atl

name	atl
description	Coordinate atl local mirrors across Jira and Confluence. USE WHEN orienting to atl, maintaining or recovering an existing mirror, or combining both services. DO NOT USE WHEN setup/onboarding, one service, a focused workflow, or codebase-only work is primary.

Working with Confluence & Jira via atl

atl is a Git-style CLI that mirrors Confluence pages and Jira issues to local disk in their native formats (Confluence Storage Format .csf; Jira wiki), so you can treat Atlassian content as part of your file working set — read it with Read/Grep/Glob, edit it, and push it back.

This skill orients you. For the actual command flows, use the focused skills:

• Confluence pages (pull / edit the .md view → conf apply, or the .csf directly / validate / push under the version gate) → the confluence skill.
• Jira issues (search / pull / create / update / transition / comment / link) → the jira skill.
• First-time install & config (atl binary, auth, backend URLs, mirror dir) → run /atl:setup.
• Optional workflow personalization (consent-gated sample reads, team defaults, private structured profile) → explicitly invoke the onboarding skill. Runtime work should load only the relevant profile slice with atl profile show --section ...; for render memory use --section render_defaults --service jira|confluence. Never copy the profile into a repo. Repeated discoveries may become consent-gated profile suggest artifacts; they are reviewed and applied or rejected explicitly, never learned in the background. Saved render_defaults and preferences.mirror_root remain memory until a separately approved runtime sync; compare them with atl config show before relying on either.

If atl is not installed (command -v atl fails), tell the user to run /atl:setup first.

For an unfamiliar Jira/Confluence task, query the exact offline route before loading broad command references:

atl capabilities --task jira/evidence

The closed task classes are jira/evidence, jira/portfolio, jira/board-portfolio, jira/batch-analysis, jira/structure-planning, jira/edit, jira/mirror, confluence/evidence, confluence/table-analytics, confluence/edit, confluence/mirror, and knowledge/search. The result is a small ordered set of stable capability ids with the real command path, backend access class, supported output modes, evidence/completeness semantics, and one focused skill reference. Load only the named focused skill/reference, then stop expanding the route once sufficient complete evidence is available. Use exact filters only; an unknown task/id is a loud not-found result, not a prompt for fuzzy guessing. capabilities is local/offline and works without valid config or credentials. For an exact Jira Structure id in the jira/portfolio route, use jira structure get for metadata qualification before a bounded view. Retain only id, name, and read-only state for the decision; do not propagate owner, permission, saved-view, or forest transport payloads. For Jira metadata discovery, use the ready jira issue fields --metadata-only summary for classification, identifier-quality, and value-type aggregates instead of recounting the returned field array. For confluence/table-analytics, prefer the content-free conf table summary discovery route before extracting a selected table. Its exact structural and style cardinalities remove the need to recount content-bearing raw cells. Bind an index selected from that summary to the same page revision with --expected-version. On extraction, use returned_table_count and selection_reconciled for selected-result cardinality; table_count remains page-wide. Treat cell_count_reconciled:false as a hard evidence failure: the source placement/span ledger did not agree with the expanded grid. For durable Confluence mirror health, prefer the content-free conf snapshot route before expanding individual pages with conf diff; use its reconciled cardinalities instead of manually joining status, validation, and render rows. Treat exit 8 during an active mirror mutation as a stop/retry signal; snapshot coordinates through a shared advisory lock without creating or changing files. For durable Jira mirror health, use the same content-free pattern with jira snapshot; its exact baseline/raw-snapshot/pending/render buckets are the preflight before identity-bearing jira status or issue-level repair.

When the installed plugin exposes atl MCP tools, prefer them for transient, bounded evidence reads: typed arguments remove shell construction and the server registers no mutation or arbitrary-filesystem tool. Load mcp.md for its exact nineteen-tool route and CLI fallback boundary. Use bounded Structure metadata/view through MCP. For content-free health counts of an existing durable mirror, use the no-argument mirror snapshot tool only when the owner has configured ATL_MIRROR_ROOT. Continue using the CLI for raw Structure forest/values, mirror content/status/diff, exports, diff/plan, attachments, and every guarded write.

Mental model

Mirrored Atlassian content becomes local files you operate on like code: the bytes are the substrate, edits are diffed and pushed deliberately, and concurrent remote changes are caught by a version gate. This is what makes atl "AI-native" — the agent works the content with its normal file tools instead of round-tripping every read/write through an API.

See mental-model.md for when to reach for transient typed reads vs durable atl CLI mirrors, and for the spec-driven "living doc" workflow where atl fits best.

For a long multi-source analysis, delegation.md defines the optional one-child evidence pattern. Keep simple reads in the main thread and never delegate remote writes.

Working a ticket while coding? dev-loop.md is the end-to-end recipe: take the ticket (assign --me, transition), keep it truthful while developing (progress comments, description updates, links), close with evidence, and update the linked Confluence page under the version gate.

Two habits that matter most

1. Search first, read narrow, edit precise. Don't bulk-dump everything and grep it. Use conf search / jira issue search (CQL/JQL) to find the few relevant items. Require Confluence top-level complete:true and Jira page.complete:true before absence claims. Reuse a numeric Confluence search-result id directly for outline/section; resolve only URLs or unknown references. For a one-off read use conf page view <ID> -o text or jira issue view <KEY> -o text (configured Markdown, no mirror artifacts); pull only what needs editing or repeatable offline access, read the rendered .md to locate, and edit there (merge back with conf apply / jira apply), opening the raw substrate only for what the md surface can't express. Keep live reads slim too: --fields on Jira gets, --columns on Jira issue lists, -o id for piping, and a | jq projection when only a few values are needed — include Jira attachment when you need the presence/names of files, but avoid a bare issue get because it drags the whole comment thread into context.
2. push is the one deliberate checkpoint. The Confluence safe loop is: pull fresh → edit → validate → inspect offline semantics with conf diff → review conf push --dry-run against current remote state → push under the version gate. On a conflict, a human decides whether to re-pull or force — never auto-force.

For every agent-created Bash block that must not mutate Jira, Confluence, auth/config, or profile state, make this export its first statement:

export ATL_READ_ONLY=1
atl ...
atl ...

Every later atl call and child process in that shell inherits the guard unless it is explicitly overridden. A prefix such as ATL_READ_ONLY=1 atl ... protects only that one process, so never use the one-command form for a multi-command read-only workflow. Do not remove or override the exported guard inside the workflow. Passing global --read-only on every call remains a more repetitive alternative. Exit 8 with policy:"read_only" is a deliberate safety refusal, not a retry; ask the human before changing the launcher/config policy. Pulls, views, status, validation, and exports remain available.

When date boundaries or timezone semantics matter, inspect them once explicitly instead of inferring them from rendered timestamps:

export ATL_READ_ONLY=1
atl environment inspect

The command performs at most three sequential metadata GETs across configured Jira/Confluence, never JQL/CQL/search/page reads, and never runs automatically during incremental pull. Preserve its evidence labels: Jira server offset and user timezone may be observed, JQL is an assumed mapping from the user zone, CQL remains unknown unless a backend can prove it, and the Markdown display zone is configured or default.

For any JSON failure, branch on stable kind and numeric code, not words in error. Treat remediation as safe guidance to present, never authorization to retry a write or change policy automatically. Backend/API prose cannot set these classification fields. rate_limited / wait_before_retry means bounded replay-safe read retries were exhausted: do not immediately repeat the command or tool call, and never retry a write automatically. output_limit_exceeded / narrow_or_raise_bound means caller-selected max_bytes rejected the complete encoded result; treat it as no evidence and narrow the selection or deliberately choose a larger allowed bound. For Confluence table tools, not_found / summarize_then_select_table means the selected 1-based index is outside the content-free table count. Summarize without a table selection, choose from that inventory, then extract once; do not report the page as missing. For confluence_table_extract, check_failed / reread_table_summary_then_retry_expected_version means the page changed after the table index was selected. Re-read the content-free table summary, select the table again from that revision, and extract it once with the new exact expected_page_version; do not retry the old positional selection against the new revision. For confluence_page_section, check_failed or not_found / outline_then_select_section means the occurrence selection is ambiguous or stale. Refresh the content-free outline, choose the exact heading occurrence, then read that section once; do not report the page or heading as missing. check_failed / reread_outline_then_retry_expected_version means the expected_page_version you supplied no longer matches the page; the message carries only the expected and current integers. Re-read the outline, re-select the occurrence there, and request the section once at the new version — do not retry the previous selection against the new revision. For jira_structure_view, not_found or check_failed / view_then_select_subtree means the Structure exists but its stored-folder selector did not resolve exactly. Read one selector-free bounded view with a narrow field projection and max_rows sufficient for the full forest, choose the folder row_id, and request that exact folder_row subtree once. Use the CLI if the full forest does not fit the MCP caps; do not report the Structure as missing or repeat the failed selector. check_failed / reread_structure_view_then_retry_expected_forest_version means the expected_forest_signature/expected_forest_version pair you supplied does not match the current forest; the message carries only the expected and current integers. Re-read the view, re-select the subtree from that fresh result, and request it once with the new pair. A returned pair with either member zero is non-bindable: omit both expected inputs, keep the selection explicitly ungated, and report that limitation.

The recommended convention keeps the mirror outside the user's code repository at ~/.atl/<workspace>/, so it is fully greppable yet never committed. The CLI uses that path only when the workspace exports ATL_MIRROR_ROOT or passes --into; otherwise built-in fallbacks are mirror (Confluence) and mirror-jira (Jira). Full rules are in workflow.md.

New capabilities (cloud-CLI parity)

Recent additions expand both surfaces — check the focused skills for full flag details:

Global flags (all commands):

• --read-only / ATL_READ_ONLY=1 — fail closed on every mutating command before credentials/body/network access.
• ATL_NO_UPDATE=1 — disable only the signed release check; it does not block Jira/Confluence reads. Homebrew launchers set it automatically and update through brew upgrade atl. For a true air gap, combine it with offline commands and an external network policy; docs/network-egress.md is the complete destination inventory.
• -o id — print just the primary identifier(s) one per line (issue keys, page IDs) for safe piping into xargs or scripts. Not all commands support it; those that don't return an error.
• --verbose / ATL_VERBOSE=1 — trace every HTTP request/response to stderr (token never logged).
• Shell completion for fixed-value flags (e.g. --output, --format, --status) is registered. Help and completion remain usable while global read-only policy is active.
• capabilities --task <exact-class> — offline bounded task routing; JSON by default, Markdown with -o text, or stable capability ids with -o id.

Confluence additions: typed read-only render.confluence.page_fields shared by mirror and transient views; the render.confluence.jira_macros=auto|off safety policy; guarded file-backed conf page title set and review-bound conf page move; complete/guarded conf page labels list|add|remove; safe same-origin page-reference/short-link resolution and structural outline/bounded-section reads; dedicated native conf blog create with strict CSF/Markdown validation; opt-in ordered conf pull --page-prefetch plus a shared --requests-per-second transport boundary for complete/incremental mirrors while every local write/checkpoint remains serial; conf page list --space [--status], conf page open --id, conf page copy --id --title [--space] [--parent], conf attachment {list,get,upload,delete}, conf me, conf search --space/--title/--label/--type convenience filters (no --cql needed), .md view renders internal links as [[Title]].

Presentation time: render.display_time_zone is one IANA zone for human Jira/Confluence Markdown dates (default UTC). It is independent of JQL/CQL, does not alter exact JSON/native timestamps, and is recorded in view state for deterministic offline render/apply.

Jira additions: typed render.jira.field_views (including opt-in editable rich-text sections with explicit pending state) and opt-in epic_children views; value-free metadata and compact named issue-field inspection; qualified, filterable issue history with explicit completeness, deterministic cardinality/consistency summary including separate missing/duplicate identity facts, a summary-only projection without raw changelog rows (explicit false is rejected), and last-field-change metadata; transient multi-key export to artifact-only stdout; deterministic epic evidence digest and standalone refs with reconciled per-kind/per-source aggregates; check/attachments/refs/tree. For a report or quarter review, route through the Jira skill's one-hop reference/evidence-workflow.md and stop once sufficient complete evidence is available; guarded link suggestions and versioned plan apply; guarded file-backed custom-field preview/apply; labels; complete/guarded watcher list/add/remove; complete worklog reads and guarded single-entry time logging without write retry (the jira/edit route exposes jira.issue.worklog.list and jira.issue.worklog.add); users, planning reports, and compact exports. jira export manifests hash configured backend identity but retain selectors/fields verbatim and may still be private. Explicit key/id exports preserve de-duplicated selector order and omit missing identities; JQL exports retain backend order. Boards/sprints use the Jira Software Agile API. Structure commands read metadata, forests, rows, values, issue snapshots, and offline exports, with --root subtree selection where supported. Breaking command groups are comment add|list|delete and link add|list|delete; transitions can set --field k=v.

Local manifests: atl manifest create --root DIR [--service jira|confluence|generic] omits credentials and raw backend identity, but retains file counts, selectors, fields, paths, ATL version, and URL hashes. Caller metadata is not redacted: never put credentials in those flags, and review the manifest before publishing.

Reacting to results

atl prints JSON to stdout by default. Use -o text only where the command documents a human view; unsupported text requests fail with exit 2 and never fall back to JSON. The CLI signals outcomes through exit codes. Parse the JSON; map the exit code per exit-codes.md (e.g. 5 = version conflict → re-pull and reconcile before considering --force; 7 = not configured → run /atl:setup; 3 = the server rejected the token → re-auth login with a valid PAT).

Version skew (plugin vs binary)

The plugin and the atl binary version together: each release ships both under one number, the binary self-updates within ~6h of a release, and the plugin updates when its version changes. If a command documented by these skills fails as unknown command/unknown flag (exit 2), don't improvise a workaround — suspect skew: run atl version and compare its version with the installed plugin's version. Also retain the full commit and build_state in diagnostics; in a source checkout, a different commit or dirty build can explain behavior that the release version alone cannot. unknown provenance is valid for an unstamped build and is not proof of tampering. An older binary catches up on its next run (self-update applies on the following invocation); an older plugin updates with /plugin update atl. Re-check the exact syntax with --help before retrying.

When something went wrong

If atl itself caused real friction — repeated failures on one operation, a forced fallback, a misleading error, an unexpected refusal — offer the user to report it (never report on your own): with consent, a sanitized public issue in isukharev/atl, and/or with separate consent a detailed private case file (atl-feedback/<date>-<slug>.md, kept out of VCS) that the user can hand to their internal development team for reproduction and a fix. Triggers, both consent gates, the redaction checklist, and both templates: feedback.md.