Jira CLI — Feature-Rich Interactive Jira Command Line

Introduction

jira-cli removes the friction of switching between the terminal and the Jira web interface. It provides an interactive TUI for common Jira operations and supports scripting for automation, making it a natural fit for developers who live in the terminal.

What Jira CLI Does

• Lists, creates, and updates Jira issues from the terminal
• Provides an interactive TUI for browsing boards and sprints
• Supports JQL queries for advanced issue searching
• Manages sprint planning with move, assign, and transition commands
• Opens issues in the browser with a single command

Architecture Overview

jira-cli is written in Go and communicates with the Jira REST API v2 and v3. It stores credentials and project configuration locally in ~/.config/.jira. The TUI is built with the bubbletea framework, providing keyboard-driven navigation through issue lists, boards, and sprint views.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install via go install, Homebrew, or download prebuilt binaries
• Run jira init to configure your Jira instance URL and authentication
• Supports API token authentication for Jira Cloud
• Supports personal access tokens for Jira Server/Data Center
• Set default project and board in the generated config file

Key Features

• Interactive TUI with keyboard navigation for boards and sprints
• Full JQL support for complex issue queries
• Sprint management including planning, moving, and completing sprints
• Issue creation with interactive prompts or command-line flags
• Markdown-to-ADF conversion for rich issue descriptions

Comparison with Similar Tools

• go-jira — Earlier Go-based Jira CLI; jira-cli has a more modern TUI and active maintenance
• Jira web interface — Full-featured but requires context switching; jira-cli stays in the terminal
• Linear CLI — Similar concept for Linear; jira-cli targets Jira specifically
• gh (GitHub CLI) — GitHub's official CLI for issues and PRs; jira-cli fills the same role for Jira

FAQ

Q: Does jira-cli work with Jira Server and Jira Cloud? A: Yes. It supports both Jira Cloud (API token) and Jira Server/Data Center (personal access token or basic auth).

Q: Can I use jira-cli in CI/CD pipelines? A: Yes. All commands support non-interactive flags for scripted use. Set credentials via environment variables.

Q: How do I search issues with JQL? A: Use jira issue list --jql "project = MYPROJ AND status = Open" to pass JQL queries directly.

Q: Can I customize the columns shown in issue lists? A: Yes. Configure display columns in the config file or use --columns flag to override.

Sources

• https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli
• https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli#installation