Run task boards from Claude with a free MCP kanban server

MCP server for a kanban task board and project board. A task board per project that hands off to the time tracker.

Works with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and any Model Context Protocol client. Runs on your own machine, or hosted with no install.

Product page: https://mcp.zovo.one/s/kanban — what it does, the tools it exposes, and a live token endpoint.

Install

Hosted, nothing to install. Get a token from https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/connect (the connect page) or https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/token (the same token as JSON); a free anonymous one is issued on the spot and a Pro key works the same way. Then point an MCP client at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/kanban over streamable-http and send the token as Authorization: Bearer <token>.

If your client cannot set headers, put the token in the path instead: https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/kanban/t/<token>. Both forms work. The bare URL with no token answers 401 on tools/call, so the token is not optional.

Claude Desktop, one click. Download kanban.mcpb from the latest release and double-click it.

From source. The mirror is self-contained: every @theluckystrike/* dependency is vendored, so a fresh clone builds with no extra setup.

git clone https://github.com/theluckystrike/mcp-kanban.git
cd mcp-kanban
npm install && npm run build

Then point your client at the built entry point:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kanban": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-kanban/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

@theluckystrike/mcp-kanban is not published on npm yet, so an npx -y @theluckystrike/mcp-kanban command will fail. The three paths above are the working ones and each is exercised by CI.

kanban demo

Read-only mirror of mcp-servers/servers/kanban. See MIRROR.md.

A task board for each of your projects, driven from your AI chat. Say "add a task to the nova site board: write the launch email, due Friday, 90 minutes", then ask "what's on the nova board?", "what's overdue?" or "plan my week". Tasks carry a title, notes, tags, a due date, an estimate, a priority and a column (backlog, todo, doing, review, done by default), each one gets a short stable id like NS-12, and a task can hand its exact arguments to the time-tracker server so the time you spend on it lands against the same project name. Everything is stored as plain JSON on your own machine.

Built by theluckystrike.

In the official MCP Registry (io.github.theluckystrike/kanban-todo-tasks-projects-board).

A local kanban board per project, columns, due dates, estimates, weekly review, zero setup, all local.

60-second install

npm publish for @theluckystrike/mcp-kanban is pending. Until then, the .mcpb one-click bundle or a clone+build is the working path, both are verified below.

One-click (.mcpb): download kanban.mcpb from the latest release and double-click it in Claude Desktop: https://github.com/theluckystrike/mcp-servers/releases/latest

(claude_desktop_config.json):

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kanban": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@theluckystrike/mcp-kanban"]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code:

Terminal

claude mcp add kanban -- npx -y @theluckystrike/mcp-kanban

(.cursor/mcp.json):

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "kanban": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@theluckystrike/mcp-kanban"]
    }
  }
}

The npx form above starts working the moment the package is published. Until then, use the .mcpb bundle above, or build from source with exactly these three commands:

git clone https://github.com/theluckystrike/mcp-servers.git && cd mcp-servers
npm install
npm run build -w packages/mcp-license -w servers/kanban

Then point your client's command at node with one arg: the absolute path to servers/kanban/dist/index.js.

To run in Pro mode set MCP_LICENSE_KEY in the same config block, or call license_activate once with your key.

Tools

Tool	What it does
`task_add`	Add a task: title plus optional project, column, due date, estimate, priority, tags and notes. A new project name creates its board; a partial name that matches exactly one existing project is used as that project.
	Due dates accept `YYYY-MM-DD`, `today`, `tomorrow`, `yesterday`, `+3d`, a weekday (`friday`, the nearest one from today) and `next friday` (the one after that).
`task_list`	Table of tasks, filtered by project, column, tag, `due_before` or `overdue`. Finished tasks are hidden unless you ask for them. Prints 200 rows by default and says how many more there are; raise it with `limit` (max 2,000).
`task_move`	Move a task to another column on its board.
`task_update`	Change any field: title, notes, due (`none` clears it), estimate, priority, tags, column or project.
`task_done`	Mark a task done: it moves to the done column and is stamped with the time.
`task_delete`	Delete a task. The id is never reused.
	An identical `task_add` (same project, title, column, due date, estimate, priority, tags and notes as a task already open) is refused and names the task that already holds the slot, rather than writing a second copy.
`task_search`	Find tasks by text in the title, notes, tags or id.
`board`	Column-by-column summary of one board: tasks, estimate total, actual total, overdue count.
`task_start_timer`	Return the exact arguments to pass to the time-tracker server's `timer_start` for this task, and record the link on the task.
`task_log_time`	Add real minutes worked to a task, so estimate and actual can be compared.
`project_list`	Every board with open and done counts, remaining estimate and overdue count.
`project_delete`	Delete an empty board and free its project slot. A board that still holds tasks, open or done, is refused with a task named; clear them with `task_delete` first.
`overdue`	Everything past its due date, across all boards; `as_of` measures against another day.
`weekly_review`	Done versus planned for a week, with estimate against actual per project. This week is free; past weeks are Pro.
`columns_set`	Replace one board's columns (Pro). Tasks in a removed column move to the first column.
`license_status`	Free or Pro, and where to upgrade.
`license_activate`	Activate a Pro key (verified offline).

Also exposed: the resource kanban://today (due today plus everything overdue) and the prompt plan_week (turns the open board into a day-by-day plan that fits the hours you actually have).

What you can say

"Add a task to the nova site board: write the launch email, due Friday, 90 minutes, high priority."
"Move NS-3 to doing."
"What does the nova board look like?"
"What's overdue?"
"Start a timer on NS-3.", then pass the arguments it returns to the time-tracker server.
"I spent 40 minutes on NS-3."
"Weekly review."

Free vs Pro

	Free	Pro
Project boards	3	unlimited
Open tasks	200	unlimited
Columns	the default five (backlog, todo, doing, review, done)	custom columns per board (`columns_set`)
Weekly review	the current week	any week, full history
Estimate vs actual reports	current week only	every week
Listing output	200 rows per call, `limit` up to 2,000	same
Everything else	included	included

Pro is a one-time $19 for this server, or $39 for every server, lifetime.

Get Pro: https://mcp.zovo.one/buy/kanban

Pairs with

mcp-time-tracker, task_start_timer hands it the project and task name, so hours land against the same project.
mcp-calendar, due dates on the board next to what is actually in your week.
mcp-invoice, turn the tracked hours behind those tasks into invoice line items.

Privacy

All data stays local, in ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/mcp-servers/kanban/. Nothing is uploaded, no account is needed, and licence keys are verified offline.

License

MIT. Support: support@zovo.one

Frequently asked questions

Is there an MCP kanban server?

Yes. The kanban server at mcp.zovo.one gives Claude a hosted kanban board: create boards, columns and cards, move cards between columns, all from any MCP client. Unlike the local-only GitHub repos it is hosted and free to start — nothing to clone or run.

How do I manage a kanban board from Claude?

Connect https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/kanban and say: 'Create a board with To do, Doing, Done and add a card Design the landing page to To do.'

Use these docs as an MCP server

Any MCP client (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code) can read this repository's documentation directly via GitMCP — no install:

Docs MCP URL: https://gitmcp.io/theluckystrike/mcp-kanban