---
name: trello-create
description: Create a Trello card on a board and list with the trello-cli (mheap) command line tool
argument-hint: "<title> [--board <name>] [--list <name>] [--label <name>] [--from <markdown file>]"
---
Create one Trello card with the `trello` CLI (`npm install -g trello-cli`, mheap/trello-cli 1.8+).

The arguments are: $ARGUMENTS

## Defaults and conventions

- Board defaults to `AppShapes` (id `65be2d49d367b88f7e35ab55`, in the AppShapes workspace), the
  board Brigade shares with Cavalry and the website. List defaults to `Wanting` (the intake list).
  Other lists on the board: Hibernating, Brigade, Cavalry, Website, Canary.
- Every card carries exactly one project label, one of the board's (`trello label:list --board
  AppShapes`): `Brigade`, `Cavalry`, `AppShapes` (the website) and `Canary` today. This
  repository's is `Brigade`, so the command below passes it; pass another only when the card is
  for a different project. Never leave a card unlabelled.
- Titles are plain, without a ticket number. Trello assigns the card number (`idShort`), which
  is what commits reference (`20: ...`) and what appears in the card URL (`/20-slug`). Ticket 15
  is the Brigade build-out card; a piece of work with a card of its own uses that card's number.
- If a markdown file is given (`--from`), its first `# Heading` is the title and the rest is the
  description. Trello descriptions render markdown.
- Never put a join secret, a Supabase key, a personal access token or any other credential on a
  card: a card is as public as the board.

## Steps

1. Auth lives in `~/.trello-cli/default/config.json` (`apiKey`, `token`). If a command reports a
   missing key or token, the values are under `## Trello CLI` in `~/.secrets/thinktech/secrets.md`
   (one Trello account serves every board); set them with `trello auth:api-key <key>` and
   `trello auth:token <token>`, never echo them.
2. If any command says `no such table: boards`, run `trello sync` once (it caches boards and
   lists locally) and retry.
3. Create the card. Pass the description through a file to avoid shell quoting problems:
   ```
   trello card:create --board "AppShapes" --list "Wanting" --label "Brigade" --name "<title>" \
       --description "$(sed '1{/^# /d;}' card.md)" --format json
   ```
   Optional flags: `--due "<date or natural language>"`, `--position top|bottom`. `--label` is
   repeatable, but a card takes one project label.
4. Read the returned JSON and report the card number and URL: the number is the path segment
   before the slug in `url` (`/c/<short>/<number>-<slug>`); `id` is the long id. Check that
   `labels` names the project label; if it is empty, add it with
   `trello card:label --id <id> --label <name>`.
5. To attach a link afterwards: `trello card:attach --board ... --list ... --card "<title>" --url <url>`.
   To add a checklist: `trello card:checklist ... --name "<name>"`.

## Report

One line per card: number, title, list, URL. Do not paste the description back.