Getting Started
GritShip is a lightweight, blazing-fast project management tool built for solo devs, freelancers, and small teams (2–10 people). Set up your first board in under 60 seconds.
Setup Steps
1Sign up
Click "Get Started" and sign in with your Google account. One click — no forms, no wizards.
2Create your workspace
After signing in, you'll be prompted to name your workspace (e.g. "Acme Corp" or "My Projects"). A workspace is the top-level container for all your projects and team members.
3Create your first project
Next, name your first project (e.g. "Website Redesign"). Your project board will be set up with default columns so you can start adding tasks immediately.
4Start shipping
Add columns, drop in tasks, assign team members, and drag cards between columns. Everything syncs in real time.
Workspaces
A workspace is the top-level container in GritShip. It holds all your projects and team members. Most users need just one workspace — but you can create more if you manage separate organizations or clients.
Workspace members & roles
Every workspace has two roles:
| Role | Permissions |
|---|---|
| Admin | Full access — manage workspace settings, invite/remove members, create/archive projects, manage all tasks. |
| Member | Create projects, manage tasks, leave comments, upload attachments. Cannot change workspace settings or manage members. |
The person who creates the workspace is automatically assigned the Admin role.
Projects
Projects live inside workspaces. Each project has its own board with customizable columns and tasks. Use projects to organize work by client, product, team, or however you think about your work.
Creating a project
Click the + New Project button in the sidebar. Give it a name and you're ready to go. Projects start with an empty board — add columns to define your workflow.
Switching between projects
All your projects appear in the left sidebar. Click any project name to switch to its board. You can also use the keyboard shortcut G then 1–9 to jump to the first through ninth project.
Archiving projects
Finished projects can be archived so they no longer appear in the sidebar. Archived projects and their data are preserved — they can be unarchived at any time.
Board View
The Board is the default way to visualize your project. It shows your tasks organized in columns — typically stages like "To Do", "In Progress", and "Done".
Adding columns
Click the + Add Column button on the right edge of the board. Type a column name and press Enter to create it. Common setups include:
- Simple: To Do → In Progress → Done
- With review: Backlog → In Progress → Review → Done
- Bug tracking: Reported → Triaged → Fixing → Resolved
Drag and drop
Drag task cards between columns to update their status. You can also reorder tasks within a column and drag columns themselves to rearrange your workflow. GritShip uses fractional indexing for ordering, so moves never conflict — even when multiple people drag simultaneously.
Renaming & deleting columns
Click a column header to rename it. Use the column menu to delete a column. Deleting a column will also delete all tasks within it, so use with care.
Quick add
Each column has a quick-add input at the bottom. Type a task title and press Enter to instantly create a new task in that column. Press N from anywhere on the board to focus the quick-add input in the first column.
List View
The List view shows all your tasks in a sortable table. It's ideal for quickly scanning priorities, due dates, and assignments across all columns at once.
Switching views
Toggle between Board and List using the view switcher in the top toolbar. Your selection persists in the URL, so you can bookmark or share a direct link to either view.
Sorting
Click any column header to sort by that field. Click again to reverse the sort direction. You can sort by:
- Status — completed vs. incomplete
- Column — group by board column
- Title — alphabetical
- Priority — P1 (Critical) to P4 (Low)
- Due Date — nearest deadlines first
- Assignee — by team member name
Completing tasks
Click the checkbox on any row to toggle a task's completion status. Completed tasks show a strikethrough title and are sorted to the bottom by default.
Tasks
Tasks are the core unit of work in GritShip. Click any task card to open its detail panel, where you can manage every aspect of the task.
Task properties
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | The task name. Click to edit inline. |
| Description | Rich text area supporting full Markdown — headings, bold, italic, code blocks, bullet lists, numbered lists, links, and inline images. |
| Priority | P1 Critical P2 High P3 Medium P4 Low |
| Assignee | Assign a workspace member to the task. |
| Due Date | Set a deadline. Overdue tasks are highlighted in red on both the board and list views. |
| Labels | Free-form text tags for categorization (e.g. "frontend", "bug", "design"). Each label gets an automatic color. |
| Attachments | Upload files up to 10 MB each. Drag and drop into the attachments area or click to browse. Images, PDFs, and documents are supported. |
| Comments | Threaded comments with @mention support. Leave notes, ask questions, or discuss task details. |
| Activity Log | Every change — title edits, priority updates, assignee changes, moves between columns — is tracked automatically. |
Markdown descriptions
Task descriptions support full Markdown. The editor provides a toolbar with shortcuts for bold, italic, bullet lists, numbered lists, links, code blocks, and image uploads. Switch between Write and Preview tabs to see formatted output. Descriptions auto-save as you type.
Completing tasks
Click the circle checkbox on any task card or in the task detail panel to mark it as complete. Completed tasks show a strikethrough and can be filtered out using the status filter.
Deleting tasks
Open the task detail modal, click the three-dot menu (⋮), and select "Delete task". A confirmation dialog will appear since deletion is permanent.
Filters
Filters help you focus on what matters right now. Use the filter bar below the project name to narrow your view.
Available filters
Assignee
Show tasks assigned to specific team members.
Priority
Filter by P1 (Critical), P2 (High), P3 (Medium), or P4 (Low).
Label
Show tasks with specific labels (auto-populated from your tasks).
Due Date
Overdue, Due today, Due this week, Due this month, or No due date.
Combining filters
Apply multiple filters at once. For example, show only P1 tasks assigned to you that are overdue. Active filters show as chips with a remove button. Click Clear all to reset.
Keyboard Shortcuts
GritShip is built keyboard-first. Navigate and manage your entire board without touching the mouse.
Global shortcuts
These work everywhere, even when typing in an input.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘ + K | Open / close command palette |
| ⌘ + B | Toggle sidebar |
| Esc | Close modal / deselect task |
Board shortcuts
Active when not typing in an input field.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| N | Focus quick-add task input |
| / | Focus search bar |
| ↑ ↓ ← → | Navigate between task cards |
| Enter | Open selected task detail |
| G then P | Go to workspace home (project list) |
| G then 1–9 | Switch to nth project |
Command Palette
Press ⌘ K anywhere to open the command palette — a universal search and action launcher.
What you can do
- Search tasks — Start typing a task title to find it instantly across all projects in your workspace.
- Switch projects — Type a project name and hit Enter to navigate to it.
- Quick actions — Focus Search, Toggle Sidebar, and New Task are available as built-in actions.
Navigation
Use ↑ ↓ to move between results and Enter to select. Press Esc to close.
Team Collaboration
GritShip is built for small teams working together in real time.
Inviting teammates
Go to Settings → Members and enter your teammate's email address. They'll receive an invite link that lets them join your workspace with one click. Invite links expire after a set period for security.
Real-time sync
All changes sync instantly via WebSocket connections. When a teammate moves a task, edits a title, leaves a comment, or changes a priority, you see the update immediately — no page refresh needed. If your connection drops, GritShip automatically reconnects and refreshes the board.
Comments & @mentions
Open any task and switch to the Comments tab to start a discussion. Type @ followed by a teammate's name to mention them — they'll receive a notification. Comments support threading for organized conversations.
Task assignments
Assign any workspace member to a task using the assignee picker in the task detail panel. The assignee's avatar appears on the task card so everyone can see who's working on what. Use the Assignee filter to view tasks assigned to a specific person.
Notifications
Stay informed about what matters. GritShip sends real-time in-app notifications so you never miss important updates.
What triggers notifications
- A task assigned to you is updated
- Someone @mentions you in a comment
- A comment is added to a task you're assigned to
- A task you're assigned to is approaching its due date (24-hour reminder)
Managing notifications
Click the bell icon in the top toolbar to open the notifications panel. Unread notifications are highlighted with a blue border. Click any notification to navigate directly to the relevant task. Use Mark all read to clear your unread count.
Settings
Access workspace settings from the gear icon in the sidebar or by navigating to Settings directly.
General settings
Admins can change the workspace name from the General settings page. The workspace URL slug is derived from the workspace name and remains stable.
Members settings
View all workspace members, their roles, and join dates. Admins can:
- Send new invitations by email
- Change a member's role between Admin and Member
- Remove members from the workspace