Managing Youtrack

---
name: managing-youtrack
description: |
  Use when working with Youtrack — jetBrains YouTrack issue tracking covering
  projects, issues, agile boards, sprints, and workflow analytics. Use when
  auditing YouTrack usage, managing issues and agile boards, analyzing sprint
  progress, or reviewing project health across a YouTrack instance.
connection_type: youtrack
preload: false
---

# Managing YouTrack

YouTrack issue tracking and agile management via the YouTrack REST API.

## Discovery Phase

```bash
#!/bin/bash
YT_BASE="${YOUTRACK_URL}/api"

echo "=== Current User ==="
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
  "$YT_BASE/users/me?fields=id,login,name,email" | jq '.'

echo ""
echo "=== Projects ==="
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
  "$YT_BASE/admin/projects?fields=id,shortName,name,archived,leader(name)&\$top=25" \
  | jq -r '.[] | "\(.shortName)\t\(.name[0:30])\t\(.leader.name // "none")\t\(if .archived then "archived" else "active" end)"' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Agile Boards ==="
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
  "$YT_BASE/agiles?fields=id,name,projects(shortName),sprints(name,start,finish,isDefault)&\$top=10" \
  | jq -r '.[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name[0:30])\tprojects=\([.projects[].shortName] | join(","))"' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Saved Searches ==="
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
  "$YT_BASE/savedQueries?fields=id,name,query&\$top=10" \
  | jq -r '.[] | "\(.name[0:30])\t\(.query)"' | column -t
```

## Analysis Phase

```bash
#!/bin/bash
YT_BASE="${YOUTRACK_URL}/api"
PROJECT="${1:?Project short name required}"

echo "=== Issue Counts by State ==="
for STATE in "Open" "In Progress" "Fixed" "Verified"; do
  COUNT=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
    "$YT_BASE/issues?query=project:$PROJECT+State:+{$STATE}&fields=id&\$top=1" \
    -w "\n%{http_code}" | head -1 | jq '. | length')
  echo -e "$STATE\t$COUNT"
done | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Recent Issues ==="
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
  "$YT_BASE/issues?query=project:$PROJECT+sort+by:updated+desc&fields=idReadable,summary,customFields(name,value(name))&\$top=15" \
  | jq -r '.[] | "\(.idReadable)\t\(.summary[0:40])\t\([.customFields[] | select(.name == "State") | .value.name] | first // "unknown")"' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Unresolved by Priority ==="
curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
  "$YT_BASE/issues?query=project:$PROJECT+%23Unresolved+sort+by:Priority&fields=idReadable,summary,customFields(name,value(name))&\$top=20" \
  | jq -r '.[] | "\(.idReadable)\t\([.customFields[] | select(.name == "Priority") | .value.name] | first // "normal")\t\(.summary[0:45])"' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Sprint Progress ==="
AGILE_ID=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
  "$YT_BASE/agiles?fields=id,name,projects(shortName)&\$top=10" \
  | jq -r ".[] | select(.projects | any(.shortName == \"$PROJECT\")) | .id" | head -1)
if [ -n "$AGILE_ID" ]; then
  curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $YOUTRACK_TOKEN" \
    "$YT_BASE/agiles/$AGILE_ID/sprints?fields=name,start,finish,isDefault,resolved,unresolvedIssuesCount&\$top=5" \
    | jq -r '.[] | "\(.name[0:25])\t\(.start[0:10] // "N/A")\tunresolved=\(.unresolvedIssuesCount // "N/A")"' | column -t
fi
```

## Output Format

```
YOUTRACK PROJECT HEALTH: [PROJECT]
Total Issues:      [count]
Unresolved:        [count]
Active Sprints:    [count]

STATE DISTRIBUTION
State            Count
Open             [n]
In Progress      [n]
Fixed            [n]

PRIORITY BREAKDOWN (Unresolved)
Priority         Count
Critical         [n]
Major            [n]
Normal           [n]

SPRINT PROGRESS
Sprint           Unresolved  Period
[name]           [n]         [start] - [finish]
```

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |