Mention Jira in Slack to manage work
You can use @Jira in any Slack conversation to search for work, create work items, update fields, and assign tasks in plain language, without leaving the thread.
An organization administrator must activate Rovo in Atlassian Administration before you can use this feature.
Set up Jira mentions in a channel
Go to any Slack channel (public or private) and type
@Jira.If the Jira app hasn't been added to the channel yet, follow the prompt to invite it.
On first use, you'll be prompted to configure how Jira works in this channel:
Select the Jira site you want to use in this channel.
Select a default space for the channel.
Select Save to confirm your configuration.
Once configured, you're good to go. You can update the configuration at any time by typing /jira agent
Where you can use @Jira
Surface | How to use it |
|---|---|
Public channels | Use |
Private channels | Use |
Jira app Home tab | Use |
The Jira app must be added to the channel before initiating conversation. This is a Slack platform requirement.
Create work items
To create a work item, use @Jira in a channel or thread and describe what you need. For example:
@Jira create a bug for the login issue discussed in this thread
@Jira create a task with the summary "Update API documentation"
Jira uses the context of your conversation to automatically fill in fields like space, work type, summary, and description. The context depends on where you @mention it:
If mentioned within a thread, Jira uses the full thread as context.
If mentioned outside a thread, Jira looks at the last 15 messages in the channel for context.
If all required fields can be determined from context, the work item is created immediately, and a confirmation with a link is posted in the thread. If anything's missing, Jira will ask you to fill in the gaps before creating the work item.
You can also ask Jira to summarize a thread into multiple work items at once. For bulk actions affecting more than 10 work items, you'll be asked to confirm before proceeding.
Update work items
You can update existing Jira work items by using @Jira and describing the change. For example:
@Jira assign PROJ-123 to Sarah
@Jira change the priority of PROJ-456 to High
@Jira add a comment on PROJ-789 saying "Fixed in latest deploy"
Jira links Slack users to their Atlassian accounts when assigning or mentioning team members. If a user can't be found or doesn't have access to the space, you'll be notified.
For bulk updates affecting more than 10 work items, you'll be asked to confirm before changes are made.
Follow up in a thread
After a work item is created or updated, you can continue the conversation in the same thread to request further actions. Use @Jira for each follow-up request. For example:
@Jira assign this to the QA team
@Jira change the priority to High
@Jira add a label "urgent"
Jira maintains context within the thread, so it knows which work item you're referring to.
Search for work items
You can use @Jira to find work items using natural language, without leaving Slack. For example:
@Jira what are my open bugs in Marketing?
@Jira show me the work items due this week
@Jira what's blocking the release?
Search uses your Atlassian account permissions, so you'll only see work items you already have access to in Jira.
How search results are shared in a channel
Details from restricted spaces are never posted into a channel where someone might not have access to them in Jira. As a channel can include people with different levels of access, results are posted as detailed below:
Shared with the channel if every work item in the results belongs to spaces that all logged-in Jira users on your site can access, the response is posted in the thread for everyone.
Shown only to you if any work item in the results belongs to a restricted space, the response is shown only to you. Other people in the channel don't see it.
Share a private result with the channel
When a result is shown only to you, you can still choose to share it. Select Post to channel to post it into the thread so the rest of your team can see it. Nothing is shared with the channel until you choose to share it.
Search from the Jira app (1:1)
You can also search from within the Messages tab of the Jira app in Slack. These results are always visible only to you.
Assign work items to agents
You can assign work items to coding agents directly from Slack. For example:
@Jira assign this to the coding agent
@Jira assign PROJ-123 to the QA agent
You can do this as part of the initial creation request or as a follow-up in the thread after the work item has been created.
Stay up to date with the agent’s progress in Slack
When you assign a work item to a supported coding agent from within Slack, Jira sends you a direct message (private thread) so you can follow the work without switching to Jira. In that direct message you can:
see progress updates as the agent works
answer the agent's questions, for example which repository to use
send extra instructions or context
see the result when the agent finishes, such as a link to a pull request
The direct message stays in sync with the agent session in Jira. Messages you send in Slack appear in Jira, and updates made in Jira appear in Slack.
When the agent completes the task, you can select Post to channel to share the outcome with other people.
Set up coding agents
Before you can assign work to a coding agent, you must first configure a supported agent from the below list on your Jira site.
Manage channel configuration
To view or update how @Jira works in a channel:
Type
/jira agentin the channel.Update the site, space, or custom instructions as needed.
Select Save.
The custom instructions field lets you guide Jira on your team's conventions — like preferred work types, naming patterns, or default field values.
Was this helpful?