---
type: reference
subtype: api-integration
title: "tea CLI: assignees are invisible in issue view"
summary: How to assign and verify assignees with the tea (Forgejo/Gitea) CLI — `tea issues <N>` never renders assignees, so verifying a claim needs `tea issues list --fields`.
tags:
  - type/reference
  - tool/tea
  - tool/forgejo
  - domain/issue-tracking
scope: global
last_updated: 2026-07-14
date: 2026-07-14
last_reviewed: 2026-07-14
source: cc-os
---

# tea CLI: assignees are invisible in issue view

Discovered while claiming a wayfinder ticket on Forgejo (`jared/cc-os`), where the claim *is*
the assignee — so a claim you can't verify is a claim you don't have.

## The gotcha

`tea issues <N>` renders title, author, labels, and body — **but never the assignees**, even
when the issue has them. Reading the issue back is therefore useless as verification: an
assignment that succeeded and one that silently did nothing look identical.

## Correct commands

```bash
# assign (only valid on `edit`; the flag is --add-assignees, NOT --assignees)
tea issues edit <N> --repo <owner>/<repo> --add-assignees <user>

# verify — the only view that shows them
tea issues list --repo <owner>/<repo> --fields index,title,assignees --output simple
```

Failure modes seen:

- `tea issues <N> --add-assignees <user>` → `flag provided but not defined` (the view
  subcommand takes no edit flags).
- `tea issues list --assigned-to <user>` → `flag provided but not defined` (no such filter;
  use `--fields assignees` and filter locally).
- A successful `tea issues edit` prints the issue body back, which **looks** like a no-op
  confirmation and shows no assignee — do not read that as failure, and do not read it as
  success either. Verify with `list --fields`.

## Why it matters beyond one repo

Any workflow where assignment carries meaning — wayfinder claim-before-work, "who owns this
ticket" triage — needs a verification step that is not the issue view. Budget one extra
`list --fields` call.

See [[cc-os-plugin-skill-naming-convention]] for the sibling convention set used on that repo.