- name
- acli
- description
- Reference guide for the Atlassian CLI (acli) - a command-line tool for interacting with Jira Cloud and Atlassian organization administration. Use this skill when the user wants to perform Jira operations (create/edit/search/transition work items, manage projects, boards, sprints, filters, dashboards), administer Atlassian organizations (manage users, authentication), or automate Atlassian workflows from the terminal. Covers all acli commands including: jira workitem (create, edit, search, assign, transition, comment, clone, link, archive), jira project (create, list, update, archive), jira board/sprint, jira filter/dashboard, admin user management, and rovodev (Rovo Dev AI agent). Requires an authenticated acli binary already installed on the system.
- compatibility
- Requires the acli binary (https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/acli/guides/install-acli/) installed and authenticated. Optional env vars: API_TOKEN (Jira API token for non-interactive auth), API_KEY (Admin API key for org-admin commands). Interactive OAuth via
acli jira auth login --webis the default. - metadata
- required_tools
- acli
- optional_env_vars
- API_TOKEN,API_KEY
Atlassian CLI (acli) Reference
Prerequisites
This skill requires acli to be installed and authenticated. The binary is NOT bundled with this skill.
If acli is not installed, guide the user to: https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/acli/guides/install-acli/
Verify availability:
acli --helpAuthentication
Check auth status before running commands:
acli jira auth status
acli admin auth statusIf not authenticated, there are three methods:
OAuth (interactive, recommended for users):
acli jira auth login --webAPI Token (non-interactive, recommended for CI/automation):
echo "$API_TOKEN" | acli jira auth login --site "mysite.atlassian.net" --email "user@atlassian.com" --tokenAdmin API Key (for admin commands only):
echo "$API_KEY" | acli admin auth login --email "admin@atlassian.com" --tokenSwitch between accounts:
acli jira auth switch --site mysite.atlassian.net --email user@atlassian.com
acli admin auth switch --org myorgnameSecurity
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 itemsacli jira project delete— permanently deletes a project and all its work itemsacli admin user delete— deletes managed user accountsacli admin user deactivate— deactivates user accountsacli jira field delete— moves custom fields to trash
These commands are impactful but reversible:
acli jira workitem archive/unarchiveacli jira project archive/restoreacli admin user cancel-delete— cancels pending deletionacli jira field cancel-delete— restores field from trash
Agent safety rules:
- Never run destructive commands without explicit user confirmation, even if
--yesis available. - When bulk-targeting via
--jqlor--filter, first run a search with the same query to show the user what will be affected. - Prefer
--jsonoutput to verify targets before applying destructive changes. - Do not combine
--yeswith 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 usercommand, first resolve--email,--id, or--from-fileinputs 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-errorswithadmin user deleteoradmin 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.jsonQuick 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.csvProjects
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 6Detailed 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