sonar_get_issue_details

Get detailed information about a specific SonarQube issue with rich context for intelligent fixing.

Description

Retrieves comprehensive issue information including plain-text source code context, rule explanation, and (optionally) additional context to make fixes more accurate and less “trial and error”:

• File header (imports/signature)
• Data flow (when Sonar provides flows)
• Similar FIXED issues (opt-in)
• Related tests + coverage hints (opt-in)
• SCM hints (opt-in)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
issueKey	string	Yes	-	SonarQube issue key (e.g., AYx123abc456)
contextLines	number	No	10	Lines of code context around the issue
includeRuleDetails	boolean	No	true	Include rule explanation
includeCodeExamples	boolean	No	true	Include compliant/non-compliant examples
includeFilePath	boolean	No	true	Include absolute file path for editing
includeFileHeader	boolean	No	true	Include the file header (imports/signature) before the issue context
headerMaxLines	number	No	60	Max lines to include in the file header (max: 200)
includeDataFlow	boolean | "auto"	No	"auto"	Include security data flow when available ("auto" only shows it if Sonar provides flows)
maxFlows	number	No	3	Max flows to include when data flow is present
maxFlowSteps	number	No	12	Max steps per flow to include
flowContextLines	number	No	3	Context lines per dataflow step
includeSimilarFixed	boolean	No	false	Include similar issues already FIXED in this project
maxSimilarIssues	number	No	3	Max similar FIXED issues to include
includeRelatedTests	boolean	No	false	Include related tests (best-effort) and coverage hints
includeCoverageHints	boolean	No	true (when includeRelatedTests is true)	Include coverage hints for the issue line
includeScmHints	boolean	No	false	Include SCM hints (author/date/revision) when available

Usage

Basic Usage

Show me details for issue AYx123abc456

Tool call:

{
  "issueKey": "AYx123abc456"
}

With More Context

Show me more code context for this issue

Tool call:

{
  "issueKey": "AYx123abc456",
  "contextLines": 20
}

Fix-Ready Context (Recommended)

Give me fix-ready details (header, flow if present, tests/coverage hints)

Tool call:

{
  "issueKey": "AYx123abc456",
  "includeFileHeader": true,
  "includeDataFlow": "auto",
  "includeRelatedTests": true,
  "includeCoverageHints": true
}

Minimal Response

Just show me the issue location, skip the examples

Tool call:

{
  "issueKey": "AYx123abc456",
  "includeCodeExamples": false,
  "includeRuleDetails": false
}

Learn From Similar FIXED Issues (Opt-in)

Show similar FIXED issues for the same rule (same project)

Tool call:

{
  "issueKey": "AYx123abc456",
  "includeSimilarFixed": true,
  "maxSimilarIssues": 3
}

Response Format

SONARQUBE ISSUE ANALYSIS

ISSUE DETAILS

Key: `AYx123abc456`
Type: 🔒 VULNERABILITY
Severity: 🔴 BLOCKER
Rule: `typescript:S3649`
Status: OPEN
Message: Make sure that executing SQL queries is safe here.

LOCATION

Component: `my-project:src/db/queries.ts`
File Path: `/Users/dev/my-project/src/db/queries.ts`
Line: 45

FILE HEADER (first 60 lines)

```ts
  1 | import { db } from './connection';
  2 |
  3 | export async function getUser(id: string) {
  4 |   // ...

SOURCE CODE CONTEXT

  42 | export async function getUser(id: string) {
  43 |   // ...
  44 |   const query = `SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = '${id}'`;
  45 |   return db.execute(query);
  46 | }

DATA FLOW (only when available)

Flow 1 (showing 8/14 steps) Step 1: user input → src/api/routes.ts:12 ... Step 8: SQL execution → src/db/queries.ts:45 (PRIMARY LOCATION)

RELATED TESTS + COVERAGE HINTS (opt-in)

• Related tests: src/db/queries.test.ts (best-effort)
• Coverage: issue line appears uncovered → consider adding/adjusting tests

SCM HINTS (opt-in)

• Author: Jane Doe
• Date: 2025-11-18
• Revision: abcdef123

NEXT STEPS

1. Replace the query construction with a parameterized query.
2. Add/adjust tests if coverage indicates the risky path is uncovered.

RULE INFORMATION (optional) Compliant / non-compliant examples (optional)

## Examples

### Example 1: Security Vulnerability

**Prompt:**

Tell me more about this SQL injection issue

**Tool Call:**
```json
{
  "issueKey": "AYx123abc456"
}

Example 2: Code Smell Investigation

Prompt:

Why is this function too complex?

Tool Call:

{
  "issueKey": "AYx789def012",
  "contextLines": 30
}

Example 3: Quick Location Check

Prompt:

Where exactly is issue AYx456 located?

Tool Call:

{
  "issueKey": "AYx456",
  "includeRuleDetails": false,
  "includeCodeExamples": false,
  "contextLines": 5
}

Response Fields

Field	Description
Issue Key	Unique identifier for the issue
Type	BUG, VULNERABILITY, CODE_SMELL
Severity	BLOCKER, CRITICAL, MAJOR, MINOR, INFO
Effort	Estimated fix time
File	Absolute path to affected file
Line	Line number of the issue
Message	Brief issue description
Code Context	Source code with surrounding lines
File Header	File imports/signature to provide structural context
Data Flow	Source→sink flow steps for vulnerabilities (when available)
Similar FIXED Issues	Examples of the same rule resolved in this project (opt-in)
Related Tests	Best-effort related test discovery (opt-in)
Coverage Hints	Per-line coverage hints for the issue location (opt-in)
SCM Hints	Author/date/revision info when available (opt-in)
Rule	Rule ID and full explanation
Compliant Code	Example of correct code
Non-compliant Code	Example of problematic code

Notes & Compatibility

Plain-text snippets (no HTML)

SonarQube has endpoints that return syntax-highlighted HTML in the code field. Bob retrieves snippets as plain text (preferring range-based endpoints when available) and falls back to slicing the raw file when needed.

Best Practices

1. Get details before fixing - Always understand the issue fully
2. Use context - More lines help understand the problem
3. Keep data flow on "auto" - Shows flow only when Sonar provides it
4. Enable tests/coverage hints when writing tests - Set includeRelatedTests: true
5. Use similar FIXED issues sparingly - Helpful for patterns, but keep it opt-in
6. Read the rule - Explains why the issue matters

Common Issues

"Issue not found"

Cause: Invalid issue key or issue was resolved.

Solution: Run sonar_scan_project to get fresh issue keys.

"No code context"

Cause: File was deleted or moved.

Solution: Re-scan to update issue locations.

Related Tools

• sonar_scan_project - Get issue keys
• sonar_analyze_patterns - Group similar issues
• sonar_get_security_hotspot_details - Security hotspots