name: jira
description: Jira Cloud integration for issue management and search. This skill should
  be used when working with Jira tickets, searching issues with JQL, creating or updating
  issues, adding comments, or transitioning issue status. Covers REST API v3 and Jira
  Query Language.
author: Joseph OBrien
status: unpublished
updated: '2025-12-23'
version: 1.0.1
tag: skill
type: skill

Jira Integration Skill

This skill enables direct interaction with Jira Cloud via REST API v3 and JQL queries.

Prerequisites

Set these environment variables (or in .env file):

JIRA_DOMAIN=company.atlassian.net
JIRA_EMAIL=user@company.com
JIRA_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

Generate API tokens at: https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens

Core Workflows

1. Get Issue Details

To retrieve issue information:

python scripts/jira_api.py GET /issue/PROJ-123

With specific fields:

python scripts/jira_api.py GET "/issue/PROJ-123?fields=summary,status,assignee"

2. Search with JQL

To search issues using JQL:

python scripts/jira_api.py GET /search --query "jql=project=AOP AND status='In Progress'&maxResults=20"

Common JQL patterns - see references/jql-reference.md:

• My open issues: assignee = currentUser() AND resolution = Unresolved
• Recent updates: updated >= -1d ORDER BY updated DESC
• Sprint work: sprint in openSprints() AND assignee = currentUser()

3. Create Issue

To create a new issue, use ADF format for description (see references/adf-format.md):

python scripts/jira_api.py POST /issue --data '{
  "fields": {
    "project": { "key": "PROJ" },
    "issuetype": { "name": "Task" },
    "summary": "Issue title",
    "description": {
      "type": "doc",
      "version": 1,
      "content": [
        {
          "type": "paragraph",
          "content": [{ "type": "text", "text": "Description here" }]
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}'

4. Update Issue

To update fields on an existing issue:

python scripts/jira_api.py PUT /issue/PROJ-123 --data '{
  "fields": {
    "summary": "Updated title",
    "labels": ["label1", "label2"]
  }
}'

5. Add Comment

To add a comment (requires ADF format):

python scripts/jira_api.py POST /issue/PROJ-123/comment --data '{
  "body": {
    "type": "doc",
    "version": 1,
    "content": [
      {
        "type": "paragraph",
        "content": [{ "type": "text", "text": "Comment text here" }]
      }
    ]
  }
}'

6. Transition Issue Status

First, get available transitions:

python scripts/jira_api.py GET /issue/PROJ-123/transitions

Then transition to new status:

python scripts/jira_api.py POST /issue/PROJ-123/transitions --data '{
  "transition": { "id": "21" }
}'

7. Assign Issue

To assign an issue:

# Get user account ID first
python scripts/jira_api.py GET "/user/search?query=username"

# Then assign
python scripts/jira_api.py PUT /issue/PROJ-123/assignee --data '{
  "accountId": "user-account-id"
}'

To unassign:

python scripts/jira_api.py PUT /issue/PROJ-123/assignee --data '{"accountId": null}'

Direct curl Usage

For quick operations without the helper script:

JIRA_DOMAIN="company.atlassian.net"
AUTH=$(echo -n "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_API_TOKEN" | base64)

curl -s "https://$JIRA_DOMAIN/rest/api/3/issue/PROJ-123" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic $AUTH" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"

Reference Files

• references/api-endpoints.md - Complete REST API v3 endpoint reference
• references/jql-reference.md - JQL operators, functions, fields, and patterns
• references/adf-format.md - Atlassian Document Format for rich text fields

Common Patterns

Bulk Operations

To get multiple issues efficiently:

python scripts/jira_api.py GET /search --query "jql=key in (PROJ-1,PROJ-2,PROJ-3)"

Get Project Info

To list projects or get project details:

python scripts/jira_api.py GET /project
python scripts/jira_api.py GET /project/PROJ

Get Available Issue Types

python scripts/jira_api.py GET "/project/PROJ?expand=issueTypes"

Error Handling

Common error codes:

• 400: Bad request - check JSON syntax and field names
• 401: Unauthorized - verify credentials
• 403: Forbidden - check user permissions
• 404: Not found - verify issue key exists
• 429: Rate limited - wait and retry

For field validation errors, Jira returns detailed error messages indicating which fields are invalid.