Limiting work in progress with Kanban tokens

Summary: Set a token budget for a TameFlow stream so the board shows, at a glance, how much work is already in progress and when the team has taken on too much.

 

Applies to

Property	Value
Product	LYNX-X
Version	28.10.9846.0
Required permissions	Space administrator to configure tokens; any board user to read the indicator
Last updated	2026-10-08
Owner	Support

 

Before you start

• The stream and its board must already exist. See Configuring a TameFlow stream and board.
• Decide which columns represent active work. Those are the columns that will consume tokens.

 

How tokens work

A stream has a fixed number of Kanban tokens. A card takes one token when it enters a column marked Token required, and gives it back when it leaves. When every token is taken, the stream is at its agreed limit and the team should finish work before pulling in more.

The token budget is a signal, not a lock. LYNX-X lets you move a card into a full column and reports the overrun instead of blocking it. The decision stays with the team.

 

Procedure

Set the token budget

1. Select Go to configuration, then under Object Configuration select TameFlow Kanban.
2. In the Board configurations tree, select the stream.
3. On the Stream configuration tab, enter a number in Total # of Kanban tokens allowed in this stream (callout 2 in the figure below).

Choose which columns consume a token

1. Select the board underneath the stream.
2. Open the Board configuration tab.
3. Select Token required for every column that represents active work.

Leave Token required clear for the entry column and for Done. Cards waiting to start, or already finished, are not work in progress.

4. Select OK.

 

Expected outcome

Open Focus > Tameflow and select the board.

• A card that holds a token shows a filled dot at its bottom right. A card without a token shows a hollow circle there.
• The token indicator at the bottom of the left rail shows the number of tokens in use on top, one blue dot for each free token, and the number still free underneath.

Move a card between columns by dragging it. LYNX-X writes the new column's value into the card's controlling property, so a card in the Development column has its Status set to Development. You can confirm this in the card details panel on the right. It also works the other way: change Status in the panel and the card moves to that column.

 

Additional information

 

Troubleshooting

Problem	Resolution
No card shows a filled dot.	On the Board configuration tab, check that Token required is selected for the columns that hold the cards.
The indicator shows zero tokens.	On the Stream configuration tab, check that Total # of Kanban tokens allowed in this stream is not empty or zero.
The token count is lower than expected.	Clear the Filter cards box. The indicator counts the cards currently displayed.

 

See also

• Configuring a TameFlow stream and board
• Adding wait and buffer columns to a TameFlow board
• Automating card updates with triggers

 

Revision history

Version	Date	Author	Changes
2.0	2026-07-29	Support	Rewritten for LYNX-X.
2.1	2026-10-08	Support	Screenshots updated to the current look. The token marker is now a filled dot at the card's bottom right, and the over-budget example uses a 12-token stream.