Integrations

Learn how to use Kanban Tool together with your favorite sites, apps, and the cloud. Associate your board with Google and Outlook Calendars, One Drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Also here - a coverage on mobile use of Kanban Tool.

What integrations does Kanban Tool offer?

Kanban Tool offers many useful integrations, a list of which is constantly growing. We also provide a powerful API to integrate Kanban Tool with your internal systems.

  • Zapier It offers the easiest way to sync Kanban Tool with other web services you and your team already use on a daily basis. Learn how to hook Kanban Tool up with any of over 2000 great applications on Zapier integration page.

  • Email
    You can add tasks to your Kanban boards directly from your inbox, no matter what email provider and client you use. Follow these instructions on how to start adding tasks to Kanban Tool via email.

  • JIRA® & Kanban Tool integration via Zapier
    You can also create tasks in Kanban Tool and send them to Atlassian JIRA® using Zapier. Please learn more on JIRA® & Kanban Tool integration.

  • Task export to Excel or CSV You can export all tasks from your Kanban board to Excel or CSV. While on a board, go to the Tools menu in the top right corner and select the Export tasks option.

  • Import tasks from Excel or CSV
    You can import Kanban cards to your board and save a lot of time. To do this, go to the Tools menu and click Import tasks. Then prepare a CSV file for import.

  • Google Drive, Box, Dropbox and OneDrive
    To attach online documents to your task cards, feel free to enable either of the four dedicated power-ups.

  • Export tasks to Outlook Calendar While on Kanban board view, go to the Tools menu, and use export to calendar, selecting Outlook/iCal.
    Important: please note, that Outlook should be your default calendar for this integration to work correctly.

  • Export tasks to Google Calendar Want to follow your Kanban Tool task due dates in Google Calendar? Connect the 2 apps by doing a quick export to Google calendar. Please note, that due to Google’s synchronization settings, it may take up to 24 hrs for your tasks to first appear in the Kanban Calendar.

  • Chromecast + Kanban Tool = Kanban Cast
    This integration lets you display a Kanban board on any Chromecast enabled TV, to create a perfect information radiator for your team. View detailed instructions on how to enable Chromecast integration.

  • Add task button Chrome extension for Kanban Tool This integration helps you add new tasks quicker by clicking on the Kanban Tool extension icon in your browser’s top right corner menu. No matter what you’re doing online, you can always quickly add tasks to Kanban Tool. Please see how to set up Chrome integration.

  • Kanbanira Chrome extension for Kanban Tool Kanbanira connects tasks in Kanban Tool with issues in Atlassian JIRA®. It’s a simple, but powerful integration, allowing you to benefit from both software. To get this going, please visit Kanbanira - Chrome extension.

You’re welcome to view the complete list of Kanban Tool Integrations.

I want to add tasks via email to Kanban Tool

To add tasks to your Kanban board via email, you will need to use an email address that is directly assigned to your Kanban board. To do this, please click on the Tools menu in the top right corner of your board view and choose the Add tasks from email option. I want to add tasks via email to Kanban Tool

Please copy the displayed email address - it’s a unique email, assigned to your board. Sending emails to it will add tasks to your board, and show you as their creator.
When another member of the team displays the same board’s address for themselves, then tasks sent to it will be shown as created by that team member. In other words, the email address is unique to the board, and to the user who displays it.

The subject of the email message will become the name of the task, while the message itself will constitute the description of the task.
Filling the subject field is required for the creation of the task. You can use up to 256 characters for the task name.

You can also include any type of file in the email, as an attachment (note the size limit for 1 file and 1 email is 20 MB). Any files sent with the email will get added to the task in Kanban Tool as attachments. The functionality can greatly ease your email management - just forward all emails to your board and plan them into your workflow.

Adding more advanced tasks via email

You can further determine the features of the task, by adding tags to the subject of the email.
The names of the tags correspond with the names on your Kanban board and determine the location of the new task added to the board.
Tags should be added before the name of the task in square brackets, without spaces.

You can set some of the card attributes in an email. All of them need to be set in the email subject, each within square brackets. The attributes currently supported are:

  • column name
  • swimlane name
  • card type
  • assigned user initials
  • priority (high or low)
  • due date (YEAR-MONTH-DAY i.e. [2021-08-29])

Any other attribute set in the email subject within square brackets will go to the tags field.

Example 1 - for a simpler task:
[Yellow][To do]Task 1
An email subject written like this will assign a yellow card to the To do column of the Kanban board, and the task will be named Task 1.

Example 2 - for a more advanced task:
[High][Red][Waiting][Marketing][BT][2021-11-08]Perform A/B tests
A subject written like this will assign a high priority, red card, that is due on 2021-11-08 to the Waiting column of the Marketing swimlane with the name of Bill Thompson and a task name Perform A/B tests.

I want to add tasks via email to Kanban Tool - Email Example

How to use the “Add task button” Chrome extension in Kanban Tool?

First, you need to log in to your Kanban Tool account, and - from the Dashboard - go to My profile, and to API access. Here, generate your API token and copy it.

Then, go to https://chrome.google.com/webstore/ and add this extension to Chrome.
Click the top-right corner menu of your browser to enable the Kanban Tool Add task button.

The last thing to do is to fill the form with your Kanban Tool domain name and the generated API token.
Once you’ve set that up, you can start adding new tasks through one click on the browser’s corner menu.
Kanban Tool extension Add task button

How to export tasks to Excel or CSV?

You can export all tasks from your Kanban board to a spreadsheet file. While on the board, go to the Tools menu in the top-right corner, and select the Export tasks option. Export tasks to a spreadsheet

It is also possible to export only some of the tasks. You can either apply a Kanban board filter, and use the More… option to export selected Kanban cards, or you may manually select several tasks (CTRL & click) and export those from a right-click menu on any of the selected cards. Export a selection of tasks only

A reverse action - importing tasks from a spreadsheet file - is also possible.

How can Kanban Tool synchronize with Outlook?

Kanban Tool can be synchronized with your Outlook Calendar, allowing you to track the due dates of your tasks in Outlook.
While on a board, go to the Tools menu in the top-right corner, and use export to calendar - Outlook / iCal.

Please note, that Outlook should be your computer’s default calendar, for this to work.

I need to export cards to Google calendar - how can I do that?

Before integrating with Google Calendar, make sure that there are due dates on some of your tasks.
To use due dates, go to the board’s Settings - Card Template and activate the Due date field.

Now, once you’ve set some due dates for tasks, go to the Tools menu in top-right corner of the board, and choose Export to calendar - Google.
In your Google calendar tab, you will see a pop-up asking: Do you want to add this calendar?
Click Yes, add this calendar - your tasks with due dates should get displayed in the calendar.

Please note, that due to Google’s policy on external calendars synchronization, it can take up to 24 hrs for the integration to activate.

I am not able to export the Tasks to Google Task or / and Calendar. What is wrong?

The problem is most likely caused by Google Calendar’s default update time for external calendars. Google updates them only once a day, which can cause delays in the integration going live. Unsubscribing from Kanban Tool’s calendar in Google and re-subscribing doesn’t help.
The best option is to wait at least a day to see if your tasks start showing in Google Calendar. They usually do.

Does Kanban Tool have an iPhone or iPad app?

A dedicated iOS application is available for free to all registered Kanban Tool users.
Download it from iTunes and enjoy Kanban Tool in lightweight form, wherever you are.

If, however, you prefer the original full-board view, and want to use Kanban Tool’s full version in a web browser of your device, you may find these dedicated gestures helpful:

  • Single click on a card to open it for editing
  • Click and hold for a second to open the context menu
  • Click and hold for a second and then drag to move a card to a different column.

Kanban Tool mobile apps

How to let a client monitor progress of a specific Kanban card?

Unfortunately, you cannot share just 1 specific Kanban card or a few cards with an external user - a person that was not invited to join your Kanban Tool account.

The only solution is to add the client as a user of your account. You will be able to provide your client with a direct link to a specific Kanban card, but please note, they will also have a full view of the board the task is on. You can give this user a read only access privilege, preventing them from making changes to any of the cards.

Can I add attachments via e-mail?

Yes. In order to add attachments to tasks created by email, simply include them with the message you’re sending.
A single file, nor the total size of all files attached to a single email, cannot exceed 20 MB.

Not sure how to create tasks by email - please visit this page.

How to enable OneDrive integration?

You can easily add files from your OneDrive account to Kanban Tool.
To enable the integration, go to Settings - Power-Ups, click on OneDrive and then on Enable. You can now attach files directly from your OneDrive account.

Simply press the + add attachment link from an open card. Then choose to Attach from OneDrive in the drop-down menu: How to enable OneDrive integration?

Send e-mail alerts to your boards

Stay on top of all notifications by visualizing them on the board!
You can integrate email alerts from any software you’re using. Examples of email alerts

Please follow this sample MOZ alerts guide

Our Marketing board template is designed for the alerts to be stored in the very first column.

  • First, obtain your board’s email address from Tools - Add tasks from email, just copy the custom email address to the clipboard. Obtaining the board email address To start getting alerts on the board, you will have to set up filters in your email account.

  • Go to Settings - Forwarding and POP/IMAP and click the Add a forwarding address button.
    Then paste in the board’s email address that you’ve copied a moment ago.
    Once you’ve confirmed the address, a new Kanban card will be created on your board with instructions to activate your new forwarding address. Forwarding confirmation Follow the instructions inside the card to verify your email address.
    Once complete, you will get the following message:
    You have verified the forwarding address.

  • Please locate the MOZ alerts in your inbox,
    then select one of the emails and click More on the toolbar, then Create filter.
    Or, open any email from MOZ, which you want to forward to your Kanban Tool board. Then click More on the toolbar and Create filter. Create a filter

  • Now you will have to specify the alerts you want to receive.
    All alert emails will be received from the same email address so we leave it as it is.
    The To field can be used if more than one sub-domain is used within one email account. Leave it blank or type in a specific email address for your case.
    The Subject field will allow you to set the filters for specific alerts or by leaving it empty you will receive all MOZ alerts. Email filters

  • Once you have filled out the information, proceed to Create filter with this search.
    In this section, you need to specify your filter options to forward the alerts to your project boards. Since the alerts will be visible in Kanban Tool, you can check the Skip the inbox (Archive it) box to avoid unnecessary traffic in your inbox.
    Also, please check the Never send it to Spam box. Most importantly, do check the Forward it to box and select your board email address that the alerts will be forwarded to.

  • Congratulations, now you will receive all alerts directly on your project board.
    We advise on setting up your board according to our template where the first column is an Alert lane, in which all the alerts will land.

Access Kanban Tool on your mobile devices

We welcome you to download Kanban Tool dedicated applications for Android and iOS mobile devices.

You can also use a mobile gateway for mobile devices to easily manage your tasks on any phone or tablet. The mobile gateway can be opened by simply adding /m at the end of your domain’s URL.
For example: http://domain.kanbantool.com/m/
Do ensure to enter the final slash after m/, please.
Mobile Access

One Click Access to Kanban Tool with SAML 2.0

SAML is a standard for identity management and SSO is often used by large enterprises. Kanban Tool supports SAML 2.0-based One-Click authentication, which is supplied by many vendors together with online cloud identity providers such as OneLogin and SecureAuth.

Kanban Tool’s integration with SAML 2.0 will allow all your team members to log in to Kanban Tool with just one click. Also, creating new accounts is much simpler - just add a new person’s profile to the identity provider’s service. Similarly, when someone leaves your company, you’ll be able to delete their profile with a single modification. One-click access to Kanban Tool

To enable it for your team - you will first need to have an account with one of the identity providers (as an example: OneLogin, SecureAuth). Then, from a Kanban Tool’s owner account, go to the Account Administration panel, then Single Sign-On and please tick enable SAML2 Single Sign On. There you will need to fill in the information provided by the identity provider’s service.

After you’ve completed the required details, you will be able to test the integration: Test your SSO settings

From here your team is all set!

For guidance on integrating SAML with Google Apps for Work, please view SAML2 Single Sign On integration. And if you’re interested in integrating SAML with ADFS, please contact us to get a detailed guide helping to set that up.

How to set up a CSV file for import?


How can I import task information?

Tools - Import Tasks

You’re welcome to import several tasks to your board in one go - either by:

  • uploading a .csv spreadsheet file,
  • dragging/pasting a copy of data directly from an Excel sheet to the import window
  • or typing/pasting task data as text into the import table.
Import Tasks - Options

What data types can I import?

Your Kanban Tool cards can use any combination of the default and custom fields, most of which can be populated via the import.
The only necessary field is the task name.

The following is a list of fields you can import data into, provided that you have first enabled and customized them all at your Settings - Card Types and Card Template pages:


type format comments char limit
name text   250
stage (column) text as defined at Settings - Board Editor 256
swimlane (row) text as defined at Settings - Board Editor 256
checklist text e.g., item 1; item2; item 3; 1000
description text   59600
external link text/URL   1024
card type text as defined at Settings - Card Types 255
priority 1, 0, -1 1 high, 0 normal, -1 low 2
start date YYYY-MM-DD   10
due date YYYY-MM-DD   10
assigned to Name Surname as defined on your People page 255
external ID number   256
estimated time number of hrs e.g., 2 (two hrs), or 2:30 (two hrs 30 min) 6
difficulty number as defined at Settings - Card Template 250
tags text   256
custom field text as defined at Settings - Card Template 6500
custom field non-text as defined at Settings - Card Template 256
ID* number refers to the native ID of existing tasks;
*only to be used for updating existing cards
8

What data cannot be imported?

Task information impossible to import are file attachments, task comments, task changes history (e.g., creation date or update times), and task dependencies.

How to import data to a board?

If you’re going to import a file that contains a title row, naming what data type is listed in which columns, you should either delete this row before uploading or use the built-in import option to change file format, with which you can select to ignore the first row. If the imported file seems to have incorrectly detected your data separators, you may also tweak this in here.

Import Tasks - Adjust Format

Once you’ve got the first row removed and data separators in order, it’s time to assign which card fields are represented by which column. On many occasions, Kanban Tool will recognize some fields itself, especially if you’re using a Kanban Tool export file to import back.
If your file has any empty columns, or columns you do not want or can’t import back to Kanban Tool, leave the heading above this row as (ignored). For all other columns, be sure to choose the right data type field from the drop-down list.

Import Tasks - Choose Data Type

In cases where you need to choose an option defined by the board settings, such as a card type - you can do this by hovering over the field - an arrow will show and let you choose the right type from a drop-down menu. This will happen for various field types - whenever you see this arrow, it means that cues are available for you to choose from.

Import Tasks - Uploading and errors

After this, simply hit the blue Import button at the bottom.
If there are any problems with the import, you’ll see a black exclamation point - if you hover the mouse cursor over it, you’ll see information about what exactly the problem was.

Mass-update tasks with the import tool!

The import functionality also allows you to make updates to tasks already present on your board. To update them, be sure to include either the cards’ native IDs or External IDs on the import list. The data you import with a reference to an existing ID/External ID will overwrite (not add into, but replace) what was there previously. It’s a great way to mass update task due dates, user assignments, priorities, or tags.

For as long as either an ID or External ID is named, you can synchronize tasks with a spreadsheet with no limits.


Related: A reverse action - exporting tasks to a spreadsheet - is also available.

Single Sign-on: integrating Google Apps for Work with Kanban Tool

Get one-click access to Kanban Tool for your team with Google Apps for Work. Find out how to give all of your Google team members access to Kanban Tool with SAML 2.0.

If you’re using Google Apps for Work (company email addresses with Gmail, Company Google Drive, etc.), this is the best way to make Kanban Tool your project management go-to place in your Google Apps. SAML 2.0 is a standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between security domains. Use this integration to make the 2 come together and simplify your team management.

To integrate your Kanban Tool account with Google Apps for Work, please follow these steps:

  1. Go to Google Apps for Work Admin Console - and open Apps
  2. Choose SAML Apps - Add a service / app to your domain
  3. Click the green link to Setup my own custom app
  4. Open your Kanban Tool account and go to Account Administration. This tab is only visible for Kanban Tool account owners. Go to the Single Sign-On option - and please enable it
  5. Copy the SSO URL from Google Admin Console window and paste it in Kanban Tool SAML settings as SAML Login URL
  6. Then download the security certificate from Google Admin Console window and upload it to Kanban Tool's SAML settings
  7. In Kanban Tool's section on How should the new accounts be provisioned - please choose what user privileges should the newly SSO-added users of Kanban Tool have - if you'd like for them to be able to create own boards, they would need to be Project Managers. If you leave them as normal users - they will only see the boards that others will share with them.

    Please note, that when choosing the option to not provision new accounts - you will need to change the account creating user's username to their email, otherwise they will not be recognized when signing in with SAML 2.0.
  8. In Google Admin Console - please hit next and name the application Kanban Tool & hit next again. In Service Provider Details - as the ACS URL please paste the Access / Login URL from Kanban Tool's SAML settings
  9. Copy and paste the Entity ID from Kanban Tool to Google Admin Console
  10. In Google Admin Console - select the Name ID Format to be an email and hit finish
  11. You will notice that the newly added Kanban Tool Google App is now off - please go to the triple dot menu and switch it on
  12. Go back to Kanban Tool SAML settings and save the changes.

The process has also been presented for your convenience in the short video below:

If you’re interested in integrating Kanban Tool SAML SSO with ADFS, please contact us to get a detailed guide helping to achieve this.

How to create tasks from an Excel spreadsheet?

If you often work in Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and want to integrate your Kanban board with Excel data - you may wish to simply create tasks on a Kanban board directly from the Excel data cells and save time.

Download this guide on adding tasks to Kanban Tool from Excel. Then follow the steps to add a custom macro to your spreadsheet and save time and money through automation.

The macro can also be configured to work with a Kanban Tool On-Site instance. How to create tasks from an Excel spreadsheet

Where do I get my API token?

Each user has a unique API token. To generate yours, please go to My Profile - API access. My Profile is available under your name displayed in the top right corner of the dashboard.

Generate an API token

Alternatively, you can go directly to an URL following this pattern:
https://your-account-name.kanbantool.com/profile/api_token

Learn more about using Kanban Tool API.

Integration with Microsoft Teams

Kanban Tool offers a tight integration with Microsoft Teams, allowing you to share boards as tabs directly inside the teams channel.

How to get started?

  • Start by clicking the “Add tab” button on your MS Teams channel view, and pick Kanban Tool from the apps list.

  • Once authentication is complete, you will be given a choice whether to create a company-wide account in Kanban Tool, or an account dedicated for your team only.

Also, once your account is connected with MS Teams, you no longer need to worry about managing user access to your boards.

How to integrate Kanban Tool with Google Sheets?

A Kanban board view is fantastic for reading task status and priorities. But if you’re looking to review items in a spreadsheet format and update several tasks at once, that’s also possible.

You can either work with direct board exports to Excel/CSV or integrate with Google Sheets.

To move data from a Google Sheet to your Kanban Tool board - or the other way round - please follow these steps:

  • In Google Sheets, open the sidebar and click the plus “Get add-ons” icon
    Add Kanban Tool to Google Sheets
  • Find Kanban Tool and connect it to your Google account
    Enable the Kanban Tool Add-on
  • Type in your Kanban Tool account name and your API key
    Log in to Kanban Tool with API token
  • Lastly, choose which of your boards you want to work with and what data fields you need listed, and click the “Import from Kanban Tool” button
    Select Kanban Tool board and task data to import

For as long as the task ID field is present in your Google Sheets data, any changes you make to the tasks - e.g., the name, description, column or swimlane location, etc. - will overwrite the existing information when you export it back to Kanban Tool.

You can also use the integration to create new tasks. First, fill the spreadsheet with task names and any other information you want to bring to Kanban Tool and hit export. In this case, specifying the task ID is unnecessary. Please maintain the one task per row format and specify the data field types in the first row:
Create Kanban Tool tasks from Google Sheets Then just click “Export to Kanban Tool”. If you don’t set a column and swimlane for items to be added into, tasks will be created at the bottom of the topmost swimlane and leftmost column.

How to use Integromat to automate external services with Kanban Tool?

Integromat.com is an automation tool that connects your various online applications and services, including Kanban Tool. The customizable automation scenarios joining the different services will speed up and simplify your work significantly.

To get started, you’ll need to set up an account with Integromat.

Once done, click on ”+ Create a new scenario” and connect the apps you want to communicate with Kanban Tool. We’ll use Gmail as a simple scenario example, getting Integromat to forward the emails coming into the inbox to a Kanban Tool sales pipeline board, for visual planning purposes. How to use Integromat - setting up the connection

Now that you’ve selected which emails Integromat will be forwarding, you have to choose what Kanban Tool board they should appear on and what kind of information they should use. How to use Integromat - adding a module

Feel free to use the “Run once” option to test how the scenario works. Once happy with the formatting, you can set a schedule along which the automation should execute. How to use Integromat - testing and scheduling

That’s all! Now each email is creating a new task on your board, according to your preferences. How to use Integromat - preview results in Kanban Tool

Note that your scenarios can contain many more than two applications - a scenario can be built out of several modules, chaining your automation across multiple platforms. That’s what makes the integration so powerful.

The available triggers between Kanban Tool and Integromat are: watching for new tasks creation, new board activity, and new board creation. The offered automatic actions are, e.g., creating, archiving, moving tasks, adding comments, completing checklist items, and more.

How does Kanban Tool integrate with AI?

Discover the power of OpenAI® applied to Kanban Tool project boards for the ultimate workflow improvement!

Kanban Tool’s powerful integration with AI technology features tasks’ checklist item suggestions - the AI Assistant Power-Up - and an AI-enhanced board creation wizard. With this integration, you can get recommendation of a new board layout and task card types based on your text prompts. It will help you create efficient workflows tailored to your unique needs.

Enabling AI board creation suggestions

The board creation assistant will guide you through the process with ease. When creating a new board, activate the AI assistant, and provide general information about your project, such as its purpose and scope - or answer the “what will I be doing on the board?” question. The assistant will analyze this information and propose board column names and possible card types best suited to your described needs.

You can also benefit from the artificial intelligence integration when planning new tasks. With the AI Assistant Power-Up, you can create comprehensive task cards that include all the necessary steps to complete a task without spending much time thinking through every detail. Simply use the + Suggest checklist option and have the assistant recommend the best to-dos for a given task name or an additional text description.

Generating to-do items in a Kanban Tool card with the AI Assistant Power-Up

To enhance your workflow more still, you can use the Suggest tasks feature on all your Kanban board columns. This feature asks you to enter the goal or activity you plan to work on and generates a customized list of tasks to help you achieve the objective. As a result, you will save time and end up with a highly detailed workflow fully tailored to your use case scenario.

Task card suggestions from Kanban Tool AI

With the AI technology integration, you can be confident that your workflow is optimized for maximum productivity.
Say goodbye to endless hours of planning and preparation and hello to the satisfaction of getting things done quickly and efficiently!