kanban

Start the Kanban server and open the web UI.

The kanban command starts a local Node.js server, serves the web UI, and opens your browser automatically. If a Kanban instance is already running on the same port, it connects to the existing server instead of starting a new one.

Synopsis

kanban [options]

Behavior

When you run kanban:

1. Kanban starts a local HTTP server (default port 3484).
2. The runtime URL is printed to the terminal.
3. Your default browser opens automatically to the board UI.
4. Press Ctrl+C to stop the server gracefully.

If the target port is already in use and a Kanban server is reachable there, Kanban skips starting a new server and instead opens the browser to the existing instance.

Options

--host · string · default: "127.0.0.1"

Bind the server to a specific host IP address. Use 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces.

kanban --host 0.0.0.0

--port · number | auto · default: "3484"

Set the server port. Accepts an integer from 1 to 65535, or the special value auto.

When set to auto, Kanban finds the next available port starting from the default (3484) and uses that instead.

kanban --port 4000
kanban --port auto

--no-open · boolean

Suppress automatic browser opening. The server starts and prints the runtime URL, but no browser window is launched.

kanban --no-open

--skip-shutdown-cleanup · boolean

On shutdown, skip moving active sessions to trash and skip deleting task worktrees. Use this flag when you want a fast exit without modifying board state.

kanban --skip-shutdown-cleanup

-v, --version · boolean

Output the current Kanban version number and exit.

kanban -v

Examples

Start with defaults:

kanban

Start on a custom port without opening the browser:

kanban --port 4000 --no-open

Start and bind to all interfaces (useful for remote access):

kanban --host 0.0.0.0 --port 3484

Start with auto port selection:

kanban --port auto

Stop cleanly without touching board state:

kanban --skip-shutdown-cleanup

Terminal output

After starting, the terminal shows the runtime URL:

Cline Kanban running at http://127.0.0.1:3484
Press Ctrl+C to stop.

If Kanban is already running on the port:

Kanban already running at http://127.0.0.1:3484
Project URL: http://127.0.0.1:3484/<workspace-id>

Graceful shutdown

Press Ctrl+C to stop the server. Kanban stops any active agent sessions, moves them to trash, and removes task worktrees before exiting — unless you pass --skip-shutdown-cleanup.

A second Ctrl+C forces an immediate exit.