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Quiet Kanban

A configurable Kanban view for Obsidian Bases, with compact cards, group colors, templates, and reusable detail panes.

Features

• Choose any grouping and title property, and add, remove, or reorder display fields.
• Start with task, project, content, or blank-board presets.
• Show text, tags, dates, numbers, and checkboxes with optional labels and empty-value placeholders.
• Drag column headers to set an order that is saved per board.
• Drag cards between columns to update writable grouping properties.
• Edit card properties inline, including dates through a native date picker.
• Link a global template or a separate template for each board.
• Open documents in a reusable right split or tab; click the same card again to collapse details.
• Rename, move, and delete documents through the card menu.
• Use an English or Chinese interface, following Obsidian by default.

Requirements

• Obsidian desktop, version 1.10.2 or later.
• The Bases core plugin enabled.

Installation

Copy the following files into your vault:

<vault>/.obsidian/plugins/quiet-kanban/
  main.js
  manifest.json
  styles.css

Use your actual configuration directory if it differs from .obsidian. Enable Quiet Kanban under Settings → Community plugins.

For a source checkout, run npm run check first to build main.js. See Installation for the full process.

Quick Start

1. Create a folder for your documents, such as Tasks.
2. Right-click the folder and choose Create board, or run Quiet Kanban: Create enhanced Kanban board from the Command Palette.
3. Enter a name, choose a scene preset, and set the document folder.
4. Use a column's + menu to create a document or link a template.
5. Click a card to open details. Click the same card again to collapse them when click-to-collapse is enabled.

Creating from a folder menu places the board in that folder. Creating from the command or plugin settings places it in the vault root. The document-folder setting controls query scope separately.

Configuration

Open Settings → Quiet Kanban for language, default fields, the global template, colors, column width, and detail behavior.

For a single board, click the first column's configuration icon or run Quiet Kanban: Configure board fields. Choose Custom field list to manage the layout directly, or Follow Bases property menu to use native property selection and order.

Presets are editable starting points. Match their properties to your documents before saving.

Drag column headers to arrange columns; the order saves automatically and remains when switching documents or reopening the board. Card order within a column follows Bases sorting.

Note properties are writable. Formula and file metadata fields are read-only; a file-name title is changed through renaming. File and formula grouping does not support column creation or drag writes.

Documentation

Start at the documentation hub (简体中文).

Development

Node.js 20+ is required. No third-party npm dependencies are needed.

npm ci --ignore-scripts
npm test
npm run build
npm run check

To build, install into an open vault, reload, and check plugin loading:

npm run dev:install -- --vault "/absolute/path/to/vault"

See Development and Testing for options and interface test steps.

License

MIT.

Privacy and vault access

Quiet Kanban works locally and makes no network requests or telemetry calls. Board data comes from the active Bases query. Global field suggestions use configured fields and scene presets, without scanning note metadata; you can type other property names directly. Board field suggestions also include properties supplied by Bases.

Template selection resolves only the vault-relative path you enter, or the current Markdown note you explicitly select. It does not enumerate all note paths or read note contents to find templates. When creating a note from a linked template, it reads that selected template through the Obsidian API. Folder suggestions list vault folders. Card creation, editing, renaming, moving, and deletion use Obsidian APIs in response to your actions.