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Getting Started

This guide walks you through installing atlcli, authenticating with Atlassian, and running your first commands.

The fastest way to install atlcli on macOS or Linux:

Terminal window
curl -fsSL https://atlcli.sh/install.sh | bash

Install a specific version:

Terminal window
curl -fsSL https://atlcli.sh/install.sh | bash -s v0.5.1

This installs to ~/.atlcli/bin and updates your shell PATH automatically.

Alternatively, install via Homebrew:

Terminal window
brew install bjoernschotte/tap/atlcli

To upgrade:

Terminal window
brew update && brew upgrade atlcli

Download the latest release for your platform from the releases page:

PlatformFile
macOS (Apple Silicon)atlcli-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
macOS (Intel)atlcli-darwin-x64.tar.gz
Linux (ARM64)atlcli-linux-arm64.tar.gz
Linux (x64)atlcli-linux-x64.tar.gz

Extract and add to your PATH:

Terminal window
tar -xzf atlcli-*.tar.gz
sudo mv atlcli /usr/local/bin/

For development or if you want the latest unreleased changes:

Prerequisites:

  • Bun v1.0 or later
Terminal window
git clone https://github.com/BjoernSchotte/atlcli.git
cd atlcli
bun install
bun run build

The CLI is now available at ./apps/cli/dist/atlcli.

Enable tab completion for commands and flags:

Terminal window
# Add to ~/.zshrc
eval "$(atlcli completion zsh)"

Restart your shell or run source ~/.zshrc (or ~/.bashrc) to activate.

Full Shell Completion Guide

atlcli supports both Atlassian Cloud and Server/Data Center instances. You can manage multiple profiles for different instances.

For Cloud (*.atlassian.net), you need an API token:

  1. Go to Atlassian Account Settings
  2. Click Create API token
  3. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., “atlcli”)
  4. Copy the token

For Server or Data Center, create a Personal Access Token (PAT) in your instance’s user settings, then use --bearer when logging in:

Terminal window
atlcli auth login --bearer --site https://jira.company.com --token YOUR_PAT

See Authentication for details on token storage and Mac Keychain integration.

Terminal window
atlcli auth init

Follow the prompts to enter:

  • Instance URL: Your Atlassian instance (e.g., https://yourcompany.atlassian.net)
  • Email: Your Atlassian account email
  • API Token: The token you created

Your credentials are stored securely at ~/.atlcli/credentials.json.

Create named profiles for different instances:

Terminal window
atlcli auth init --profile work
atlcli auth init --profile personal

Use --profile with any command:

Terminal window
atlcli jira search --assignee me --profile work
Terminal window
atlcli wiki docs init ./team-docs --space TEAM

This creates a local directory linked to the TEAM space.

Terminal window
atlcli wiki docs pull ./team-docs

Pages are downloaded as markdown files with YAML frontmatter:

---
id: "12345"
title: "Meeting Notes"
space: "TEAM"
---
# Meeting Notes
Content here...

Edit files locally with your favorite editor, then push changes:

Terminal window
atlcli wiki docs push ./team-docs

atlcli detects changes and updates only modified pages.

Terminal window
# Your assigned issues
atlcli jira search --assignee me
# Open bugs in a project
atlcli jira search --project PROJ --type Bug --status Open
# Using JQL directly
atlcli jira search --jql "project = PROJ AND sprint in openSprints()"
Terminal window
atlcli jira issue get --key PROJ-123
Terminal window
atlcli jira issue create --project PROJ --type Task --summary "Fix login bug"
Terminal window
# Start a timer
atlcli jira worklog timer start PROJ-123
# Stop and log time
atlcli jira worklog timer stop PROJ-123
# Or log directly
atlcli jira worklog add PROJ-123 --time 2h --comment "Code review"

All commands support --json for scripting:

Terminal window
atlcli jira search --assignee me
PROJ-123 In Progress Fix login bug
PROJ-124 To Do Add dark mode
Jira and Confluence are trademarks of Atlassian Corporation Plc. atlcli is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Atlassian.