How to build Trello dashboards in Metabase
Trello is a visual kanban tool for boards, lists, cards, checklists, due dates, and lightweight project workflows. Metabase is where you turn that operational activity into shared, trustworthy dashboards. This guide covers two complementary paths: a lightweight MCP + CLI routethat pulls live data with the Trello MCP Server and loads a CSV into Metabase with the Metabase CLI, and a durable pipeline route that syncs Trello into a database so you can build dashboards anyone can read.
How do you connect Trello to Metabase?
Most teams combine both routes: use MCP and CLI uploads for a fast first pass, then move recurring reporting to a warehouse-backed model.
Live data in, quick analysis out
Pair the Trello MCP Server with the Metabase CLI. Use MCP for live lookups, write the result to CSV, then load it into Metabase as a ready-to-query table and model.
- Quick lookups such as "show me board throughput"
- Loading a Trello CSV export into Metabase in seconds
- Spot-checks and one-off analyses without a warehouse
- Great for exploration, not governed reporting
- Use read-only/scoped credentials wherever the MCP server supports them
- CSV uploads are snapshots — refresh or move to the pipeline for history
Durable dashboards with history
Sync Trello into a database or warehouse with a managed connector, custom pipeline, or API, then point Metabase at it.
- Trello dashboards leaders depend on
- Joining Trello data with product, support, sales, or engineering data
- Long-run trends for board throughput and cards by list and label
- You own the refresh schedule and clean data model
- Change and activity history need explicit snapshots, events, or changelog syncs
- Metric definitions must be consistent across tools and teams
What can you analyze from Trello data in Metabase?
- Board throughput — built from cards and the related boards, lists, labels data your sync exposes.
- Cards by list and label — built from cards and the related boards, lists, labels data your sync exposes.
- Overdue cards — built from cards and the related boards, lists, labels data your sync exposes.
- Checklist completion — built from cards and the related boards, lists, labels data your sync exposes.
- Member workload — built from cards and the related boards, lists, labels data your sync exposes.
Which Trello dashboards should you build in Metabase?
Work overview
A shared pulse of active, completed, and delayed work.
- cards completed by week (line)
- Created vs completed by week (combo)
- Open work by status (stacked bar)
- Overdue work (number + trend)
Project health
Which projects need attention before they slip?
- Project health score (table)
- At-risk projects by owner (bar)
- Blocked or stale work (table)
- Deadline risk by project (heatmap)
Workload balance
Work distribution without turning people into a scoreboard.
- Open work by owner (bar)
- Overdue work by owner (bar)
- Work in progress by team (stacked bar)
- Unassigned work (number + table)
Flow and bottlenecks
Where work waits, ages, or piles up.
- Median cycle time by week (line)
- Time in status (bar)
- Aging work by status (table)
- Throughput by work type (bar)
How do you use the Trello MCP Server with the Metabase CLI?
Pair the Trello MCP Server with the Metabase CLI for fast, hands-on analysis. MCP is useful for scoped lookups and exports; the Metabase CLI's upload command loads CSV data into Metabase and creates a ready-to-query table and model.
Example workflow
- Ask the MCP server for overdue or recently completed cards.
- Export the result as CSV, keeping stable IDs, owners, containers, status or type, and timestamps.
- Run
mb upload csvto load it into Metabase as a table and model, then build questions and dashboards on top.
Be honest about the limits
- MCP lookups are excellent for exploration, not scheduled reporting.
- A CSV upload is a snapshot; refresh it with
mb upload replaceor move to the pipeline for real history. - Status history is required for true cycle time and time-in-status metrics.
mb upload csvneeds an uploads database configured under Admin → Settings → Uploads.
How do you set up Trello MCP and the Metabase CLI?
Trello MCP Servercommunity
- Transport
- Local community MCP
- Auth
- Trello API key and token
- Best for
- Live scoped lookup and export
Metabase CLIofficial
- Install
npm install -g @metabase/cli- Auth
mb auth login- Load data
mb upload csv --file data.csv- Requires
- An uploads database (Admin → Settings → Uploads)
{
"mcpServers": {
"trello": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@delorenj/mcp-server-trello"],
"env": {
"TRELLO_API_KEY": "your-key",
"TRELLO_TOKEN": "your-token"
}
}
}
}# Install the Metabase CLI
npm install -g @metabase/cli
# Log in (opens your browser; requires Metabase v62+)
mb auth login --url https://your-metabase.example.com
# Load a cards export — creates a table AND a model
mb upload csv --file trello-cards.csv --collection root
# Refresh that same table later from a new export
mb upload replace <table-id> --file trello-cards.csvCan you generate a Trello dashboard with AI?
Yes. Use the prompt below with any assistant that can run the Trello MCP Server and the Metabase CLI. It works end to end: if Trello tables already exist in Metabase it analyzes those; otherwise it pulls scoped data over MCP, loads it with mb upload csv, then builds the dashboard and caveats any metric that needs missing history.
Create a polished Metabase dashboard for Trello work management analytics.
Work end to end: get the data into Metabase if it isn't there yet, then build.
Goal: Help team and program leaders understand completion, throughput, overdue work, workload balance, and project health from Trello data.
Step 1 — Find or load the data:
- First, check what already exists in Metabase (search for trello tables and
models). If durable Trello data is already present — synced from a warehouse
or uploaded earlier — use it and skip to Step 2.
- If nothing is there, pull a scoped export with the Trello MCP Server: cards,
boards, lists, labels. Write each result to a CSV, then
load it with the Metabase CLI — run "mb upload csv --file <export>.csv" so each
upload creates a table and a ready-to-query model. Use "mb upload replace <table-id>
--file <export>.csv" to refresh an existing table instead of creating duplicates.
Step 2 — Inspect before querying:
Do not assume exact table or column names. Inspect available fields, dates, owners,
containers, status values, and whether change/activity history exists before creating
duration or trend cards.
Important:
- Build on whatever data is present; don't claim Metabase connects natively to
Trello — it reads a database or CLI-uploaded tables.
- Only compute durations when the required start/end or event timestamps exist.
- Exclude archived, deleted, canceled, or test objects from active-population cards.
- Avoid individual performance leaderboards; use owner views for balancing and cleanup.
- A single CSV is a point-in-time snapshot: only build trend cards if there is a
usable date column or multiple periods have been uploaded.
Dashboard title: Trello Work Management Overview
Sections:
1. Executive summary: Completed work last 30 days; Open work; Overdue rate;
Median cycle time if available; Unassigned work.
2. Throughput: Created vs completed by week; Completed work by type/status/project.
3. Project health: At-risk projects; blocked work; stale work; upcoming deadlines.
4. Workload: Open and overdue work by owner/team; WIP by status.
5. Flow: Cycle time, lead time, and time in status if history is available.
Filters: Date range, Project/board/database, Status, Owner, Team, Work type.
Output: Build the dashboard if you have permission; otherwise provide the exact
questions, SQL, model definitions, and layout. Include caveats for any metric
that cannot be calculated from the available data.How do you sync Trello data into a database or warehouse?
For dashboards that need history and reliability, land Trello data in a database first, then connect Metabase to that database.
Connector options
- Managed ETL — use a connector when one covers the objects you need.
- Custom pipeline — use the Trello REST API for control over fields, history, and refresh cadence.
- MCP + CSV — use this for quick exploration and one-off slices.
Sync boards, lists, cards, labels, members, actions, checklists, and due dates with the REST API or a connector.
Notes
- Land raw tables first, then build clean Metabase models on top.
- Keep change events or daily snapshots if you need trends and duration metrics.
- Normalize owner, team, project, status, due-date, and completed-date fields.
How should you model Trello data in Metabase?
Core tables
| Table | Grain | Key columns |
|---|---|---|
trello_cards | one row per card | id, name, board_id, list_id, member_ids, due, due_complete, closed |
trello_actions | one row per card or board action | id, card_id, board_id, type, member_id, date |
trello_lists | one row per list | id, board_id, name, pos, closed |
Modeling advice
- Build a clean
work_itemsmodel with common columns across tools. - Separate current-state fields from change events, activity, or snapshot history.
- Exclude archived, deleted, test, and duplicate objects from active-population metrics.
- Use stable IDs for owner, project, and item joins; display names can change.
Which Trello metrics should you track in Metabase?
| Metric | Definition | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Task completion rate | Completed items ÷ items due or committed in the period. | Define the denominator once. |
| Task throughput | Completed items per period. | Segment by project, type, or team. |
| Overdue rate | Open items past due ÷ open items with due dates. | Watch missing due dates separately. |
| Workload balance | Distribution of open work across owners or teams. | Use for capacity, not ranking. |
| Project health score | Weighted risk from overdue, blocked, stale, and incomplete work. | Keep the formula visible. |
What SQL powers Trello dashboards in Metabase?
These assume a cleaned analytical model in a warehouse (PostgreSQL dialect). Adjust table and column names to match your connector.
Basic task throughput.
SELECT
date_trunc('week', completed_at) AS week,
COUNT(*) AS completed_items
FROM work_items
WHERE completed_at IS NOT NULL
AND archived_at IS NULL
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 1;Open work past due, divided by open work.
SELECT
project_name,
COUNT(*) FILTER (
WHERE completed_at IS NULL
AND due_date < CURRENT_DATE
) AS overdue_items,
COUNT(*) FILTER (
WHERE completed_at IS NULL
AND due_date IS NOT NULL
) AS open_items,
ROUND(
100.0 * COUNT(*) FILTER (
WHERE completed_at IS NULL
AND due_date < CURRENT_DATE
) / NULLIF(COUNT(*) FILTER (
WHERE completed_at IS NULL
AND due_date IS NOT NULL
), 0),
2
) AS overdue_rate
FROM work_items
WHERE archived_at IS NULL
GROUP BY project_name
ORDER BY overdue_rate DESC NULLS LAST;A capacity view, not a performance leaderboard.
SELECT
owner_name,
COUNT(*) FILTER (WHERE completed_at IS NULL) AS open_items,
COUNT(*) FILTER (
WHERE completed_at IS NULL
AND due_date < CURRENT_DATE
) AS overdue_items
FROM work_items
WHERE archived_at IS NULL
GROUP BY owner_name
ORDER BY open_items DESC;