Content
# kaiten
[](https://github.com/dsociative/kaiten-cli/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://github.com/dsociative/kaiten-cli/actions/workflows/security.yml)
[](https://github.com/dsociative/kaiten-cli/actions/workflows/codeql.yml)
[](https://github.com/dsociative/kaiten-cli/releases)
[](https://crates.io/crates/kaiten-cli)
[](https://crates.io/crates/kaiten-cli)
[](https://github.com/dsociative/kaiten-cli#license)
Command-line client and MCP server for the [Kaiten](https://kaiten.ru) tracker,
in the spirit of `gh` / `glab`.
- Browse spaces, boards and cards from the terminal
- Create, edit, move and archive cards; manage members, tags, comments and checklists
- `--json` output on every command for scripting
- Built-in MCP server (`kaiten mcp serve`) so coding agents can work with the tracker
- Raw API escape hatch: `kaiten api GET /users/current`
## Install
From crates.io:
```sh
cargo install kaiten-cli
```
Prebuilt binaries for Linux (x86_64/aarch64), macOS (x86_64/aarch64) and Windows
are attached to [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/dsociative/kaiten-cli/releases).
From source:
```sh
git clone https://github.com/dsociative/kaiten-cli
cd kaiten-cli
cargo install --path crates/kaiten
```
## Authentication
Create an API token in your Kaiten profile (`https://mycompany.kaiten.ru` →
user profile → API tokens), then:
```sh
kaiten auth login # asks for the domain ("mycompany") and token, verifies them
kaiten auth status # shows domain, current user and where the token came from
```
Environment variables override the config file:
| Variable | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `KAITEN_TOKEN` | API token |
| `KAITEN_DOMAIN` | company domain: `mycompany` → `https://mycompany.kaiten.ru/api/latest` |
| `KAITEN_BASE_URL` | full API base URL (overrides the domain) |
| `KAITEN_CONFIG_DIR` | config directory (default: `~/.config/kaiten`) |
## Configuration
`~/.config/kaiten/config.toml` — created by `kaiten auth login` with mode 600:
```toml
domain = "mycompany"
token = "your-api-token"
[defaults] # optional: used when --space/--board flags are omitted
space = 123
board = 456
```
`kaiten card list` (and the `list_cards` MCP tool) only return non-archived cards
unless you pass `--archived`, which flips the filter to archived-only cards.
## Usage
```sh
kaiten space list
kaiten board list --space 123
kaiten board view 456 # columns and lanes (ids for `card move`)
kaiten card list --mine
kaiten card list --board 456 --query "deploy" --limit 20
kaiten card view 67089469 --comments # a full card URL works too
kaiten card create --board 456 --title "Fix the flaky test" --description "..."
kaiten card edit 67089469 --title "New title" --asap true
kaiten card move 67089469 --column 6308511
kaiten card archive 67089469
kaiten card member add 67089469 user@example.com # user id or email
kaiten card comment add 67089469 --body "Done, please review"
kaiten card checklist add 67089469 --name "Release steps"
kaiten card checklist item add 67089469 91011 --text "Bump version"
kaiten card checklist item check 67089469 91011 121314
kaiten card tag add 67089469 backend
kaiten tag list
kaiten card-type list
kaiten api GET "/cards?query=deploy&limit=5" # raw API access
kaiten api POST /cards --data '{"board_id":456,"title":"Raw"}'
```
Add `--json` to any command to print the raw JSON of the API response.
## Shell completion
```sh
# zsh — add to ~/.zshrc (needs compinit enabled, as in most setups)
eval "$(kaiten completion zsh)"
# bash — add to ~/.bashrc
eval "$(kaiten completion bash)"
# fish — run once
kaiten completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/kaiten.fish
```
## MCP server
The same binary is an MCP server (stdio transport, 16 tools mirroring the CLI).
Claude Code:
```sh
claude mcp add kaiten -- kaiten mcp serve
```
Any other MCP client:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"kaiten": {
"command": "kaiten",
"args": ["mcp", "serve"]
}
}
}
```
Authentication is shared with the CLI: run `kaiten auth login` once, or export
`KAITEN_DOMAIN` / `KAITEN_TOKEN` in the client configuration. Logs go to stderr
only — stdout carries the MCP protocol.
## Debugging
- `-v` — debug logs to stderr: every HTTP request with method, path, status, duration
- `-vv` — trace logs including request/response bodies (the token is always redacted)
- `RUST_LOG=kaiten_client=trace kaiten ...` — fine-grained filtering without flags
- decode errors report the exact JSON path that failed to parse
- `kaiten api <METHOD> <path> [--data <json>]` — raw access when a typed command is not enough
- API error bodies are printed as-is together with the HTTP status
## Development
```sh
cargo test
cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings
cargo fmt --all -- --check
```
## License
Licensed under either of [MIT](LICENSE-MIT) or [Apache-2.0](LICENSE-APACHE),
at your option.
