# 99problems
[](https://github.com/mbe24/99problems/actions/workflows/ci.yml)
[](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@mbe24/99problems)
[](https://crates.io/crates/problems99)
[](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mbe24/99problems/main/LICENSE)
`99problems` is an AI-native CLI tool for issue and pull-request context retrieval across GitHub, GitLab, Jira, and Bitbucket.
It supports structured output for AI agents and direct human usage, with machine-readable formats (`json`, `yaml`, `jsonl`/`ndjson`) and a human-readable `text` format.
## Why This Tool
Software tasks often depend on decisions made in earlier issues and pull requests.
`99problems` helps recover that history in a consistent shape so current work can be grounded in prior context.
This is useful for Agentic Engineering workflows and for humans doing direct investigation in terminals or scripts.
## Installation
```bash
npm install -g @mbe24/99problems
# or
cargo install problems99
```
## Quick Start
```bash
# Fetch one GitHub issue
99problems get --repo schemaorg/schemaorg --id 1842
# Fetch one PR with inline review comments
99problems get --repo github/gitignore --id 2402 --type pr --include-review-comments
# Search GitLab issues
99problems get --platform gitlab -q "repo:veloren/veloren is:issue state:closed terrain"
# Fetch Jira issue by key
99problems get --platform jira --id CLOUD-12817
# Fetch Bitbucket Cloud PR by ID
99problems get --platform bitbucket --deployment cloud --repo workspace/repo_slug --id 1 --type pr
# Fetch Bitbucket Data Center PR by ID
99problems get --platform bitbucket --deployment selfhosted --url https://bitbucket.mycompany.com --repo PROJECT/repo_slug --id 1
# Stream as JSON Lines for pipelines
99problems get -q "repo:github/gitignore is:issue state:open" --output-mode stream --format jsonl
# Scaffold the canonical Agent Skill
99problems skill init
```
## Commands
```text
99problems get [OPTIONS] Fetch issue and pull request conversations
99problems skill init [OPTIONS] Scaffold the canonical Agent Skill
99problems config <SUBCOMMAND> Inspect and edit .99problems configuration
99problems completions <SHELL> Generate shell completion scripts
99problems man [OPTIONS] Generate man pages (stdout or files)
```
Global options:
```text
-v, --verbose Increase diagnostics (-v, -vv, -vvv)
-Q, --quiet Show errors only
--error-format <FMT> Error output: text|json (default: text)
-h, --help Print help
-V, --version Print version
```
## Configuration
`99problems` uses instance-based TOML config from:
- `~/.99problems`
- `./.99problems`
Example:
```toml
default_instance = "work-gitlab"
[instances.github]
platform = "github"
repo = "owner/repo"
token = "ghp_your_token"
[instances.work-gitlab]
platform = "gitlab"
url = "https://gitlab.mycompany.com"
repo = "group/project"
token = "glpat_your_token"
[instances.work-jira]
platform = "jira"
url = "https://jira.mycompany.com"
repo = "CPQ"
token = "atlassian_api_token"
account_email = "user@example.com"
[instances.bitbucket-cloud]
platform = "bitbucket"
deployment = "cloud"
repo = "workspace/repo_slug"
token = "username:app_password"
[instances.bitbucket-dc]
platform = "bitbucket"
deployment = "selfhosted"
url = "https://bitbucket.mycompany.com"
repo = "PROJECT/repo_slug"
token = "pat_or_bearer_token"
```
Bitbucket support is pull-request only; when `--type` is omitted, `99problems` defaults to PRs.
For Bitbucket Cloud, use an app-password, repository access token, or workspace-level access token (premium feature) in `token`.
Selection order: `--instance` -> single configured instance -> `default_instance`.
Telemetry (testing-first, config-activated):
```toml
[telemetry]
enabled = true
otlp_endpoint = "http://localhost:4318/v1/traces"
exclude_targets = ["h2", "hyper", "hyper_util", "rustls"]
```
Telemetry is best-effort and traces `99problems get` without changing normal command behavior or exit codes.
Use `telemetry.exclude_targets` to suppress noisy span-target prefixes (prefix match).
Equivalent config command:
```bash
99problems config set telemetry.exclude_targets h2,hyper,hyper_util,rustls
```
Build-time feature:
- `telemetry-otel` controls whether OTEL support is compiled in.
- Default builds include it.
- Use `--no-default-features` for telemetry-free release binaries.
## Man Pages
Generate and print root man page:
```bash
99problems man
```
Generate all pages to disk:
```bash
99problems man --output docs/man --section 1
```
## Output Modes
`get` supports two orthogonal controls:
- `--format`: `json`, `yaml`, `jsonl`, `ndjson` (alias of `jsonl`), `text`
- `--output-mode`: `auto`, `batch`, `stream` (or `--stream`)
Payload controls:
- `--no-comments`: skip issue/PR comments
- `--include-review-comments`: include inline review comments (for PRs)
- `--no-links`: skip linked-issue/PR metadata
Defaults:
- TTY stdout: `--format text`, `--output-mode auto` (resolved to streaming)
- piped stdout / file output: `--format jsonl`, `--output-mode auto` (resolved to streaming)
Use `--output-mode batch` when you want all-or-nothing output at the end.
## Shell Completions
```bash
99problems completions bash
99problems completions zsh
99problems completions powershell
```
## Agent Skill Scaffold
Canonical editable skill sources live in `templates/skills/99problems`.
Generate a standardized Agent Skills scaffold under `.agents/skills/99problems` with:
```bash
99problems skill init
```
Use user scope by overriding path:
```bash
99problems skill init --path ~/.agents/skills
```
## Support this project
If 99problems saves you time, you can support ongoing maintenance via [GitHub Sponsors](https://github.com/sponsors/mbe24) or [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/mbe24).
## Contributing
See [CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md).
## License
See [LICENSE](LICENSE).
Copyright (c) 2026 Mikael Beyene