Summary

Kanban Code addresses the context-switching bottleneck in AI-assisted development by offering native macOS and Windows applications that visualize Claude Code sessions as a Kanban board. It centralizes AI agent tasks, linking Claude sessions, git worktrees, tmux terminals, and GitHub PRs into actionable cards, streamlining workflows for developers managing multiple AI agents.

How It Works

Kanban Code provides native macOS (SwiftUI) and Windows (Tauri) applications featuring a Kanban board where each card represents a Claude Code session. It automates card progression through stages (Backlog to Done) via activity signals, integrates deeply with tmux for persistent terminal sessions, and supports optional git worktree isolation. Key features include remote execution (SSH/Mutagen), GitHub PR/issue tracking, push notifications (Pushover), and Mac sleep prevention (Amphetamine). The architecture uses Clean Architecture with unidirectional data flow and a reconciler pattern.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Installation: macOS: Download .app from Releases (requires manual first-launch override). Windows: npm install and npm run tauri dev/build in the windows directory.
• Prerequisites: macOS 13+ (Ventura) or Windows, Node.js v18+, Rust, Claude Code CLI (@anthropic-ai/claude-code), optionally GitHub CLI.
• Setup: Onboarding wizard guides initial setup. CLI tools (kanban) are installed automatically or via make install-cli.

Highlighted Details

• Smart Kanban Columns: Automatic card movement (Backlog, In Progress, Waiting, In Review, Done) based on Claude's activity and PR status.
• Integrated Terminal & Session Management: Each task runs in a tmux session with an embedded terminal. Supports session discovery, search, forking, and checkpointing.
• Workflow Integration: Links Claude sessions with git worktrees, GitHub issues, and PRs, tracking status, CI checks, and reviews.
• Remote Execution & Notifications: Offload compute via SSH/Mutagen; receive push notifications (Pushover) for agent attention.

Maintenance & Community

Developed by LangWatch. No specific community channels or detailed contributor information are provided in the README.

Licensing & Compatibility

Licensed under AGPLv3. This strong copyleft license requires derivative works to be shared under the same terms, potentially impacting commercial use or integration into proprietary codebases.

Limitations & Caveats

The macOS application is not notarized, requiring manual user intervention on first launch. The AGPLv3 license may pose adoption challenges for commercial entities. Heavy reliance on external CLIs (Claude Code, Git, tmux, optionally GitHub CLI) requires their proper installation and configuration.