Kanban Sauce

A folder-focused kanban board for VS Code, backed by markdown files

Features are stored as markdown files with YAML frontmatter — version-controllable, diffable, and editable outside the extension. No accounts, no external services.

Quick Start

1. Install — search "Kanban Sauce" in the Extensions view (VS Marketplace / Open VSX)
2. Open — run Open Kanban Board from the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P / Ctrl+Shift+P) and choose any folder to open as a board
3. Create — click + New Feature in the sidebar or click the + sign next to column headers to add a new card

Features

Multiple Kanban Boards

You can create and open multiple independent kanban boards inside the same workspace:

• Open any folder: Right-click any folder in the VS Code Explorer file tree and select Open as Kanban Board. Or run Open Kanban Board from the command palette to select from your history or pick a new folder.
• No automatic/hidden folders: Features are stored exactly inside the chosen directory in subfolders named after their status (backlog, todo, in-progress, review, done).
• Run multiple simultaneously: You can open two or more kanban boards side-by-side! Each tab will dynamically track and update cards for its specific directory path.

Board & Workflow

• 5-column workflow — Backlog, To Do, In Progress, Review, Done (customizable)
• Drag-and-drop between columns and within columns
• Sidebar view from the activity bar
• Split-view editor — board on left, inline editor on right
• Horizontal and vertical layouts
• Compact mode for dense boards
• Keyboard shortcuts — N new feature, Esc close dialogs, Cmd/Ctrl+Enter submit

Cards

Each card is a markdown file with YAML frontmatter.

• Priority levels — Critical, High, Medium, Low with color-coded badges
• Assignees
• Due dates with smart formatting (Overdue, Today, Tomorrow, "5d", etc.)
• Labels — multiple per card, shows up to 3 with "+X more"
• Automatic created/modified timestamps
• Archive completed features to keep the board clean

Search & Filtering

• Full-text search across content, IDs, assignees, and labels
• Filter by priority, assignee, label, or due date
• Due date filters — overdue, today, this week, or no date

Editor Integration

• Rich text editing with Tiptap
• Inline frontmatter editing — dropdowns for status/priority, inputs for assignee/due date/labels
• Auto-save on change
• Auto-refresh when files change externally
• Native markdown mode — open files in VS Code's built-in editor instead
• Follows your VS Code/Cursor theme (light & dark)

Differences from the Original Repository

This project is a fork of Kanban Markdown extension. This fork introduces major architectural improvements and UI enhancements:

• Dynamic Board Folder Selection: You are no longer restricted to a single .devtool/features directory at the root of your workspace. You can open any folder as an independent Kanban board.
• Multiple Concurrent Boards: Fully supports running multiple Kanban board panels side-by-side. The Sidebar Summary view automatically tracks and switches to whichever board is active.
• Persistent History Pruning: Remembers your previously opened boards. It automatically filters out board directories that were deleted or moved, and includes a Clear Board History... picker to manually remove entries.
• Granular Font Size Settings: Extensive settings let you customize the font size of almost every component (column headers, card titles, card description previews, label tags, card metadata, editor headings, editor body, and the editor metadata block).
• Cleaned Command Palette: Obsolete/redundant commands like selectBoard or auto-generated focus actions are hidden or removed to prevent command palette clutter.
• AI Tools Removal: The "Build with AI" prompt integrations are completely stripped, making the extension 100% private, local, and exceptionally lightweight.

File Format

Features live inside your selected board folder as Markdown files with YAML formatter, organized into subfolders by status.

---
id: "remove-ai-integration-2026-07-04"
status: "done"
priority: "critical"
assignee: "peppe"
epic: null
dueDate: "2026-07-04"
created: "2026-07-04T09:27:55.052Z"
modified: "2026-07-04T09:27:55.052Z"
completedAt: "2026-07-04T09:27:55.052Z"
labels: ["enhancement"]
order: "Zz"
---
# Remove AI integration

Remove completely the AI integration, so that humans can waste a bit more time

Configuration

Settings live under kanban-sauce.* in your VS Code preferences.

Default columns:

[
  { "id": "backlog", "name": "Backlog", "color": "#6b7280" },
  { "id": "todo", "name": "To Do", "color": "#3b82f6" },
  { "id": "in-progress", "name": "In Progress", "color": "#f59e0b" },
  { "id": "review", "name": "Review", "color": "#8b5cf6" },
  { "id": "done", "name": "Done", "color": "#22c55e" }
]

Installation

VS Code Marketplace

Install from the VS Code Marketplace or search "Kanban Sauce" in the Extensions view.

Open VSX (VSCodium, Cursor, etc.)

Install from Open VSX or search "Kanban Sauce" in the Extensions view.

From VSIX

1. Download the .vsix from Releases
2. In VS Code: Extensions > ... > Install from VSIX
3. Select the downloaded file

Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• pnpm

Setup

pnpm install       # Install dependencies
pnpm dev           # Start development (watch mode)
pnpm build         # Build for production
pnpm typecheck     # Type checking
pnpm lint          # Linting

Testing

# Unit + component tests (fast, no VS Code host required)
pnpm test

# Watch mode
pnpm test:watch

# Integration tests (launches a real VS Code instance)
pnpm test:integration

Unit tests cover shared logic, extension utilities, and React components. Integration tests run inside a VS Code host using @vscode/test-electron and exercise the real file system and VS Code APIs.

Running the CI pipeline locally with act

act runs GitHub Actions workflows locally in Docker.

# Install (macOS)
brew install act

# Run the full CI test job
act push -j test --container-architecture linux/amd64

The first run downloads a VS Code binary (~160 MB) into .vscode-test/ which is cached for subsequent runs.

Debugging

1. Press F5 in VS Code to launch the Extension Development Host
2. Open the command palette and run "Open Kanban Board"
3. Make changes and reload the window (Cmd+R) to see updates

Tech Stack

Extension: TypeScript, VS Code API, esbuild | Webview: React 18, Vite, Tailwind CSS, Zustand, Tiptap

See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

Contributors

Contributors to the main repository Kanban Markdown:

• @LachyFS — lead developer
• @luciopaiva — sidebar view and layout improvements
• @ungive — file organization and status subfolders
• @hodanli — label management enhancements
• @SuperbDotHub — compact mode and card display options

License

MIT