Kanva Docs

Kanva is a personal productivity tool built around the Kanban method. It is designed for one person — no teams, no permissions, no enterprise complexity. Just you and your tasks.

It is built with Next.js, Neon PostgreSQL, and Framer Motion. Everything saves automatically — there is no save button.

1. 1

   Create an account

   Sign up with your email address. A verification link will be sent to your inbox.

2. 2

   Create your first board

   Click "New board" on the boards page, give it a name and pick an accent colour.

3. 3

   Add columns

   Boards come with default columns (Todo, In Progress, Done). You can rename, reorder, or add new ones.

4. 4

   Add tasks

   Type in the "Add a task…" input at the bottom of any column and press Enter.

5. 5

   Drag to organise

   Drag task cards between columns or reorder them within a column by grabbing the drag handle.

A board represents a project or area of your life (e.g. "Work", "Side Project", "Personal"). Each board has its own URL slug like /app/board/my-project.

A column represents a stage (e.g. "Todo", "In Progress", "Done"). You can:

• Rename a column by clicking its title
• Reorder columns by dragging the column header
• Delete a column (tasks inside are also removed)
• Add a new column with the + button at the end of the row

Tasks are the core unit of work. Each task belongs to a column on a board. You can:

• Add a task by typing in the "Add a task…" field and pressing Enter
• Drag tasks between columns using the drag handle on the left side of the card
• Reorder tasks within a column by dragging
• Delete a task using the × button on the card
• Click a task card to open the Task Details modal

Click any task card to open the full Task Details modal. From here you can manage everything about that task in one place.

All changes in the modal are saved automatically. Close the modal with the × button, Escape key, or by clicking the backdrop.

Labels let you categorise tasks across columns and boards. Examples: #Work #Personal #Urgent #Ideas

Labels are global to your account and can be used on any task on any board.

To create a label: Open a task → Labels section → type a name → pick a colour → press Enter. The label is created and immediately attached to the task.

To remove a label from a task: Click the × on a label chip in the Task Details modal.

Three priority levels are supported:

Priority is visible on the task card as a small flag badge. Set it inside the Task Details modal.

Attach a due date to any task. The card shows a smart indicator based on how close the date is:

To clear a due date, open the Task Details modal and click the × next to the date button.

The Search button in the top navigation bar opens the command palette. You can also use keyboard shortcuts to open it:

• ⌘K / Ctrl+K — Open search
• / — Open search (when not focused in an input)

Search finds matching boards (by name) and tasks (by title or description). Results show the board and column context. Click a result to navigate there.

The command palette is Kanva's power-user hub. It opens with ⌘K / Ctrl+K.

• Type to search tasks and boards instantly
• Use arrow keys to navigate results
• Press Enter to open the selected result
• Quick actions when no query is typed: New board, Go to boards
• Press Escape to close without navigating

Deleting a task shows a toast notification with an Undo button. You have 5 seconds to click it and restore the task to its original column and position.

Undo restores all task data — title, description, priority, due date, and labels.

You can export any board's data from the board header. Click the ↓ Export button and choose a format:

Kanva is built and maintained as an independent project. If you run into a bug, have a feature idea, or just want to say hi — reach out.

If you want to report a security issue, please email directly rather than opening a public GitHub issue.