Start a workflow from Jira issue events

Triggers · updated 14 October · 5 min read

On this page

Who can do this Before you start Steps What the trigger gives What happens next Good to know If something goes wrong Related

Four Jira triggers check a project on your Jira site every 5 minutes:

Jira · New issue — When an issue is created in a project — checked every 5 minutes.
Jira · Issue updated — When an issue in a project changes — checked every 5 minutes.
Jira · Issue moved to a status — When an issue moves to the status you choose — checked every 5 minutes.
Jira · New comment — When someone comments on an issue in a project — checked every 5 minutes.

Each one found since the last check starts a run.

Who can do this

Workspace Admins and Editors. Viewers see the trigger and its status but cannot change it. Jira is a premium service, marked ◇: you can set the trigger up and test it on any plan; publishing asks for a paid plan.

Before you start

A Jira connection — see Connect Jira.

Steps

Open the workflow in the designer and open the trigger picker — Browse all triggers on an empty workflow, or select the trigger and Change how it starts.
Under Jira, select the event. Or type Jira in Search triggers.
In Connection, choose your Jira connection.
In Project, choose the project — Consulace Ops · CON.
For New issue: optional, an Issue type — Empty: every type.
For Issue moved to a status: in Status, choose the status — Done.
Optional: in JQL filter, more JQL to narrow it — labels = northwind. Optional — only issues this JQL also finds. Leave out ORDER BY. (For New comment: Optional — only comments on issues this JQL also finds. Leave out ORDER BY.)
Open the Output tab. Under Test with a real one, select Fetch a sample. The newest matching issue comes in — for New comment, with its newest comment — and Test run starts with it.
Add the steps, test, then Publish.

What the trigger gives

The issue, as the Jira steps give it — key, id, url, summary, description, status, issueType, priority, assignee, assigneeEmail, reporter, labels, components, projectKey, createdAt, updatedAt, and each other field by its name — and user, who did it: who created the issue, made the latest change, moved it, or wrote the comment. New comment also gives commentId, text and author.

What happens next

The first check after publishing only notes the time. Issues already there never start a run — only ones created or changed after you publish. Until then the panel says Starts with what arrives after you publish — nothing already there sets it off.
Each find starts one run, named after it — New issue · CON-142 Set up Northwind Logistics SSO, Issue updated · CON-142 …, Moved to Done · CON-142 …, New comment · CON-142 · Asha Raghunathan.
Issue updated starts one run per check for an issue. An issue changed three times between two checks starts one run, with its latest values.
Up to 100 runs start from one check; the rest wait for the next, in order.
A check that finds nothing starts no run and costs nothing.
The trigger's Settings show what it is doing — Checking every 5 minutes — Last checked 10:45 · next 10:50 — and its Recent checks.

Good to know

Every 5 minutes, on every paid plan. Jira's triggers have no Checks choice.
Each check looks a minute further back than the last, so nothing Jira was still indexing is missed — and nothing found before is run twice.
Issue moved to a status starts a run when an issue moved to that status since the last check — even if it has moved on since, in which case status shows where it is now. An issue that leaves and comes back between two checks starts one run, for its latest move.
New comment hears comments on issues in the project, each one once.
Changing the project, issue type, status or JQL filter and publishing starts again from then.
Instant Jira triggers need a Jira site admin to allow a webhook; they come with signing in with Atlassian, which is not offered yet.
Runs start in Production and count in the month's allowance.

If something goes wrong

What you see	Why	What to do
Nothing matches yet — add one, then fetch again.	No issue in the project matches — or, for New comment, the newest issue has no comment.	Create an issue or a comment, then Fetch a sample.
Project is empty. Choose one from the list. or Status is empty. Choose one from the list.	A required list is empty.	Choose from the list.
Leave ORDER BY out of the JQL filter — the trigger orders by time itself.	JQL filter has ORDER BY.	Remove it.
Not checking since 10:45 with Jira refused: … Check the connection's details on Connections. Nothing is lost — what arrives meanwhile is picked up by the first check that works.	The token has expired or was revoked.	Select Reconnect and fill in a new token, then Check now. See When an app trigger stops checking.
Not checking since 10:45 with Jira refused: Error in the JQL Query: …	The JQL filter is not valid.	Fix it, then publish again.
Publishing stops — "“New issue” needs a paid plan. Change the plan, or remove it and publish the rest."	The company is on the Free plan.	Ask the company Owner to change the plan; see Premium connections on the Free plan.
Runs show Skipped — "… needs a paid plan, so the run was skipped."	The plan moved back to Free.	Change the plan; the workflow runs again from its next trigger.

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