Jira

Natural language interaction with Jira. Supports multiple backends.

Backend Detection

Run this check first to determine which backend to use:

1. Check if jira CLI is available:
   → Run: which jira
   → If found: USE CLI BACKEND

2. If no CLI, check for Atlassian MCP:
   → Look for mcp__atlassian__* tools
   → If available: USE MCP BACKEND

3. If neither available:
   → GUIDE USER TO SETUP

Quick Reference (CLI)

Quick Reference (MCP)

See references/mcp.md for full MCP patterns.

Triggers

• "create a jira ticket"
• "show me PROJ-123"
• "list my tickets"
• "move ticket to done"
• "what's in the current sprint"

Issue Key Detection

Issue keys follow the pattern: [A-Z]+-[0-9]+ (e.g., PROJ-123, ABC-1).

When a user mentions an issue key in conversation:

• CLI: jira issue view KEY or jira open KEY
• MCP: mcp__atlassian__jira_get_issue with the key

Workflow

Creating tickets:

1. Research context if user references code/tickets/PRs
2. Draft ticket content
3. Review with user
4. Create using appropriate backend

Updating tickets:

1. Fetch issue details first
2. Check status (careful with in-progress tickets)
3. Show current vs proposed changes
4. Get approval before updating
5. Add comment explaining changes

Before Any Operation

Ask yourself:

1. What's the current state? — Always fetch the issue first. Don't assume status, assignee, or fields are what user thinks they are.

2. Who else is affected? — Check watchers, linked issues, parent epics. A "simple edit" might notify 10 people.

3. Is this reversible? — Transitions may have one-way gates. Some workflows require intermediate states. Description edits have no undo.

4. Do I have the right identifiers? — Issue keys, transition IDs, account IDs. Display names don't work for assignment (MCP).

NEVER

• NEVER transition without fetching current status — Workflows may require intermediate states. "To Do" → "Done" might fail silently if "In Progress" is required first.

• NEVER assign using display name (MCP) — Only account IDs work. Always call lookupJiraAccountId first, or assignment silently fails.

• NEVER edit description without showing original — Jira has no undo. User must see what they're replacing.

• NEVER use --no-input without all required fields (CLI) — Fails silently with cryptic errors. Check project's required fields first.

• NEVER assume transition names are universal — "Done", "Closed", "Complete" vary by project. Always get available transitions first.

• NEVER bulk-modify without explicit approval — Each ticket change notifies watchers. 10 edits = 10 notification storms.

Safety

• Always show the command/tool call before running it
• Always get approval before modifying tickets
• Preserve original information when editing
• Verify updates after applying
• Always surface authentication issues clearly so the user can resolve them

No Backend Available

If neither CLI nor MCP is available, guide the user:

To use Jira, you need one of:

1. **jira CLI** (recommended):
   https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli

   Install: brew install ankitpokhrel/jira-cli/jira-cli
   Setup:   jira init

2. **Atlassian MCP**:
   Configure in your MCP settings with Atlassian credentials.

Deep Dive

LOAD reference when:

• Creating issues with complex fields or multi-line content
• Building JQL queries beyond simple filters
• Troubleshooting errors or authentication issues
• Working with transitions, linking, or sprints

Do NOT load reference for:

• Simple view/list operations (Quick Reference above is sufficient)
• Basic status checks (jira issue view KEY)
• Opening issues in browser

References:

• CLI patterns: references/commands.md
• MCP patterns: references/mcp.md