# plotwork board add-tab

> Page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/commands/board-add-tab. Index of every page: https://docs.plotwork.dev/llms.txt

Add a tab: an empty diagram of a kind, or the source of a file. It is a command of the Plotwork command line, the npm package `@buun_group/plotwork`.

## TL;DR

| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What does it do? | Add a tab: an empty diagram of a kind, or the source of a file. |
| How do I run it? | `npx -y @buun_group/plotwork@0.2.0 board add-tab`, or `plotwork board add-tab` once the package is installed. |
| What does it write? | Nothing on this machine. |
| Does it use the network? | Yes: calls to the Plotwork API with the key in `PLOTWORK_API_KEY`, which is never printed. |
| Does it read the repository settings? | No. |
| How do I read this in a terminal? | `plotwork board add-tab --help` |

## Synopsis

```sh
plotwork board add-tab <board> --name <name> [--kind <kind>] [--file <file>] [--after <tab>] [--json]
```

## What it does

Adds a tab after `--after`, or last. With `--file` the tab starts from that source; otherwise from an empty diagram of `--kind`.

A board is named by its id, its address in the portal (an address with `#tab-<id>` also names the tab), or its name; a tab by its id or its name. A name costs one more call to look it up.

## Options

| Option | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| `--name <name>` | Required | The name of the new tab. |
| `--kind <kind>` | `flow` | The kind of the empty diagram, such as `sequence` or `schema`. |
| `--file <file>` | Off | Start the tab from this `.diagram` file. |
| `--after <tab>` | last | Put it after this tab; `first` puts it first. |
| `--json` | Off | Print one JSON document: the API's answer when it worked, or `{ "error": true, "errorCode", "message", "hint", "status" }` when it did not. |

## Examples

Add an empty sequence diagram.

```sh
plotwork board add-tab Checkout --kind sequence --name "Checkout calls"
```

Add a tab from a file.

```sh
plotwork board add-tab Checkout --name Schema --file db/schema.diagram
```

## Exit codes

| Code | When |
|---|---|
| `0` | The tab was added. |
| `1` | The API refused the call (its code, words and a hint are printed), or could not be reached. |
| `2` | A mistake in the command line: an unknown option, a missing operand, a file or glob that matches nothing, or a settings file that cannot be read. Also when `PLOTWORK_API_KEY` is missing or refused, or `--name` is missing. |

## See also

| Doc | Why |
|---|---|
| [Command reference](https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/commands.md) | Every command of the command line |
| [Live whiteboards](https://docs.plotwork.dev/live-whiteboards.md) | Boards, tabs, revisions and who may change them |
| [From the command line](https://docs.plotwork.dev/live-whiteboards.md#9-from-the-command-line) | Signing in, pull and push, conflicts, and watch |
| [Claude Code plugin](https://docs.plotwork.dev/agents/claude-code-plugin.md) | The board and board-sync skills |
| [Exit codes and output formats](https://docs.plotwork.dev/cli/exit-codes-and-output.md) | What every code and format means |