How to Set Up and Use the Jira Slack Integration (+ FAQs)
With remote work increasing in popularity among employees, many organizations now use multiple apps to stay in touch and send updates to stakeholders. Slack, a cloud-based messaging application, is among the most popular on the market.
Slack offers a variety of integrations, but one of its most powerful is its integration with Jira Cloud, the most popular software for managing and tracking agile projects. A Jira Slack integration allows you to accomplish various tasks, including sending Jira notifications, previewing Jira issues, and transitioning, assigning, and commenting on issues directly from Slack.
In this post, we’ll cover:
- How to make a Jira ticket in Slack
- How to create a Jira / Slack integration
- The perks & limitations of a Jira / Slack integration
In addition, we’ll show you another easy and collaborative way to make Jira tickets by using Visor’s spreadsheet and bi-directional Jira integration.
Can I link Jira to Slack?
Yes, you can create a two-way connection between Jira and Slack using the Jira Cloud for Slack app.This integration lets you create tickets from Slack or receive Jira notifications as messages in Slack, among other easy-to-use automations.
You can find the Jira Cloud for Slack app in both the Slack App Directory and the Atlassian Marketplace. Or you can skip to instructions for how to set up an integration here.
Why use Slack with Jira?
Users are keyed into Slack throughout the day, making it a good spot to both draw attention to potential Jira tickets and get up-to-the-minute updates on existing issues.
In other words, there are a number of benefits to setting up a Jira Slack integration, including:
- Create issues in Slack
- Get personal Jira notifications in Slack direct messages rather than via email
- See updates for specific projects in your preferred channel
- Access issue previews when a Jira issue is sent via Slack
How does Jira integrate with Slack?
Jira and Slack have a joint integration that allows you to connect the two applications. You can find integration in the Slack App Directory and the Atlassian Marketplace.
This integration opens a two-way connection between Slack and Jira, letting you create issues in Slack or get Slack notifications about Jira updates.
Can Jira send a Slack message?
There are a few easy ways to set up notifications from Jira. Most of these are handled by Jira Bot – a bot that allows you to quickly create connections between Slack channels and Jira projects. To use Jira Bot and perform any of the following actions, you’ll need to download the Jira Cloud for Slack app and connect Slack and Jira (more on that below).
Some actions performed by the Slack Jira integration are automatic – for instance, it will send a preview of any Jira issues mentioned in Slack channels the Jira Bot has been invited to. Others require simple slash commands.
Get notifications on a Jira Project
When you have the Jira Cloud for Slack app you can do a few things to get notifications from Jira while you’re in Slack:
- Invite Jira Bot to your Slack channel. The bot can then let you connect the channel and a given project.
- Use /jira connect. This command lets you set up a quick connection between Jira and Slack.
Send personal Jira notifications via a Slack Jira integration
Say you want to receive personal notifications when certain actions happen in Jira. You can set up personal notifications by sending a DM to @Jira or mention @Jira in a public or private channel. Then type /jira notify, select “Turn on Personal Notifications”, and decide when you which actions will trigger a Slack message.
How do I automate Jira to Slack?
There are two ways you can automate tasks from Jira to Slack, one of which is easier than the other.
Automate Jira to Slack using the Jira Cloud for Slack integration
There are many other shortcuts and quick actions you can execute using a Jira Slack integration. Atlassian’s support site lists a few, but here are the top three most common aside from creating a Jira ticket:
- Notify – typing “/jira notify” allows Slack to send you your Jira notifications directly. If you’ve already set up notifications, notify will also allow you to adjust your preferences.
- Connect – the connect action allows you to connect a Slack channel to a Jira project and receive updates and notifications from that project. Simply type “/jira connect” and select which project you want to receive notifications from.
- Manage – typing “/jira manage” allows you to manage the Jira project connections for that specific channel.
Automate Jira to Slack using the Jira Cloud for Slack integration
You can also set up automations from the Atlassian Playground. Atlassian offers a basic explanation of the process in the video below, along with step-by-step written instructions.
How do I create a ticket from Slack to Jira?
Creating a Jira ticket in Slack is a convenient way to quickly and easily transfer a task or information from a personal or channel Slack conversation to your Jira instance in just a few steps.
And while Visor’s Jira integration allows you to create tickets in an easy-to-use spreadsheet, our planned Slack integration is not out in the wild just yet. Therefore, we recommend that you make Jira tickets in Slack through the following steps:
Once you’ve integrated Slack into your Jira instance, follow the steps below. If you haven’t integrated Jira with Slack just yet, check out the next section in this post to find out how.
Step 1: Access the Jira “create” command in your Slack workspace
Type “/jira create” into any Direct message or Channel in your Slack workspace and then send the message by either pressing the “Enter/Return” key or the green airplane button in the bottom right corner.
Step 2: Select your Project and Issue Type
After executing the “create” command, you’ll be prompted to select which Project you would like to create your Jira ticket in and which Issue Type you would like it to be. Common issue types include Epic, Story, Task, Subtask, and Bug.
Step 3: Enter your Jira Ticket Information
Once you’ve selected which project you would like to create your Jira ticket in and what type of ticket you would like to create, you will be prompted to to fill out the Summary, Description, Assignee, and any other fields your Jira project might contain. Only the Summary is required.
Step 4: Submit your Jira Ticket from Slack
Once you click “Submit”, your ticket will be created in Jira! You’ll receive a confirmation message in Slack that contains a hyperlink to your newly created Jira ticket in your Jira instance. You’ll also be able to complete more actions directly from Slack like assigning, opting to “watch”, or commenting on the ticket.
How do I automate Jira to Slack?
There are many other shortcuts and quick actions you can execute using a Jira Slack integration. Atlassian’s support site lists a few, but here are the top three most common aside from creating a Jira ticket:
- Notify – typing “/jira notify” allows Slack to send you your Jira notifications directly. If you’ve already set up notifications, notify will also allow you to adjust your preferences.
- Connect – the connect action alws you to connect a Slack channel to a Jira project and receive updates and notifications from that project. Simply type “/jira connect” and select which project you want to receive notifications from.
- Manage – typing “/jira manage” allows you to manage the Jira project connections for that specific channel.
Limitations to a Jira Slack Integration
The Jira Slack integration is incredibly powerful. However, it does come with a couple of limitations.
- Only Jira Admins can enable applications like Slack to connect with Jira. If your Admin has disallowed this kind of connection, you will not be able to connect Jira and Slack.
- If Slack is prompted to connect to a Jira project with issue-level security, you will not receive notifications for those issue types.
- There are multiple Jira products that integrate with Slack, so be sure to make sure you are selecting the right one when setting up your integration or you will likely run into issues.
How to Set Up a Jira Slack Integration
Step 1: Select Jira Cloud from Slack’s App Directory
Add Jira Cloud to your Slack workspace by going to the “Apps” dropdown at the bottom of your Slack sidebar. Click “Add apps” and then search “Jira” in the Apps search bar. Select “Jira Cloud”.
Step 2: Add Jira Cloud to your Slack Workspace
Start the integration process by clicking “Configuration” and then, once redirected to the Slack App Directory, click “Add to Slack”.
Step 3: Authorize your Atlassian account to link to Slack
Once you’ve started the integration process, you’ll be prompted to authenticate your Atlassian account and to allow it to link to Slack.
Step 4: Connect your first Jira project to Slack
Once you’ve authenticated your Jira account, you’ll receive a direct message from the Jira Cloud app in your Slack workspace. That message will prompt you with ideas to get started and an overview of available actions.
Bonus: How to Create a Jira Ticket in a Spreadsheet
Some other software and applications allow you to create Jira issues directly from other workflows as well. One of this applications is Visor.
Visor integrates seamlessly with your Jira Cloud instance, displaying all your issues in views that resemble the spreadsheets and roadmaps you’re used to. To create a Jira ticket from Visor, simply create a new row and start typing! The instructions show you how to get started.
Step 1: Connect Jira to Visor.
Step 2: Choose Visor’s Two-Way Jira Syncing.
Because you want to import Jira data and push new issues back to Jira, you’ll want to select Visor’s two-way syncing option. If you wanted to only visualize your Jira data in Visor, then you’d choose one-way.
Step 3: Choose to Maintain or Ignore Jira Nesting when importing.
You can decide for your Jira issues to import with parent/child relationships or import a flat data hierarchy. You’ll want to maintain nesting for when you push issues back to Jira.
Visor accepts over 75 Jira fields. Decide which fields you want in your Visor spreadsheet.
Step 4: Create new Jira tickets by making a row & syncing.
Once you have your Jira data imported, make new Jira issues (e.g., epics, issues, subtasks) by creating a new row or a new nested row. When you’re done, hit sync to send it back to Jira.
Conclusion: Jira Integrations
Jira integrations are great for collaborating with stakeholders who aren’t always in Jira, for newbie Jira users, and for Jira power users who want to maximize efficiency.
We encourage you to explore Jira integrations to help you accomplish more throughout the work week by automating manual work and getting work done where you’re comfortable working: whether that’s Slack or a spreadsheet.