atlassian-cli is an independent, community open-source project, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Atlassian, and is not Atlassian's official CLI (acli). Product names are used only to identify compatibility.
This cheat sheet covers every Jira CLI command available in atlassian-cli. All commands are copy-paste ready -- replace placeholder values (DEV-123, user@example.com) with your own. For a full walkthrough with context, see the Complete Guide to Jira CLI Tools.
Authentication
Set up profiles and manage credentials. Create an API token at id.atlassian.com first.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
auth login |
Add a new profile with credentials | atlassian-cli auth login --profile work --base-url https://your-domain.atlassian.net --email you@company.com --token $TOKEN --default |
auth list |
List all configured profiles | atlassian-cli auth list |
auth test |
Test authentication works | atlassian-cli auth test --profile work |
Credentials are stored with AES-256-GCM encryption in ~/.atlassian-cli/config.yaml. Use the --profile flag on any command to target a specific instance.
Issue Search
Search issues using JQL (Jira Query Language). Add --format json to any search for machine-readable output.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
jira issue search |
Search with any JQL query | atlassian-cli jira issue search --jql "project = DEV order by created desc" --limit 5 |
jira issue search |
Open bugs assigned to you | atlassian-cli jira issue search --jql "assignee = currentUser() AND type = Bug AND status != Done" |
jira issue search |
Unassigned issues in sprint | atlassian-cli jira issue search --jql "sprint in openSprints() AND assignee is EMPTY" |
jira issue search |
Recently updated issues | atlassian-cli jira issue search --jql "project = DEV AND updated >= -1d" --format json |
jira issue search |
Issues by label | atlassian-cli jira issue search --jql "project = DEV AND labels = 'urgent'" |
Issue CRUD
Create, read, update, and delete individual issues.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
jira issue get |
Get issue details | atlassian-cli jira issue get DEV-123 |
jira issue get |
Get issue as JSON | atlassian-cli jira issue get DEV-123 --format json |
jira issue create |
Create a bug | atlassian-cli jira issue create --project DEV --issue-type Bug --summary "Login page returns 500" |
jira issue create |
Create a task | atlassian-cli jira issue create --project DEV --issue-type Task --summary "Update API docs" |
jira issue update |
Update issue summary | atlassian-cli jira issue update DEV-123 --summary "Updated summary" |
jira issue delete |
Delete an issue | atlassian-cli jira issue delete DEV-123 |
Transitions & Assignments
Move issues through workflow states and manage assignments.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
jira issue transition |
Move to "In Progress" | atlassian-cli jira issue transition DEV-123 --transition "In Progress" |
jira issue transition |
Move to "Done" | atlassian-cli jira issue transition DEV-123 --transition "Done" |
jira issue assign |
Assign to a user | atlassian-cli jira issue assign DEV-123 --assignee user@example.com |
Comments & Watchers
Add comments and manage issue watchers.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
jira automation list |
List automation rules | atlassian-cli jira automation list |
jira webhooks list |
List webhooks | atlassian-cli jira webhooks list |
jira audit list |
View audit logs | atlassian-cli jira audit list --from 2025-01-01 --limit 100 |
Bulk Operations
Process hundreds or thousands of issues with a single command. All bulk commands support --dry-run to preview changes before executing.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
jira bulk transition |
Transition matching issues (dry-run) | atlassian-cli jira bulk transition --jql "project = DEV AND status = Open" --transition "In Progress" --dry-run |
jira bulk transition |
Transition matching issues (execute) | atlassian-cli jira bulk transition --jql "project = DEV AND status = Open" --transition "In Progress" |
jira bulk assign |
Assign unassigned issues | atlassian-cli jira bulk assign --jql "project = DEV AND assignee is EMPTY" --assignee admin@example.com |
jira bulk export |
Export issues to JSON | atlassian-cli jira bulk export --jql "project = DEV" --output issues.json --format json |
jira bulk export |
Export issues to CSV | atlassian-cli jira bulk export --jql "project = DEV" --output issues.csv --format csv |
Bulk operations run with concurrent execution and built-in rate-limit handling. The --dry-run flag is essential -- always preview destructive changes before committing.
Projects & Admin
Inspect your Jira configuration: projects, fields, workflows, components, versions, and roles.
| Command | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
jira project list |
List all projects | atlassian-cli jira project list |
jira project get |
Get project details | atlassian-cli jira project get DEV |
jira fields list |
List custom fields | atlassian-cli jira fields list |
jira workflows list |
List workflows | atlassian-cli jira workflows list |
jira workflows export |
Export a workflow definition | atlassian-cli jira workflows export "Software Simplified Workflow" |
jira components list |
List project components | atlassian-cli jira components list DEV |
jira versions list |
List project versions | atlassian-cli jira versions list DEV |
jira roles list |
List project roles | atlassian-cli jira roles list DEV |
jira roles get |
Get role details | atlassian-cli jira roles get DEV 10002 |
jira roles actors |
List role actors (members) | atlassian-cli jira roles actors DEV 10002 |
jira roles add-actor |
Add a user to a role | atlassian-cli jira roles add-actor DEV 10002 --user user@example.com |
jira roles remove-actor |
Remove a user from a role | atlassian-cli jira roles remove-actor DEV 10002 --user user@example.com |
Output Formats
Every command supports multiple output formats via the --format flag. Choose the right format for your use case:
| Format | Flag | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| Table | --format table |
Default. Human-readable terminal output with aligned columns. |
| JSON | --format json |
Machine-readable. Pipe to jq for filtering. Best for CI/CD pipelines. |
| CSV | --format csv |
Spreadsheet-ready. Import into Excel, Google Sheets, or any data tool. |
| YAML | --format yaml |
Config-file friendly. Good for documentation and version-controlled outputs. |
| Quiet | --format quiet |
Minimal output. Returns only IDs or keys -- useful for scripting chains. |
Examples of piping output for scripting:
# Get issue keys and pipe to another command
atlassian-cli jira issue search \
--jql "project = DEV AND status = Open" \
--format quiet
# Export to JSON and filter with jq
atlassian-cli jira issue search \
--jql "project = DEV" \
--format json | jq '.[].key'
# Export issues to CSV for a spreadsheet
atlassian-cli jira bulk export \
--jql "project = DEV" \
--output issues.csv \
--format csv