Write a query

CQL Search sends one query to Confluence search. The language is Confluence Query Language, the same syntax documented by Atlassian for advanced search.

Updated 10 November 2026. Atlassian’s reference: Advanced searching using CQL.

Content type

Most useful queries say what they are looking at, then narrow it.

type = page AND title ~ "runbook"

type can be page, blogpost, attachment, comment, or another content type Confluence indexes. ~ is a text match. = is exact.

Examples

This space

space = currentSpace() AND type = page ORDER BY title ASC

Use this in the macro. currentSpace() becomes the space key of the page you are editing.

Quiet pages

type = page AND lastModified < now("-180d") ORDER BY lastModified ASC

now("-180d") stays relative, so the list is still right next month. Add AND space = currentSpace() in a macro when the list should stay in one space.

Contributions

type = page AND contributor = currentUser() ORDER BY lastModified DESC

The app does not replace currentUser(). Confluence does, as the person who opened the page. On a shared page, each reader’s table is their own.

Child pages

parent = currentContent() AND type = page ORDER BY title ASC

ancestor = currentContent() includes grandchildren as well. Both belong in the macro.

Labeled files

type = attachment AND label = "handbook" ORDER BY lastModified DESC

App rules

One query per search. There is no second filter box.
spaceKey(), currentSpace(), pageId(), and currentContent() are replaced only outside quotes. Inside "double quotes" or 'single quotes' they stay as text.
If the macro cannot fill a token because the page context is missing, the search does not run. The message is Missing context for currentSpace(), or whichever token was empty.
The Apps page has no page context. Write space keys and content ids out in full there, or use functions Confluence already understands, such as currentUser().

Failed queries

The table shows “Search failed” and the message Confluence returned. Check the field name, the quotes, and that ORDER BY uses a field Confluence can sort. A query can also return “Nothing matched,” which means the syntax was fine and the viewer can see zero rows.