git-bug · jyn514 · Jul 6, 2026
diff --git a/commands/bug/bug_show.go b/commands/bug/bug_show.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
+	"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/cache"
 	"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/cmdjson"
 	"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/completion"
 	"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/execenv"
@@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ func newBugShowCommand(env *execenv.Env) *cobra.Command {
 	options := bugShowOptions{}
 
 	cmd := &cobra.Command{
-		Use:     "show [BUG_ID]",
+		Use:     "show [BUG_ID...]",
 		Short:   "Display the details of a bug",
 		PreRunE: execenv.LoadBackend(env),
 		RunE: execenv.CloseBackend(env, func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
@@ -47,6 +48,31 @@ func newBugShowCommand(env *execenv.Env) *cobra.Command {
 }
 
 func runBugShow(env *execenv.Env, opts bugShowOptions, args []string) error {
+	if len(args) > 1 {
+		if opts.fields != "" {
+			return errors.New("multiple bug ids are not supported with --field")
+		}
+		if opts.format != "json" {
+			return errors.New("multiple bug ids are only supported with --format=json")
+		}
+
+		bugs, err := resolveExplicitBugs(env, args)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+
+		snaps := make([]*bug.Snapshot, len(bugs))
+		for i, b := range bugs {
+			snap := b.Snapshot()
+			if len(snap.Comments) == 0 {
+				return errors.New("invalid bug: no comment")
+			}
+			snaps[i] = snap
+		}
+
+		return showJsonMultiFormatter(env, snaps)
+	}
+
 	b, _, err := ResolveSelected(env.Backend, args)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
@@ -109,6 +135,18 @@ func runBugShow(env *execenv.Env, opts bugShowOptions, args []string) error {
 	}
 }
 
+func resolveExplicitBugs(env *execenv.Env, args []string) ([]*cache.BugCache, error) {
+	bugs := make([]*cache.BugCache, len(args))
+	for i, arg := range args {
+		b, err := env.Backend.Bugs().ResolvePrefix(arg)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		bugs[i] = b
+	}
+	return bugs, nil
+}
+
 func showDefaultFormatter(env *execenv.Env, snapshot *bug.Snapshot) error {
 	// Header
 	env.Out.Printf("%s [%s] %s\n\n",
@@ -189,6 +227,14 @@ func showJsonFormatter(env *execenv.Env, snap *bug.Snapshot) error {
 	return env.Out.PrintJSON(jsonBug)
 }
 
+func showJsonMultiFormatter(env *execenv.Env, snaps []*bug.Snapshot) error {
+	jsonBugs := make([]cmdjson.BugSnapshot, len(snaps))
+	for i, snap := range snaps {
+		jsonBugs[i] = cmdjson.NewBugSnapshot(snap)
+	}
+	return env.Out.PrintJSON(jsonBugs)
+}
+
 func showOrgModeFormatter(env *execenv.Env, snapshot *bug.Snapshot) error {
 	// Header
 	env.Out.Printf("%s [%s] %s\n",

diff --git a/commands/bug/bug_show_test.go b/commands/bug/bug_show_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+package bugcmd
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+
+	"github.com/git-bug/git-bug/commands/bug/testenv"
+)
+
+func TestBugShowJsonSingleIDRemainsObject(t *testing.T) {
+	env, bugID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json"}
+	require.NoError(t, runBugShow(env, opts, []string{bugID.Human()}))
+
+	require.True(t, strings.HasPrefix(env.Out.String(), "{"))
+
+	var got map[string]any
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(env.Out.Bytes(), &got))
+	require.Equal(t, bugID.String(), got["id"])
+}
+
+func TestBugShowJsonMultipleIDsIsArrayInArgumentOrder(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+	b2, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New("second bug title", "second bug body")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json"}
+	require.NoError(t, runBugShow(env, opts, []string{b2.Id().Human(), b1ID.Human()}))
+
+	var got []map[string]any
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(env.Out.Bytes(), &got))
+	require.Len(t, got, 2)
+	require.Equal(t, b2.Id().Human(), got[0]["human_id"])
+	require.Equal(t, b1ID.Human(), got[1]["human_id"])
+}
+
+func TestBugShowMultipleIDsRejectDefaultFormat(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+	b2, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New("second bug title", "second bug body")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "default"}
+	err = runBugShow(env, opts, []string{b1ID.Human(), b2.Id().Human()})
+	require.EqualError(t, err, "multiple bug ids are only supported with --format=json")
+	require.Empty(t, env.Out.String())
+}
+
+func TestBugShowMultipleIDsRejectFieldOutput(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+	b2, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New("second bug title", "second bug body")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json", fields: "labels"}
+	err = runBugShow(env, opts, []string{b1ID.Human(), b2.Id().Human()})
+	require.EqualError(t, err, "multiple bug ids are not supported with --field")
+	require.Empty(t, env.Out.String())
+}
+
+func TestBugShowJsonUnknownSecondIDPrintsNoPartialJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json"}
+	err := runBugShow(env, opts, []string{b1ID.Human(), "deadbee"})
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.Empty(t, env.Out.String())
+}
+
+func TestBugShowJsonMultipleIDsMatchSingleIDRepresentations(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+	b2, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New("second bug title", "second bug body")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json"}
+	require.NoError(t, runBugShow(env, opts, []string{b1ID.Human()}))
+	var single map[string]any
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(env.Out.Bytes(), &single))
+	env.Out.Reset()
+
+	require.NoError(t, runBugShow(env, opts, []string{b1ID.Human(), b2.Id().Human()}))
+	var batch []map[string]any
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(env.Out.Bytes(), &batch))
+	require.Equal(t, single, batch[0])
+}
+
+func TestBugShowJsonThreeIDsPreserveArgumentOrder(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+	b2, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New("second bug title", "second bug body")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	b3, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New("third bug title", "third bug body")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json"}
+	require.NoError(t, runBugShow(env, opts, []string{
+		b3.Id().Human(), b1ID.Human(), b2.Id().Human(),
+	}))
+
+	var got []map[string]any
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(env.Out.Bytes(), &got))
+	require.Equal(t, []any{
+		b3.Id().Human(), b1ID.Human(), b2.Id().Human(),
+	}, []any{got[0]["human_id"], got[1]["human_id"], got[2]["human_id"]})
+}
+
+func TestBugShowJsonAmbiguousIDPrintsNoPartialJSON(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+	prefixes := map[string]struct{}{b1ID.Human()[:1]: {}}
+	ambiguousPrefix := ""
+	for i := 0; i < 256 && ambiguousPrefix == ""; i++ {
+		b, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New(
+			fmt.Sprintf("collision candidate %d", i),
+			"collision candidate body",
+		)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		prefix := b.Id().Human()[:1]
+		if _, exists := prefixes[prefix]; exists {
+			ambiguousPrefix = prefix
+		} else {
+			prefixes[prefix] = struct{}{}
+		}
+	}
+	require.NotEmpty(t, ambiguousPrefix)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json"}
+	err := runBugShow(env, opts, []string{b1ID.Human(), ambiguousPrefix})
+	require.Error(t, err)
+	require.Empty(t, env.Out.String())
+}
+
+func TestBugShowJsonDuplicateIDsRemainDuplicated(t *testing.T) {
+	env, bugID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+
+	opts := bugShowOptions{format: "json"}
+	require.NoError(t, runBugShow(env, opts, []string{bugID.Human(), bugID.Human()}))
+
+	var got []map[string]any
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(env.Out.Bytes(), &got))
+	require.Len(t, got, 2)
+	require.Equal(t, got[0], got[1])
+}
+
+func TestBugShowCommandAcceptsMultipleIDs(t *testing.T) {
+	env, b1ID := testenv.NewTestEnvAndBug(t)
+	b2, _, err := env.Backend.Bugs().New("second bug title", "second bug body")
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	cmd := newBugShowCommand(env)
+	cmd.PreRunE = nil
+	cmd.SetArgs([]string{"--format=json", b1ID.Human(), b2.Id().Human()})
+	require.NoError(t, cmd.Execute())
+
+	var got []map[string]any
+	require.NoError(t, json.Unmarshal(env.Out.Bytes(), &got))
+	require.Len(t, got, 2)
+}
diff --git a/doc/man/git-bug-bug-show.1 b/doc/man/git-bug-bug-show.1
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ git-bug-bug-show - Display the details of a bug
 
 
 .SH SYNOPSIS
-\fBgit-bug bug show [BUG_ID] [flags]\fP
+\fBgit-bug bug show [BUG_ID...] [flags]\fP
 
 
 .SH DESCRIPTION

diff --git a/doc/md/git-bug_bug_show.md b/doc/md/git-bug_bug_show.md
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 Display the details of a bug
 
 ```
-git-bug bug show [BUG_ID] [flags]
+git-bug bug show [BUG_ID...] [flags]
 ```
 
 ### Options