---
name: "Kanban"
description: "Manage Planka project boards using the pcli CLI"
category: Workflow
tags: [workflow, kanban, planka, project-management]
---

Manage Planka project boards using the `pcli` CLI. Use the kanban skill for detailed command reference.

## Prerequisites

Before running any commands, verify the environment is ready:

```bash
// turbo
pcli status
```

If this fails, ensure `PLANKA_URL` and `PLANKA_API_KEY` environment variables are set and `pcli` is in PATH.

---

## How to Use

**Input**: The argument after `/kanban` is what the user wants to do. Could be:
- A status check: "show me all boards" or "what's on my board"
- A board setup: "create a kanban board with todo, in progress, done columns"
- A list operation: "add a 'testing' column to my board" or "rename the done column"
- A card operation: "create a card for fixing the login bug"
- A board query: "list all cards in the backlog"
- A move: "move card X to done"
- A bulk operation: "move all cards from In Progress to Done"
- Nothing (show overall status)

---

## Responding to Requests

### 1. Understand the request

Map the user's intent to `pcli` commands. Use `pcli status` for overview requests. For specific operations, identify the resource (project, board, card, list, label, task, comment) and action (list, get, create, update, delete, move).

### 2. Discover IDs when needed

Most commands require IDs. Discover them by querying first:

```bash
# Find boards
pcli board list | jq '.data[] | {id, title}'

# Find lists on a board
pcli board get <board-id> | jq '.data.lists[] | {id, name}'

# Find cards on a list or board
pcli card list --board <board-id> | jq '.data[] | {id, name}'
pcli card list --list <list-id> | jq '.data[] | {id, name}'
```

Always use `jq` to extract and format output for readability.

### 3. Execute the operation

Run the appropriate `pcli` command. For create/update/delete operations, confirm with the user before executing unless the intent is unambiguous.

### 4. Report results

Show the user a concise summary of what happened. Use tables or formatted output when listing multiple items.

---

## Command Quick Reference

| Resource | Commands |
|----------|----------|
| **Status** | `pcli status` |
| **Projects** | `list`, `get`, `create`, `delete` |
| **Boards** | `list`, `get`, `actions`, `create`, `delete` |
| **Lists** | `create`, `get`, `update`, `delete` |
| **Cards** | `list`, `get`, `create`, `update`, `delete`, `duplicate`, `move`, `assign`, `unassign`, `add-label`, `remove-label`, `actions` |
| **Comments** | `list`, `create`, `update`, `delete` |
| **Task Lists** | `create`, `get`, `update`, `delete` |
| **Tasks** | `create`, `update`, `delete` |
| **Labels** | `create`, `update`, `delete` |

---

## Common Patterns

### Create a complete Kanban board

```bash
# Create board
BOARD_ID=$(pcli board create --project <project-id> --name "Development Board" | jq -r '.data.id')

# Create standard columns
pcli list create --board $BOARD_ID --name "Backlog" --type "active" --position 0
TODO_ID=$(pcli list create --board $BOARD_ID --name "To Do" --type "active" --position 65536 | jq -r '.data.id')
PROGRESS_ID=$(pcli list create --board $BOARD_ID --name "In Progress" --type "active" --position 131072 | jq -r '.data.id')
DONE_ID=$(pcli list create --board $BOARD_ID --name "Done" --type "closed" --position 196608 | jq -r '.data.id')

# View the completed board
pcli board get $BOARD_ID --format table
```

### Add a new column to existing board

```bash
# Find the board
BOARD_ID=$(pcli board list | jq -r '.data[] | select(.name == "Development Board") | .id')

# Add new column
pcli list create --board $BOARD_ID --name "Testing" --type "active" --position 163840
```

### Create a card with a checklist

```bash
CARD_ID=$(pcli card create --list <list-id> --name "Task" | jq -r '.data.id')
TL_ID=$(pcli task-list create --card $CARD_ID --name "Steps" | jq -r '.data.id')
pcli task create --task-list $TL_ID --name "Step 1"
pcli task create --task-list $TL_ID --name "Step 2"
```

### Move all cards between lists

```bash
pcli card list --list <source-list-id> | jq -r '.data[].id' | while read id; do
  pcli card move $id --list <target-list-id>
done
```

### Extract IDs from output

```bash
# Single object
pcli card create --list <id> --name "X" | jq -r '.data.id'

# Array
pcli card list --board <id> | jq -r '.data[].id'
```

---

## Guardrails

- **Discover before acting** - Always query for IDs rather than guessing
- **Confirm destructive actions** - Ask before delete or bulk move operations
- **Use jq for output** - Parse JSON responses with `jq` for clean, readable results
- **Show context** - When listing cards, include the list/board name for context
- **Global flags** - All commands accept `--format json|table` for output format