Purpose

Use the Jira CLI (jira ) to interact with Jira issues, sprints, epics, and projects directly from the command line. This enables fast issue management without leaving the terminal.

Prerequisites

• Jira CLI installed (jira command available)

• Configured with jira init (API token set via JIRA_API_TOKEN environment variable)

Critical: Non-Interactive Mode Required

NEVER use interactive mode. Always use one of these flags:

• --plain

• Use for standard output (default choice)

• --raw

• Use when detailed/structured JSON data is needed for parsing

Interactive mode requires user input and will hang. Always append --plain or --raw to commands.

Quick Reference

Core Commands

Command Description

jira issue list --plain

List recent issues in the project

jira issue create -tTask -s"Summary" --no-input

Create a new issue non-interactively

jira issue view ISSUE-123 --plain

View issue details

jira issue view ISSUE-123 --raw

View issue details as JSON

jira issue edit ISSUE-123 -s"Title"

Edit an issue

jira issue move ISSUE-123 "Done"

Transition issue status

jira issue assign ISSUE-123 username

Assign issue to user

jira sprint list --current --plain

View current sprint

jira epic list --plain

List epics in project

jira open ISSUE-123

Open issue in browser

Configuration

View current user

jira me

Server information

jira serverinfo

Use specific project

jira issue list -p PROJECT_KEY

Workflow Instructions

Listing Issues

List issues with various filters (always use --plain or --raw ):

List all recent issues

jira issue list --plain

Filter by assignee (current user)

jira issue list -a$(jira me) --plain

Filter by status

jira issue list -s"In Progress" --plain

Filter by priority

jira issue list -yHigh --plain

Filter by creation date

jira issue list --created month --plain

Combine filters

jira issue list -a$(jira me) -yHigh -s"To Do" --created month --plain

JSON output when detailed data needed

jira issue list --raw

Creating Issues

Always provide required fields to avoid interactive prompts:

Create with required fields (use --no-input to prevent prompts)

jira issue create -t"Bug" -s"Fix login error" -b"Description here" --no-input

Create and assign

jira issue create -t"Task" -s"New feature" -a$(jira me) --no-input

Create with priority

jira issue create -t"Task" -s"Urgent fix" -yHigh --no-input

Viewing and Editing Issues

View full issue details (plain text)

jira issue view ISSUE-123 --plain

View full issue details (JSON for parsing)

jira issue view ISSUE-123 --raw

Edit issue summary

jira issue edit ISSUE-123 -s"Updated title" --no-input

Edit issue body/description

jira issue edit ISSUE-123 -b"Updated description" --no-input

Add comment

jira issue comment add ISSUE-123 -b"Comment text" --no-input

Moving Issues Through Workflow

Always specify the target status explicitly:

Move to specific status

jira issue move ISSUE-123 "In Progress" jira issue move ISSUE-123 "Done" jira issue move ISSUE-123 "To Do"

Sprint Management

List all sprints

jira sprint list --plain

View current sprint

jira sprint list --current --plain

View sprint issues

jira sprint list SPRINT_ID --plain

Filter sprint issues by assignee

jira sprint list SPRINT_ID -a me --plain

Get sprint data as JSON

jira sprint list --current --raw

Epic Management

List epics

jira epic list --plain

View epic issues

jira epic list EPIC-123 --plain

Add issue to epic

jira epic add EPIC-123 ISSUE-456

Board Operations

List boards

jira board list --plain

View board details

jira board view BOARD_ID --plain

Output Formats

Always use non-interactive output:

• Plain text (--plain ): Default choice for readable output

• JSON (--raw ): Use when detailed/structured data is needed for parsing

• CSV (--csv ): Use for spreadsheet export

Never use interactive mode - it requires user input and will hang.

Common Patterns

Daily Standup Check

See what you're working on

jira issue list -a$(jira me) -s"In Progress" --plain

Check current sprint

jira sprint list --current --plain

Start Working on Issue

View issue details

jira issue view ISSUE-123 --plain

Assign to yourself and move to In Progress

jira issue assign ISSUE-123 $(jira me) jira issue move ISSUE-123 "In Progress"

Complete an Issue

Move to done

jira issue move ISSUE-123 "Done"

Add completion comment

jira issue comment add ISSUE-123 -b"Completed and deployed" --no-input

Troubleshooting

Check Configuration

Verify current user

jira me

Check server connection

jira serverinfo

Debug mode

jira --debug issue list --plain

Common Issues

• Authentication errors: Ensure JIRA_API_TOKEN is set correctly

• Project not found: Use -p PROJECT_KEY to specify project

• Invalid transition: Check issue status first with jira issue view ISSUE-123 --plain to see available transitions