Log Work on Jira Issues

Add worklogs to track time spent on Jira issues.

Quick Start

Use the Python script at scripts/log_work.py:

# Log 2 hours of work
python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "2h"

# Log time with a comment
python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "1h 30m" --comment "Code review and testing"

# Log work for a specific date
python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "3h" --started "2024-01-15T09:00:00"

# Log work and adjust remaining estimate
python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "4h" --adjust-estimate auto

Required Arguments

Argument	Description
issue_key	Issue key (e.g., PROJ-123)
--time, -t	Time spent (e.g., "2h", "1h 30m", "90m")

Optional Arguments

Argument	Description
--comment, -c	Description of work done
--started, -s	Start date/time (ISO format, default: now)
--adjust-estimate	How to adjust remaining: auto, leave, new, manual
--new-estimate	New remaining estimate (with --adjust-estimate new)
--reduce-by	Reduce remaining by this amount (with --adjust-estimate manual)
--format, -f	Output: compact (default), text, json

Time Format

Time can be specified in Jira format:

• 2h - 2 hours
• 30m - 30 minutes
• 1h 30m - 1 hour and 30 minutes
• 1d - 1 day (typically 8 hours)
• 1w - 1 week (typically 5 days)

Examples

Simple Time Log

python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "2h"

Log with Description

python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "4h" --comment "Implemented authentication flow"

Log Past Work

python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "3h" \
  --started "2024-01-10T14:00:00" \
  --comment "Bug investigation from last week"

Adjust Remaining Estimate

# Automatically reduce remaining estimate
python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "2h" --adjust-estimate auto

# Set a new remaining estimate
python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "2h" --adjust-estimate new --new-estimate "4h"

# Don't change remaining estimate
python scripts/log_work.py PROJ-123 --time "2h" --adjust-estimate leave

Output Formats

compact (default):

LOGGED|PROJ-123|2h|@jsmith|2024-01-15

text:

Work Logged
Issue: PROJ-123
Time: 2h (7200 seconds)
Author: John Smith
Started: 2024-01-15T09:00:00
Comment: Code review and testing

json:

{"issue":"PROJ-123","timeSpent":"2h","timeSpentSeconds":7200,"started":"2024-01-15T09:00:00"}

Environment Setup

Requires three environment variables:

• JIRA_BASE_URL - e.g., https://yoursite.atlassian.net
• JIRA_EMAIL - Your Jira account email
• JIRA_API_TOKEN - API token from Atlassian account settings

Prerequisites

Time tracking must be enabled in your Jira project settings. The user must have "Work on Issues" permission.

Reference

For detailed options and error codes, see references/options-reference.md.