Kanban Task Management Skill

A production-ready visual kanban board with auto-execution, archive system, password authentication, and intelligent scheduling.

What This Skill Provides

•Modern Web UI: Glassmorphism dashboard at http://localhost:18790/kanban
•Auto-Execution: Tasks moved to "In Progress" trigger instant execution
•Archive System: Archive completed tasks, restore or permanently delete
•Smart Scheduling: Once, Heartbeat, or Cron-scheduled tasks
•REST API: Full programmatic control
•Conversational Interface: Manage tasks through natural language
•Card Reordering: Drag cards up/down within columns to prioritize

Server Management

The kanban server runs as a systemd service.

Check Status

bash

sudo systemctl status kanban

Start/Stop

bash

sudo systemctl start kanban
sudo systemctl stop kanban
sudo systemctl restart kanban

View Logs

bash

sudo journalctl -u kanban -f

If server is not running, start it:

bash

sudo systemctl start kanban.service

Authentication

All API endpoints (except /health, /api/auth/login, and /kanban/* static assets) require the OpenClaw gateway token.

Get the token:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.gateway.auth.token'

Use in API calls:

bash

TOKEN="token-here"
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" http://localhost:18790/api/cards

UI Access:

•User enters password at login screen
•Server validates and returns token
•Token stored in browser localStorage

Conversational Task Management

Viewing Tasks

Read the kanban data file to answer questions:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq

Parse the JSON and present organized summaries:

Examples:

•"What's on my kanban board?" → Show all tasks by column
•"What tasks are in progress?" → Filter .["in-progress"]
•"Show me my backlog" → List .backlog tasks
•"How many tasks do I have?" → Count all non-archived tasks
•"What's my highest priority task?" → Filter by priority: high

Response format:

code

The Big Man sees {count} tasks:

**Backlog ({count}):**
- Task 1 (priority: high)
- Task 2 (priority: medium)

**In Progress ({count}):**
- Task 3 (priority: high) ⏰ 0 9 * * *

Adding Tasks

Use the API to create tasks:

bash

TOKEN=$(cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.gateway.auth.token')

curl -X POST http://localhost:18790/api/cards \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Task title",
    "description": "Details",
    "priority": "high|medium|low",
    "tags": ["tag1", "tag2"],
    "column": "backlog",
    "schedule": "once|heartbeat|cron",
    "cronExpression": "0 9 * * *"
  }'

Examples:

•"Add a task: Review MoltHub posts" → Create with default settings
•"Create high priority task: Fix sync bug" → Set priority to "high"
•"Add cron task to check updates daily at 9 AM" → schedule: "cron", cronExpression: "0 9 * * *"

Task defaults:

•Column: backlog
•Priority: medium
•Schedule: once
•Tags: [] (empty)

Moving Tasks

Between columns:

bash

# Get task ID first by reading kanban-board.json
# Then move it:
curl -X PUT http://localhost:18790/api/cards/{id}/move \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"fromColumn": "todo", "toColumn": "in-progress"}'

Examples:

•"Move 'Review posts' to in progress" → Find task by title, get ID, call move endpoint
•"Mark 'Fix bug' as done" → Move to "done" column
•"Start working on X" → Move to "in-progress" (triggers auto-execution)

Auto-execution trigger: When a task is moved to "in-progress", the server automatically sends a wake event to OpenClaw's main session with the task details.

Reordering Tasks

Within same column:

bash

curl -X PUT http://localhost:18790/api/cards/{id}/reorder \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"column": "backlog", "position": 0}'

Position 0 = top of column.

Examples:

•"Move X to top of backlog" → position: 0
•"Prioritize task Y in todo" → Move to position 0 in todo column

Updating Tasks

bash

curl -X PUT http://localhost:18790/api/cards/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Updated title",
    "priority": "high",
    "tags": ["urgent"]
  }'

Partial updates supported - only include fields to change.

Archiving Tasks

Individual task:

bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:18790/api/archive/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

All done tasks:

bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:18790/api/archive/all \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Examples:

•"Archive all done tasks" → Call /api/archive/all
•"Clean up my done column" → Same as above
•"Archive task X" → Find by title, call /api/archive/{id}

What happens when archiving:

•Task removed from active board
•Moved to archive file
•Cron job cancelled (if exists)
•Heartbeat recurrence disabled (if heartbeat task)

Viewing Archive

bash

curl http://localhost:18790/api/archive \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" | jq

Present archived tasks:

•Show title, archived date, original priority
•Group by archived date
•Show count

Restoring Tasks

bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:18790/api/archive/{id}/restore \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Examples:

•"Restore task X from archive" → Find in archive, call restore endpoint
•Task moves back to "done" column

Deleting Tasks

From active board:

bash

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:18790/api/cards/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Cancels cron job if exists.

From archive (permanent):

bash

curl -X DELETE http://localhost:18790/api/archive/{id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Cannot be undone.

Task Scheduling Types

1. Once (Default)

Purpose: Standard one-time task

Behavior:

•Appears in kanban board
•Tracked through columns
•Completes when done or archived

Use for:

•Features to build
•Bugs to fix
•One-off work

2. Heartbeat 💓

Purpose: Recurring task you want to track visually in kanban

Behavior:

•Shows with 💓 icon
•Tagged with "heartbeat"
•Can move through columns like normal task
•If archived, recurrence stops (converts to "once")

Use for:

•Regular reviews you want visible
•Periodic maintenance you want to track
•Recurring work with completion tracking

Note: Different from HEARTBEAT.md automatic behaviors. Heartbeat schedule type is for trackable recurring tasks.

3. Cron ⏰

Purpose: Task that runs on a specific schedule

Behavior:

•Shows with ⏰ icon and cron expression
•Creates OpenClaw cron job automatically
•Cron job fires system event at scheduled time
•Visible in OpenClaw Control UI → Cron Jobs panel
•If archived or deleted, cron job is cancelled

Cron expressions:

•0 9 * * * - Daily at 9 AM UTC
•0 9 * * 1-5 - Weekdays at 9 AM
•0 */6 * * * - Every 6 hours
•*/30 * * * * - Every 30 minutes
•0 10 * * 1 - Monday at 10 AM

System event format:

code

🚧 Scheduled task from Kanban:

**Task Title**
Description

Priority: high
Schedule: 0 9 * * *

The Big Man receives this and can execute the task.

Auto-Execution System

How It Works

When a task is moved to "In Progress" column:

•Server detects column change
•Builds execution message from task data
•Sends wake event via OpenClaw cron API
•Main session receives system event immediately
•The Big Man executes the task

Message format:

code

🚧 Auto-executing from Kanban:

**Task:** Task title
**Details:** Description
**Tags:** tag1, tag2

Task title

Monitoring Execution

Check execution log:

bash

curl http://localhost:18790/api/executions/log \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Log format:

code

[2026-02-09T22:00:00.000Z] Executing task: Review posts (abc-123)
[2026-02-09T22:00:00.123Z] ✅ Injected: Review posts

Queue Fallback

If wake API fails, tasks queue in kanban-task-queue.json. The Big Man checks this during heartbeats, but it's rarely needed - auto-execution works instantly in normal operation.

Archive System

Purpose

Archive completed tasks to keep Done column tidy while preserving history.

Operations

Archive individual task:

•From edit modal: Click "📦 Archive" button
•Via API: POST /api/archive/{id}
•Can archive from any column (not just done)

Archive all done:

•From archive modal: Click "Archive All Done"
•Via API: POST /api/archive/all
•Batch operation on entire Done column

View archive:

•Click "📦 Archive" button in header
•Via API: GET /api/archive
•Shows tasks with archived dates

Restore:

•Click "↩️ Restore" in archive modal
•Via API: POST /api/archive/{id}/restore
•Moves task back to Done column

Permanent delete:

•Click "🗑️ Delete" in archive modal
•Via API: DELETE /api/archive/{id}
•Cannot be undone

Clear archive:

•Click "Clear Archive" in archive modal
•Via API: DELETE /api/archive
•Deletes all archived tasks permanently

Automatic Cleanup

When archiving:

•Cron tasks → OpenClaw cron job cancelled automatically
•Heartbeat tasks → Schedule changed to "once" (stops recurrence)
•Once tasks → No special handling

This prevents archived tasks from recurring or firing scheduled events.

Common Patterns

Daily Task Review

bash

# View active tasks
cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq

# Summarize for user
"The Big Man sees {backlog_count} in backlog, {todo_count} ready to start, {in_progress_count} active."

Quick Task Creation

When user says "remind me to X":

bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:18790/api/cards \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d "{\"title\": \"X\", \"column\": \"todo\"}"

Archive Cleanup

When done column has many tasks:

bash

curl -X POST http://localhost:18790/api/archive/all \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Then report: "The Big Man archived {count} completed tasks."

Cron Task Management

List cron tasks:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq '[.backlog[], .todo[], .["in-progress"][], .done[]] | map(select(.schedule == "cron"))'

Show with details:

•Title
•Cron expression
•Next run time (get from OpenClaw: openclaw cron list)
•Priority

Finding Specific Tasks

By priority:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq '[.backlog[], .todo[], .["in-progress"][], .done[]] | map(select(.priority == "high"))'

By tag:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq '[.backlog[], .todo[], .["in-progress"][], .done[]] | map(select(.tags | contains(["enhancement"])))'

By schedule type:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq '[.backlog[], .todo[], .["in-progress"][], .done[]] | map(select(.schedule == "cron"))'

API Quick Reference

Authentication

•POST /api/auth/login - Password login (returns token)

Tasks

•GET /api/cards - List all tasks
•POST /api/cards - Create task
•PUT /api/cards/:id - Update task
•DELETE /api/cards/:id - Delete task (cancels cron)
•PUT /api/cards/:id/move - Move between columns (may trigger auto-execution)
•PUT /api/cards/:id/reorder - Reorder within column

Monitoring

•GET /api/executions/log - View auto-execution history
•GET /api/executions/queue - Check pending tasks (fallback)
•DELETE /api/executions/queue - Clear queue
•GET /health - Health check (no auth)

Data Files

File	Purpose
`~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json`	Active tasks by column
`~/.openclaw/kanban-archive.json`	Archived tasks
`~/.openclaw/workspace/kanban-executions.log`	Execution history
`~/.openclaw/workspace/kanban-task-queue.json`	Fallback queue

Task Structure

Each task has:

json

{
  "id": "uuid-v4",
  "title": "string",
  "description": "string",
  "priority": "low|medium|high",
  "tags": ["array"],
  "column": "backlog|todo|in-progress|done",
  "schedule": "once|heartbeat|cron",
  "cronExpression": "string|null",
  "cronJobId": "string|null",
  "dueDate": "YYYY-MM-DD|null",
  "createdAt": "ISO8601",
  "updatedAt": "ISO8601"
}

Archived tasks also have archivedAt timestamp.

Responding to Task Questions

"What's on my board?"

•Read ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json
•Parse all columns
•Group by column
•Format response with counts and task names
•Highlight high-priority or overdue tasks

"Add a task: X"

•Extract task title from user message
•Infer priority from context (urgent/asap → high)
•Infer column (default: backlog)
•Call POST /api/cards with details
•Confirm creation

"What should I work on?"

•Read kanban-board.json
•Look at "todo" column
•Filter high-priority tasks
•Consider due dates
•Suggest top 3 tasks

"Archive my done tasks"

•Call POST /api/archive/all
•Report count archived
•Mention if any cron jobs were cancelled

Integration with OpenClaw

Cron Jobs

Automatic creation:

•User creates task with schedule: "cron"
•Server calls openclaw cron add with task details
•Job ID stored in task.cronJobId
•Job appears in OpenClaw Control UI

Viewing:

bash

openclaw cron list --json | jq '.jobs[] | select(.name | startswith("Kanban:"))'

Automatic cleanup:

•Archive task → openclaw cron rm {cronJobId}
•Delete task → openclaw cron rm {cronJobId}

Auto-Execution

Wake API:

bash

curl -X POST http://127.0.0.1:18789/rpc \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"method":"cron.wake","params":{"text":"Task message","mode":"now"}}'

The kanban server uses this to trigger task execution instantly.

HEARTBEAT.md Relationship

Important: HEARTBEAT.md is for automatic behaviors (e.g., "Update MEMORY.md"), NOT trackable tasks.

Clean separation:

•HEARTBEAT.md = Automatic recurring actions (no kanban tracking)
•Kanban = Explicit trackable tasks (visible progress)

No sync needed.

Troubleshooting

Server Not Running

Check:

bash

sudo systemctl status kanban

Start:

bash

sudo systemctl start kanban

Logs:

bash

sudo journalctl -u kanban -n 50

Auth Errors

API returns 401/403:

•Verify token: cat ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json | jq -r '.gateway.auth.token'
•Check header format: Authorization: Bearer {token}
•For UI: Login with password

Auto-Execution Not Working

Check execution log:

bash

curl http://localhost:18790/api/executions/log \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Look for:

•Task execution entries with timestamps
•✅ or ❌ status indicators

Verify server logs:

bash

sudo journalctl -u kanban | grep Auto-Execute

Cron Jobs Not Creating

Check task has cronJobId:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq '[.backlog[], .todo[], .["in-progress"][], .done[]] | map(select(.schedule == "cron")) | .[].cronJobId'

If null:

•Server logs may show error: sudo journalctl -u kanban -n 50
•Verify cron expression syntax
•Test manually: openclaw cron add --cron "0 9 * * *" --system-event "test"

Cards Not Appearing

Hard refresh: Ctrl+Shift+R (or Cmd+Shift+R on Mac)

Clear localStorage:

javascript

localStorage.clear()

Check data file:

bash

cat ~/.openclaw/kanban-board.json | jq

Notes

•The server must be running for all operations
•Web UI updates every 5 seconds automatically
•Token stored in browser localStorage persists across sessions
•Archive is separate from active board (different file)
•Cron jobs integrate directly with OpenClaw's cron system
•Auto-execution uses OpenClaw's wake mechanism
•All timestamps in ISO 8601 format (UTC)
•Task IDs are UUID v4 (e.g., "a1b2c3d4-e5f6-...")