Buds is a Kanban board with fast capture, real completion tracking, urgency flags, bulk actions, backups, and a lot of control over how the board is laid out. It stays out of the way on a simple board and holds up when the work gets messy. All of it runs in your browser.
Create separate boards for projects, responsibilities, backlogs, ideas, or completely different workflows without mixing their tasks or layouts together. Board tabs keep switching fast, while a More menu handles larger board collections cleanly.
Each board keeps its own tasks, sections, section colors, Queue position, grid positions, and column count. Global tags stay shared across the workspace, so the same tagging system can connect work across boards.
CreateRenameDuplicateReorderDelete
Capture
A Queue for dumping things in fast
Paste a rough list and let Buds turn it into tasks from new lines, common bullets, or semicolons. Optional comma splitting handles compact lists, while balanced square brackets protect commas, semicolons, and even line breaks that belong inside one task.
Use @Section Name to route an item directly to an existing section, #Tag Name to assign or create tags, and !urgent or !u to flag work Urgent while you type. The same routing, tag, and Urgent syntax also works in the top Add Task box.
Add, rename, recolor, delete, and reorder sections instead of forcing every project into one preset workflow. Choose anywhere from one to eight desktop columns, drag sections into specific grid positions, and deliberately leave empty spaces when visual grouping matters.
Those empty positions are real saved layout choices. Section height remains content-driven through the masonry layout, and the permanent full-width Queue can move between logical board rows without being squeezed into a normal grid cell.
Custom sections1–8 columnsPersistent gapsMasonry
Task detail
A card can be a title or a whole work item
A task can stay nothing more than a title, or grow into a detailed work item with a section, global tags, notes, Urgent status, completion state, and nested sub-tasks. Cards keep the board readable by showing compact indicators instead of dumping every detail into the visual layout.
Open a task to edit it directly, move it by changing its Section field, or use the right-click menu for fast actions such as Copy title, Copy task, Urgent, Done/Reopen, and Delete.
NotesSub-tasksTagsContext actions
Completion
Done and deleted are different things
Tasks and sub-tasks keep genuine completion state and completion timestamps. Completed parent tasks can stay hidden for a clean active board or remain visible with configurable muted styling, opacity, and optional title strike-through.
Choose an existing section as a board-specific completion destination and Buds can move completed tasks there automatically. Reopen one later and it returns to its original pre-completion section when that section still exists, while preserving the truthful completion state of its sub-tasks.
Show / hideAuto destinationReopenTimestamps
Urgency
Mark what cannot wait
Tasks and sub-tasks can be marked Urgent independently, with clear visual treatment that does not erase their normal section identity. Selected items can be flagged or unflagged together when priorities change in bulk.
At the end of the local calendar day, Buds can create one grouped in-app warning for Urgent work that was already flagged and still incomplete at the cutoff. If the app was closed, the most recently ended day is checked when it opens again.
Task urgencySub-task urgencyGrouped EOD warning
Tags
Tags that work across every board
Create reusable colored tags and apply the same tag across completely different boards. Suggestions surface existing tags and usage information so your system stays consistent instead of filling up with accidental duplicates.
Click any tag pill on a card to spotlight matching work and dim everything else. The spotlight follows you when you change boards, making tags useful as a workspace-wide lens rather than just card decoration.
Global tags8 colorsSpotlightUsage counts
Bulk work
Select once, act on the whole group
Shift-click cards or enter Selection mode to build a working set. Move selected cards together while preserving their order, complete them in one action, flag them Urgent, delete them, or copy them for pasting into another section.
Plain-text Copy title can also combine selected task titles and selected sub-task titles into one clean line-by-line list for notes, messages, or external workflows.
Group dragBulk completeBulk urgentCopy selected
Undo & Redo
Fifty steps of undo
Buds keeps up to 50 session undo steps and tells you what comes next with labels such as “Undo move task” or “Redo delete section.” Board-level edits and workspace-wide changes such as board management or global tag edits are tracked separately, then surfaced through one coherent Undo control.
Continuous typing is grouped so a paragraph does not become dozens of history steps, and multi-item drags remain one logical action.
The current edition does not require an account, cloud database, or server round-trip to create and organize tasks. Your normal workspace is saved locally as you work, so the board stays responsive and your task contents are not being sent to a Buds backend.
It comes with real backup tools because browser storage is fine to work out of and a bad place to keep the only copy.
No account requiredAutosaveLocal working copy
Backup & portability
Take the whole workspace with you
Download a timestamped backup for the current board or the full workspace in one click. A full workspace backup carries the board collection, active-board reference, global tags, tasks, sections, colors, layouts, and other saved board state needed for recovery; raw JSON copy/paste remains available under Advanced backup options.
On supported desktop browsers, automatic backups can write changed workspaces to a folder you choose. Single-board imports add a board without replacing the workspace, while full-workspace imports use an explicit replace confirmation.
Settings includes an approximate localStorage meter with a progress bar, Buds-owned usage, other localStorage on the same origin, total usage, a conservative 5 MiB reference, and the browser's broader site-storage estimate when available.
Staged notices arrive around 70%, 80%, and 90%. Imports are preflighted against the projected saved size, and an import at or above the 5 MiB safety reference is blocked before it can replace the current workspace.
Desktop keeps direct card dragging, while touch devices and narrow layouts use dedicated drag grips. On task grips, a short stationary hold arms dragging; moving first remains ordinary vertical page scrolling. Once armed, a floating preview follows the finger and edge auto-scroll helps reach off-screen destinations. Sub-task, section, and board ordering retain their existing dedicated drag interactions.
Configured desktop column counts are preserved even when the board temporarily collapses to fewer columns on small screens.
Buds keeps persistent notices in one notification center for things that actually need you: missed Urgent work, backup reminders, storage pressure, save failures, data migrations, app updates, and compatibility warnings.
Routine successes stay quiet as temporary status messages instead of filling up the bell.
Notification centerUnread badgeActionable warningsQuiet status
Everything else included
The smaller stuff
This list is long on purpose. It is the shortcuts, safeguards and small controls sitting behind the systems above.
Boards & workspace navigation
Board tabs: switch directly between boards without leaving the workspace.
Overflow handling: when tabs no longer fit, additional boards stay accessible through More.
Quick creation: the + control beside the tabs creates a new board and makes it active.
Sensible new-board defaults: new boards begin with Queue, To Do, In Progress, Review, and Done.
Editable board title: rename the active board directly at the top of the app or from Manage boards.
Unique names: duplicate board names are prevented so tabs and imports stay unambiguous.
Board reordering: drag boards in Manage boards and the tab order follows automatically.
Full duplication: duplicate a board with its tasks, notes, sub-tasks, sections, colors, layout gaps, Queue placement, and column count while generating fresh task/sub-task IDs.
Protected last board: the final remaining board cannot be deleted accidentally.
Undoable board management: board creation, deletion, duplication, renaming, and ordering participate in workspace Undo.
Active-board memory: the current board is remembered in local storage.
Reset board: restore the active board to the standard Kanban sections without deleting other boards or global tags; the reset itself can be undone during the session.
Task creation, cards & editing
Enter-to-add: type in the top Add Task box and press Enter for immediate capture.
Automatic title capitalization: choose First word (default), Every word, or None for task and sub-task titles; untouched/imported existing data is not rewritten.
Inline section add: use the + control in a section header to create a task directly where it belongs.
Smart default destination: top-bar tasks go to To Do when available, otherwise the first usable non-Queue section.
Fast Add syntax: combine a normal title with @Section Name, one or more #Tag Name markers, and !urgent or !u to create the task already flagged Urgent.
Renamed/custom routing: @Section matching follows the section's current displayed name, not a fixed internal label.
Direct Section field: move a task without dragging by choosing another section inside the task window.
Task notes: keep longer context attached to a task without bloating the card title.
Compact card metadata: cards show tag pills plus concise indicators for notes, sub-task progress, urgency, and completion.
Keyboard-openable cards: focused task cards support keyboard interaction in addition to pointer clicks.
Right-click actions: Edit, Copy title, Copy task, Deselect, Urgent, Mark done/Reopen, and Delete are available from the task context menu when relevant.
Structured copy/paste: copied tasks retain their title, notes, tags, and sub-tasks while pasted copies receive new IDs.
Two paste paths: paste through the top Paste action or directly into a section from its right-click menu.
Internal clipboard fallback: Buds keeps an in-app task copy while also making a best-effort system clipboard copy.
Done is not Delete: completion preserves the task record; Delete removes the task.
Queue capture & triage
Permanent inbox: every board keeps a Queue for rapid capture and temporary holding.
Renameable but protected: Queue can be renamed and repositioned, but it cannot be deleted.
Full-width placement: Queue spans the board instead of occupying a normal single grid cell.
Multiple separators: new lines, common bullet-list lines, and semicolons can create separate Queue tasks.
Optional comma splitting: commas remain normal punctuation by default and can be enabled as separators when wanted; the Queue placeholder changes immediately so the active separator rules are visible.
Bracket protection: balanced square brackets keep commas, semicolons, and protected line breaks inside one task, then remove the brackets from the final title.
Safe invalid markers: unmatched brackets and unknown @Section names stay ordinary text rather than silently changing the task.
Case-insensitive routing: @Section works with existing displayed section names regardless of letter case.
Multiword hashtags: Queue can reuse or create real global tags whose names contain spaces.
Inline Urgent capture: add !urgent to a Queue entry to create the task already flagged Urgent, including entries that also use @Section routing and tags.
Move selected or all: Move all Queue tasks moves only selected Queue cards when a Queue selection exists; otherwise it moves every Queue task.
Clear with confirmation: Clear Queue removes the Queue contents intentionally and remains undoable during the session.
Keyboard bulk entry: Ctrl/Command + Enter submits Queue text without reaching for the mouse.
Sections & board layout
Custom sections: add as many workflow stages as the board needs.
Inline renaming: section names can be edited directly in their board headers or from Manage sections.
Section colors: assign one of eight section color families for stronger visual grouping.
Two reorder methods: drag section rows in Manage sections or drag section headers directly on the board.
Safe section deletion: deleting a nonempty section asks first and moves its tasks to Queue instead of deleting them.
Per-board column count: choose one through eight desktop columns independently for each board.
Responsive preservation: narrow screens temporarily reduce the visible column count without overwriting the board's configured desktop value.
Placement grid: dragging a normal section exposes complete logical rows plus one extra empty row beneath the current layout, making it possible to deliberately start a new row without exposing an endless sea of empty cells.
Intentional gaps: drop into an empty slot to leave the previous position empty, or drop onto another section to swap positions.
Persistent positions: gaps and section slots survive reloads, board switches, duplication, exports, and imports.
Gap-aware new sections: newly created sections go after the furthest occupied position instead of filling a gap you deliberately left.
Masonry stacking: sections of different heights stack naturally in their assigned lanes without forcing every row to one height.
Queue row boundaries: the full-width Queue snaps to valid before-row or after-row positions.
Synced ordering: visual board dragging and Manage sections stay logically synchronized even when gaps exist.
Tags & filtering
Workspace-global definitions: a tag has one name and color everywhere it is used.
Type-ahead suggestions: existing tags are suggested while editing a task.
Usage-aware suggestions: tag suggestions include usage information to make reuse easier.
Eight tag colors: tags can be visually differentiated without changing their text.
One-click spotlight: clicking a card tag emphasizes matching tasks and dims nonmatches.
Cross-board spotlight: an active tag spotlight follows board switches so the same tag can be traced across the workspace.
Alphabetical tag manager: Manage tags provides a cleaner workspace-wide view with usage counts.
Global rename and recolor: update a tag once and its shared definition changes everywhere.
Safe global delete: in-use tag deletion reports how many tasks and boards use it, then removes assignments globally only after confirmation.
Undoable tag management: global tag changes participate in workspace Undo.
Selection, dragging & clipboard
Shift selection: Shift-click cards to toggle individual tasks into or out of a working selection.
Dedicated Selection mode: use the top Select control on desktop, or press and hold on touch, when you want ordinary card taps to build a selection instead of opening tasks.
Mobile selection tray: while selecting on touch layouts, the selected count stays above a two-row tray with Deselect, Done, Urgent/Clear urgent, Copy titles, Copy, Paste when available, and More. Delete selected stays under More; Reopen selected appears there only for actionable completed selections.
Selection-safe navigation: mobile Selection Mode locks editing and dragging but keeps a larger Open action available so task and sub-task selections can be mixed across multiple task windows.
Group drag: dragging a selected card moves the selected group together and preserves relative order.
Safe unrelated drag: dragging an unselected card moves only that card even if a separate selection exists.
One-step group history: multi-card moves are recorded as one logical Undo action.
Bulk completion: selected parents can be completed together with one unfinished-sub-task confirmation when needed.
Bulk urgency: selected tasks can gain or lose the Urgent flag together from the context menu.
Keyboard copy: Ctrl/Command + C copies selected tasks when you are not typing in a text field.
Keyboard delete: Delete/Backspace removes selected tasks when focus is not in an editable field.
Plain-text Copy title: copy only titles when you need a clean list instead of structured task data.
Mixed title lists: selected task titles and explicitly selected sub-task titles are copied together, one title per line, in their exact selection order.
Contextual paste: right-click a section to paste copied Buds tasks directly there.
Sub-tasks & notes
Nested work: add smaller sub-tasks inside any parent task without turning them into separate board cards.
Fast add: press Enter or click Add from the task window to create a sub-task.
Per-task insertion direction: flip a one-click Bottom/Top switch so each task can add new sub-tasks where you want them without disturbing the existing order.
Independent completion: every sub-task has its own completed state, completion timestamp, and reopen control.
Configurable strike-through: completed sub-task titles can use strike-through, with the setting Off by default.
Independent Urgent flag: a sub-task can be Urgent even when its parent is not.
Inline editing: edit sub-task names directly in place.
Natural wrapping: long sub-task titles expand vertically instead of being cut off.
Grip reordering: drag sub-tasks by their handle on desktop or touch layouts.
Selected sub-task group dragging: drag one selected sub-task to move all selected sub-tasks in that same parent together as a contiguous block, preserving their original relative order.
Nested Urgent visibility: task cards show a dedicated count when unfinished sub-tasks are Urgent, distinct from the parent task's own Urgent indicator.
Completed sub-task visibility: keep completed sub-tasks visible by default or hide them inside task windows without deleting their stored data.
Parent completion behavior: optionally make completing a parent task mark every unfinished sub-task done in the same action; reopening the parent later reopens only those auto-completed children while preserving manually completed sub-tasks.
Edge auto-scroll while reordering: hold a dragged sub-task near the top or bottom of a scrollable task window and the window keeps moving so long lists can be reordered in one drag.
Sub-task multi-selection: Shift/Ctrl/Command-click rows to build a title-copy selection.
Individual sub-task notes: add an optional note to a sub-task and remove the note when it is no longer needed.
Completed-parent snapshot: once a parent is completed, child adding, deletion, editing, reordering, urgency, note changes, and completion changes are locked until the parent is reopened.
Truthful unfinished children: completing a parent with unfinished sub-tasks asks first but never falsely marks those children completed.
Portable nesting: sub-tasks and their notes stay attached through copy, paste, board duplication, export, and import.
Completion & urgency details
Completion timestamps: task and sub-task completion records preserve when the item was completed.
Time-based completed visibility: choose Never, 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, or Always; new settings default to 7 days and the choice affects board rendering only.
Always-visible completed check: shown completed cards carry a clear check indicator even when other appearance options are disabled.
Manual movement lock: completed cards cannot be manually dragged or moved by default; Settings can enable it.
Automatic destination: choose any existing section on the current board as the destination for existing and future completed tasks.
No surprise section creation: automatic completion movement only targets sections you already created.
Original-section memory: automatically moved completed tasks remember where they came from for later reopening.
Reopen preserves child truth: reopening a parent keeps each sub-task's actual completed/incomplete state.
Reopen preserves urgency: if a completed parent retained Urgent status, reopening restarts its Urgent timing from the reopen moment.
Visible-count awareness: Where the work sits counts only completed cards that are currently within the selected board-visibility period, plus active work.
Historical deadline logic: missed-Urgent evaluation uses completion timing so an item completed after the cutoff still counts correctly for the missed day.
Paused-work quieting: paused tasks and their sub-tasks do not produce daily missed-Urgent warnings until resumed.
Undo, keyboard & action safety
Descriptive Undo/Redo labels: buttons name the next action instead of showing a generic command.
Ctrl/Command + Z: undo the newest eligible board/workspace action outside native text editing.
Ctrl/Command + Y: redo with the common Windows-style shortcut.
Ctrl/Command + Shift + Z: redo with the alternate common shortcut.
Native text undo priority: text fields keep normal browser editing behavior instead of hijacking Ctrl/Command + Z.
Grouped typing history: continuous edits to task names, task notes, sub-task names, and sub-task notes do not create a history entry for every keystroke.
Escape handling: Esc closes the highest-priority open menu or modal and can clear selection when appropriate.
Enter/Space task interaction: keyboard-focused cards can open or toggle selection depending on the current mode.
Styled confirmations: destructive or important actions use in-app confirmation dialogs instead of browser-native alerts.
Session-history boundary: Undo is clearly separated from long-term backup; exported files do not pretend to contain session history.
Backup, import & recovery
Current-board export: save one board with its tasks, sections, colors, layout positions, column count, and needed tag definitions.
Full-workspace export: save every board plus the active-board reference and global tag definitions.
Readable JSON: backup data can be inspected or copied instead of being hidden inside an opaque proprietary file.
Simple downloads first: workspace and current-board backups download directly; raw text copy/paste is kept under Advanced backup options.
Timestamped filenames: downloaded backups use local date and time so recovery points are easier to distinguish.
Single-board import: add an imported board beside existing boards rather than replacing the workspace.
Unique imported names: name conflicts are repaired with a unique imported board name.
Workspace replacement warning: full-workspace imports explicitly confirm that boards and global tags will be replaced.
Import-size preflight: projected localStorage size is calculated before either import path mutates the workspace.
High-usage confirmation: imports entering the 80% and 90% storage ranges receive stronger warnings.
Hard safety block: imports projected at or above the 5 MiB reference are refused before current data is replaced.
Automatic folder backups: supported desktop browsers can write full-workspace JSON backups into a user-approved folder.
Changed-workspace only: automatic backup does not create another file when nothing in the workspace has changed.
Backup intervals: choose 5, 15, 30, or 60 minutes; 15 minutes is the default.
Browser guidance: Settings identifies Chrome, Edge, and Opera as supported for direct automatic folder backups and offers normal-download fallback behavior elsewhere.
First-task onboarding: automatic-backup setup waits until actual work begins instead of interrupting a fresh launch.
Respectful re-prompting: choosing Not Now requires both 25 more created tasks and a 24-hour cooldown before setup is offered again.
Backup freshness reminders: reminders wait for meaningful data, elapsed time, and actual changes instead of nagging on every launch.
Storage & data protection
Dedicated localStorage meter: the Settings progress bar estimates Web Storage use against a conservative 5 MiB reference.
Buds usage breakdown: see how much estimated localStorage belongs to Buds itself.
Other-origin usage: see localStorage used by other data sharing the same origin separately from Buds-owned keys.
Total localStorage usage: the meter evaluates the whole origin because localStorage capacity is shared at that level.
General browser estimate: when available, the broader navigator storage usage/quota reading appears separately so it is not confused with Web Storage.
70/80/90 warnings: staged localStorage notifications provide early caution, warning, and urgent thresholds.
Backup action in warnings: storage notices provide a direct Export workspace recovery action.
Monitored writes: important localStorage saves are wrapped so failures can be detected instead of silently ignored.
Urgent save-failure notice: if an important write fails, Buds tells you to keep the page open and protect the current in-memory workspace with an export.
Legacy-storage cleanup: current workspaces are stored once instead of continuously duplicating the active board into obsolete legacy keys.
Legacy migration support: older single-board data can still be read and converted into the current workspace format.
Capacity-aware imports: storage projections include the board/tag payloads that would be saved plus the origin's other current localStorage data.
Notifications & in-app guidance
Notification bell: important persistent notices live in one place instead of interrupting normal board work.
Unread badge: the top-bar badge shows how many notices still need attention.
Notification details: open a notice for its full explanation, timestamp, and action when one is available.
Mark all read: clear unread status without throwing useful notices away.
Dismiss all: remove the currently visible notification set when you have handled it.
Backup reminders: first-backup and stale-backup notices appear only when meaningful data and timing conditions make them useful.
Storage warnings: both localStorage-specific and broader browser-quota warnings use the same notification system.
Configurable Urgent deadline: missed Urgent work is grouped instead of creating one notification per task, and the browser-level daily warning time can be changed from its default midnight deadline.
Clean Urgent completion state: completing Urgent work clears the live Urgent flag while preserving completion-time urgency for deadline checks and future History/Stats; reopening restores the Urgent state.
App-update notice: Buds can announce a newly opened tracked version with its release notes.
Older-version protection: opening a tracked older app copy against browser data previously used by a newer version can trigger a compatibility warning.
Migration notice: real legacy-to-workspace conversions can confirm that preserved data was upgraded.
Quiet status messages: routine confirmations use temporary toasts rather than filling the notification bell.
Interface, mobile & built-in help
Live task-distribution bar: Where the work sits shows the visible task total and the distribution across sections.
Dynamic time cues: legacy-style Today/Tomorrow/Soon sections display live date horizons that roll over when the day changes; standard Kanban boards use workflow-oriented cues such as Ready and Active work.
Light/dark theme toggle: switch the board appearance without changing board data.
Sticky two-row top bar: capture, theme, notifications, Settings, Undo/Redo, and selection tools remain close while working down a long board.
Sticky board tabs: board navigation stays available below the top bar while scrolling.
Touch task drag grip: hold the task grip briefly to arm reordering. If you move before it arms, Buds leaves the gesture to normal vertical page scrolling.
Floating drag preview: touch/pen/narrow-layout drags visibly follow the pointer.
Edge auto-scroll: keep a dragged task near the top or bottom of the browser window to continuously scroll long boards; sub-tasks and scrollable managers use the same idea inside their own containers.
Responsive board columns: desktop layouts can use up to eight lanes while narrow screens reduce to at most two and very small screens to one.
Mobile-sized selectors: task Section controls stay compact instead of stretching awkwardly across small task modals.
Searchable built-in Documentation: the footer opens a complete in-app guide with section navigation and search.
Printable Documentation: the documentation view includes a print action for a portable reference.
Built-in Changelog: review tracked release history without leaving the app.
About and Contact: product identity and support contact stay directly accessible from the footer.
Visible version number: the current app version is always shown in the footer for troubleshooting and support.
Privacy & local-first behavior
No Buds account required today: the current app works without signing in.
No task-data backend: the current board code does not send boards, tasks, notes, tags, or sub-tasks to a Pyips cloud database or sync API.
No built-in analytics or advertising trackers: the current app does not include telemetry systems for reporting your board activity.
No real-time task sockets: there is no background WebSocket/EventSource system transmitting board contents.
Exports remain local: creating a JSON backup prepares or downloads it in the browser; Buds does not automatically upload that file.
User-approved backup-folder access: automatic file backup can only use a directory the browser lets you explicitly choose.
Browser-local preferences: theme, Queue comma behavior, completed-task display preferences, and similar interface choices stay with the browser environment.
Clear storage boundaries: built-in documentation explains that the browser working copy is not a disaster-proof backup and should be protected with an external workspace backup.
Current local-first edition
This is what is actually in the build.
Buds is still changing, but everything above is in the version you can use right now. Accounts, cloud sync, server-side workspaces and team collaboration are not in it, so they are not listed here as though they were.