Kanri: a local-only Kanban board for macOS, Windows and Linux built on Tauri and Nuxt
Modern offline Kanban board app for Windows, MacOS and Linux made with Tauri and Nuxt. Built with simplicity and user experience in mind.
At a glance
- What is it?
- Kanri is a desktop Kanban board that stores everything in a single local .json file and requires no internet connection or account. The README commits to never adding cloud sync, which makes it a clear fit for offline workflows and a non-starter for teams that need shared access.
- Who is it for?
- Kanri is the right choice for individuals who want a Kanban board that runs entirely on the local machine without a sign-up or a sync service. Teams who need shared boards, mobile access, or real-time collaboration will not find those features here, and cloud sync is explicitly ruled out by design.
- Can I use it commercially?
- Yes, with conditions. GPL-3.0 is a copyleft licence: if you distribute software that includes it, you must release that software's source code under the same licence. Running it internally without distributing it does not trigger that obligation.
- Is it still maintained?
- Yes. The repository last received commits 1 day ago.
- What is it written in?
- Mainly Vue, according to GitHub's language statistics.
Answers come from the project's GitHub data, last synced on October 11, 2026, and from our analysis. They are not legal advice.
Editorial analysis
One .json file as the entire data layer, with no outbound connections required
Every board in Kanri lives in a single .json file on the local machine. There is no background sync, no external database, and no server to authenticate against. Loading the app and closing it never requires a network connection.
This choice shapes everything else. Moving a card writes to that file immediately, and working while offline changes nothing about what the app can do. The README puts this in explicit terms: your data will always be yours, and there will never be any cloud sync built in. That phrasing frames it as a design commitment, not a current gap.
The one concession to multi-device use appears in the roadmap: a future option to save individual boards to different file paths would let tools like Syncthing handle replication without the application touching the network. That feature is not yet available. For now, manual export or a direct copy of the .json file are the only paths to moving data between machines.
Tauri 2 wrapping a Nuxt 4 frontend: what the stack means for a cross-platform build
Kanri compiles to a native desktop binary using Tauri, which wraps a web frontend built with Nuxt. The frontend depends on Vue 3, Pinia for state management, Tailwind CSS for styling, and VueUse for composable utilities. On the desktop side, @tauri-apps/plugin-fs handles file reads and writes, @tauri-apps/plugin-dialog manages native file dialogs, and @tauri-apps/plugin-autostart controls whether the app opens at login. The build produces a native installer for each target platform rather than an Electron bundle that ships its own Chromium runtime.
One structural detail that affects contributors: the main branch is where development happens and pull requests land, while a separate branch tracks the stable build. Anyone building from source against main may get code that is not yet in any distributed package. The README points to CONTRIBUTING.md for the contribution guidelines.
Installing Kanri on macOS, Windows and Linux
Three download paths are documented: the page at kanriapp.com/download, the project's GitHub repository, and a Homebrew cask for macOS. The current build is 0.8.2. For most users, the download page provides the installer directly. On macOS, the Homebrew option is:
brew install kanriapp/cask/kanriAfter that command completes, the app appears in /Applications. On Apple Silicon, the app is not code-signed because the project has no funding for an Apple Developer membership. Without a fix, the app shows an error saying it is broken. The README gives one command to clear that quarantine flag:
xattr -cr /Applications/kanri.appOn Windows and Linux, no equivalent workaround is documented. Only more recent versions of each operating system are supported, with no specific floor versions documented for any platform.
Columns, cards, sub-tasks, tags, due dates and rich-text descriptions
A board in Kanri holds columns, and each column holds cards. Cards carry a title and an optional rich-text description, and each card can have sub-tasks, a due date, and tags. Columns are reorderable, and so are cards within and between them. Beyond the core board structure, the app supports custom themes and board background images, with keyboard shortcuts available for faster board navigation.
Cards have tags, but there is no documented cross-board tag view or a filter that spans multiple boards. Each board is self-contained in the .json file. Someone who maintains several active boards has no way within the app to see all upcoming due dates across those boards in one place, because no such aggregated view is described in the README or in the repository layout.
Trello import, full and granular export, and no documented path from other tools
Kanri can import from Trello. The README calls this import basic, without specifying which card fields or board structures carry over. Export is available in two forms: a granular export and a full export for backups, though neither is described in detail beyond those names.
Because all board data lives in a single local .json file, copying that file directly also creates a complete backup, and opening it in a text editor exposes the full data structure without going through the application's export function.
There is no documented import path from Jira, Linear, Asana, Notion, or any other tool. Anyone migrating from a different Kanban application to Kanri has no supported conversion route and would need to rebuild boards by hand or write their own script targeting the .json format.
The 1.0 roadmap lists internationalization while the i18n package is already in the devDependencies
Internationalization appears as a 1.0 roadmap target, described as a feature not yet complete. Reading the repository layout shows a different picture: @nuxtjs/i18n already appears in the devDependencies, and an i18n/ directory sits at the repository root alongside the other source directories. The infrastructure is in place while the roadmap still treats internationalization as a future target.
The roadmap also names a widget panel as a 1.0 target. After 1.0, the roadmap describes a maintenance mode with smaller updates focused on fixes, new languages and simple feature improvements. The project is in active development and provided AS IS. Explicit guidance in the README asks users to make regular backups and exports to prevent data loss.
Building from source requires pnpm, Node.js and the Tauri development environment
Building the application requires Node.js (latest LTS recommended), pnpm as the package manager, and the Tauri development environment as documented at tauri.app. With those in place, the build sequence from the README is:
pnpm install
pnpm tauri devThe second command starts a debug build. For a production binary, the README gives two commands in sequence:
pnpm generate
pnpm tauri buildFor ARM builds on Linux, the repository includes 2 Dockerfiles (Dockerfile.arm64 and Dockerfile.armv7) with 4 corresponding npm scripts: init:armv7, init:arm64, build:armv7 and build:arm64.
The application source is under GPL-3.0 with some files under Apache 2.0 as noted per-file, and the Kanri name, logo and branding remain under full copyright and are not covered by either licence.
Editorial conclusion
Kanri is the right choice for individuals who want a Kanban board that runs entirely on the local machine without a sign-up or a sync service. Teams who need shared boards, mobile access, or real-time collaboration will not find those features here, and cloud sync is explicitly ruled out by design. Before installing on Apple Silicon, confirm that running xattr -cr /Applications/kanri.app after installation is acceptable, since the app is unsigned. On Windows and Linux, the installer from kanriapp.com/download works without that step.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Kanri store board data?
All board data is saved in a single local .json file on the device. No network connection is required and no data is sent to any external server.
Does Kanri support collaboration or team access?
No. The README states that there will never be any cloud sync built in. Board data stays on the local machine, and there is no shared access feature.
Can I import my Trello boards into Kanri?
Yes, the README lists basic data import from Trello. The exact fields and structures that transfer are not specified beyond that description.
Does Kanri work on Apple Silicon Macs?
Yes, but the app is not code-signed because the project has no Apple Developer membership funding. After installation, Apple Silicon users need to run xattr -cr /Applications/kanri.app to prevent an error about the app being broken.
How do I back up Kanri data?
A full export option for backups is available in the application. Because all board data lives in a single local .json file, copying that file directly also gives a complete backup.
Official sources
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