "Platform Launch" --project 1
kanboard --output json portfolio tasks "Platform Launch"

Portfolio sync

Pushes portfolio and milestone membership into Kanboard project/task metadata using the kanboard_cli: key prefix.

kanboard portfolio sync "Platform Launch"
# Synced 2 projects, 47 tasks

Portfolio dependencies

Visualises task dependency relationships across all portfolio projects.

# ASCII dependency graph (default)
kanboard portfolio dependencies "Platform Launch"

# Cross-project dependencies only
kanboard portfolio dependencies "Platform Launch" --cross-project-only

# Flat table of edges
kanboard portfolio dependencies "Platform Launch" --format table

# Structured JSON (nodes + edges)
kanboard portfolio dependencies "Platform Launch" --format json

Example ASCII output:

── Project: Product Alpha ─────────────────────────────────────────
  ● #42 Implement OAuth login
      → blocks #99 (Marketing Site)
  ✓ #38 Write API docs

── Project: Marketing Site ────────────────────────────────────────
  ● #99 Launch landing page
      ← blocked by #42 (Product Alpha)

Portfolio blocked / blocking

Lists tasks with unresolved cross-project blockers (or tasks that are blocking others). All four output formats supported.

kanboard portfolio blocked "Platform Launch"
kanboard portfolio blocking "Platform Launch"
kanboard --output json portfolio blocked "Platform Launch"

Portfolio critical-path

Computes the longest dependency chain (topological sort). The task whose completion unblocks the most downstream tasks is labelled ← BOTTLENECK.

kanboard portfolio critical-path "Platform Launch"

Example output:

Critical path (4 tasks):
  1. ● #42 Implement OAuth login  ← BOTTLENECK
  2. ● #99 Launch landing page
  3. ● #12 Write release notes
  4. ● #7  Publish to app store

Common workflows

# Create a portfolio from scratch
kanboard portfolio create "Platform Launch" --description "Q3 release"
kanboard portfolio add-project "Platform Launch" 1
kanboard portfolio add-project "Platform Launch" 2

# Daily stand-up view
kanboard portfolio show "Platform Launch"
kanboard portfolio blocked "Platform Launch"

# Sprint planning
kanboard portfolio dependencies "Platform Launch" --cross-project-only
kanboard portfolio critical-path "Platform Launch"

# Sync to Kanboard metadata (for external tool integration)
kanboard portfolio sync "Platform Launch"

# Use the remote backend (requires plugin)
kanboard --portfolio-backend remote portfolio list
kanboard --portfolio-backend remote portfolio show "Platform Launch"

Portfolio migrate

Migrate portfolio data between the local JSON file and the remote plugin backend.

kanboard portfolio migrate SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`portfolio migrate status`	Show active backend config, local and remote data counts, plugin detection result
`portfolio migrate diff [NAME] [--all]`	Compare local and remote state for a portfolio (or all portfolios)
`portfolio migrate local-to-remote [NAME] [--all] [--dry-run] [--on-conflict MODE] [--yes]`	Push local portfolio(s) to the remote plugin backend
`portfolio migrate remote-to-local [NAME] [--all] [--dry-run] [--on-conflict MODE] [--yes]`	Pull remote portfolio(s) into the local JSON file

Conflict resolution modes (--on-conflict):

Mode	Default	Behaviour
`fail`	✓	Raise an error when the same-named portfolio already exists on the target side
`skip`		Skip the conflicting portfolio and continue (`--all` mode)
`overwrite`		Remove the existing portfolio on the target side and recreate (requires `--yes`)

`migrate status`

kanboard portfolio migrate status

Example output:

Backend Configuration
  Active backend : local
  Config source  : default

Local Store  (~/.config/kanboard/portfolios.json)
  Portfolios : 2
  Milestones : 4
  Tasks      : 23

Remote (Plugin API)
  Plugin detected : Yes
  Portfolios      : 1
  Milestones      : 2

`migrate diff`

# Single portfolio diff
kanboard portfolio migrate diff "Platform Launch"

# All portfolios
kanboard portfolio migrate diff --all

# JSON output
kanboard --output json portfolio migrate diff --all

The diff table shows each portfolio's projects, milestones, and task assignments with a status column: both, local only, or remote only.

`migrate local-to-remote`

# Migrate one portfolio (fail on conflict)
kanboard portfolio migrate local-to-remote "Platform Launch"

# Migrate all, skip conflicts
kanboard portfolio migrate local-to-remote --all --on-conflict skip

# Preview without executing
kanboard portfolio migrate local-to-remote --all --dry-run

# Overwrite existing remote portfolio (requires --yes)
kanboard portfolio migrate local-to-remote "Platform Launch" \
    --on-conflict overwrite --yes

Progress output:

Creating portfolio 'Platform Launch'...
  Adding project #1
  Adding project #2
  Creating milestone 'Beta Release'
    Adding task #42 to milestone 'Beta Release'
    Adding task #99 to milestone 'Beta Release'
Migrated 1 portfolios (0 failed).

`migrate remote-to-local`

# Migrate one portfolio from plugin to local file
kanboard portfolio migrate remote-to-local "Platform Launch"

# Migrate all remote portfolios, overwrite conflicts
kanboard portfolio migrate remote-to-local --all --on-conflict overwrite --yes

# Dry-run (remote reads ARE made to show what would be written)
kanboard portfolio migrate remote-to-local "Platform Launch" --dry-run

Note: For remote-to-local, --dry-run still makes read-only API calls to the remote backend (so meaningful output can be shown). No local writes are performed.

milestone

Cross-project milestone management. Milestones group tasks from multiple projects and track completion, at-risk status, and overdue state.

All milestone subcommands respect the --portfolio-backend flag and automatically use the correct backend (local JSON or remote plugin API) for milestone CRUD and progress computation. When portfolio_backend = "remote", milestone progress is served by the plugin's getMilestoneProgress server-side method rather than the client-side computation used by the local backend.

kanboard [--portfolio-backend local|remote] milestone SUBCOMMAND [ARGS]...

Subcommand	Description
`milestone list PORTFOLIO_NAME`	List milestones for a portfolio (name, target date, task count, critical count)
`milestone show PORTFOLIO_NAME MILESTONE_NAME`	Progress bar + task list with status indicators and blocker info
`milestone create PORTFOLIO_NAME MILESTONE_NAME [--target-date YYYY-MM-DD]`	Create a new milestone
`milestone remove PORTFOLIO_NAME MILESTONE_NAME --yes`	Delete a milestone + clean task metadata
`milestone add-task PORTFOLIO_NAME MILESTONE_NAME TASK_ID [--critical]`	Add a task to a milestone (validates task belongs to a portfolio project)
`milestone remove-task PORTFOLIO_NAME MILESTONE_NAME TASK_ID --yes`	Remove a task from a milestone
`milestone progress PORTFOLIO_NAME [MILESTONE_NAME]`	Show progress bars — single milestone or all milestones in the portfolio

Milestone list

kanboard milestone list "Platform Launch"
kanboard --output json milestone list "Platform Launch"

Milestone show

Displays a live progress bar (requires API), task counts, and blocked task IDs. Falls back to cached store data with a warning if the API is unreachable.

kanboard milestone show "Platform Launch" "Beta Release"

Example output:

Milestone: Beta Release
Portfolio: Platform Launch
Target:    2026-06-30

Progress: ██████████░░░░░░░░░░  50.0%   ⚠ AT RISK
Tasks: 6 total, 3 completed, 2 blocked

Milestone create / remove

kanboard milestone create "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" --target-date 2026-06-30
kanboard milestone remove "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" --yes

Milestone add-task / remove-task

Validates that the task's project is a member of the portfolio before adding.

# Add a task (must belong to a portfolio project)
kanboard milestone add-task "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" 42

# Mark as critical (appears in critical_task_ids and milestone progress)
kanboard milestone add-task "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" 99 --critical

kanboard milestone remove-task "Platform Launch" "Beta Release" 42 --yes

Milestone progress

# All milestones in portfolio
kanboard milestone progress "Platform Launch"

# Single milestone detail
kanboard milestone progress "Platform Launch" "Beta Release"

Example output (all milestones):

Platform Launch milestones:
  ██████████████░░░░░░  70.0%  Alpha Release         → 2026-05-15
  ⚠ ██████████░░░░░░░░░░  50.0%  Beta Release       → 2026-06-30
  🔴 ░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░   0.0%  GA Release         → 2026-03-01

Progress bar indicators:

Symbol	Meaning
`⚠`	At risk — target date within 7 days and completion < 80%
`🔴`	Overdue — target date has passed and completion < 100%

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CLI Reference

Global Options

Examples

Output Formats

table (default)

json

csv

quiet

Command Groups

task

task list

task get

task create

task update

task close

task open

task remove

task search

task move

task move-to-project

task duplicate

task overdue

project

project list

project get

project create

project update

project remove

project enable / project disable

project activity

board

column

column list

column get

column add

column update

column remove

column move

swimlane

Subcommands

comment

category

subtask

timer

user

me

tag

link

task-link

external-link

group

group member (sub-group)

action

project-file

task-file

project-meta

task-meta

project-access

app

config

completion

workflow

portfolio

Portfolio list

Portfolio show

Portfolio create / remove

Portfolio add-project / remove-project

Portfolio tasks

Portfolio sync

Portfolio dependencies

Portfolio blocked / blocking

Portfolio critical-path

Common workflows

Portfolio migrate

`table` (default)

`json`

`csv`

`quiet`

`task list`

`task get`

`task create`

`task update`

`task close`

`task open`

`task remove`

`task search`

`task move`

`task move-to-project`

`task duplicate`

`task overdue`

`project list`

`project get`

`project create`

`project update`

`project remove`

`project enable` / `project disable`

`project activity`

`column list`

`column get`

`column add`

`column update`

`column remove`

`column move`

`group member` (sub-group)

`migrate status`

`migrate diff`

`migrate local-to-remote`

`migrate remote-to-local`