Task management in your repo. One markdown file. Full kanban board.

Your tasks live in a brainfile.md file alongside your code. No SaaS. No accounts. No sync issues. Works offline. Version-controlled with git. AI assistants can read and update it directly.

---
title: My Project
columns:
  - id: todo
    title: To Do
    tasks:
      - id: task-1
        title: Implement user authentication
        priority: high
  - id: in-progress
    title: In Progress
    tasks: []
  - id: done
    title: Done
    tasks: []
---

That's the entire format. Human-readable. Machine-parseable. Git-friendly.

• Lives in your repo — Branch tasks with code. Merge them together. Roll back if needed.
• Works offline — It's a file. No internet required.
• AI integration — MCP server lets Claude, Cursor, and other AI tools update tasks directly.
• No vendor lock-in — Plain markdown. Use any editor. Build your own tools.
• Free forever — Not freemium. Just free.

# Install
npm install -g @brainfile/cli

# Create a brainfile
brainfile init

# Open the TUI
brainfile

That's it. You have a kanban board in your terminal.

Add this to your MCP settings (.mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "brainfile": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@brainfile/cli", "mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Now Claude Code, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible assistants can list, add, move, and update tasks directly.

• Solo devs who want simplicity without paying for Linear or setting up Jira
• AI-assisted developers using Claude Code, Cursor, or similar tools
• Developers tired of freemium tools that slowly gate features behind pricing tiers
• Builders who want a library to build custom task management tools
• Anyone who wants local-first task management without cloud dependencies

• Website: brainfile.md
• Quick Start: brainfile.md/quick-start
• CLI Reference: brainfile.md/tools/cli
• MCP Integration: brainfile.md/tools/mcp

Contributions welcome. Each repository is independent:

The protocol is the product.

The brainfile.md format is the core. Tools are conveniences. You can write a brainfile by hand with any text editor and never install anything else.

MIT License