Connect Claude Code to iKanban

Claude Code can read and update your iKanban board directly: list the tasks in a team, create an issue from the bug you are fixing, move it to done when the pull request merges, or write the design note into Documents. It talks to iKanban through the iKanban MCP server, a remote Model Context Protocol server at https://mcp.i-kanban.com/sse.

The MCP server is included in every paid plan, from Starter up, with no daily call limit (fair use). See Pricing for the plans.

What you need

An iKanban workspace on a paid plan.
A personal API key. Open Settings → API Keys, create a key, and copy it. Keys start with vk_ and are shown once.
Claude Code installed and signed in.

1. Register the server

Run this once. --scope user makes the server available in every project on your machine; leave it out to register it for the current project only.

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user ikanban-remote \
  https://mcp.i-kanban.com/sse \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer vk_your_key_here"

The transport must be http. The address ends in /sse for historical reasons, but the server speaks MCP Streamable HTTP. Registering it with --transport sse fails to connect and no tools appear.

2. Check the connection

claude mcp get ikanban-remote

The server should show as connected. Inside a Claude Code session, /mcp lists every server and its status.

3. Try it

Ask Claude Code, using your own team's identifier:

List the open tasks in the ENG team.

Claude Code calls list_issues and replies with the tasks. From there you can ask it to create a task, assign it, add a comment, move it between columns, or put it in the current sprint.

What it can and cannot do

Read, create and update. Teams, issues, projects, sprints, releases, documents, folders, comments and tags. The full, current tool list is in the app under Settings → MCP Servers.
No delete. Nothing can be deleted over MCP, by design. Remove things in the web app.
Human identifiers. Teams are addressed by their key (ENG) and issues by their key (ENG-42); projects, sprints and documents use the ids returned by the matching list_* tool.

The MCP field guide covers each tool group, the parameters that trip people up, and a troubleshooting table.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Server fails to connect, no tools	Registered with `--transport sse`	Remove it (`claude mcp remove ikanban-remote`) and add it again with `--transport http`
`401` or "unauthorized"	Missing, mistyped or deleted key	Create a new key in Settings → API Keys and register again
Refused although the key is valid	MCP is switched off for your keys, or the client is not on the allowed-client list	Check the MCP access switch and allowed clients on Settings → API Keys; changes can take up to five minutes
A delete request is refused	Deletes are not exposed over MCP	Delete in the web app

Using Cursor instead? See Connect Cursor. Other agents: Other MCP clients.