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desk

The board

The board is desk’s main window. Every card on it is one Claude Code session. The sidebar is on the left, the toolbar runs along the top, and the columns fill the rest.

The desk board: the sidebar on the left, the toolbar on top, four columns of cards

Columns

Section titled “Columns”

A board has five columns: Backlog, To do, In progress, Blocked and Done. Each has its own color: To do is blue, In progress yellow, Blocked red, Done green.

The board never shows the Done column. Done cards wait in the Done archive instead, so the board holds only work that’s still open.

Sessions move their own cards. Sending a message moves the card to In progress. When Claude reports it’s blocked, the card moves to Blocked. When Claude reports it’s done, the card moves to Done.

The To do column’s header: its color dot, its name, a count of 2 and a + button

A column’s header shows how many cards it holds. While a search or a view hides some, it reads “shown/total”, like 1/2.

There are two ways to add a card to a column: the + in its header, or Add card at its foot. Both open the new card dialog for that column.

The To do column: two cards, then Add card at its foot

Add card sits under a column’s last card.

The toolbar

Section titled “The toolbar”

The toolbar: the sidebar toggle, the view’s title and its summary, the archive box, the search field and New card

From left to right: the sidebar toggle, the view’s name and its summary, then the archive box, the search field and New card.
  • Sidebar toggle: shows or hides the sidebar.
  • The header: the view’s name, with its summary under it.
  • Unlock vault: shows up only when a password vault is waiting for its password. See Vaults.
  • The archive box: archives every card in Done. See Done archive.
  • The search field: filters the cards. See Search.
  • New card (Ctrl+N): opens the new card dialog.

The toolbar’s right side: the archive box, the search field and the blue New card button with Ctrl+N

The archive box, the search field and New card.

The header line

Section titled “The header line”

The header names the view you’re in (“All cards”, “Your turn”, “#api”, “Acme”…). Under the name, a line sums up the view’s cards by status, such as “2 your turn · 1 blocked”. It counts the cards that are working, waiting on your turn, blocked or failed, and the ones past their due date (“1 overdue”). When none of those apply, it just counts the cards (“3 cards”). Done cards don’t count.

The header: All cards, and under it “2 your turn · 1 blocked”

The view’s name and its line in words.
Section titled “Sidebar on and off”

The toggle at the toolbar’s far left shows or hides the sidebar. With the sidebar hidden, the columns spread across the whole window.

The board with the sidebar hidden: the columns fill the window

The sidebar toggle, outlined, with its tooltip “Show or hide the sidebar”

The sidebar toggle.

Moving cards

Section titled “Moving cards”

To move a card, drag it to another column, or higher or lower in the same one. While you drag, a blue line shows where the card will land. Its old place stays faded until you let go.

A card dragged from To do into In progress: the card follows the pointer and a blue line marks where it lands

Dark mode for the dashboard, dragged out of To do and over In progress, under the e2e card

Dragging DESK-4 from To do to In progress.

A click on a card, without dragging it, opens its session panel. You can also move a card from its right-click menu (Move to).

Keys

Section titled “Keys”

Board keys work only on the board itself, not while you type in a field or a dialog.

Do Keys
Select a card the arrow keys
Move the selected card Ctrl+arrows: up or down in its column, or to the column beside it
Open its session Enter
Edit it E
Open its terminal T
New card Ctrl+N, in the selected card’s column (else Backlog)
Search / or Ctrl+F
Go anywhere Ctrl+K, the palette
Back out Esc: the dialog, the search, the panel, then the selection

The full list is in Keys.