Automation | Automatically add the user as a watcher on a ticket when they add a comment

Summary

The automation rule documented in this KB article helps in adding a user automatically as a watcher on a Jira issue when the user adds a comment on the same issue.

Solution

Trigger: Issue commented Action: Add Watchers and use the smart value:

{{issue.comments.last.author.accountId}}

This automation rule can be further extended to add the manager of the user as a watcher as well. For example: If you have dedicated Jira groups for each manager and their direct employees, you can use the "If/Else" block to check the user who was the last comment author (using the above smart value) and use the below logic:

If Condition: If the initiator is part of group "Manager 1" Action: Add Watcher - Manager 1

Else if Condition: If the initiator is part of group "Manager 2" Action: Add Watcher - Manager 2, etc