diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index f03a5998..1909b3da 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ wl list --json
 wl list -n 5 --json
 # List items filtered by status (open, in-progress, closed, etc.)
 wl list --status open --json
+wl list --status open,in-progress --json  # comma-separated: matches any listed status
 # List items filtered by priority (critical, high, medium, low)
 wl list --priority high --json
 # List items filtered by comma-separated tags
diff --git a/CLI.md b/CLI.md
index 5041ca21..2e5c8dfa 100644
--- a/CLI.md
+++ b/CLI.md
@@ -450,6 +450,9 @@ Examples:
 ```sh
 wl list
 wl list -s open -p high
+wl list -s open,in-progress    # status is open OR in-progress
+wl list --status open,completed,blocked
+wl list -s open,in-progress --stage in_review  # status AND stage filters
 wl search "signup"
 wl -F concise list -s in-progress
 wl --json list -s open --tags backlog
diff --git a/EXAMPLES.md b/EXAMPLES.md
index 2861df5c..210e0499 100644
--- a/EXAMPLES.md
+++ b/EXAMPLES.md
@@ -29,6 +29,10 @@ worklog list --parent null
 # Filter by status
 worklog list -s in-progress
 
+# Filter by multiple statuses (comma-separated, OR semantics)
+worklog list -s open,in-progress
+worklog list --status open,completed,blocked
+
 # Filter by priority
 worklog list -p high
 
@@ -37,6 +41,9 @@ worklog list --tags "backend,api"
 
 # Combine filters
 worklog list -s open -p high
+
+# Combine multi-status with stage filter (AND semantics)
+worklog list -s open,in-progress --stage in_review
 ```
 
 ### Viewing Work Items
diff --git a/src/api.ts b/src/api.ts
index 216d78a7..d08c4e19 100644
--- a/src/api.ts
+++ b/src/api.ts
@@ -157,7 +157,8 @@ export function createAPI(db: WorklogDatabase) {
     const query: WorkItemQuery = {};
     
     if (req.query.status) {
-      query.status = req.query.status as WorkItemStatus;
+      const raw = Array.isArray(req.query.status) ? (req.query.status as string[]).join(',') : req.query.status as string;
+      query.status = raw.split(',').map(s => s.trim()) as WorkItemStatus[];
     }
     if (req.query.priority) {
       query.priority = req.query.priority as WorkItemPriority;
@@ -362,7 +363,8 @@ export function createAPI(db: WorklogDatabase) {
     const query: WorkItemQuery = {};
     
     if (req.query.status) {
-      query.status = req.query.status as WorkItemStatus;
+      const raw = Array.isArray(req.query.status) ? (req.query.status as string[]).join(',') : req.query.status as string;
+      query.status = raw.split(',').map(s => s.trim()) as WorkItemStatus[];
     }
     if (req.query.priority) {
       query.priority = req.query.priority as WorkItemPriority;
diff --git a/src/cli-types.ts b/src/cli-types.ts
index a9e7d2b6..c3750756 100644
--- a/src/cli-types.ts
+++ b/src/cli-types.ts
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ export interface CreateOptions {
 }
 
 export interface ListOptions {
-  status?: WorkItemStatus;
+  status?: string;
   priority?: WorkItemPriority;
   parent?: string;
   tags?: string;
diff --git a/src/commands/in-progress.ts b/src/commands/in-progress.ts
index f88a3477..9af24ebf 100644
--- a/src/commands/in-progress.ts
+++ b/src/commands/in-progress.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ export default function register(ctx: PluginContext): void {
       utils.requireInitialized();
       const db = utils.getDatabase(options.prefix);
       
-      const query: WorkItemQuery = { status: 'in-progress' as WorkItemStatus };
+      const query: WorkItemQuery = { status: ['in-progress' as WorkItemStatus] };
       if (options.assignee) {
         query.assignee = options.assignee;
       }
diff --git a/src/commands/list.ts b/src/commands/list.ts
index b2c46fad..6e4139be 100644
--- a/src/commands/list.ts
+++ b/src/commands/list.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,18 @@ export default function register(ctx: PluginContext): void {
       const db = utils.getDatabase(options?.prefix);
       
       const query: WorkItemQuery = {};
-      if (options.status) query.status = options.status as WorkItemStatus;
+      if (options.status) {
+        const validStatuses = ['open', 'in-progress', 'completed', 'blocked', 'deleted', 'input-needed'];
+        const statuses = options.status.split(',').map(s => s.trim());
+        for (const s of statuses) {
+          const normalized = s.replace(/_/g, '-');
+          if (!validStatuses.includes(normalized)) {
+            output.error(`Invalid status value: ${s}. Valid values: ${validStatuses.join(', ')}`, { success: false, error: 'invalid-arg' });
+            process.exit(1);
+          }
+        }
+        query.status = statuses.map(s => s.replace(/_/g, '-') as WorkItemStatus);
+      }
       if (options.priority) query.priority = options.priority as WorkItemPriority;
       if (options.parent) {
         const normalizedParentId = utils.normalizeCliId(options.parent, options.prefix) || options.parent;
diff --git a/src/database.ts b/src/database.ts
index b5c8bf9b..4e2a3ad7 100644
--- a/src/database.ts
+++ b/src/database.ts
@@ -813,11 +813,11 @@ export class WorklogDatabase {
     let items = this.store.getAllWorkItems();
 
       if (query) {
-      if (query.status) {
+      if (query.status && query.status.length > 0) {
         // Status values are normalized to hyphenated form on write/import,
-        // so we only need to normalize the query parameter for user input.
-        const normalizedQueryStatus = normalizeStatusValue(query.status) ?? query.status;
-        items = items.filter(item => item.status === normalizedQueryStatus);
+        // so we normalize each query value for comparison.
+        const normalizedStatuses = query.status.map(s => normalizeStatusValue(s) ?? s);
+        items = items.filter(item => normalizedStatuses.includes(item.status));
       }
       if (query.priority) {
         items = items.filter(item => item.priority === query.priority);
diff --git a/src/tui/controller.ts b/src/tui/controller.ts
index bc34522b..eeb8ca27 100644
--- a/src/tui/controller.ts
+++ b/src/tui/controller.ts
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ export class TuiController {
     };
 
     const query: Partial<Record<string, unknown>> = {};
-    if (options.inProgress) query.status = 'in-progress';
+    if (options.inProgress) query.status = ['in-progress'];
 
     const allItems: Item[] = listWorkItemsSafely(query, [], 'initial-load').items;
     const showClosed = Boolean(options.all);
@@ -3048,7 +3048,7 @@ function updateDetailForIndex(idx: number, visible?: VisibleNode[]) {
       const selected = getSelectedItem();
       const selectedId = selected?.id;
       const query: any = {};
-      if (status) query.status = status;
+      if (status) query.status = [status];
       if (needsReviewFilter !== null) query.needsProducerReview = needsReviewFilter;
       const listed = listWorkItemsSafely(query, state.items.slice(), 'refresh-list');
       if (listed.busy) {
diff --git a/src/tui/wl-db-adapter.ts b/src/tui/wl-db-adapter.ts
index de169a11..128e0fa3 100644
--- a/src/tui/wl-db-adapter.ts
+++ b/src/tui/wl-db-adapter.ts
@@ -147,12 +147,8 @@ function buildListArgs(query: Record<string, unknown>): string[] {
   const args: string[] = [];
   // Map common query fields to wl list flags
   if (query.status) {
-    // Support array of statuses
-    if (Array.isArray(query.status)) {
-      query.status.forEach((s: string) => args.push('--status', s));
-    } else {
-      args.push('--status', String(query.status));
-    }
+    const raw = Array.isArray(query.status) ? (query.status as string[]).join(',') : String(query.status);
+    args.push('--status', raw);
   }
   if (query.inProgress === true) {
     args.push('--in-progress');
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index ff260d30..149a9842 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ export interface UpdateWorkItemInput {
   audit?: WorkItemAudit;
 }
 export interface WorkItemQuery {
-  status?: WorkItemStatus;
+  status?: WorkItemStatus[];
   priority?: WorkItemPriority;
   parentId?: string | null;
   tags?: string[];
diff --git a/templates/AGENTS.md b/templates/AGENTS.md
index 42b7bc68..6389e6e4 100644
--- a/templates/AGENTS.md
+++ b/templates/AGENTS.md
@@ -174,6 +174,7 @@ wl list --json
 wl list -n 5 --json
 # List items filtered by status (open, in-progress, closed, etc.)
 wl list --status open --json
+wl list --status open,in-progress --json  # comma-separated: matches any listed status
 # List items filtered by priority (critical, high, medium, low)
 wl list --priority high --json
 # List items filtered by comma-separated tags
diff --git a/tests/cli/issue-status.test.ts b/tests/cli/issue-status.test.ts
index 58dedaa2..54fc7d0c 100644
--- a/tests/cli/issue-status.test.ts
+++ b/tests/cli/issue-status.test.ts
@@ -178,6 +178,63 @@ describe('CLI Issue Status Tests', () => {
       expect(humanStdout).toContain('Found 1 work item');
     });
 
+    it('should filter by multiple comma-separated statuses', async () => {
+      const { stdout } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json list -s open,in-progress`);
+
+      const result = JSON.parse(stdout);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.workItems).toHaveLength(2);
+      const statuses = result.workItems.map((item: any) => item.status);
+      expect(statuses).toContain('open');
+      expect(statuses).toContain('in-progress');
+    });
+
+    it('should filter by multiple statuses with --status open,completed', async () => {
+      const { stdout } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json list --status open,completed`);
+
+      const result = JSON.parse(stdout);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.workItems).toHaveLength(2);
+      const statuses = result.workItems.map((item: any) => item.status);
+      expect(statuses).toContain('open');
+      expect(statuses).toContain('completed');
+    });
+
+    it('should combine comma-separated --status with --stage', async () => {
+      seedWorkItems(tempState.tempDir, [
+        { title: 'Open In Progress', status: 'open', stage: 'in_progress' },
+        { title: 'In Progress Review', status: 'in-progress', stage: 'in_review' },
+        { title: 'Completed Done', status: 'completed', stage: 'done' },
+      ]);
+
+      // --status open,in-progress AND --stage in_review should return only items matching both
+      const { stdout } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json list --status open,in-progress --stage in_review`);
+      const result = JSON.parse(stdout);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.workItems).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(result.workItems[0].title).toBe('In Progress Review');
+    });
+
+    it('should return error for invalid status value', async () => {
+      try {
+        await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json list -s invalid_status`);
+        expect.fail('Should have thrown an error');
+      } catch (error: any) {
+        const result = JSON.parse(error.stderr || '{}');
+        expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+      }
+    });
+
+    it('should return error when any status in comma-separated list is invalid', async () => {
+      try {
+        await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json list -s open,invalid_status`);
+        expect.fail('Should have thrown an error');
+      } catch (error: any) {
+        const result = JSON.parse(error.stderr || '{}');
+        expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+      }
+    });
+
     it('should still hide completed items in human mode when no stage filter is set', async () => {
       // The default behavior (no --stage, no --status) should still hide completed items in human mode
       const { stdout: humanStdout } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} list`);
diff --git a/tests/database.test.ts b/tests/database.test.ts
index 9d2924e1..65bdc444 100644
--- a/tests/database.test.ts
+++ b/tests/database.test.ts
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ describe('WorklogDatabase', () => {
     it('should normalize status when querying with underscore form', () => {
       db.create({ title: 'Test', status: 'in-progress' });
       // Query using underscore form — should still find the item
-      const results = db.list({ status: 'in_progress' as any });
+      const results = db.list({ status: ['in_progress'] as any });
       expect(results.length).toBe(1);
       expect(results[0].status).toBe('in-progress');
     });
@@ -189,11 +189,19 @@ describe('WorklogDatabase', () => {
     });
 
     it('should filter by status', () => {
-      const openItems = db.list({ status: 'open' });
+      const openItems = db.list({ status: ['open'] });
       expect(openItems).toHaveLength(2);
       openItems.forEach(item => expect(item.status).toBe('open'));
     });
 
+    it('should filter by multiple statuses', () => {
+      const items = db.list({ status: ['open', 'completed'] });
+      expect(items).toHaveLength(3);
+      const statuses = items.map(item => item.status);
+      expect(statuses.filter(s => s === 'open')).toHaveLength(2);
+      expect(statuses.filter(s => s === 'completed')).toHaveLength(1);
+    });
+
     it('should filter by priority', () => {
       const highPriorityItems = db.list({ priority: 'high' });
       expect(highPriorityItems).toHaveLength(2);
@@ -201,7 +209,7 @@ describe('WorklogDatabase', () => {
     });
 
     it('should filter by status and priority', () => {
-      const items = db.list({ status: 'open', priority: 'high' });
+      const items = db.list({ status: ['open'], priority: 'high' });
       expect(items).toHaveLength(2);
       items.forEach(item => {
         expect(item.status).toBe('open');
@@ -209,6 +217,16 @@ describe('WorklogDatabase', () => {
       });
     });
 
+    it('should combine multiple statuses with priority', () => {
+      const items = db.list({ status: ['open', 'blocked'], priority: 'high' });
+      expect(items).toHaveLength(2);
+      const statuses = items.map(item => item.status);
+      expect(statuses.filter(s => s === 'open')).toHaveLength(2);
+      items.forEach(item => {
+        expect(item.priority).toBe('high');
+      });
+    });
+
     it('should filter by tags', () => {
       const items = db.list({ tags: ['backend'] });
       expect(items).toHaveLength(1);
diff --git a/tests/sort-operations.test.ts b/tests/sort-operations.test.ts
index 69826ce6..adcc272c 100644
--- a/tests/sort-operations.test.ts
+++ b/tests/sort-operations.test.ts
@@ -517,7 +517,7 @@ describe('Sort Operations', () => {
       const item2 = db.create({ title: 'Task 2', status: 'in-progress', sortIndex: 100 });
       const item3 = db.create({ title: 'Task 3', status: 'open', sortIndex: 200 });
 
-      const openItems = db.list({ status: 'open' });
+      const openItems = db.list({ status: ['open'] });
 
       expect(openItems).toHaveLength(2);
       // Check sortIndex values are preserved
diff --git a/tests/tui/wl-db-adapter.test.ts b/tests/tui/wl-db-adapter.test.ts
index 10b1028e..987e9d7c 100644
--- a/tests/tui/wl-db-adapter.test.ts
+++ b/tests/tui/wl-db-adapter.test.ts
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ describe('createWlDbAdapter', () => {
   it('uses wl subcommands and unwraps list/show/create/update envelopes', () => {
     const db = createWlDbAdapter();
 
-    expect(db.list({ status: 'open', assignee: 'Map' })).toEqual([baseWorkItem]);
+    expect(db.list({ status: ['open'], assignee: 'Map' })).toEqual([baseWorkItem]);
     expect(db.get('WL-TEST-1')).toEqual(baseWorkItem);
     expect(db.create({ title: 'Created item', description: 'Created description' })).toEqual({
       ...baseWorkItem,