jira

# 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

| Backend | When to Use | Reference |
|---------|-------------|-----------|
| **CLI** | jira command available | references/commands.md |
| **MCP** | Atlassian MCP tools available | references/mcp.md |
| **None** | Neither available | Guide to install CLI |

---

## Quick Reference (CLI)

> Skip this section if using MCP backend.

| Intent | Command |
|--------|---------|
| View issue | jira issue view ISSUE-KEY |
| List my issues | jira issue list -a$(jira me) |
| My in-progress | jira issue list -a$(jira me) -s"In Progress" |
| Create issue | jira issue create -tType -s"Summary" -b"Description" |
| Move/transition | jira issue move ISSUE-KEY "State" |
| Assign to me | jira issue assign ISSUE-KEY $(jira me) |
| Unassign | jira issue assign ISSUE-KEY x |
| Add comment | jira issue comment add ISSUE-KEY -b"Comment text" |
| Open in browser | jira open ISSUE-KEY |
| Current sprint | jira sprint list --state active |
| Who am I | jira me |

---

## Quick Reference (MCP)

> Skip this section if using CLI backend.

| Intent | MCP Tool |
|--------|----------|
| Search issues | mcp__atlassian__searchJiraIssuesUsingJql |
| View issue | mcp__atlassian__getJiraIssue |
| Create issue | mcp__atlassian__createJiraIssue |
| Update issue | mcp__atlassian__editJiraIssue |
| Get transitions | mcp__atlassian__getTransitionsForJiraIssue |
| Transition | mcp__atlassian__transitionJiraIssue |
| Add comment | mcp__atlassian__addCommentToJiraIssue |
| User lookup | mcp__atlassian__lookupJiraAccountId |
| List projects | mcp__atlassian__getVisibleJiraProjects |

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

| Task | Load Reference? |
|------|-----------------|
| View single issue | No |
| List my tickets | No |
| Create with description | **Yes** — CLI needs /tmp pattern |
| Transition issue | **Yes** — need transition ID workflow |
| JQL search | **Yes** — for complex queries |
| Link issues | **Yes** — MCP limitation, need script |

References:
- CLI patterns: references/commands.md
- MCP patterns: references/mcp.md