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name: kaban-workflow description: Use when calling TodoWrite with 3+ items, starting multi-step tasks, or when user mentions "board", "kanban", "track progress". Syncs TodoWrite with persistent Kaban board.

Kaban Workflow

Persistent Kanban board for AI agent coordination. Tasks survive sessions and sync with TodoWrite.

Core principle: TodoWrite for session visibility, Kaban for persistence.

When to Activate

• Multi-step features (3+ tasks)
• User says "plan", "track", "board", "kanban"
• Session start with existing board
• Delegating to sub-agents

Not for: Single tasks, pure research, throwaway work.

Availability

MCP Tools (Preferred)

Copykaban_status          - board status
kaban_list_tasks      - list tasks
kaban_add_task        - add task
kaban_move_task       - move between columns
kaban_complete_task   - mark done

CLI Fallback

Copywhich kaban           # check installation
kaban status          # board status
kaban list            # list tasks
kaban add "title"     # add task
kaban done <id>       # complete task

Install: npm i -g @kaban-board/cli or brew install beshkenadze/tap/kaban

Never Do

• Check .kaban/board.db directly
• Run source code (bun run, npx ts-node)

Task Sync

Always mirror changes to both systems.

Session Start

Copy1. kaban_status (or kaban status)
   ├─ No board → proceed normally
   └─ Board exists → check in-progress tasks
      └─ Ask: "Resume [task]?"

Sub-Agent Delegation

Copy1. kaban_update_task(assignedTo: "frontend-ui-ux-engineer")
2. Task tool prompt includes Kaban task ID
3. Sub-agent calls kaban_complete_task when done

Columns

Labels

Quick Reference

CLI Commands

MCP Tools

Rules

1. Always sync TodoWrite ↔ Kaban
2. Include task ID when delegating
3. Respect WIP limits (ask before forcing)
4. Use CLI or MCP tools only (never direct DB access)