Kaneo is a self-hosted, open-source project management tool focused on keeping work simple, fast, and free from unnecessary complexity.
Kaneo is an open-source project management platform built with a minimalist philosophy: it aims to provide the essentials without the clutter common in heavier tools. The repository describes it as self-hosted, permissively licensed under MIT, and available through Docker, Kubernetes, and a one-click deployment path. It also includes an official MCP server so AI tools can interact with tasks, projects, and labels.
The project is aimed at teams who feel distracted by bloated project management software. According to the README, the core problem is not a lack of features, but too many notifications, buttons, and complicated workflows that pull attention away from building product work.
Conceptually, Kaneo works by offering a streamlined project-management surface that emphasizes clarity and speed rather than maximum configurability. It can be deployed as a self-hosted service, connects with PostgreSQL in the documented Docker setup, and provides both web access and an MCP interface for external tools. The README also points to documentation for the full feature set and configuration details, but it does not spell out deeper internal architecture in the material provided here.
Kaneo appears to be gaining attention because it sits in a crowded category—project management, kanban, issue tracking, and Jira/Linear alternatives—while offering a clear anti-bloat message that resonates with teams. The README also highlights easy deployment options, self-hosting, and AI integration through MCP, which can broaden interest among developers and teams looking for lightweight, modern tooling. Its strong recent star growth in the repository metadata also suggests rising visibility.
Based on the repository topics and description, comparable tools include Jira and Linear as direct alternatives, along with general kanban and issue-tracking systems. Kaneo positions itself as a self-hosted, open-source option in that space rather than a feature-heavy enterprise suite.
AI-explained · grounded in each repo's README