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Kanban tutorial

Kanban tutorial

Beginner18 minutes3 questions2026-08-09
The idea in one minute

Start with meaning, then move to detail.

This lesson explains Kanban tutorial as part of getting started with Hermes correctly. You will learn what it does, when it matters, and the smallest safe test that proves it works.

If you are new

If you are new, do not memorize names. Focus on three questions: what problem does this solve, what access does it need, and how can you verify the result?

For hands-on use

For practice, inspect the first example, identify its effects, run it on test data, and compare the result with the source claim.

For specialists

For advanced readers, inspect Setup, The board at a glance, Flat view, then verify failure modes and version compatibility.

What do you need first?

No prior experience is required; follow the steps on a safe test setup first.

What will you know?

A clear outcome before you read.

  • Understand Kanban tutorial without assumed prior knowledge.
  • Separate the source description from what still needs testing in your environment.
  • Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Topic map

What does the source say, and in what order?

  1. 01
    Setup

    Start here to understand the core idea or structure.

  2. 02
    The board at a glance

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  3. 03
    Flat view

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  4. 04
    Story 1 — Solo dev shipping a feature

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  5. 05
    Story 2 — Fleet farming

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  6. 06
    Story 3 — Role pipeline with retry

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  7. 07
    Story 4 — Circuit breaker and crash recovery

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  8. 08
    Circuit breaker — permanent-looking failure

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  9. 09
    Crash recovery — worker dies mid-flight

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  10. 10
    Structured handoff — why summary and metadata matter

    Finish here to verify the result and special cases.

Examples from the official page

Copy only after you understand the effect.

hermes kanban init # optional; first `hermes kanban <anything>` auto-inits hermes dashboard # opens http://127.0.0.1:9119 in your browser # click Kanban in the left nav
SCHEMA=$(hermes kanban create "Design auth schema" \ --assignee backend-dev --tenant auth-project --priority 2 \ --body "Design the user/session/token schema for the auth module." \ --json | jq -r .id) API=$(hermes kanban create "Implement auth API endpoints" \ --assignee backend-dev --tenant auth-project --priority 2 \ --parent $SCHEMA \ --body "POST /register, POST /login, POST /refresh, POST /logout." \ --json | jq -r .id) hermes kanban create "Write auth integration tests" \ --assignee qa-dev --tenant auth-project --priority 2 \ --parent $API \ --b
`kanban_show` defaults `task_id` to `$HERMES_KANBAN_TASK`, so the worker doesn't need to know its own id. `kanban_complete` writes the summary + metadata onto the current `task_runs` row, closes that run, and transitions the task to `done` — all in one atomic hop through `kanban_db`. When `SCHEMA` hits `done`, the dependency engine promotes `API` to `ready` automatically. The API worker, when it picks up, will call `kanban_show()` and see `SCHEMA`'s summary and metadata attached to the parent handoff — so it knows the schema decisions without re-reading a long design doc. Click the completed
Try it now

Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.

Match every command to your installed Hermes version, review the files and accounts it can reach, and use non-sensitive data for the first test. If this explanation differs from the source, the official source wins.

Knowledge check

Three decisions before completion.

1. What is the source of truth when “Kanban tutorial” changes?
2. What is the best way to apply this lesson?
3. What should happen before a step can modify files or an external account?