search

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description: Search issues by text query argument-hint: " [--status] [--label] [--assignee]"

Search issues across title, description, and ID with a simple text query.

Note: The search command is optimized for quick text searches and uses less context than list when accessed via MCP. For advanced filtering options, use bd list.

Basic Usage

bd search "authentication bug"
bd search login --status open
bd search database --label backend
bd search "bd-5q"  # Search by partial issue ID

How It Works

The search command finds issues where your query appears in any of:

• Issue title
• Issue description
• Issue ID (supports partial matching)

Unlike bd list, which requires you to specify which field to search, bd search automatically searches all text fields, making it faster and more intuitive for exploratory searches.

Filters

• --status, -s: Filter by status (open, in_progress, blocked, closed)
• --assignee, -a: Filter by assignee
• --type, -t: Filter by type (bug, feature, task, epic, chore, decision)
• --label, -l: Filter by labels (must have ALL specified labels)
• --label-any: Filter by labels (must have AT LEAST ONE)
• --limit, -n: Limit number of results (default: 50)
• --sort: Sort by field: priority, created, updated, closed, status, id, title, type, assignee
• --reverse, -r: Reverse sort order
• --long: Show detailed multi-line output for each issue
• --json: Output results in JSON format

Examples

Basic Search

# Find all issues mentioning "auth" or "authentication"
bd search auth

# Search for performance issues
bd search performance --status open

# Find database-related bugs
bd search database --type bug

Filtered Search

# Find open backend issues about login
bd search login --status open --label backend

# Search Alice's tasks for "refactor"
bd search refactor --assignee alice --type task

# Find recent bugs (limited to 10 results)
bd search bug --status open --limit 10

Sorted Output

# Search bugs sorted by priority (P0 first)
bd search bug --sort priority

# Search features sorted by most recently updated
bd search feature --sort updated

# Search issues sorted by priority, lowest first
bd search refactor --sort priority --reverse

JSON Output

# Get JSON results for programmatic use
bd search "api error" --json

# Use with jq for advanced filtering
bd search memory --json | jq '.[] | select(.priority <= 1)'

Comparison with bd list

Command	Best For	Default Limit	Context Usage
bd search	Quick text searches, exploratory queries	50	Low (efficient for LLMs)
bd list	Advanced filtering, precise queries	None	High (all results)

When to use bd search:

• You want to find issues quickly by keyword
• You're exploring the issue database
• You're using an LLM/MCP and want to minimize context usage

When to use bd list:

• You need advanced filters (date ranges, priority ranges, etc.)
• You want all results without a limit
• You need special output formats (digraph, dot)