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Syntax

tracer update <ISSUE_ID> [OPTIONS]

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Description

Updates one or more fields on an existing issue. Only specified fields are changed; unspecified fields remain unchanged.

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Arguments

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ISSUE_ID
string
required
The ID of the issue to update (e.g., bd-1).

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Options

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--title
string
Update the issue title.
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--description
string
Update the issue description.
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--status
enum
Update the issue status. Valid values: open, in_progress, blocked, closed.
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--priority
integer
Update the priority (0-4).
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--issue-type
enum
Update the issue type. Valid values: bug, feature, task, epic, chore.
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--assignee
string
Update the assignee.
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--json
boolean
Output the updated issue in JSON format.

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Examples

tracer update bd-5 --status in_progress

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Output Format

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Human-readable

✓ Updated issue bd-5

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JSON (with —json flag)

{
  "id": "bd-5",
  "title": "Fix null pointer in parser",
  "description": "Parser crashes when input is empty or malformed",
  "design": "",
  "acceptance_criteria": "",
  "notes": "",
  "status": "in_progress",
  "priority": 0,
  "issue_type": "bug",
  "assignee": "agent-1",
  "estimated_minutes": null,
  "created_at": "2026-03-02T14:30:00Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-03-04T10:30:00Z",
  "closed_at": null,
  "external_ref": null,
  "dependencies": []
}

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Issue not found

Error: Issue bd-999 not found

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Auto-assignment Behavior

When you update an issue to in_progress status without specifying an assignee, tracer automatically assigns it to the current actor (from $TRACE_ACTOR or $USER). 
# This automatically assigns to current user
tracer update bd-5 --status in_progress

# Equivalent to:
tracer update bd-5 --status in_progress --assignee "$USER"
Every update creates an event in the issue’s history. Use tracer show <id> --full to see the complete event timeline.
Common status workflow:
# Claim work
tracer update bd-5 --status in_progress

# Hit a blocker
tracer update bd-5 --status blocked

# Resume work
tracer update bd-5 --status in_progress

# Complete (or use tracer close)
tracer update bd-5 --status closed

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