Check auth status before running commands:

acli jira auth status
acli admin auth status

If not authenticated, there are three methods:

OAuth (interactive, recommended for users):

acli jira auth login --web

API Token (non-interactive, recommended for CI/automation):

echo "$API_TOKEN" | acli jira auth login --site "mysite.atlassian.net" --email "user@atlassian.com" --token

Admin API Key (for admin commands only):

echo "$API_KEY" | acli admin auth login --email "admin@atlassian.com" --token

Switch between accounts:

acli jira auth switch --site mysite.atlassian.net --email user@atlassian.com
acli admin auth switch --org myorgname

Security

Secret Handling

Never hardcode tokens or API keys in commands. Always use environment variables ($API_TOKEN, $API_KEY) or file-based input (< token.txt).
Never log, echo, or display tokens in output. Avoid piping secrets through intermediate files that persist on disk.
Prefer OAuth (--web) for interactive use. Only use token-based auth for CI/automation where OAuth is not feasible.
Do not store tokens in shell history. If using echo "$API_TOKEN" | acli ..., ensure the variable is set in the environment rather than inlined as a literal value.

Destructive Operations

The following commands are destructive or irreversible — always confirm with the user before executing:

acli jira workitem delete — permanently deletes work items
acli jira project delete — permanently deletes a project and all its work items
acli admin user delete — deletes managed user accounts
acli admin user deactivate — deactivates user accounts
acli jira field delete — moves custom fields to trash

These commands are impactful but reversible:

acli jira workitem archive / unarchive
acli jira project archive / restore
acli admin user cancel-delete — cancels pending deletion
acli jira field cancel-delete — restores field from trash

Agent safety rules:

Never run destructive commands without explicit user confirmation, even if --yes is available.
When bulk-targeting via --jql or --filter, first run a search with the same query to show the user what will be affected.
Prefer --json output to verify targets before applying destructive changes.
Do not combine --yes with destructive bulk operations unless the user explicitly requests unattended execution.

Organization Admin Commands

Commands under acli admin (including admin user activate, deactivate, delete, cancel-delete) affect the entire Atlassian organization — the blast radius is org-wide, not scoped to a single project or site. Treat them as a separate tier from other destructive operations:

Require fresh user confirmation in the current turn. Prior approval from earlier in the session does not carry over to the next admin command. Always re-confirm, even if the user authorized a similar admin command moments ago.
Enumerate resolved targets before executing. For any admin user command, first resolve --email, --id, or --from-file inputs to a concrete list (count plus each email/account ID) and show it to the user. This catches typos in comma-separated lists, stale entries in files, and ambiguous partial matches.
Never use --ignore-errors with admin user delete or admin user deactivate. A partial failure in a bulk admin operation is a signal to stop and investigate, not to continue silently — half-applied deactivations are harder to audit than a clean halt.

Command Structure

acli <command> [<subcommand> ...] {MANDATORY FLAGS} [OPTIONAL FLAGS]

Four top-level command groups:

acli jira - Jira Cloud operations (workitems, projects, boards, sprints, filters, dashboards, fields)
acli admin - Organization administration (user management, auth)
acli rovodev - Rovo Dev AI coding agent (Beta)
acli feedback - Submit feedback/bug reports

Common Patterns

Output Formats

Most list/search commands support: --json, --csv, and default table output.

Bulk Operations

Target multiple items via:

--key "KEY-1,KEY-2,KEY-3" - comma-separated keys
--jql "project = TEAM AND status = 'To Do'" - JQL query
--filter 10001 - saved filter ID
--from-file "items.txt" - file with keys/IDs (comma/whitespace/newline separated)

Use --ignore-errors to continue past failures in bulk operations. Use --yes / -y to skip confirmation prompts (useful for automation).

Pagination

--limit N - max items to return (defaults vary: 30-50)
--paginate - fetch all pages automatically (overrides --limit)

JSON Templates

Many create/edit commands support --generate-json to produce a template, and --from-json to consume it:

acli jira workitem create --generate-json > template.json
# edit template.json
acli jira workitem create --from-json template.json

Quick Reference: Most Common Operations

Work Items

# Create
acli jira workitem create --summary "Fix login bug" --project "TEAM" --type "Bug"
acli jira workitem create --summary "New feature" --project "TEAM" --type "Story" --assignee "@me" --label "frontend,p1"

# Search
acli jira workitem search --jql "project = TEAM AND assignee = currentUser()" --json
acli jira workitem search --jql "project = TEAM AND status = 'In Progress'" --fields "key,summary,assignee" --csv

# View
acli jira workitem view KEY-123
acli jira workitem view KEY-123 --json --fields "*all"

# Edit
acli jira workitem edit --key "KEY-123" --summary "Updated title" --assignee "user@atlassian.com"

# Transition
acli jira workitem transition --key "KEY-123" --status "Done"
acli jira workitem transition --jql "project = TEAM AND sprint in openSprints()" --status "In Progress"

# Assign
acli jira workitem assign --key "KEY-123" --assignee "@me"

# Comment
acli jira workitem comment create --key "KEY-123" --body "Work completed"

# Bulk create
acli jira workitem create-bulk --from-csv issues.csv

Projects

acli jira project list --paginate --json
acli jira project view --key "TEAM" --json
acli jira project create --from-project "TEAM" --key "NEW" --name "New Project"

Boards & Sprints

acli jira board search --project "TEAM"
acli jira board list-sprints --id 123 --state active
acli jira sprint list-workitems --sprint 1 --board 6

Detailed Command Reference

For complete flag details, parameters, and examples for every command:

Jira work item commands (create, edit, search, assign, transition, comment, clone, link, archive, attachment, watcher): See references/jira-workitem-commands.md
All other commands (jira project/board/sprint/filter/dashboard/field, admin, rovodev, feedback): See references/other-commands.md

acli

Atlassian CLI (acli) Reference

Prerequisites

Authentication