Claude Code Kanban

Start, watch and answer Claude Code sessions from one live board, with a terminal built in.

Documentation

Watch the 74-second tour on YouTube: light, dark.

Getting started

You need Node.js 20 or later and the claude CLI.

1. Run it in Claude Code Hub

Claude Code Hub runs the board as a tab next to Cost, Marketplace and Memory, in one window with keyboard switching. The embedded terminal is on by default, and the board opens a session's cost, plugins and memory in the other tabs.

npm install -g claude-code-hub
claude-code-hub --install   # one time: installs this board's plugin
claude-code-hub --open

The hub runs at http://localhost:3540. See Claude Code Hub for how the board works there. To run the board without the hub, see Appendix: run the board standalone.

2. Use Claude Code as usual

Run claude in any project. You do not configure anything per project. Claude Code writes task files and transcripts to the config dir, and the board watches them and sends each change to the browser. If the board stays empty, see Appendix: empty board.

Features

Watch

• Live board. Tasks move through Pending, In Progress and Completed as Claude works. The task panel shows what a task waits on and what it blocks, and you can edit the title and description in place. Sessions and the board
• Session log. Every prompt, reply and tool call in order (Shift+L). Follow the newest message with Shift+M, and pin the messages that matter. Session log and details
• Subagents. The agents log lists each subagent with its model, status and run time. Open one to read its prompt and response. Team sessions get colored owner badges and an owner filter. Subagents
• Session info and tool stats. Model, branch, context window use, cost, and which tools ran. The sidebar footer shows your 5-hour and 7-day rate limit use.
• Zen mode. Ctrl+Shift+Z shows only the current session in the sidebar, with its context use, scratchpad folder and linked documents.

Drive

• Answer prompts from the board. When Claude asks for permission, asks a question or waits for plan approval, the session gets an amber highlight and the ask shows with Allow and Deny buttons or an answer form. The terminal prompt stays open, and the first answer wins. Answer prompts from the board
• Embedded terminal. Run a real Claude Code process for any session next to its board (Ctrl+`). Ctrl+Alt+R resumes a past session and Ctrl+Alt+S swaps to the previous one. The terminal is off by default when the board runs alone. Start it with --enable-terminal and open the #t=<token> link the server prints. Embedded terminal
• New session. Ctrl+Alt+N opens a dialog to pick a folder, a name, a model, an optional git worktree and a first prompt. Needs the terminal.
• Dispatch. Hand a written task to a new session with claude-code-kanban dispatch start, or ask Claude to do it with the dispatch skill. Args after -- go to claude as they are, and the started session reports back with SendMessage. Needs the terminal. Dispatch tasks to other sessions
• Steer with card moves. Drag a session's cards. Claude starts, parks or stops the task. Turn it off with boardEvents.enabled: false in .cck/config.json. Claude Code plugin skills
• Review comments. Select text in a previewed file or the plan, add comments and send them to the session in one step. Review comments

Organize

• Session groups. Drag sessions and projects from different folders into one named group in the sidebar. Session groups
• Filters, search and pins. Filter by project and activity, search across sessions and tasks, pin a session or make it sticky. Ctrl+Shift+P opens the session picker, and Shift+P the project picker.
• Scratchpad and linked documents. Keep a note per session, project or group (N), and link files or web URLs to a session to open them in one click.
• Themes. 17 color themes, each in light and dark. T switches the mode.
• Keyboard first. Arrow keys move through tasks, and Tab moves between the sidebar and the board. Press ? for the full list. Keyboard shortcuts

CLI

With no subcommand, claude-code-kanban starts the server. Subcommands talk to a server that already runs:

• session list|search|open|view|plan|agents|pin|group|ungroup to read, focus and group sessions. session list shows the active sessions, as the sidebar's Active view does; --all shows every session.
• group list to list the session groups, temporary ones included, with the members the sidebar's Active view shows (active, pinned or sticky); --all for every member.
• task list and project list to read tasks and projects.
• doc link|unlink|list|preview to link a file or URL to a session, or show it in the preview.
• pane add|rm|list to add live panes to a session's view.
• dispatch start|list|end to start sessions with a task in the board's terminal, and end them.
• skills get <name> to print the guide for a skill bundled with this version.

Run claude-code-kanban --help or see the CLI reference.

Configuration

PORT=8080 claude-code-kanban               # Custom port. If it is busy, the server uses a random free port.
claude-code-kanban --dir=~/.claude-work    # Another Claude config dir (or CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR)
claude-code-kanban --enable-terminal       # Turn on the embedded terminal
EDITOR="code -w" claude-code-kanban        # Command for Open in editor (default: code)

• The server listens on 127.0.0.1 only and has no authentication. To reach it from another machine, use --host and --allowed-hosts, and do it only on a network you trust.
• UI approvals are on by default. Turn them off or tune them in <config-dir>/.cck/config.json.
• Board events (card moves and reviews sent to the session as prompts) are on by default. Turn them off with "boardEvents": {"enabled": false} in the same file.
• Terminal settings, such as the shell, font size and scrollback, go in the CCK_TERMINAL JSON variable.

See Configuration for every setting, and Troubleshooting for common problems.

Appendix: run the board standalone

1. Install the command

npm install -g claude-code-kanban

To update, run the same command again.

To try it without an install, run npx claude-code-kanban --open. npx keeps a copy of each version in its cache and can run an old copy, so use the global install to keep the board and to update it.

2. Install the integration (one time)

claude-code-kanban --install

The installer adds a Claude Code plugin with hooks, skills and a mod for context use and cost (Claude Code 2.1.287 or later). It asks before it installs and keeps your other settings. Without the hooks, the board shows tasks only: no agent log, no live activity, no waiting prompts.

To remove it, run claude-code-kanban --uninstall. For another Claude config dir, pass the same --dir=<path> (or set CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR) to --install, --uninstall and the server. See Getting started for each install step.

3. Start the board

claude-code-kanban --open

The board runs at http://localhost:3541. Then use Claude Code as usual.

Appendix: empty board

Claude Code ships the task tools off by default on some models, so Claude writes no tasks. Turn them on in the env block of Claude Code settings.json, then restart Claude Code:

{ "env": { "CLAUDE_CODE_ENABLE_TODO_TOOLS": "true" } }

You can also add a task by hand with Add task in the Pending column.

License

MIT