Configuration Command Group

The yt config command group provides comprehensive configuration management for YouTrack CLI. Set default values, manage environment-specific settings, and customize CLI behavior.

Overview

YouTrack CLI configuration allows you to customize behavior, set defaults, and manage environment-specific settings. The config command group allows you to:

• Set and retrieve configuration values

• Manage default settings for commands

• Handle environment-specific configurations

• Store frequently used parameters

• Customize CLI behavior and output preferences

Configuration is stored in ~/.config/youtrack-cli/.env by default, or in a custom file specified with the --config option.

Base Command

yt config [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...

Configuration Commands

set

Set a configuration value that will be used as a default for CLI commands.

yt config set KEY VALUE

Arguments:

• KEY - The configuration key to set (required)

• VALUE - The value to assign to the key (required)

Examples:

# Set default project
yt config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "MY-PROJECT"

# Set default number of items per page
yt config set ITEMS_PER_PAGE "25"

# Set preferred output format
yt config set DEFAULT_FORMAT "json"

# Set default assignee
yt config set DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE "john.doe"

# Set custom field defaults
yt config set DEFAULT_PRIORITY "Normal"
yt config set DEFAULT_TYPE "Task"

get

Retrieve a specific configuration value.

yt config get KEY

Arguments:

• KEY - The configuration key to retrieve (required)

Examples:

# Get default project setting
yt config get DEFAULT_PROJECT

# Get items per page setting
yt config get ITEMS_PER_PAGE

# Get output format preference
yt config get DEFAULT_FORMAT

# Check if key exists (returns empty if not set)
yt config get NON_EXISTENT_KEY

list

List all current configuration values with sensitive values masked for security.

yt config list

Examples:

# List all configuration values
yt config list

# Output shows all key-value pairs with sensitive data masked
# Sensitive keys (containing 'token', 'password', 'secret') are masked

Common Configuration Keys

Project Settings

Key	Example Value	Description
DEFAULT_PROJECT	"WEB-PROJECT"	Default project for issue operations
DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE	"john.doe"	Default assignee for new issues
PROJECT_FILTER	"project:WEB"	Default project filter for searches

Display Settings

Key	Example Value	Description
DEFAULT_FORMAT	"table"	Preferred output format (table, json)
ITEMS_PER_PAGE	"25"	Default number of items to display
COLOR_OUTPUT	"true"	Enable colored output
TIMEZONE	"UTC"	Default timezone for date displays

Issue Management

Key	Example Value	Description
DEFAULT_PRIORITY	"Normal"	Default priority for new issues
DEFAULT_TYPE	"Task"	Default issue type
DEFAULT_STATE	"Open"	Default state for new issues
AUTO_ASSIGN	"true"	Auto-assign issues to current user

Time Tracking

Key	Example Value	Description
DEFAULT_WORK_TYPE	"Development"	Default work type for time logging
TIME_FORMAT	"hours"	Preferred time format (hours, minutes)
ROUND_TIME	"15"	Round time entries to nearest X minutes

Connection Settings

Key	Example Value	Description
REQUEST_TIMEOUT	"30"	API request timeout in seconds
RETRY_COUNT	"3"	Number of retry attempts for failed requests
CACHE_ENABLED	"true"	Enable response caching

Configuration Examples

Basic Setup

# Set up basic configuration for daily use
yt config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "WEB-DEVELOPMENT"
yt config set DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE "john.doe"
yt config set ITEMS_PER_PAGE "20"
yt config set DEFAULT_FORMAT "table"

# Verify configuration
yt config list

Development Environment

# Development-specific settings
yt config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "DEV-PROJECT"
yt config set DEFAULT_PRIORITY "High"
yt config set DEFAULT_TYPE "Bug"
yt config set AUTO_ASSIGN "true"

# Development workflow preferences
yt config set DEFAULT_WORK_TYPE "Development"
yt config set TIME_FORMAT "hours"
yt config set ROUND_TIME "15"

Team Lead Configuration

# Configuration for team lead responsibilities
yt config set ITEMS_PER_PAGE "50"
yt config set DEFAULT_FORMAT "json"
yt config set SHOW_ARCHIVED "true"

# Reporting preferences
yt config set REPORT_PERIOD "weekly"
yt config set INCLUDE_COMPLETED "true"
yt config set GROUP_BY_ASSIGNEE "true"

Project Manager Setup

# Project manager configuration
yt config set DEFAULT_VIEW "summary"
yt config set SHOW_ESTIMATES "true"
yt config set INCLUDE_SUBTASKS "true"
yt config set DEFAULT_TIMEFRAME "sprint"

# Stakeholder reporting
yt config set EXECUTIVE_FORMAT "summary"
yt config set HIDE_TECHNICAL_DETAILS "true"

Environment-Specific Configuration

Multiple Environments

# Development environment
yt --config ~/.config/yt-dev.env config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "DEV-PROJECT"
yt --config ~/.config/yt-dev.env config set BASE_URL "https://dev.youtrack.company.com"

# Staging environment
yt --config ~/.config/yt-staging.env config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "STAGING-PROJECT"
yt --config ~/.config/yt-staging.env config set BASE_URL "https://staging.youtrack.company.com"

# Production environment
yt --config ~/.config/yt-prod.env config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "PROD-PROJECT"
yt --config ~/.config/yt-prod.env config set BASE_URL "https://youtrack.company.com"

Project-Specific Settings

# Web project configuration
yt --config ~/.config/yt-web.env config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "WEB-PROJECT"
yt --config ~/.config/yt-web.env config set DEFAULT_TYPE "Story"
yt --config ~/.config/yt-web.env config set DEFAULT_PRIORITY "Medium"

# API project configuration
yt --config ~/.config/yt-api.env config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "API-PROJECT"
yt --config ~/.config/yt-api.env config set DEFAULT_TYPE "Epic"
yt --config ~/.config/yt-api.env config set DEFAULT_PRIORITY "High"

Configuration Workflows

Initial Setup

# Initial configuration setup workflow
echo "Setting up YouTrack CLI configuration..."

# Basic settings
yt config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "$(read -p 'Default project: ' && echo $REPLY)"
yt config set DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE "$(whoami)"
yt config set ITEMS_PER_PAGE "25"

# Display preferences
yt config set DEFAULT_FORMAT "table"
yt config set COLOR_OUTPUT "true"

# Time tracking defaults
yt config set DEFAULT_WORK_TYPE "Development"
yt config set TIME_FORMAT "hours"

echo "Configuration complete!"
yt config list

Team Onboarding

#!/bin/bash
# Team member onboarding configuration script

echo "YouTrack CLI Team Configuration"
echo "==============================="

# Get user information
read -p "Enter your username: " USERNAME
read -p "Enter default project: " PROJECT
read -p "Enter preferred items per page (default 25): " ITEMS
ITEMS=${ITEMS:-25}

# Set standard team configuration
yt config set DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE "$USERNAME"
yt config set DEFAULT_PROJECT "$PROJECT"
yt config set ITEMS_PER_PAGE "$ITEMS"

# Team standards
yt config set DEFAULT_FORMAT "table"
yt config set DEFAULT_WORK_TYPE "Development"
yt config set TIME_FORMAT "hours"
yt config set ROUND_TIME "15"

echo "Team configuration applied!"

Configuration Migration

#!/bin/bash
# Migrate configuration between environments

SOURCE_CONFIG="$1"
TARGET_CONFIG="$2"

if [ -z "$SOURCE_CONFIG" ] || [ -z "$TARGET_CONFIG" ]; then
  echo "Usage: $0 <source-config> <target-config>"
  exit 1
fi

# Export configuration from source
yt --config "$SOURCE_CONFIG" config list > source_config.txt

# Parse and apply to target (simplified example)
# Note: This would need proper parsing in practice
grep -v "token\|password\|secret" source_config.txt | while IFS='=' read key value; do
  yt --config "$TARGET_CONFIG" config set "$key" "$value"
done

echo "Configuration migrated from $SOURCE_CONFIG to $TARGET_CONFIG"

Best Practices

1. Environment Separation: Use separate config files for different environments.

2. Security: Never store sensitive data in configuration files.

3. Documentation: Document custom configuration keys and their purposes.

4. Team Standards: Establish team-wide configuration standards for consistency.

5. Backup: Backup important configuration files.

6. Validation: Validate configuration values for correctness.

7. Defaults: Set sensible defaults that improve daily workflow efficiency.

8. Version Control: Consider versioning team configuration templates.

9. Regular Review: Periodically review and update configuration settings.

10. Testing: Test configuration changes in non-production environments first.

Configuration File Management

File Locations

# Default configuration file
~/.config/youtrack-cli/.env

# Custom configuration file
yt --config /path/to/custom.env config set KEY VALUE

# Environment-specific configurations
~/.config/youtrack-cli/dev.env
~/.config/youtrack-cli/staging.env
~/.config/youtrack-cli/production.env

File Format

Configuration files use environment variable format:

# YouTrack CLI Configuration File
DEFAULT_PROJECT=WEB-PROJECT
DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE=john.doe
ITEMS_PER_PAGE=25
DEFAULT_FORMAT=table
COLOR_OUTPUT=true
DEFAULT_WORK_TYPE=Development

Backup and Restore

# Backup configuration
cp ~/.config/youtrack-cli/.env ~/.config/youtrack-cli/.env.backup

# Restore configuration
cp ~/.config/youtrack-cli/.env.backup ~/.config/youtrack-cli/.env

# Export configuration for sharing (excluding sensitive data)
yt config list | grep -v "token\|password\|secret" > team_config.txt

Advanced Configuration

Custom Configuration Templates

#!/bin/bash
# Configuration template for new team members

TEMPLATE_FILE="team_config_template.env"

cat > "$TEMPLATE_FILE" << 'EOF'
# Team Configuration Template
DEFAULT_PROJECT=TEAM-PROJECT
ITEMS_PER_PAGE=25
DEFAULT_FORMAT=table
COLOR_OUTPUT=true
DEFAULT_WORK_TYPE=Development
TIME_FORMAT=hours
ROUND_TIME=15
AUTO_ASSIGN=true
EOF

echo "Configuration template created: $TEMPLATE_FILE"

Configuration Validation

#!/bin/bash
# Validate configuration settings

echo "Validating YouTrack CLI configuration..."

# Check required settings
REQUIRED_SETTINGS=("DEFAULT_PROJECT" "DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE")

for setting in "${REQUIRED_SETTINGS[@]}"; do
  value=$(yt config get "$setting")
  if [ -z "$value" ]; then
    echo "❌ Missing required setting: $setting"
  else
    echo "✅ $setting: $value"
  fi
done

# Test configuration by running a simple command
if yt projects list > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "✅ Configuration is valid and working"
else
  echo "❌ Configuration test failed"
fi

Dynamic Configuration

#!/bin/bash
# Dynamic configuration based on current context

# Detect current directory for project-specific settings
if [[ "$PWD" == *"/web-project"* ]]; then
  export YT_CONFIG="$HOME/.config/yt-web.env"
elif [[ "$PWD" == *"/api-project"* ]]; then
  export YT_CONFIG="$HOME/.config/yt-api.env"
else
  export YT_CONFIG="$HOME/.config/youtrack-cli/.env"
fi

# Use detected configuration
yt --config "$YT_CONFIG" "$@"

Error Handling

Common error scenarios and solutions:

Configuration Key Not Found

Returns empty value; check key spelling and case sensitivity.

Invalid Configuration Value

Validate values match expected formats (numbers, booleans, etc.).

Permission Denied

Check file permissions on configuration directory and files.

Configuration File Corruption

Restore from backup or recreate configuration settings.

Environment Conflicts

Ensure environment variables don’t conflict with configuration files.

Missing Configuration Directory

CLI will create directory automatically on first use.

Integration Examples

Shell Integration

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias yt-dev='yt --config ~/.config/yt-dev.env'
alias yt-staging='yt --config ~/.config/yt-staging.env'
alias yt-prod='yt --config ~/.config/yt-prod.env'

# Function for dynamic config selection
yt-project() {
  local project="$1"
  shift
  yt --config "$HOME/.config/yt-${project}.env" "$@"
}

Configuration Scripts

#!/bin/bash
# Automated configuration deployment

CONFIGS_DIR="/shared/youtrack-configs"
LOCAL_CONFIG_DIR="$HOME/.config/youtrack-cli"

# Deploy team configurations
for config in dev staging prod; do
  cp "$CONFIGS_DIR/${config}.env" "$LOCAL_CONFIG_DIR/${config}.env"
  echo "Deployed $config configuration"
done

# Set appropriate permissions
chmod 600 "$LOCAL_CONFIG_DIR"/*.env

echo "Configuration deployment complete"

Monitoring and Auditing

#!/bin/bash
# Audit configuration compliance

echo "Configuration Compliance Report"
echo "==============================="

# Check for required settings
COMPLIANCE_CHECKS=(
  "DEFAULT_PROJECT:required"
  "DEFAULT_ASSIGNEE:required"
  "ITEMS_PER_PAGE:numeric"
  "COLOR_OUTPUT:boolean"
)

for check in "${COMPLIANCE_CHECKS[@]}"; do
  IFS=':' read key requirement <<< "$check"
  value=$(yt config get "$key")

  if [ "$requirement" = "required" ] && [ -z "$value" ]; then
    echo "❌ $key: Missing (required)"
  else
    echo "✅ $key: $value"
  fi
done

See Also

• Authentication Command Group - Authentication configuration and token management

• Projects Command Group - Project-specific configuration settings

• Users Command Group - User preferences and default assignments

• Time Tracking Command Group - Time tracking configuration and defaults

• Administrative Command Group - Administrative configuration options