Jira CLI

Interact with Atlassian Jira from the command line using jira-cli.

When to Use

• User asks to create, view, edit, or search Jira issues/tickets
• User needs to transition issues through workflow states (To Do → In Progress → Done)
• User wants to manage sprints, epics, or boards
• User needs to assign issues, add comments, or log work time
• User asks about their current tasks or sprint progress

Prerequisites

1. Install jira-cli: brew install ankitpokhrel/jira-cli/jira-cli (macOS) or download from releases
2. Set API token: export JIRA_API_TOKEN="your-token"
3. Initialize: jira init and follow prompts

Issue Commands

List Issues

# List issues in current project
jira issue list

# List my assigned issues
jira issue list -a$(jira me)

# List issues by status
jira issue list -s"In Progress"

# List high priority issues
jira issue list -yHigh

# List issues with multiple filters
jira issue list -a$(jira me) -s"To Do" -yHigh --created week

# List issues with raw JQL
jira issue list -q "project = PROJ AND status = 'In Progress'"

# Plain text output for scripting
jira issue list --plain --columns key,summary,status --no-headers

Create Issues

# Interactive issue creation
jira issue create

# Create with all options specified
jira issue create -tBug -s"Login button not working" -b"Description here" -yHigh --no-input

# Create a story
jira issue create -tStory -s"Add user authentication" -yMedium

# Create with labels and components
jira issue create -tTask -s"Update dependencies" -lmaintenance -l"tech-debt" -Cbackend

# Create and assign to self
jira issue create -tBug -s"Fix crash on startup" -a$(jira me) --no-input

View Issues

# View issue details
jira issue view ISSUE-123

# View with comments
jira issue view ISSUE-123 --comments 10

# View in plain text
jira issue view ISSUE-123 --plain

# Open issue in browser
jira open ISSUE-123

Edit Issues

# Edit summary
jira issue edit ISSUE-123 -s"Updated summary"

# Edit description
jira issue edit ISSUE-123 -b"New description"

# Edit priority
jira issue edit ISSUE-123 -yHigh

# Add labels
jira issue edit ISSUE-123 -lnew-label

Transition Issues

# Move issue to a new status
jira issue move ISSUE-123 "In Progress"

# Move with comment
jira issue move ISSUE-123 "Done" --comment "Completed the task"

# Move and set resolution
jira issue move ISSUE-123 "Done" -RFixed

Assign Issues

# Assign to self
jira issue assign ISSUE-123 $(jira me)

# Assign to specific user
jira issue assign ISSUE-123 username

# Unassign
jira issue assign ISSUE-123 x

Comments

# Add a comment
jira issue comment add ISSUE-123 "This is my comment"

# Add comment from editor
jira issue comment add ISSUE-123

Work Logging

# Log time
jira issue worklog add ISSUE-123 "2h 30m"

# Log time with comment
jira issue worklog add ISSUE-123 "1d 4h" --comment "Completed feature implementation" --no-input

Link & Clone Issues

# Link two issues
jira issue link ISSUE-123 ISSUE-456 Blocks

# Unlink issues
jira issue unlink ISSUE-123 ISSUE-456

# Clone an issue
jira issue clone ISSUE-123 -s"Cloned: New summary"

# Delete an issue
jira issue delete ISSUE-123

Epic Commands

# List epics
jira epic list

# List epics in table format
jira epic list --table

# Create an epic
jira epic create -n"Q1 Features" -s"Epic summary" -b"Epic description"

# Add issues to epic
jira epic add EPIC-1 ISSUE-123 ISSUE-456

# Remove issues from epic
jira epic remove ISSUE-123 ISSUE-456

Sprint Commands

# List sprints
jira sprint list

# List current/active sprint
jira sprint list --current

# List my issues in current sprint
jira sprint list --current -a$(jira me)

# Add issues to sprint
jira sprint add SPRINT_ID ISSUE-123 ISSUE-456

Project & Board Commands

# List projects
jira project list

# List boards
jira board list

# List releases/versions
jira release list

# Open project in browser
jira open

Utility Commands

# Get current username
jira me

# Show help
jira --help
jira issue --help

# Setup shell completion
jira completion bash  # or zsh, fish, powershell

Common Flags

Flag	Description
--plain	Plain text output (no interactive UI)
--raw	Raw JSON output
--csv	CSV output
--no-input	Skip interactive prompts
-t, --type	Issue type (Bug, Story, Task, Epic)
-s, --summary	Issue summary/title
-b, --body	Issue description
-y, --priority	Priority (Highest, High, Medium, Low, Lowest)
-l, --label	Labels (repeatable)
-a, --assignee	Assignee username
-r, --reporter	Reporter username
-C, --component	Component name
-P, --parent	Parent issue/epic key
-q, --jql	Raw JQL query
--created	Filter by creation date (-7d, week, month)
--order-by	Sort field
--reverse	Reverse sort order

Common Workflows

Start Working on an Issue

# Assign to self and move to In Progress
jira issue assign ISSUE-123 $(jira me)
jira issue move ISSUE-123 "In Progress"

Complete an Issue

# Log work and close
jira issue worklog add ISSUE-123 "4h" --no-input
jira issue move ISSUE-123 "Done" --comment "Completed" -RFixed

Daily Standup Review

# View my current sprint tasks
jira sprint list --current -a$(jira me)

Create and Track a Bug

# Create bug
jira issue create -tBug -s"App crashes on login" -yHigh -lbug --no-input
# Note the returned issue key, then assign
jira issue assign BUG-123 $(jira me)
jira issue move BUG-123 "In Progress"

Output Examples

Command	Use Case
jira issue list --plain	Script-friendly output
jira issue list --raw	JSON for parsing
jira issue list --csv	Export to spreadsheet

Limitations

• Requires prior jira init configuration
• Some features may vary between Jira Cloud and Server
• Complex custom fields may require --custom flag with field IDs
• Rate limits apply based on Jira instance configuration