Jira Workflow Skill

Manage development workflows using Jira tickets. Supports four core operations: listing work, creating work, assigning work, and doing work.

Prerequisites

• Access to Jira via MCP Atlassian tools
• Git repository in the current workspace
• Appropriate Jira project permissions

Quick Reference

User Intent	Workflow
"List my work" / "Show my tickets"	→ List Work
"Create a ticket" / "Add work"	→ Create Work
"Assign PROJ-123 to John"	→ Assign Work
"Add label to PROJ-123"	→ Manage Labels
"List components"	→ List Components
"Do work" / "Work on PROJ-123"	→ Do Work

List Work

Display the user's assigned Jira tickets.

Steps:

1. Get the Atlassian Cloud ID using mcp_atlassian-mcp_getAccessibleAtlassianResources
2. Get current user info using mcp_atlassian-mcp_atlassianUserInfo
3. Search for issues assigned to current user using the search tools (activate with activate_search_tools_for_jira_and_confluence)
4. Present tickets in a clear table format

Output format:

| Key | Summary | Status | Priority |
|-----|---------|--------|----------|
| PROJ-123 | Implement login | In Progress | High |
| PROJ-124 | Fix date bug | To Do | Medium |

Create Work

Create a new Jira ticket.

Required information (prompt user if missing):

• Project key (or help user find it via mcp_atlassian-mcp_getVisibleJiraProjects)
• Summary (ticket title)
• Issue type (Story, Bug, Task, etc.)
• Component (see List Components for available options)

Mandatory fields (auto-populated):

• Requested by (BU): Default to GLCP. User can override if needed.
• Labels: Always include created-by-github-copilot. User can add additional labels.

Optional information:

• Description
• Priority
• Assignee
• Additional labels

Steps:

1. Get Cloud ID if not cached

2. Gather required fields from user

3. If issue type unknown, fetch available types via issue metadata tools (activate with activate_jira_issue_management_tools)

4. Check user preferences file for last-used component (see User Preferences)

5. If no component provided and preference exists, suggest it; otherwise prompt user

6. Create issue using mcp_atlassian-mcp_createJiraIssue with additional_fields:

   {
     "components": [{ "name": "<component-name>" }],
     "customfield_XXXXX": { "value": "GLCP" },
     "labels": ["created-by-github-copilot", "<user-labels>"]
   }
   

7. Save selected component to user preferences

8. Confirm creation with ticket key and link

Note: The custom field ID for "Requested by (BU)" varies by Jira instance. Discover it via issue metadata tools on first use.

List Components

List available components for a project.

Trigger phrases: "list components", "show components", "what components are available"

Steps:

1. Get Cloud ID
2. Fetch project metadata via activate_jira_issue_management_tools to get components
3. Display components in a table:

| Component | Description |
|-----------|-------------|
| Backend   | Server-side services |
| Frontend  | UI components |
| API       | REST API endpoints |

Manage Labels

Add or remove labels from a Jira ticket.

Trigger phrases: "add label to PROJ-123", "label PROJ-123 with", "remove label from"

Steps:

1. Get Cloud ID

2. Fetch current issue to get existing labels

3. Add/remove requested labels

4. Update issue using mcp_atlassian-mcp_editJiraIssue:

   {
     "fields": {
       "labels": ["existing-label", "new-label"]
     }
   }
   

5. Confirm update

Output format:

✅ Labels updated on PROJ-123:
   Added: urgent, needs-review
   Current: created-by-github-copilot, urgent, needs-review

User Preferences

Store user preferences in .jira-workflow-prefs.json in the workspace root.

Stored preferences:

{
  "lastComponent": "Backend",
  "defaultProject": "PROJ",
  "requestedByBU": "GLCP"
}

Behavior:

• On Create Work: Check for lastComponent, suggest if present
• On component selection: Update lastComponent in preferences
• User can override requestedByBU default by saying "set requested by to X"

Preference commands:

• "Set my default component to Backend"
• "Set my default project to PROJ"
• "Set requested by to ACME"
• "Show my preferences"
• "Clear my preferences"

Assign Work

Assign a Jira ticket to a team member.

Trigger phrases: "assign PROJ-123 to", "give PROJ-123 to", "assign ticket to"

Required information:

• Ticket key (e.g., PROJ-123)
• Assignee (name or email)

Steps:

1. Get Cloud ID using mcp_atlassian-mcp_getAccessibleAtlassianResources

2. Look up the user's account ID using mcp_atlassian-mcp_lookupJiraAccountId with the provided name/email

3. If multiple matches, present options and ask user to clarify

4. Update the issue using mcp_atlassian-mcp_editJiraIssue with the assignee field:

   {
     "fields": {
       "assignee": { "accountId": "<account-id>" }
     }
   }
   

5. Confirm assignment with ticket key and assignee name

Output format:

✅ PROJ-123 assigned to John Smith

Do Work

Full development workflow: implement a Jira ticket with proper Git workflow and Jira updates.

Trigger phrases: "do work", "work on PROJ-123", "implement PROJ-123", "pick up PROJ-123"

Prerequisites check:

• Confirm Git repository exists in workspace
• Confirm clean working tree (no uncommitted changes)
• Verify Jira ticket exists and is accessible

Task Complexity Assessment

Before starting implementation, assess the task complexity:

Break into subtasks when:

• Task involves multiple distinct components (e.g., API + UI + tests)
• Estimated implementation time exceeds 2-3 hours
• Multiple files across different domains need changes
• Task has natural logical divisions (e.g., "setup", "core logic", "integration")

Keep as single task when:

• Simple bug fix or small feature
• Changes localized to one area
• Can be completed in under an hour

Subtask Workflow

If task warrants breakdown:

1. Analyze and decompose the parent ticket into logical subtasks

2. Create subtasks in Jira using mcp_atlassian-mcp_createJiraIssue with:

   {
     "issueTypeName": "Sub-task",
     "parent": "PROJ-123",
     "summary": "<subtask summary>",
     "labels": ["created-by-github-copilot"]
   }
   

3. Present subtask plan to user for confirmation:

   📋 PROJ-123: Implement user authentication
   
   Proposed subtasks:
   1. PROJ-124: Set up authentication middleware
   2. PROJ-125: Implement login endpoint
   3. PROJ-126: Add JWT token generation
   4. PROJ-127: Write integration tests
   
   Proceed? (Y/n)
   

4. Work on each subtask sequentially:

   • Implement subtask
   • Commit with subtask reference
   • Update subtask in Jira
   • Transition subtask to Done

5. After all subtasks complete, update and transition parent ticket

See references/do-work-workflow.md for detailed implementation steps.

Workflow Steps

1. Fetch ticket details
2. Create feature branch
3. Implement the work
4. Commit changes
5. Update Jira ticket

See references/do-work-workflow.md for detailed implementation steps.

Branch Naming

Format: <type>/<ticket-key>-<short-description>

Examples:

• feature/PROJ-123-user-authentication
• bugfix/PROJ-456-fix-date-format
• chore/PROJ-789-update-dependencies

Derive <type> from issue type:

• Story/Feature → feature/
• Bug → bugfix/
• Task/Chore → chore/

Commit Message Format

For single tasks or parent tickets:

<type>(<ticket-key>): <summary>

<detailed description>

Refs: <ticket-key>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <noreply@github.com>

For subtasks (commit per subtask):

<type>(<subtask-key>): <summary>

<detailed description>

Refs: <subtask-key>
Part-of: <parent-key>
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <noreply@github.com>

The Co-authored-by trailer is a Git convention that GitHub recognizes and displays in the commit UI.

Example (subtask commit):

feat(PROJ-125): implement login endpoint

Add POST /api/auth/login endpoint with:
- Email/password validation
- User lookup and password verification
- Error responses for invalid credentials

Refs: PROJ-125
Part-of: PROJ-123
Co-authored-by: GitHub Copilot <noreply@github.com>

Jira Update Content

After completing work, update the Jira ticket with:

• Summary of changes made
• Files modified/created
• Any relevant technical notes
• Next steps if work is partial

Use mcp_atlassian-mcp_addCommentToJiraIssue for the update.

Error Handling

Scenario	Action
Cannot find Cloud ID	Prompt user to verify Jira connection
Ticket not found	Verify ticket key format and project access
User not found	Verify name/email spelling, show similar matches
Multiple user matches	Present options for user to select
Component not found	List available components, ask user to select
Invalid label format	Labels cannot contain spaces; suggest alternatives
Custom field ID unknown	Fetch issue metadata to discover field IDs
Subtask creation fails	Check if Sub-task issue type exists in project
Parent ticket not found	Verify parent key when creating subtasks
Dirty working tree	Prompt user to commit/stash changes first
Branch already exists	Offer to checkout existing or create new
Create issue fails	Check required fields and permissions

Tool Activation Reference

This skill uses these MCP tool groups:

• mcp_atlassian-mcp_* - Core Jira operations (always available)
• activate_jira_issue_management_tools - Issue creation, editing, transitions
• activate_search_tools_for_jira_and_confluence - JQL search capabilities