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

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

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