Search Jira Issues with JQL

Advanced searching using JQL (Jira Query Language) for complex filtering.

When to Use

User needs complex filtering beyond basic options
Finding specific sets of issues
Creating custom queries
Reporting and analysis
Cross-project searches

Steps

Understand the search criteria from user request
Construct JQL query based on requirements
Execute search using --jql flag
Present results in appropriate format
Offer to refine or save the query

JQL Basics

Simple Query

jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser()"

Combined Conditions (AND)

jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP AND status = 'In Progress'"

Alternative Conditions (OR)

jira issue list --jql "priority = High OR priority = Critical"

Negation (NOT)

jira issue list --jql "status != Done"

IN Clause

jira issue list --jql "status IN ('To Do', 'In Progress', 'Blocked')"

Common JQL Fields

User Fields

assignee = currentUser() - Assigned to me
reporter = currentUser() - Reported by me
assignee = username@redhat.com - Specific user
assignee is EMPTY - Unassigned

Status & Priority

status = "In Progress" - Specific status
status != Done - Not done
priority IN (High, Critical) - Multiple priorities

Project & Type

project = SRVKP - Specific project
type = Bug - Issue type
type IN (Bug, Task) - Multiple types

Time-Based

created >= -7d - Last 7 days
updated <= -30d - Older than 30 days
created >= "2025-01-01" - Specific date
resolved >= startOfWeek() - This week

Text Search

text ~ "affinity assistant" - Contains text
summary ~ "pod" - Summary contains
description ~ "workaround" - Description contains

Labels & Components

labels = documentation - Has label
labels is EMPTY - No labels
component = "Tekton Pipelines" - Specific component

Version

fixVersion = "1.15.0" - Fix version
affectedVersion = "1.14.0" - Affects version

Links & Hierarchy

issuekey in linkedIssues(SRVKP-1234) - Linked issues
parent = SRVKP-1234 - Sub-tasks of issue
"Epic Link" = SRVKP-1000 - Issues in epic

JQL Functions

User Functions

currentUser() - Logged-in user
membersOf("team-name") - Team members

Time Functions

startOfDay(), endOfDay() - Day boundaries
startOfWeek(), endOfWeek() - Week boundaries
startOfMonth(), endOfMonth() - Month boundaries
startOfYear(), endOfYear() - Year boundaries

Sprint Functions

sprint in openSprints() - Current sprints
sprint in closedSprints() - Past sprints
sprint in futureSprints() - Upcoming sprints

Issue Functions

linkedIssues(ISSUE-KEY) - Linked issues
issueHistory() - Issues you viewed

Example Queries

My Work

# My open issues
jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser() AND status != Done"

# Issues I reported
jira issue list --jql "reporter = currentUser() ORDER BY created DESC"

# Recently assigned to me
jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser() AND updated >= -7d"

Team Queries

# Unassigned bugs
jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP AND type = Bug AND assignee is EMPTY"

# Blocked items
jira issue list --jql "status = Blocked ORDER BY priority DESC"

# High priority open issues
jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP AND priority IN (Critical, High) AND status != Done"

Time-Based

# Stale issues (no update in 30 days)
jira issue list --jql "status != Done AND updated <= -30d ORDER BY updated ASC"

# Recent bugs
jira issue list --jql "type = Bug AND created >= -14d ORDER BY created DESC"

# This week's completed work
jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser() AND resolved >= startOfWeek()"

Sprint & Release

# Current sprint issues
jira issue list --jql "sprint in openSprints() AND assignee = currentUser()"

# Issues missing from sprint
jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP AND status != Done AND sprint is EMPTY"

# Release 1.15 work
jira issue list --jql "fixVersion = '1.15.0' AND status != Done"

Labels & Components

# Documentation needed
jira issue list --jql "labels = docs-pending AND status = Done"

# Customer-reported bugs
jira issue list --jql "type = Bug AND labels = customer-reported"

# Tekton Pipelines component
jira issue list --jql "component = 'Tekton Pipelines' AND status != Done"

Advanced

# Issues with no activity
jira issue list --jql "status IN ('To Do', 'In Progress') AND updated <= -30d AND assignee = currentUser()"

# Subtasks of epic
jira issue list --jql "parent = SRVKP-1000 ORDER BY priority DESC"

# Issues linked to specific issue
jira issue list --jql "issuekey in linkedIssues(SRVKP-1234)"

# Reopened issues
jira issue list --jql "status was Done AND status != Done"

Sorting & Limiting

ORDER BY

# By priority (descending)
jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP ORDER BY priority DESC"

# By created date (newest first)
jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser() ORDER BY created DESC"

# Multiple sort fields
jira issue list --jql "status != Done ORDER BY priority DESC, updated ASC"

Limit Results

# Limit in jira-cli
jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP" --limit 20

# Limit in JQL (not supported by all Jira versions)
jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP ORDER BY created DESC" --limit 10

Saved Queries

Common queries worth saving:

My Active Work

assignee = currentUser() AND status IN ("In Progress", "Code Review", "QE Review")

Needs Attention

assignee = currentUser() AND status = Blocked
OR (assignee = currentUser() AND priority = Critical AND status != Done)

Team Triage

project = SRVKP AND type = Bug AND assignee is EMPTY AND status = "To Do"
ORDER BY priority DESC, created ASC

Weekly Summary

assignee = currentUser() AND updated >= startOfWeek()
ORDER BY status ASC, priority DESC

Release Planning

project = SRVKP AND fixVersion is EMPTY AND status != Done
ORDER BY priority DESC

Examples

Example 1: Find Stale Work

User: “Show me issues I haven’t updated in 2 weeks”

Action:

jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser() AND status != Done AND updated <= -14d ORDER BY updated ASC"

Example 2: Sprint Planning

User: “What high priority issues aren’t in a sprint?”

Action:

jira issue list --jql "project = SRVKP AND priority IN (Critical, High) AND status != Done AND sprint is EMPTY ORDER BY priority DESC"

Example 3: Bug Triage

User: “Show unassigned customer-reported bugs”

Action:

jira issue list --jql "type = Bug AND labels = customer-reported AND assignee is EMPTY ORDER BY created ASC"

Example 4: Weekly Review

User: “What did I complete this week?”

Action:

jira issue list --jql "assignee = currentUser() AND status changed to Done DURING (startOfWeek(), endOfWeek())"

JQL Best Practices

Use quotes for multi-word values: status = "In Progress"
Use parentheses for complex logic: (A OR B) AND C
Use currentUser(): More portable than hardcoded usernames
Use relative dates: -7d instead of specific dates
Test incrementally: Build complex queries step by step
Save common queries: Document frequent searches
Use ORDER BY: Sort results meaningfully

Debugging JQL

Test in Web UI First

Use Jira’s advanced search to test queries: https://issues.redhat.com/issues/?jql=YOUR_QUERY

Common Errors

Unquoted multi-word values: Use quotes
Wrong field names: Check field names in UI
Invalid syntax: Check parentheses and operators
Permission issues: Some fields may be restricted

Use –debug Flag

jira issue list --jql "..." --debug

Output Formatting

Plain Text

jira issue list --jql "..." --plain

Specific Columns

jira issue list --jql "..." --columns KEY,SUMMARY,STATUS,ASSIGNEE

No Truncation

jira issue list --jql "..." --no-truncate

Integration with Shell

Count Results

jira issue list --jql "status = Done AND resolved >= startOfWeek()" --plain | wc -l

Extract Keys

jira issue list --jql "..." --plain | awk '{print $1}'

Bulk Operations

jira issue list --jql "status = 'Code Review' AND assignee = currentUser()" --plain | \
while read key rest; do
  jira issue move "$key" "QE Review"
done

Tips

Learn gradually: Start simple, add complexity
Use web UI: Visual query builder helps
Document queries: Save useful patterns
Combine with grep: Filter results further
Use –plain: For scripting
Test on small sets: Before bulk operations
Check performance: Complex queries may be slow

Follow-up Actions

After searching:

Refine query: Adjust filters
Save query: Document for reuse
Bulk update: Act on results
Export results: Share with team
Create dashboard: Monitor regularly

JQL Reference: https://issues.redhat.com/secure/JiraJQLHelp.jspa
JQL Functions: Click “Advanced” in Jira search
Field Names: Visible in issue view

Search Jira Issues with JQL

When to Use

Steps

JQL Basics

Simple Query

Combined Conditions (AND)

Alternative Conditions (OR)

Negation (NOT)

IN Clause

Common JQL Fields

User Fields

Status & Priority

Project & Type

Time-Based

Text Search

Labels & Components

Version

Links & Hierarchy

JQL Functions

User Functions

Time Functions

Sprint Functions

Issue Functions

Example Queries

My Work

Team Queries

Time-Based

Sprint & Release

Labels & Components

Advanced

Sorting & Limiting

ORDER BY

Limit Results

Saved Queries

My Active Work

Needs Attention

Team Triage

Weekly Summary

Release Planning

Examples

Example 1: Find Stale Work

Example 2: Sprint Planning

Example 3: Bug Triage

Example 4: Weekly Review

JQL Best Practices

Debugging JQL

Test in Web UI First

Common Errors

Use –debug Flag

Output Formatting

Plain Text

Specific Columns

No Truncation

Integration with Shell

Count Results

Extract Keys

Bulk Operations

Tips

Follow-up Actions

Related Resources