mdello

A command-line tool that lets you manage Trello boards using markdown as the primary interface.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Usage
  • Basic Commands
  • Markdown Structure
  • Working with Cards
  • Managing Labels
  • Due Dates
  • Detailed Editing Mode
• Examples
• Configuration
• Contributing
• Licence

Features

• Markdown-first workflow: Edit Trello boards using familiar markdown syntax
• Hierarchical structure: Boards → Lists → Cards represented as # → ## → - [ ]
• Label management: Create, assign, and manage labels directly in markdown
• Due date support: Set and manage card due dates with customisable formats
• Bulk operations: Move multiple cards and lists by reorganising markdown
• Detailed editing: Access advanced board, list, and card settings
• Browser integration: Open boards directly in Trello via your default browser
• Offline-first: Make changes in your preferred text editor

Installation

Prerequisites

• Go 1.18 or higher
• A Trello account and API token

Install from releases

Download the latest binary from the releases page and add it to your PATH.

Install from source

git clone https://github.com/vinzmyko/mdello.git
cd mdello
go build -o mdello
sudo mv mdello /usr/local/bin/

Install via Go

go install github.com/vinzmyko/mdello@latest

Quick Start

1. Initialise mdello with your Trello token:

   mdello init

   You'll be prompted to enter your Trello API token. Get your token from https://trello.com/app-key.

2. List your boards:

   mdello boards

3. Edit a board:

   mdello board

   This opens your current board as a markdown file in your default editor.

4. Open board in browser:

   mdello open

Usage

Basic Commands

mdello [command]

Available Commands:
  board       Edit current board via markdown file
  boards      Get all current user's boards
  help        Help about any command
  init        Initialise mdello with your Trello token
  open        Open current board in Trello via default browser

Flags:
  -h, --help   help for mdello

Use "mdello [command] --help" for more information about a command.

Markdown Structure

mdello uses a hierarchical markdown structure to represent Trello boards:

# Board Name {board_id}
@label_name:colour {label_id}

## List Name {list_id}
- [ ] Card name @label due:25-07-2025 21:34 {card_id}
- [x] Completed card {card_id}

## Another List {list_id}
- [ ] Another card {card_id}

Structure breakdown:

• # = Board name
• @label:colour = Board labels (below board name)
• ## = List names
• - [ ] = Incomplete cards
• - [x] = Completed cards
• {id} = Unique identifiers (automatically managed)

Working with Cards

Creating cards: Add new lines with - [ ] under any list:

## To Do
- [ ] New task
- [ ] Another new task

Moving cards: Cut and paste cards between lists:

## Backlog
- [ ] Move this card

## In Progress
- [ ] Move this card  # Moved from Backlog

Completing cards: Change [ ] to [x]:

- [x] This task is complete

Managing Labels

Creating labels: Add labels below the board name:

# My Project {board_id}
@urgent:red {label_id}
@feature:blue {label_id}
@bug:yellow {label_id}

Applying labels to cards: Reference labels with @ in card text:

- [ ] Fix critical bug @urgent @bug {card_id}
- [ ] Add new feature @feature {card_id}

Due Dates

Set due dates using the format configured during mdello init:

- [ ] Task with deadline due:25-07-2025 21:34 {card_id}
- [ ] Another deadline due:30-07-2025 12:00 {card_id}

Detailed Editing Mode

For advanced editing of boards, lists, and cards, append ! to any item:

# My Board {board_id}!

This opens a detailed editing interface with additional options:

Board settings:

• Description
• Permissions (org/private/public)
• Voting settings
• Comment permissions
• Display preferences

List settings:

• Position
• Archive status
• Subscriptions

Card settings:

• Detailed descriptions
• Start and due dates
• Archive status
• Notifications

Examples

Basic Project Board

# Website Redesign {8ee70}
@urgent:red {c5adc}
@design:blue {d4e8f}
@development:green {f9a2b}

## Backlog {0be10}
- [ ] User research @design {f5061}
- [ ] Competitor analysis @design {a3f84}

## In Progress {c9e65}
- [ ] Homepage mockup @design due:28-07-2025 17:00 {b7d92}

## Review {1f0d6}
- [ ] Logo concepts @design {e8c47}

## Done {383bd}
- [x] Project kickoff meeting {30e09}
- [x] Requirements gathering due:20-07-2025 12:00 {a59dd}

Detailed Board Editing

# Website Redesign {8ee70}!

# =============================================================================
# EDITING BOARD: Website Redesign {68826e536b5f666e87d80ca8}
# =============================================================================

## Description
=== DESCRIPTION START ===
Complete redesign of company website focusing on:
* Improved user experience
* Mobile responsiveness  
* Modern design language
* Accessibility compliance
=== DESCRIPTION END ===

## Board Settings
Name: Website Redesign
Closed: false

## Permissions
Permission Level: org
Voting: members
Comments: members
Invitations: members

Configuration

mdello stores configuration in ~/.mdello/config.json:

{
  "trello_token": "your-api-token",
  "date_format": "02-01-2006 15:04",
  "editor": "vim",
  "current_board": "board-id"
}

Customisable settings:

• Date format for due dates
• Default text editor
• API credentials
• Current working board

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Development setup:

git clone https://github.com/vinzmyko/mdello.git
cd mdello
go mod download
go build

Running tests:

go test ./...

Licence

This project is licensed under the MIT License

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Need help? Open an issue on GitHub