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
If no CLI, check for Atlassian MCP:
   
→ Look for mcp__atlassian__* tools
   → If available: USE MCP BACKEND
If neither available:
   
→ GUIDE USER TO SETUP

Quick Reference (CLI)

Skip this section if using MCP backend.

Quick Reference (MCP)

Skip this section if using CLI backend.

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:

• Research context if user references code/tickets/PRs
• Draft ticket content
• Review with user
• Create using appropriate backend

Updating tickets:

• Fetch issue details first
• Check status (careful with in-progress tickets)
• Show current vs proposed changes
• Get approval before updating
• Add comment explaining changes

Before Any Operation

Ask yourself:

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

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

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

• 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:
jira CLI (recommended):
   
https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli
   Install: brew install ankitpokhrel/jira-cli/jira-cli
   Setup:   jira init
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

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