sudocode issue close

Close one or more issues to mark them as complete.

Syntax

sudocode issue close <issue-id> [<issue-id>...] [options]

Description

The issue close command marks issues as completed by setting their status to closed and recording the closure timestamp. This is the standard way to complete work in sudocode. When you close an issue:

Status is set to closed
closed_at timestamp is recorded
updated_at timestamp is updated
Changes are exported to JSONL for version control
The issue remains in the database (not deleted)

Closing is a soft operation - issues remain in the database and can be reopened if needed. This is different from deleting, which permanently removes the issue.

Arguments

string

required

One or more issue IDs to closeExample: ISSUE-001 or ISSUE-001 ISSUE-002 ISSUE-003You can close multiple issues in a single command by providing multiple IDs.

Options

string

Closure reason or commentExample: --reason "Feature completed and tested"This is currently accepted but not stored in the database. Use for logging purposes in scripts.

Examples

Close a Single Issue

Mark one issue as complete:

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001

Expected output

✓ Closed issue ISSUE-001

Close Multiple Issues

Mark several issues as complete at once:

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001 ISSUE-002 ISSUE-003

Expected output

✓ Closed issue ISSUE-001
✓ Closed issue ISSUE-002
✓ Closed issue ISSUE-003

Close with Reason

Provide a closure reason (for logging):

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001 --reason "Feature completed and tested"

Expected output

✓ Closed issue ISSUE-001

The --reason option is accepted but not currently stored. It’s useful for command history and scripting logs.

Close Non-Existent Issue

Attempt to close an issue that doesn’t exist:

sudocode issue close ISSUE-999

Expected output

✗ Failed to close ISSUE-999 : Issue not found

When closing multiple issues, valid closures proceed even if some IDs don’t exist:

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001 ISSUE-999 ISSUE-002

Expected output

✓ Closed issue ISSUE-001
✗ Failed to close ISSUE-999 : Issue not found
✓ Closed issue ISSUE-002

JSON Output

Get machine-readable output:

sudocode --json issue close ISSUE-001 ISSUE-002

JSON output

[
  {
    "id": "ISSUE-001",
    "success": true
  },
  {
    "id": "ISSUE-002",
    "success": true
  }
]

What Happens When You Close an Issue

Status updated

The issue’s status field is set to closed

Timestamps updated

closed_at is set to the current timestamp
updated_at is set to the current timestamp

Database updated

Changes are written to the SQLite database

JSONL exported

The closure is recorded in issues.jsonl

Blockers released

Any issues blocked by this issue can now proceed (if this was their only blocker)

What Doesn’t Change

The following remain unchanged when closing an issue:

Issue ID - Stays the same
Assignee - Remains assigned
Priority - Unchanged
Relationships - All relationships persist
Content - Issue description remains
Tags - Tags are retained

Closed issues remain fully accessible and can be viewed, searched, and reopened.

Common Workflows

Completing Work

Finish implementation

Complete the feature and commit code

Run tests

Ensure all tests pass

Close the issue

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001

Commit to git

git add .sudocode/issues.jsonl
git commit -m "Close ISSUE-001: OAuth implementation complete"

Closing After Review

Mark as needs review

sudocode issue update ISSUE-001 --status needs_review

Review code and approve

Team reviews the implementation

Close after approval

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001

Bulk Closing

Close multiple completed issues:

# Close all issues marked as needs_review
sudocode --json issue list --status needs_review | jq -r '.[] | .id' | xargs sudocode issue close

# Close all issues assigned to alice that are done
for issue_id in $(sudocode --json issue list --assignee "alice" | jq -r '.[] | select(.status == "needs_review") | .id'); do
  sudocode issue close "$issue_id"
done

Reopening a Closed Issue

If work needs to resume:

# Reopen by setting status back to open
sudocode issue update ISSUE-001 --status open

Reopening clears the closed_at timestamp and allows work to continue.

Close vs Delete vs Archive

Close

Normal completion

Standard workflow completion
Issue remains visible in closed state
Can be reopened if needed
Preserves all data and relationships

Delete

Permanent removal

Removes issue from database
Deletes from JSONL
Cannot be undone (except via git)
Use for mistakes or duplicates

Finding Closed Issues

View closed issues:

# List all closed issues
sudocode issue list --status closed

# Search closed issues
sudocode issue list --status closed --grep "oauth"

# View a specific closed issue
sudocode issue show ISSUE-001

Common Questions

Can I close an issue that's not assigned to me?

Yes, any user can close any issue. There are no access controls in the CLI.

What happens to issues blocked by a closed issue?

They become unblocked and can proceed. Check ready work:

sudocode ready

Can I close an issue without assigning it first?

Yes, assignee is optional. You can close unassigned issues:

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001

How do I reopen a closed issue?

Update the status back to open:

sudocode issue update ISSUE-001 --status open

This clears the closed_at timestamp.

Is there a confirmation prompt before closing?

No, issue close executes immediately. For safety in scripts, add your own confirmation:

read -p "Close issue? (y/n) " -n 1 -r
[[ $REPLY =~ ^[Yy]$ ]] && sudocode issue close ISSUE-001

Can I see who closed an issue?

Not directly from the CLI. The updated_at timestamp shows when it was closed, but not who closed it. Use git history to track this:

git log -p .sudocode/issues.jsonl | grep ISSUE-001

Will closing notify anyone?

No, sudocode doesn’t have built-in notifications. Closures are tracked via git commits.

Troubleshooting

Error: Issue not found

Cause: The issue ID doesn’t existSolution: Verify the ID:

sudocode issue list

Issue still appears as open after closing

Cause: Cache or sync issueSolution: Run sync to ensure consistency:

sudocode sync

Verify the closure:

sudocode issue show ISSUE-001

Closed issue doesn't appear in closed list

Cause: May still be filtered outSolution: Try:

sudocode issue list --status closed --limit 100

Can't close issue - database locked

Cause: Another process is accessing the databaseSolution:

Close other sudocode processes
Wait a moment and retry
Check for zombie processes: ps aux | grep sudocode

issue list

List all issues

issue show

View issue details

issue update

Update issue (reopen)

issue delete

Delete an issue permanently

ready

Find ready work

blocked

View blocked issues

Next Steps

Complete your work

Implement the feature and test

Close the issue

sudocode issue close ISSUE-001

Verify closure

sudocode issue show ISSUE-001

Find next work

sudocode ready

Issues Concept Guide

Learn more about issues and their lifecycle

CLI Reference

Spec Commands

Issue Commands

Relationship Commands

Feedback Commands

Query & Sync Commands

sudocode issue close

sudocode issue close

Syntax

Description

Arguments

Options

Examples

Close a Single Issue

Close Multiple Issues

Close with Reason

Close Non-Existent Issue

JSON Output

What Happens When You Close an Issue

What Doesn’t Change

Common Workflows

Completing Work

Closing After Review

Bulk Closing

Reopening a Closed Issue

Close vs Delete vs Archive

Close

Delete

Archive

Finding Closed Issues

Common Questions

Troubleshooting

issue list

issue show

issue update

issue delete

ready

blocked

Next Steps

Issues Concept Guide

​sudocode issue close

​Syntax

​Description

​Arguments

​Options

​Examples

​Close a Single Issue

​Close Multiple Issues

​Close with Reason

​Close Non-Existent Issue

​JSON Output

​What Happens When You Close an Issue

​What Doesn’t Change

​Common Workflows

​Completing Work

​Closing After Review

​Bulk Closing

​Reopening a Closed Issue

​Close vs Delete vs Archive

Close

Delete

Archive

​Finding Closed Issues

​Common Questions

​Troubleshooting

​Related Commands

issue list

issue show

issue update

issue delete

ready

blocked

​Next Steps

Issues Concept Guide

sudocode issue close

Syntax

Description

Arguments

Options

Examples

Close a Single Issue

Close Multiple Issues

Close with Reason

Close Non-Existent Issue

JSON Output

What Happens When You Close an Issue

What Doesn’t Change

Common Workflows

Completing Work

Closing After Review

Bulk Closing

Reopening a Closed Issue

Close vs Delete vs Archive

Finding Closed Issues

Common Questions

Troubleshooting

Related Commands

Next Steps