Getting Started

Install the CLI and start managing work with Kanbus in minutes.

Install with cargo

Cargo installs the preferred binaries, keeping the CLI and web console in sync.

Cargo is the recommended installation path. It publishes two crates, kbs (CLI) and kbsc (web console), so you can update them quickly across any Rust toolchain.

Cargo (CLI)

cargo install kbs
kbs --help

Cargo (web console)

cargo install kbsc
kbsc --help

Install with pip

Use the Python CLI for rapid scripting or embedding Kanbus into Python workflows.

Install Kanbus from PyPI and run kbs (a kanbus alias is also available).

Python

python -m pip install kbs
kbs --help

Build from source

Clone the repo and build the Rust and Python binaries yourself.

Clone

git clone https://github.com/AnthusAI/Kanbus.git
cd Kanbus

Rust CLI

cd rust
cargo build --release
./target/release/kbs --help

Rust Console

./target/release/kbsc --help

Python CLI

cd python
python -m pip install -e .
kbs --help

Download prebuilt binaries

Grab the kbs and kbsc releases from GitHub if you prefer standalone archives.

Each release archive contains a single binary. Extract, mark executable, and run kbs or kbsc.

Download CLI (Linux x86_64)

curl -L -o kbs.tar.gz https://github.com/AnthusAI/Kanbus/releases/latest/download/kbs-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
tar -xzf kbs.tar.gz
chmod +x kbs
./kbs --help

Download Console Server (Linux x86_64)

curl -L -o kbsc.tar.gz https://github.com/AnthusAI/Kanbus/releases/latest/download/kbsc-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.tar.gz
tar -xzf kbsc.tar.gz
chmod +x kbsc
./kbsc
# Opens web UI at http://127.0.0.1:5174/

Initialize Your Repository

Create the Kanbus structure in an existing git repo.

Run kbs init once in the repository root. It creates the project/ directory and the repo-level.kanbus.yml file.

Initialize

cd your-repo
git init
kbs init

Keep Configuration Updated

Evolve workflows and defaults without re-running init.

Edit project/config.yaml to change hierarchy, workflows, priorities, and defaults. Use.kanbus.override.yml for local-only settings like assignee or time zone.

Validate

kbs list
kbs ready

Beads Compatibility During Transition

Keep JSONL data while moving to Kanbus.

If your repo still stores issues in .beads/issues.jsonl, enable compatibility in both config files.

Compatibility

.kanbus.yml
beads_compatibility: true

project/config.yaml
beads_compatibility: true