Troubleshoot email processing issues in Jira Service Management Cloud
Platform Notice: Cloud Only - This article only applies to Atlassian apps on the cloud platform.
Summary
Emails to the Jira default mail handler (jira@instance-name.atlassian.net) are not creating or updating JSM requests. This article explains why this happens, how to confirm where emails are going, and how to configure space email channels and sender addresses so customer emails are processed correctly.
Diagnosis
Before changing settings, confirm the destination address. Most failures happen because the email or reply is sent to the default handler jira@instance-name.atlassian.net instead of the space's JSM email channel address.
Open the notification the customer replied to and check the To/Reply address.
If it shows
jira@instance-name.atlassian.net, that's the cause — the default handler does not process customer emails into requests/comments.
Cause
This behavior occurs in the following situations:
Sender replied to / emailed the default handler → point customers at the space's JSM email channel.
Sender is not a licensed agent on that space → expected for the default handler; use the channel address.
The space's JSM email channel is disabled → re-enable it in Space settings > Email.
Additionally, some email clients ignore the Reply-To header and reply to the address in the From header instead. If the From address is jira@instance-name.atlassian.net, replies can go to the default mail handler rather than the space's email channel address.
Solution
1. Direct customers to the correct Jira Service Management space email
Ask customers to send emails to the space's email address, not to jira@instance-name.atlassian.net.
To find the Jira Service Management email addresses for a space:
Go to Space settings > Channels & self service > Email.
Copy the email address (or addresses) listed on this page.
Note the default address, which ends in
@instance-name.atlassian.net.
Share these space-specific email addresses with customers and internal users as the correct addresses to email for creating or updating requests.
2. Make sure replies go to the space's default mail handler (email channel enabled)
If the email channel is enabled, and replies still go to jira@instance-name.atlassian.net, the customer’s email client may be ignoring the Reply-To header and replying to the From address instead.
To reduce this risk, configure the spaces' sender address to the spaces' default mail handler:
Go to Settings > Spaces.
Find and select the space you want to change the sender address for.
Select Space settings > Notifications > Internal notifications.
Don't change Customer notifications here.
Select the pencil icon to the right of the Email address.
On the Notification email page, select Edit next to the email card.
From the Email dropdown, set the email address to the space's default mail handler
This address ends in
@instance-name.atlassian.net.
Select Save.
When you set the sender address for a space:
All notifications from that space use this address in the From field.
This change affects only that space; other space are not impacted.
For more detail, see: Configure email notifications | Atlassian Support
After you make this change:
Notifications sent from the space use the space's default mail handler as the sender.
If a customer’s email client ignores the Reply-To header and replies to the From address, the reply still goes to the correct space email channel.
3. Enable the Jira Service Management email channel (if disabled)
If the email channel is disabled, replies to notifications cannot be processed into comments.
To enable the email channel:
Go to Space settings > Channels & self service > Email.
Select Turn on email support.
Additionally, if emails are being incorrectly rejected or flagged, ensure that the sender's domain is included in the space's allowlist using the following steps:
Navigate to 'Space Settings > Email requests', select 'Manage allowlist', and add the required domain (e.g., 'xyz.domain.com').
Once the email channel is enabled and configured:
New emails to the space address create new requests (depending on your configuration).
Replies to notifications that reach the space email address are added as comments on existing requests.
Expected behavior
Emails sent to
jira@instance-name.atlassian.netby unlicensed or non-agent senders are not processed into Jira Service Management requests or comments.Emails sent to the space's Jira Service Management email address are processed according to the email channel configuration.
When the sender address matches the space's default mail handler, replies are more likely to route correctly to the space email channel, even if the email client ignores the Reply-To header.
To confirm it's working, send a test email from a customer account to the project's JSM email channel address, and confirm that a request (or comment) is created.
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