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Phase 2: 3 new scripts + 2 reference files for prompt-only skills. Tessl 45-55% → 94-100%.
8.9 KiB
8.9 KiB
Jira Automation Reference
Comprehensive guide to Jira automation rules: triggers, conditions, actions, smart values, and production-ready recipes.
Rule Structure
Every automation rule follows this pattern:
TRIGGER → [CONDITION(s)] → ACTION(s)
- Trigger: The event that starts the rule (required, exactly one)
- Condition: Filters to narrow when the rule fires (optional, multiple allowed)
- Action: What the rule does (required, one or more)
Triggers
Issue Triggers
| Trigger | Fires When | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| Issue created | New issue is created | Auto-assignment, notifications, SLA start |
| Issue transitioned | Status changes | Workflow automation, notifications |
| Issue updated | Any field changes | Field sync, cascading updates |
| Issue commented | Comment is added | Auto-responses, SLA tracking |
| Issue assigned | Assignee changes | Workload notifications |
| Issue linked | Link is added/removed | Dependency tracking |
| Issue deleted | Issue is deleted | Cleanup, audit logging |
Sprint & Board Triggers
| Trigger | Fires When |
|---|---|
| Sprint started | Sprint is activated |
| Sprint completed | Sprint is closed |
| Issue moved between sprints | Issue is moved |
| Backlog item moved to sprint | Item is pulled into sprint |
Scheduled Triggers
| Trigger | Fires When |
|---|---|
| Scheduled | Cron-based (daily, weekly, custom) |
| Issue stale | No updates for X days |
Version Triggers
| Trigger | Fires When |
|---|---|
| Version created | New version added |
| Version released | Version is released |
Conditions
Issue Conditions
| Condition | Matches When |
|---|---|
| Issue fields condition | Field matches value (e.g., priority = High) |
| JQL condition | Issue matches JQL query |
| Related issues condition | Linked/sub-task issues match criteria |
| User condition | Actor matches (reporter, assignee, group) |
| Advanced compare | Complex field comparisons |
Condition Operators
Field = value # Exact match
Field != value # Not equal
Field > value # Greater than (numeric/date)
Field is empty # Field has no value
Field is not empty # Field has a value
Field changed # Field was modified in this event
Field changed to # Field changed to specific value
Field changed from # Field changed from specific value
Actions
Issue Actions
| Action | Does |
|---|---|
| Edit issue | Update any field on the current issue |
| Transition issue | Move to a new status |
| Assign issue | Change assignee |
| Comment on issue | Add a comment |
| Create issue | Create a new linked issue |
| Create sub-tasks | Create child issues |
| Clone issue | Duplicate the issue |
| Delete issue | Remove the issue |
| Link issues | Add issue links |
| Log work | Add time tracking entry |
Notification Actions
| Action | Does |
|---|---|
| Send email | Send custom email to users/groups |
| Send Slack message | Post to Slack channel (requires integration) |
| Send Microsoft Teams message | Post to Teams (requires integration) |
| Send web request | HTTP call to external service |
Lookup & Branch Actions
| Action | Does |
|---|---|
| Lookup issues (JQL) | Find issues matching JQL, iterate over them |
| Create branch | Branch logic (if/then/else) |
| For each | Loop over found issues |
Smart Values
Smart values are dynamic placeholders that resolve at runtime.
Issue Smart Values
{{issue.key}} # PROJ-123
{{issue.summary}} # Issue title
{{issue.description}} # Full description
{{issue.status.name}} # Current status
{{issue.priority.name}} # Priority level
{{issue.assignee.displayName}} # Assignee name
{{issue.reporter.displayName}} # Reporter name
{{issue.issuetype.name}} # Issue type
{{issue.project.key}} # Project key
{{issue.created}} # Creation date
{{issue.updated}} # Last update date
{{issue.fixVersions}} # Fix versions
{{issue.labels}} # Labels array
{{issue.components}} # Components array
Transition Smart Values
{{transition.from_status}} # Previous status
{{transition.to_status}} # New status
{{transition.transitionName}} # Transition name
User Smart Values
{{initiator.displayName}} # Who triggered the rule
{{initiator.emailAddress}} # Their email
{{initiator.accountId}} # Their account ID
Date Smart Values
{{now}} # Current timestamp
{{now.plusDays(7)}} # 7 days from now
{{now.minusHours(24)}} # 24 hours ago
{{issue.created.plusBusinessDays(3)}} # 3 business days after creation
Conditional Smart Values
{{#if issue.priority.name == "High"}}
This is high priority
{{/if}}
{{#if issue.assignee}}
Assigned to {{issue.assignee.displayName}}
{{else}}
Unassigned
{{/if}}
Production-Ready Recipes
1. Auto-Assign by Component
Trigger: Issue created
Condition: Issue has component
Action: Edit issue
- Assignee = Component lead
Rule Logic:
IF component = "Backend" → assign to @backend-lead
IF component = "Frontend" → assign to @frontend-lead
IF component = "DevOps" → assign to @devops-lead
2. SLA Warning — Stale Issues
Trigger: Scheduled (daily at 9am)
Condition: JQL = "status != Done AND updated <= -5d AND priority in (High, Highest)"
Action:
- Add comment: "⚠️ This {{issue.priority.name}} issue hasn't been updated in 5+ days."
- Send Slack: "#engineering-alerts: {{issue.key}} is stale ({{issue.assignee.displayName}})"
3. Auto-Close Resolved Issues After 7 Days
Trigger: Scheduled (daily)
Condition: JQL = "status = Resolved AND updated <= -7d"
Action:
- Transition: Resolved → Closed
- Comment: "Auto-closed after 7 days in Resolved status."
4. Sprint Spillover Notification
Trigger: Sprint completed
Condition: Issue status != Done
Action:
- Comment: "Spilled over from Sprint {{sprint.name}}. Reason needs review."
- Add label: "spillover"
- Send email to: {{issue.assignee.emailAddress}}
5. Sub-Task Completion → Parent Transition
Trigger: Issue transitioned (to Done)
Condition: Issue is sub-task AND all sibling sub-tasks are Done
Action (on parent):
- Transition: In Progress → In Review
- Comment: "All sub-tasks completed. Ready for review."
6. Bug Priority Escalation
Trigger: Scheduled (every 4 hours)
Condition: JQL = "type = Bug AND priority = High AND status = Open AND created <= -24h"
Action:
- Edit: priority = Highest
- Comment: "⚡ Auto-escalated: High-priority bug open for 24+ hours."
- Send email to: project lead
7. Auto-Link Duplicate Detection
Trigger: Issue created
Condition: JQL finds issues with similar summary (fuzzy)
Action:
- Comment: "Possible duplicate of {{lookupIssues.first.key}}: {{lookupIssues.first.summary}}"
- Add label: "possible-duplicate"
8. Release Notes Generator
Trigger: Version released
Condition: None
Action:
- Lookup: JQL = "fixVersion = {{version.name}} AND status = Done"
- Create Confluence page:
Title: "Release Notes — {{version.name}}"
Content: List of resolved issues with types and summaries
9. Workload Balancer — Round-Robin Assignment
Trigger: Issue created
Condition: Issue type = Story AND assignee is empty
Action:
- Lookup: JQL = "assignee in (dev1, dev2, dev3) AND sprint in openSprints() AND status != Done"
- Assign to team member with fewest open issues
10. Blocker Notification Chain
Trigger: Issue updated (priority changed to Blocker)
Action:
- Send email to: project lead, scrum master
- Send Slack: "#blockers: 🚨 {{issue.key}} marked as Blocker by {{initiator.displayName}}"
- Comment: "Blocker escalated. Notified: PM + SM."
- Edit: Add label "blocker-active"
Best Practices
- Name rules descriptively — "Auto-assign Backend bugs to @dev-lead" not "Rule 1"
- Add conditions before actions — prevent unintended execution
- Use JQL conditions for precision — field conditions can miss edge cases
- Test in a sandbox project first — automation mistakes can be destructive
- Set rate limits — avoid infinite loops (Rule A triggers Rule B triggers Rule A)
- Monitor rule execution — check Automation audit log weekly
- Document business rules — explain WHY the rule exists, not just WHAT it does
- Use branches (if/else) over separate rules — reduces rule count, easier to maintain
- Disable before deleting — observe for a week to ensure no side effects
- Version your automation — export rules as JSON backup before major changes