jqlTooComplex error returned on a test Jira instance while the same JQL query runs ok in prod.

[Alin Oana]

I am seeing a weird behavior on one of my test Jira instances, when I run the query below, I get the response from Jira:  jqlTooComplex and no results are retuned

customer = MyCustomerName
AND (
(issuetype IN (Kit) AND status changed from Storing to Closed after '2025-09-18')
)
ORDER BY issuetype, created DESC

The exact same query works fine on my dev Jira instance and on my Prod instance. Is only the test instance that is complaining. And I am not clear why.

The resources allocated to these instances are about the same 

The main difference between these envs is probably the number of issues. In test I have the most 

I have already reindexed the test system, but without any luck. 

Is there a way to instruct Jira to run these queries without checking for their complexity?

Thanks 

[Bill Sheboy · Accepted solution]

Hi @Alin Oana 

I recall that error can occur in Jira Server when the Status values used with the CHANGED operator do not exist in the site's data.  Have you checked if those Status values exist in your test instance?

Kind regards,
Bill

[Alin Oana]

@Bill Sheboy thanks for the suggestion. Indeed it looks like that system had no issues matching that query. If I expanded the range, it started to work. The Jira returned error is extremely misleading.

[Bill Sheboy]

Yes, and...I just found the nearly decade old suggestion to make that condition / error less misleading:

https://jira.atlassian.com/browse/JRASERVER-63507

[Alin Oana]

I think it should have been marked as an issue and not suggestion, for them to take action.