Command Aliases

YouTrack CLI provides convenient aliases for commonly used commands to improve usability and reduce typing. This document describes all available command aliases and how to use them effectively.

Overview

Command aliases allow you to use shorter command names for frequently used operations. For example, instead of typing yt issues list, you can simply use yt i l.

Main Command Aliases

The following aliases are available for the main command groups:

Main Command Aliases

Alias

Full Command

Description

i

issues

Issue management commands

a

articles

Knowledge base article commands

p

projects

Project management commands

u

users

User management commands

t

time

Time tracking commands

b

boards

Agile board commands

c, cfg

config

Configuration management

login

auth

Authentication commands

Subcommand Aliases

Within the issues command group, additional aliases are available for common operations:

Issues Subcommand Aliases

Alias

Full Command

Description

c, new

create

Create a new issue

l, ls

list

List issues

u, edit

update

Update an existing issue

s, find

search

Search for issues

d, del, rm

delete

Delete an issue

Usage Examples

Here are practical examples showing how to use aliases effectively:

Basic Operations

Create a new issue:

# Using full commands
yt issues create PROJECT-123 "Fix login bug"

# Using aliases
yt i c PROJECT-123 "Fix login bug"
yt i new PROJECT-123 "Fix login bug"

List issues:

# Using full commands
yt issues list --assignee me

# Using aliases
yt i l --assignee me
yt i ls --assignee me

Search for issues:

# Using full commands
yt issues search "priority:Critical"

# Using aliases
yt i s "priority:Critical"
yt i find "priority:Critical"

Configuration Management

# Using full commands
yt config set OUTPUT_FORMAT json
yt config get OUTPUT_FORMAT

# Using aliases
yt c set OUTPUT_FORMAT json
yt cfg get OUTPUT_FORMAT

Authentication

# Using full commands
yt auth login

# Using aliases
yt login

Project Management

# Using full commands
yt projects list

# Using aliases
yt p list

Time Tracking

# Using full commands
yt time log ISSUE-123 "2h 30m" --description "Fixed the bug"

# Using aliases
yt t log ISSUE-123 "2h 30m" --description "Fixed the bug"

Complex Workflows

You can chain aliases for even more efficient workflows:

Daily Issue Management:

# Check your assigned issues
yt i l --assignee me --state Open

# Create a new bug report
yt i c WEB-123 "Mobile login issue" --type Bug --priority High

# Update issue status
yt i u ISSUE-456 --state "In Progress"

# Log work time
yt t log ISSUE-456 "1h 30m" --description "Initial investigation"

Configuration and Setup:

# Quick authentication
yt login

# Configure output format
yt c set OUTPUT_FORMAT table

# List current configuration
yt c list

Help and Discovery

All aliases work with the --help flag to show command documentation:

# Get help for issues commands
yt i --help

# Get help for creating issues
yt i c --help

# Get help for configuration
yt c --help

The main help command also lists all available aliases:

yt --help

Best Practices

  1. Start with Full Commands: When learning, use full command names to understand the structure.

  2. Use Aliases for Frequent Operations: Once comfortable, switch to aliases for commands you use often.

  3. Mix and Match: You can combine full commands and aliases as needed:

    yt i create PROJECT-123 "Title"  # Mix of alias and full command

  4. Shell Completion: Aliases work with shell completion, making them even faster to use.

  5. Documentation: When sharing commands with others, consider using full names for clarity in documentation.

Shell Completion

Aliases are fully supported by the shell completion system. After setting up completion for your shell:

# Generate completion for bash
yt completion bash --install

# Generate completion for zsh
yt completion zsh --install

# Generate completion for fish
yt completion fish --install

You can use tab completion with aliases just like with full commands:

yt i <TAB>       # Shows issues subcommands
yt i c <TAB>     # Shows create command options
yt c s<TAB>      # Completes to "set"

Migration Guide

If you’re upgrading from a version without aliases, your existing commands will continue to work unchanged. Aliases are additive and don’t replace existing functionality.

You can gradually adopt aliases at your own pace:

  1. Continue using full commands in scripts and documentation

  2. Start using aliases for interactive command-line work

  3. Update your muscle memory over time

Troubleshooting

If aliases don’t work as expected:

  1. Check Version: Ensure you’re using a version that supports aliases (v0.3.0+)

  2. Verify Installation: Run yt --help to see if aliases are listed

  3. Clear Cache: If using shell completion, you may need to restart your shell or reload completion

  4. Conflict Resolution: If an alias conflicts with another command, the original command takes precedence

For additional help, see the Troubleshooting guide or file an issue on GitHub.