kanninja

Working with kanNINJA

kanNINJA is an AI-native Kanban tool. Its data lives behind the kanninja MCP server — you have ~40 tools for it. This skill is how to use them well.

Vocabulary

kanNINJA uses dojo terms. When you speak to the user, use the kanNINJA word; the tool names keep the generic word.

In the UI	Tool name uses	Means
Dojo	board	A project board
Kata	task	A card / unit of work
Column	list	A stage on the board
Clan	clan	A team

So create_task makes a Kata and list_boards lists Dojos. Tell the user "I added 3 Kata to your Backlog Column," not "I called create_task three times."

Core loop: read before you write

Never create or move anything blind.

1. list_boards to find the Dojo. If the user named one, match it; if it's ambiguous, ask.
2. get_board to see the Columns and their IDs before you place a Kata.
3. Only then create_task / move_task / update_task.

IDs are opaque — always resolve them from a list/get call in the same session. Don't guess them or reuse IDs from earlier memory.

Tool families

• Find: list_boards, get_board, list_tasks, get_task, get_my_work, search.
• Write one: create_task, update_task, move_task, assign_task, set_due_date, add_comment, add_label / remove_label.
• Write many: bulk_create_tasks, bulk_update_tasks — use these instead of looping single calls. One sprint of Kata is one bulk_create_tasks.
• Structure: create_board, create_board_with_structure (board + Columns + Kata in one call), create_list, reorder_lists, apply_template_to_board.
• Detail: checklist and comment tools, duplicate_card.

Conventions

• Batch. More than two Kata? Use bulk_create_tasks. A whole board? Use create_board_with_structure.
• Ordering is automatic. Don't compute positions — the server orders Kata and Columns. move_task takes a target Column, not an index.
• Confirm destructive calls. delete_board, delete_list, delete_task remove real user data. State what will be deleted and get a yes first.
• Assign deliberately. assign_task notifies a person. Don't assign on the user's behalf unless they said who.
• Stay scoped. The MCP key is one user; you see and touch only what they can. An empty result may just mean the Dojo isn't shared with them — say so rather than retrying.

Commands

The /kanninja:* commands — standup, plan-sprint, triage, recap, capture — are pre-built recipes. If the user's ask matches one, follow that recipe's shape even when they didn't type the command.