MonkeyPlanner
Local-first kanban and approval-gate issue tracker with a native MCP server (13 tools). Humans approve; agents claim, QA, and complete issues. Single Go binary + SQLite.
README
<p align="center"> <a href="https://github.com/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner/stargazers"><img alt="GitHub stars" src="https://img.shields.io/github/stars/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner?style=flat&logo=github"></a> <a href="https://github.com/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner/releases/latest"><img alt="Latest release" src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner?include_prereleases&sort=semver"></a> <a href="./LICENSE"><img alt="License: MIT" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg"></a> <a href="https://github.com/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner/pkgs/container/monkeyplanner"><img alt="Docker image" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/docker-ghcr.io-2496ed?logo=docker&logoColor=white"></a> <a href="https://github.com/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner/actions/workflows/ci.yml"><img alt="CI" src="https://img.shields.io/github/actions/workflow/status/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner/ci.yml?branch=main&label=tests"></a> <a href="https://goreportcard.com/report/github.com/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner/backend"><img alt="Go Report Card" src="https://goreportcard.com/badge/github.com/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner/backend"></a> </p>
MonkeyPlanner
Local-first task memory for your AI coding agents. Approve with a click; your agents do the rest. No cloud. No telemetry. Forever free, forever MIT.
Works with Claude Code · Claude Desktop · Cursor · Continue · any MCP-compatible client.

Quickstart
# Docker (recommended)
docker run -p 8080:8080 -v $(pwd)/data:/data ghcr.io/kjm99d/monkeyplanner:latest
# then wire up your agent
monkey-planner mcp install --for claude-code # or --for cursor / --for claude-desktop
Open http://localhost:8080 — the built-in Welcome board walks you through the rest.
Features
Issue & Board Management
- Kanban Board — Drag and drop, horizontal scroll, filtering, sorting, and table view toggle
- Issue Creation — Title, markdown body, and custom properties
- Custom Properties — Six supported types:
- Text
- Number
- Select
- Multi-select
- Date
- Checkbox
Approval Gate
- Pending → Approved via a dedicated approval endpoint (cannot be done via generic PATCH)
- Approval Queue — Bulk-approve all Pending issues across boards
- Approved → InProgress → Done — Flexible status transitions
- Rejected status — Record a rejection reason
Agent Features
- Agent Instructions field — Provide detailed instructions for MCP agents to follow
- Success Criteria — Manage completion conditions as a checklist
- Comments — Log progress and communicate per issue
- Dependencies — Express blocking relationships between issues
Data Visualization
- Calendar — Monthly grid + daily activity (created, approved, completed counts)
- Dashboard — Stats cards + weekly activity chart
- Sidebar — Board list, issue counts, and recent items
User Experience
- Global Search — Quick search with Cmd+K
- Keyboard Shortcuts
h— Go to dashboarda— Go to approval queue?— Show shortcut helpCmd+S— SaveEscape— Close modal/dialog
- Collapsible Sidebar — Maximize screen space
- Dark Mode — Theme toggle
- Internationalization — Korean, English, Japanese, and Chinese
Automation & Integrations
- Webhooks — Discord, Slack, and Telegram support
- Events:
issue.created,issue.approved,issue.status_changed,issue.updated,issue.deleted,comment.created
- Events:
- Real-time UI sync (SSE) — Changes via MCP/CLI automatically reflect in open browser tabs, no refresh needed
- JSON Export — Export all issue data
- Right-click Context Menu — Quick actions
- Issue Templates — Per-board localStorage persistence
MCP Server (AI Agent Integration)
Thirteen tools for AI agent automation:
list_boards— List all boardslist_issues— Query issues (filter by boardId, status)get_issue— Issue detail including instructions, criteria, and commentscreate_issue— Create a new issueapprove_issue— Approve: Pending → Approvedclaim_issue— Claim: Approved → InProgresssubmit_qa— Submit for QA: InProgress → QAcomplete_issue— Complete: QA → Done (optional comment)reject_issue— Reject: QA → InProgress with required reasonadd_comment— Add a comment to an issueupdate_criteria— Check or uncheck a success criterionsearch_issues— Search issues by titleget_version— Get the MCP server version (for diagnostics)
Tech Stack
Backend
- Language: Go 1.26
- Router: chi/v5
- Database: SQLite / PostgreSQL (configurable)
- Migrations: goose/v3
- Embedded files: embed.FS (single-binary deployment)
Frontend
- Framework: React 18
- Language: TypeScript
- Bundler: Vite 6
- CSS: Tailwind CSS
- State management: React Query (TanStack)
- Drag and drop: @dnd-kit/core, @dnd-kit/sortable
- Icons: lucide-react
- Charts: recharts
- i18n: react-i18next
- Markdown: react-markdown + rehype-sanitize
MCP
- Protocol: JSON-RPC 2.0 over stdio
- Targets: Claude Code, Claude Desktop
Getting Started
Requirements
- Go 1.26 or later
- Node.js 18 or later
- npm or yarn
Installation & Running
1. Clone and initialize
git clone https://github.com/kjm99d/MonkeyPlanner.git
cd monkey-planner
make init
2. Production build (single binary)
make build
./bin/monkey-planner
The server runs at http://localhost:8080 with the frontend embedded.
3. Development mode (separate processes)
Terminal 1 — backend:
make run-backend
Terminal 2 — frontend (Vite dev server, :5173):
make run-frontend
The frontend automatically proxies /api requests to :8080.
Environment Variables
# Server address (default: :8080)
export MP_ADDR=":8080"
# Database connection string
# SQLite (default: sqlite://./data/monkey.db)
export MP_DSN="sqlite://./data/monkey.db"
# PostgreSQL example
export MP_DSN="postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/monkey_planner"
MCP Server Setup
Recommended: auto-configure via CLI
# Claude Code (writes .mcp.json in the current directory)
monkey-planner mcp install --for claude-code
# Claude Desktop (writes the OS-native config file)
monkey-planner mcp install --for claude-desktop
# Cursor (writes .cursor/mcp.json)
monkey-planner mcp install --for cursor
Flags: --dry-run to preview, --scope user for a global entry (~/.mcp.json), --force to overwrite, --base-url <url> to point at a non-default server.
Restart the client afterwards so it re-reads the config.
Manual configuration
Works identically for Claude Code (.mcp.json), Claude Desktop (OS-native config), and Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"monkey-planner": {
"command": "/path/to/monkey-planner",
"args": ["mcp"],
"env": {
"MP_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:8080"
}
}
}
}
The binary must be able to reach the HTTP server (set with MP_BASE_URL). Leave it at the default when running both on the same machine.
MCP Tool Usage Examples
AI: List all boards
→ list_boards()
AI: Find issues related to "authentication"
→ search_issues(query="authentication")
AI: Approve the first pending issue, claim it, work on it, and submit for QA
→ approve_issue() → claim_issue() → submit_qa()
Workflow — Real Usage Scenario
Below is a real workflow from fixing a language switcher bug, showing how a human and AI agent collaborate through MonkeyPlanner.
Status Flow
Pending → Approved → InProgress → QA → Done
↑ │ (reject with reason)
└──────────────┘
Step-by-Step
1. Create Issue — Human finds a bug, asks AI to register it
Human: "The language selector dropdown doesn't appear when clicking the button. Create an issue."
AI: create_issue(boardId, title, body, instructions) → status: Pending
2. Approve — Human reviews and approves
Human: (clicks Approve on the board or tells AI)
AI: approve_issue(issueId) → status: Approved
3. Start Work — AI claims the issue and begins coding
AI: claim_issue(issueId) → status: InProgress
- Reads code, identifies root cause
- Implements fix, runs tests
- Commits changes
4. Submit for QA — AI finishes and submits for review
AI: submit_qa(issueId, comment: "commit abc1234 — fixed click handler")
→ status: QA
add_comment(issueId, "Commit info: ...")
5. Review — Human tests the fix
Human: Tests in browser, finds the dropdown is clipped by sidebar
→ reject_issue(issueId, reason: "Dropdown is hidden behind sidebar")
→ status: InProgress (back to step 3)
Human: Tests again after fix, everything works
→ complete_issue(issueId) → status: Done
6. Feedback Loop — Communication via comments throughout
Human: add_comment("Dropdown is clipped on the left side, fix it")
AI: get_issue() → reads comment → fixes → commit → submit_qa()
Human: Tests → complete_issue() → Done ✓
Key Takeaways
- Human controls the gates: Approve, QA pass/reject, Complete
- AI does the work: Code analysis, implementation, testing, commits
- Comments are the communication channel: Both sides use
add_commentto exchange feedback - QA loop prevents premature completion: Issues must pass human review before Done
API Reference
OpenAPI 3.0 spec: backend/docs/swagger.yaml
Key Endpoints
Boards
GET /api/boards # List boards
POST /api/boards # Create board
PATCH /api/boards/{id} # Update board
DELETE /api/boards/{id} # Delete board
Issues
GET /api/issues # List issues (filter: boardId, status, parentId)
POST /api/issues # Create issue
GET /api/issues/{id} # Issue detail + child issues
PATCH /api/issues/{id} # Update issue (status, properties, title, etc.)
DELETE /api/issues/{id} # Delete issue
POST /api/issues/{id}/approve # Approve issue (Pending → Approved)
Comments
GET /api/issues/{issueId}/comments # List comments
POST /api/issues/{issueId}/comments # Add comment
DELETE /api/comments/{commentId} # Delete comment
Properties (Custom Attributes)
GET /api/boards/{boardId}/properties # List property definitions
POST /api/boards/{boardId}/properties # Create property
PATCH /api/boards/{boardId}/properties/{propId} # Update property
DELETE /api/boards/{boardId}/properties/{propId} # Delete property
Webhooks
GET /api/boards/{boardId}/webhooks # List webhooks
POST /api/boards/{boardId}/webhooks # Create webhook
PATCH /api/boards/{boardId}/webhooks/{whId} # Update webhook
DELETE /api/boards/{boardId}/webhooks/{whId} # Delete webhook
Calendar
GET /api/calendar # Monthly stats (year, month required)
GET /api/calendar/day # Daily issue list (date required)
For full schema details, see backend/docs/swagger.yaml.
Project Structure
monkey-planner/
├── backend/
│ ├── cmd/monkey-planner/
│ │ ├── main.go # Entry point (HTTP server)
│ │ └── mcp.go # MCP server (JSON-RPC stdio)
│ ├── internal/
│ │ ├── domain/ # Domain models (Issue, Board, etc.)
│ │ ├── service/ # Business logic
│ │ ├── storage/ # Database layer (SQLite/PostgreSQL)
│ │ ├── http/ # HTTP handlers & router
│ │ └── migrations/ # goose migration files
│ ├── web/ # Embedded frontend (embed.FS)
│ ├── docs/
│ │ └── swagger.yaml # OpenAPI 3.0 spec
│ ├── go.mod
│ └── go.sum
│
├── frontend/
│ ├── src/
│ │ ├── components/ # Reusable components
│ │ ├── features/ # Page & feature components
│ │ │ ├── home/ # Dashboard
│ │ │ ├── board/ # Board & Kanban
│ │ │ ├── issue/ # Issue detail
│ │ │ ├── calendar/ # Calendar
│ │ │ └── approval/ # Approval queue
│ │ ├── api/ # API hooks & client
│ │ ├── design/ # Tailwind tokens
│ │ ├── i18n/ # Translations (en.json, ko.json, ja.json, zh.json)
│ │ ├── App.tsx # Router
│ │ ├── index.css # Global styles
│ │ └── main.tsx
│ ├── package.json
│ ├── vite.config.ts
│ ├── tsconfig.json
│ └── tailwind.config.js
│
├── .mcp.json # Claude Code MCP config
├── Makefile # Build & dev commands
├── .githooks/ # Git hooks
└── data/ # SQLite database (default)
Testing
Backend tests
make test-backend
Frontend tests
make test-frontend
Accessibility tests
make test-a11y
All tests
make test
Common Commands
# Initial setup after cloning
make init
# Production build
make build
# Run production server
./bin/monkey-planner
# Development mode
make run-backend # Terminal 1
make run-frontend # Terminal 2
# Clean build artifacts
make clean
Status Transition Rules
Pending
↓ (approve endpoint)
Approved
↓ (PATCH status)
InProgress
↓ (PATCH status)
Done
Pending → Approved: POST /api/issues/{id}/approve (dedicated endpoint only)
Approved ↔ InProgress ↔ Done: Free transitions via PATCH
Pending: Cannot be re-entered from other statuses
Rejected: Separate rejection state with reason tracking
License
MIT
Contributing
Issues and pull requests are welcome.
Contact
For questions or feedback about the project, please open a GitHub Issue.
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