Signboard

Signboard is a local-first desktop kanban app that stores your lists as directories and cards as Markdown files on disk.

Signboard is free for personal use. If you are using Signboard for your work, it would be appreciated if you make the commercial-use sponsorship payment to support future development. See the app's "Sponsor" button.

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✨ Highlights

• 📂 Cards saved as Markdown files
• 💎 Full Obsidian support
• 🖌️ Color scheme per board (several to choose from!)
• 🌙 Light and dark mode variants for all color schemes
• 🏷 Custom labels per board
• 🗓 Compact calendar controls for card and task list item start/due dates
• ↕️ One-time list ordering by due date, while preserving normal manual card ordering afterward
• 📋 Bottom view dock for Planner, Kanban, and Table, including card age columns, sorting, list filtering, and bulk actions in Table
• 🗂 Planner workspace view for actionable dated work across open boards, with automatic local-day rollover while Signboard stays open
• 📆 Optional local External Published Calendar feed for calendar app subscriptions
• 🔮 Obsidian-friendly properties, Bases generation, linked objects, linked-object counts, and signboard:// card links
• 🎨 Board-colored source pills in Planner date views
• ✅ Completed-list workflow settings that preserve due-date history
• ✅ Progress counters on cards
• 🔎 Live search
• 🗄️ Linked files and URLs on cards
• ✨ Optional local Ollama Smart Card Actions for titles, summaries, task lists, auto-labeling, smart paste, due dates, linked objects, one-off quick prompts, read-only card questions, and drag-reorderable custom actions
• 🧲 Drag-and-drop card movement
• ⚡ Unlimited open boards with overflow tabs and a quick switcher
• 🧬 Board duplication from Settings with fresh copied-card IDs
• ⌨️ Keyboard shortcuts
• ♿ Keyboard, screen reader, reduced-motion, and forced-colors improvements
• 🤖 MCP server
• 💻 CLI

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Installation

1. Go to the Releases page.
2. On the latest release, use the curated download links in the release body:
   • Download for macOS (Universal)
   • Download for Windows
   • Linux packages grouped by package type with explicit x64 and ARM64 labels

On Arch Linux or Omarchy, download the matching .pacman package and install it with:

sudo pacman -U ./signboard_VERSION_linux_x64.pacman

The package installs Signboard, its launcher entry, its signboard:// URL handler, and its icon together. It does not require FUSE. Use the linux_aarch64.pacman package on an ARM machine. The AppImage remains available for other distributions.

For standard releases, Signboard intentionally promotes a smaller public download set:

• macOS: universal build
• Windows: single installer
• Linux: separate x64 and ARM64 AppImage, deb, and Arch/Omarchy packages

Arch Linux (AUR)

On Arch Linux and Arch-based distributions, Signboard is available on the Arch User Repository as signboard-appimage for x86_64 and aarch64. The package is maintained in the community missing-aur project and kept up to date with upstream releases.

Install with your preferred AUR helper:

yay -S signboard-appimage
# or
paru -S signboard-appimage

On Omarchy, open Settings > General and choose Follow Omarchy theme to use the active Omarchy palette and follow future theme changes. The choice appears only when Signboard detects Omarchy. Selecting a non-default board color scheme keeps that board's deliberate palette.

Documentation

• Documentation hub
• Using Signboard
• Signboard CLI
• MCP Server

Keyboard Shortcuts

On macOS, use Cmd. On Windows and Linux, use Ctrl.

• Cmd/Ctrl + /: open keyboard shortcuts
• Cmd/Ctrl + K: switch between currently open boards
• Cmd/Ctrl + N: quick add a card to any open board
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + N: create a list
• Cmd/Ctrl + 1: return to Kanban and close Planner
• Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 1: switch to Table and close Planner
• Cmd/Ctrl + 2: open Planner Calendar for all open boards
• Cmd/Ctrl + 3: open Planner This Week for all open boards
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P: open or close Planner
• Cmd/Ctrl + 4: open Planner Day for all open boards
• Cmd/Ctrl + 5: open Planner Agenda for all open boards
• Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 2: open Planner Calendar for the current board
• Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 3: open Planner This Week for the current board
• Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 4: open Planner Day for the current board
• Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + 5: open Planner Agenda for the current board
• Cmd/Ctrl + ,: open Settings
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + D: toggle light and dark mode
• Cmd + Control + Shift + C on macOS, Ctrl + Alt + Shift + C elsewhere: cycle board color schemes
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + [: move the open card to the previous list
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ]: move the open card to the next list
• Cmd/Ctrl + Option/Alt + Shift + Backspace: archive the open card
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + A: open Archive
• Cmd/Ctrl + F: focus board search or Planner search
• Esc: close open modals

In board search, Planner search, and archive search, Enter or Arrow Down moves from the search field to the first visible result, arrow keys move between visible results, and Enter or Space opens or selects the focused result.

Board tabs, list actions, label/filter popovers, and Settings sections support arrow-key navigation. Home and End jump to the edges, Esc closes popovers, and Delete / Backspace closes a focused board tab.

When a card is open, workspace-level shortcuts such as create, board switcher, Planner/view switching, Settings, Archive, and search close the card first. Card-specific shortcuts such as moving or archiving the open card still act on that card. Use the header Card button or Cmd/Ctrl + N to open Quick Add. In the Quick Add card modal, choose the board and list before creating the card. Shift + Enter creates the card, opens it immediately, and focuses the notes field. App Settings can also register an optional global Quick Add shortcut that works while Signboard is open.

You can also open the shortcut helper from Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Editable fields, including the card title and body editor, support the native right-click text editing menu for cut, copy, paste, delete, and select all.

Raw http://, https://, and www. URLs typed in the card body are visually marked in the editor. Use the inline open-link control or Cmd/Ctrl-click the URL to open it in your default browser without changing the card's Markdown.

Cards, list actions, and dialogs are keyboard-operable, with screen-reader status announcements for common actions. Focus indicators appear for keyboard navigation without adding persistent outlines to the card editor for pointer users.

🤖 MCP Server

Signboard includes a built-in MCP server so agents can interact with local boards.

• Dedicated instructions: MCP_README.md
• To copy config: Help -> Copy MCP Config
• MCP uses signboard_list_boards plus both explicit allowed roots and Signboard's desktop trusted/open board state for board lookup.
• Optional agent skill: skills/signboard-mcp/SKILL.md

💻 CLI

Signboard includes a terminal CLI for direct board management without going through MCP.

• Full guide: docs/signboard-cli.md

• In the desktop app on macOS/Linux: Help -> Install Signboard CLI

• Use signboard boards list --json to list known boards before choosing one

• Use signboard use /Path/to/Board once to remember the active board for later commands

• Use signboard boards create /Path/to/NewBoard --use to create and select a new board from the terminal

• The installed signboard wrapper runs the bundled CLI in Electron's Node mode, avoiding desktop app startup for terminal commands.

• CLI-created, duplicated, edited, and moved cards keep the same flat Signboard/Obsidian properties as cards written in the desktop app, so they remain visible in managed Obsidian Bases.

Examples:

# Select a board once
signboard boards list --json
signboard use /Path/to/Board

# Create a board
signboard boards create /Path/to/NewBoard --use

# Lists
signboard lists
signboard lists create "Waiting"
signboard lists rename "Waiting" "Blocked"

# Cards
signboard cards --due next:7
signboard cards "To do"
signboard cards --label Urgent --search launch
signboard cards create --list "To do" --title "Ship release notes" --start 2026-03-18 --due 2026-03-20
signboard cards edit --card ab123 --due none --move-to Doing
signboard cards duplicate --card ab123 --list Leads --remove-label Template --dry-run --json
signboard cards create --from-card ab123 --list Leads --title "New lead"
signboard cards notes add --card ab123 --text "Emailed follow-up" --timestamp
signboard cards read --list Doing --card ab123

# Imports
signboard import trello --file ~/Downloads/trello-export.json
signboard import obsidian --source ~/Vault/Kanban.md --source ~/Vault/Boards/
signboard import tasksmd --source ~/TasksWorkspace/tasks/Project-A

# Or run through the packaged app executable
/Applications/Signboard.app/Contents/MacOS/Signboard use /Path/to/Board
/Applications/Signboard.app/Contents/MacOS/Signboard cards --due next:7

Interesting card listing filters:

• --due today
• --due tomorrow
• --due overdue
• --due this-week
• --due next:7 / next:14 / next:30
• --due-source card|task|any
• --label <name-or-id> (repeatable)
• --label-mode any|all
• --search <query>
• --sort list|due|title|updated|updated-oldest|updated-newest|created-oldest|created-newest
• --json for scripting output

Import options:

• signboard import trello --file <export.json> [--board <path>] [--json]
• signboard import obsidian --source <path> [--source <path> ...] [--board <path>] [--json]
• signboard import tasksmd --source <path> [--board <path>] [--json]

Obsidian Integration

Signboard boards can live inside an Obsidian vault. A good layout is Vault/Project/Signboard/<Board Name>/; avoid making a board a nested Obsidian vault with its own .obsidian folder. You can move an existing board into a vault with Settings > General > Move Board.

If the board is inside a detected vault, the card's Open With menu shows Obsidian actions for opening the card and copying an Obsidian URI.

Use the paperclip control next to labels to link Obsidian notes, local files, folders, web URLs, app deep links, and signboard:// links. You can also drag local files onto the open card editor to link them to that card.

Inside a vault, Signboard automatically creates Signboard Board.base for Obsidian Bases and keeps it current while it is still Signboard-managed. If you customize the Base in Obsidian, Signboard leaves it alone until you choose Settings > Obsidian > Generate Base again.

An optional desktop-only Obsidian companion plugin lives in obsidian-plugin/. Enable it to open/copy Signboard links, attach active Obsidian notes to Signboard cards, handle obsidian://signboard?cardId=..., and right-click a folder to Create Signboard.

Example task checklist syntax:

- [ ] Draft update
- [ ] (start: 2026-03-18) Outline proposal
- [x ] (due: 2026-03-20) Send proposal
- [ ] (scheduled: 2026-03-21) Follow up
- [ X] Confirm scope
- [ x ] Share notes

🔄 Automatic Updates

• The Signboard app can check for updates automatically.
• You can manually check any time from Check for Updates...:
  • macOS: Signboard app menu
  • Windows/Linux: Help menu
• Update dialogs convert GitHub release HTML or Markdown into readable plain text and omit the download-link section. Use View changelog for the complete release page.
• On Ubuntu, Signboard validates a downloaded .deb before requesting administrator access.
• On Arch Linux and Omarchy, Signboard recognizes the downloaded .pacman, validates it with pacman -Qp, and installs it with pkexec pacman -U. It never runs a database-only pacman -Sy refresh.
• Invalid downloads or package-manager failures leave the installed version unchanged and offer a shortcut to the release Downloads page.

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🛠 Development

git clone https://github.com/cdevroe/signboard.git
cd signboard
npm install
npm start

Tests

npm run test:frontmatter
npm run test:board-labels
npm run test:board-snapshot
npm run test:board-duplication
npm run test:app-settings
npm run test:ai-task-suggestions
npm run test:board-card-metadata
npm run test:due-notifications
npm run test:task-list
npm run test:obsidian-integration
npm run test:mcp
npm run test:cli
npm run test:cli-install
npm run test:desktop-cli
npm run test:card-ordering
npm run test:board-views
npm run test:card-timestamps
npm run test:timestamp
npm run test:external-calendar
npm run test:archive
npm run test:playwright
npm run test:import-trello
npm run test:import-obsidian
npm run test:import-tasksmd
npm run test:obsidian-plugin
npm run test:packaging-config
npm run release:verify

Playwright Electron tests do not explicitly bring the Signboard window to the foreground by default. Set SIGNBOARD_PLAYWRIGHT_FOREGROUND=1 before npm run test:playwright when you want the app focused while debugging.

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📦 Distribution Builds

macOS

# Default public macOS release build
npm run dist:mac

# Optional: specific macOS architectures for troubleshooting
npm run dist:mac:universal
npm run dist:mac:arm64
npm run dist:mac:x64

# Optional: build every macOS variant
npm run dist:mac:all

Each macOS distribution command finishes by launching the newly packaged app with isolated user data. The build fails unless the packaged main process and renderer bridge load successfully.

Windows (NSIS installer)

# Default public Windows release build
npm run dist:win

# Alias for the default Windows release build
npm run dist:win:all

# Optional: specific Windows architectures for troubleshooting
npm run dist:win:x64
npm run dist:win:arm64

Linux (AppImage, deb, Arch/Omarchy)

# Specific Linux architecture
npm run dist:linux:x64
npm run dist:linux:arm64

# Build both Linux architectures
npm run dist:linux:all

# Optional: RPM-only builds (requires rpmbuild in PATH)
npm run dist:linux:rpm:x64
npm run dist:linux:rpm:arm64
npm run dist:linux:rpm:all

# Optional: Arch/Omarchy-only builds
npm run dist:linux:pacman:x64
npm run dist:linux:pacman:arm64
npm run dist:linux:pacman:all

Build everything

# Public release matrix: macOS universal, Windows installer, Linux x64 + ARM64
npm run dist:all

Notes:

• --publish never is used for local builds so these commands package artifacts without attempting to publish releases.
• Standard public downloads are: macOS universal, one Windows installer, and Linux AppImage/deb/Arch packages for x64 and ARM64.
• The GitHub release body should be treated as the curated download surface. Link the public download set there instead of expecting users to interpret the raw asset list.
• Copy .env-sample to .env and fill in your credentials before running signing/notarization builds.
• macOS signing/notarization uses environment variables from .env (APPLE_ID, APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD, and APPLE_TEAM_ID).

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions in all forms are welcome!

• Report bugs: Open an Issue.
• Suggest features: Open an Issue with the enhancement label.
• Submit fixes or features: Fork the repo, make your changes, and open a Pull Request.

Contribution Guidelines

• Keep PRs focused: one change per PR makes reviews faster.
• Be respectful and constructive in discussions.

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💖 Sponsor the Project

Signboard now includes an in-app sponsorship modal with two options:

• Personal use: free, with an optional tip in any amount
• Commercial use: requested one-time payment

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📜 License

The source code in this repository is licensed under the MIT license.

MIT © 2025-2026 Colin Devroe - https://cdevroe.com

Important clarification:

• The MIT license allows personal and commercial use of the source code.
• The in-app $49 commercial-use payment is currently a sponsorship request and honor-system purchase model for packaged app users.
• The optional personal-use tip is also a sponsorship mechanism, not a separate software license.

Third-Party Notices

My thanks to John Gruber for creating Markdown and to Steph Ango, CEO of Obsidian, for his File over app philosophy.

Signboard includes static versions of the following open source libraries:

• Turndown – MIT License
• OverType - MIT License
• SortableJS – MIT License
• Feather Icons – MIT License
• fDatepicker – MIT License