You can use the KnBn MCP Server to give AI assistants structured and programmable access to your kanban boards. It exposes board, task, column, label, and sprint operations through the MCP protocol, enabling automated workflows and interactive AI-assisted board management.

How to use

Connect your MCP client to the KnBn MCP Server to perform board operations from AI assistants. You can create, update, and migrate boards, manage tasks and columns, assign labels, and run sprints using the MCP tool set. Read-only board data is available through MCP resources for querying summaries, task lists, and per-board details. Use these capabilities to automate routine kanban tasks, power AI assistants with live board data, and keep kanban workflows consistent across tools and teammates.

Practical usage patterns you can implement include:

• Create a new board with a descriptive name and then seed it with initial tasks and columns.
• Create tasks with titles, descriptions, priorities, story points, and labels, then move them across columns as work progresses.
• List current sprints, add new ones, and update sprint properties to reflect planning cycles.
• Retrieve a board summary to monitor throughput and workload distribution across columns and labels.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installation:
- Node.js and npm or npx available on your machine.
- A terminal or shell with access to run commands.

Install the MCP server package globally or in your project:

npm install knbn-mcp

Configure the MCP client to connect to the server. You can specify the stdio command to run the server from your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "knbn": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["knbn-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

For development, you can start by installing dependencies and building if your setup requires it. The typical flow is:

Install dependencies

npm install

Build the project (if applicable)

npm run build

Run tests

npm test

## Additional information

Notes you should keep in mind while using the server:
- The server provides both MCP tools for interactive operations and MCP resources for read-only access to board data.
- Migration tooling helps upgrade board files to the latest format versions to ensure compatibility with new features.
- All tool categories (Board, Task, Column, Label, Sprint) are organized to match common kanban workflows, making it straightforward to script common actions for AI assistants.

## Configuration and notes

Environment and runtime details are defined in the MCP client connection configuration. If you have specific environment variables required by your setup, include them in your MCP client configuration and as part of your runtime environment when starting the server. Ensure that the server is reachable from your MCP client and that any required authentication or API keys are provided securely in your environment.

## Development notes

Development scripts include building, testing, and validating the MCP server runtime. Typical commands you may use during development are:

npm install
npm run build
npm test

Available tools

Board Tools list_boards

List all .knbn board files so you can see what boards exist and select one for operations.

Board Tools get_board

Retrieve complete contents of a specified board, including its tasks, columns, and metadata.

Board Tools create_board

Create a new board with a name and optional description to organize work.

Board Tools migrate

Migrate board files to the latest version format to ensure compatibility.

Task Tools create_task

Create a new task with essential fields such as title, description, priority, and story points.

Task Tools get_task

Fetch full details for a task by its identifier.

Task Tools list_tasks

List or filter tasks by criteria such as column, label, priority, or sprint.

Task Tools update_task

Update properties of a single task, including status, priority, or labels.

Task Tools update_tasks_batch

Update multiple tasks efficiently in a single operation.

Column Tools create_column

Add a new column to a board at a specified position.

Column Tools list_columns

List all board columns, with optional task counts.

Column Tools update_column

Rename or modify properties of an existing column.

Column Tools remove_column

Delete a column from a board.

Label Tools add_label

Create a label with a name and color for use on tasks.

Label Tools list_labels

List all available labels on a board.

Label Tools update_label

Modify the name or color of an existing label.

Label Tools remove_label

Remove a label from a board.

Sprint Tools add_sprint

Create a new development sprint with dates, capacity, and description.

Sprint Tools list_sprints

List sprints with optional filtering by status.

Sprint Tools update_sprint

Modify properties of an existing sprint.

Sprint Tools remove_sprint

Delete a sprint from the board.