README file from
GithubSimple Kanban
A lightweight Kanban board plugin for Obsidian. Organize your notes as cards in customizable columns based on frontmatter status. Drag and drop to update your files instantly.
Features
- Status-based columns — Cards are organized by a frontmatter property (default:
status) - Drag & drop — Move cards between columns; the plugin updates the frontmatter automatically
- Customizable columns — Add, remove, reorder, and color your columns
- Recursive folder scan — Monitors a folder and all its subfolders for
.mdfiles - Custom properties on cards — Display assignee, priority, due date, or any frontmatter field
- Column visibility — Show columns always, only when they have cards, or hide them completely
- Case sensitivity — Optional case-sensitive or case-insensitive status matching
- Special columns —
NO_STATUSfor files without status,NOT_DECLARED_STATUSfor unknown statuses
Installation
From Obsidian Community Plugins
- Open Obsidian Settings → Community plugins → Browse
- Search for Simple Kanban
- Install and enable the plugin
Manual Installation
- Download the latest release from the releases page
- Extract the plugin folder into your vault's
.obsidian/plugins/directory - Reload Obsidian and enable Simple Kanban in Settings → Community plugins
Quick Start
- Create a folder for your activities (e.g.
Activities) - Create a note in that folder with frontmatter:
---
status: todo
---
# My Task Title
Task description...
- Open the plugin via the ribbon icon (grid) or command palette: "Open Simple Kanban"
- Drag cards between columns to update their status
Configuration
Required Settings
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Activities folder | Folder path containing your activity notes (scanned recursively) | Activities |
| Status property | Frontmatter property used for status (e.g. status, state, phase) |
status |
Optional Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Case sensitive | When enabled, todo and Todo are different columns |
| Visible properties on cards | Comma-separated property names to show on cards (e.g. assignee, priority, due) |
| Show property labels | Toggle between "Assignee: John" vs "John" on cards |
Column Configuration
- Add/remove columns — Define your workflow (e.g. Todo, Doing, Done)
- Reorder — Drag by the ⋮⋮ handle to change column order
- Colors — Set a color for each column (used for border accent)
- Visibility — Always show, hide when empty, or always hide
- Default value — When case-insensitive, choose which value to write (e.g.
todovsTodo)
Reserved columns (locked):
- NO_STATUS — Files with empty or missing status
- NOT_DECLARED_STATUS — Files with a status not defined in your config
Example Frontmatter
---
status: doing
assignee: John
priority: high
due: 2025-02-20
---
# Implement user login
With "Visible properties on cards" set to assignee, priority, due, the card will display those values below the title.
Usage Tips
- Click a card — Opens the note in the editor
- Refresh — Use the refresh button in the header if the board doesn't update automatically
- Ribbon icon — Quick access via the ribbon (grid icon)
- Command palette — Search for "Open Simple Kanban"
Support
For bugs, feature requests, or questions, please open an issue on GitHub.
License
MIT
Author: Denis Alves