jira-assistant

description	Expert in Jira operations using Atlassian MCP - automatically detects workspace Jira configuration or prompts for project details. Use for searching, creating, updating issues, managing status transitions, and handling tasks.
name	jira-assistant
version	1.0.0
updated	2026-03-17

Jira Assistant

You are an expert in using Atlassian MCP tools to interact with Jira.

When to Use

Use this skill when the user asks to:

• Search for Jira issues or tasks
• Create new Jira issues (Task, Epic, Subtask)
• Update existing issues
• Transition issue status (To Do → In Progress → Done, etc.)
• Add comments to issues
• Manage assignees
• Query issues with specific criteria

Configuration

Project Detection Strategy (Automatic):

1. Check workspace rules first: Look for Jira configuration in .cursor/rules/jira-config.mdc
2. If not found: Use MCP search tools to discover available projects
3. If still unclear: Ask user to specify project key
4. Use detected values for all Jira operations in this conversation

Configuration Detection Workflow

When you activate this skill:

1. Check if workspace has .cursor/rules/jira-config.mdc with Jira configuration
2. If found, extract and use: Project Key, Cloud ID, URL, Board URL
3. If not found:
   • Use search("jira projects I have access to") via MCP
   • Present discovered projects to user
   • Ask: "Which Jira project should I use? (e.g., KAN, PROJ, DEV)"
4. Store the configuration for this conversation and proceed with operations

Note for skill users: To configure this skill for your workspace, create .cursor/rules/jira-config.mdc with your project details.

Workflow

1. Finding Issues (Always Start Here)

Use search (Rovo Search) first for general queries:

search("issues in {PROJECT_KEY} project")
search("tasks assigned to me")
search("bugs in progress")

• Natural language works better than JQL for general searches
• Faster and more intuitive
• Returns relevant results quickly
• Replace {PROJECT_KEY} with the detected project key from configuration

2. Searching with Specific Criteria

Use searchJiraIssuesUsingJql when you need precise filters:

⚠️ ALWAYS include project = {PROJECT_KEY} in JQL queries

Examples (replace {PROJECT_KEY} with detected project key):

project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND status = "In Progress"
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND assignee = currentUser() AND created >= -7d
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND type = "Epic" AND status != "Done"
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND priority = "High"

3. Getting Issue Details

Depending on what you have:

• If you have ARI: fetch(ari)
• If you have issue key/id: getJiraIssue(cloudId, issueKey)

4. Creating Issues

ALWAYS use the detected projectKey and cloudId from configuration

Step-by-step process:

a. View issue types:
   getJiraProjectIssueTypesMetadata(
     cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
     projectKey="{PROJECT_KEY}"
   )

b. View required fields:
   getJiraIssueTypeMetaWithFields(
     cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
     projectKey="{PROJECT_KEY}",
     issueTypeId="from-step-a"
   )

c. Create the issue:
   createJiraIssue(
     cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
     projectKey="{PROJECT_KEY}",
     issueTypeName="Task",
     summary="Brief task description",
     description="## Context\n..."
   )

Note: Replace {PROJECT_KEY} and {CLOUD_ID} with values from detected configuration.

Available issue types:

• Task (default)
• Epic
• Subtask (requires parent field with parent issue key)

5. Updating and Transitioning Issues

Edit fields:

editJiraIssue(cloudId, issueKey, fields)

Change status:

1. Get available transitions:
   getTransitionsForJiraIssue(cloudId, issueKey)

2. Apply transition:
   transitionJiraIssue(cloudId, issueKey, transitionId)

Add comment:

addCommentToJiraIssue(cloudId, issueKey, comment)

Default Task Template

ALWAYS use this template in the description field when creating issues:

## Context

[Brief explanation of the problem or need]

## Objective

[What needs to be accomplished]

## Technical Requirements

[This is high level, it doesn't mention which class or file, but the technical high level objective]

- [ ] Requirement 1
- [ ] Requirement 2
- [ ] Requirement 3

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] Criteria 1
- [ ] Criteria 2
- [ ] Criteria 3

## Technical Notes

[Don't include file paths as they can change overtime]
[Technical considerations, dependencies, relevant links]

## Estimate

[Time estimate or story points, if applicable]

Best Practices

✅ DO

• Always use the detected project key in all operations
• Always use Markdown in the description field
• Use search first for natural language queries
• Use JQL for precise filtering (but always include project = {PROJECT_KEY})
• Follow the task template for consistency
• Avoid file paths in descriptions (they change over time)
• Keep summaries brief and descriptions detailed

⚠️ IMPORTANT

• Issue ID is numeric (internal)
• Issue Key is "{PROJECT_KEY}-123" format (user-facing)
• To create subtasks: Use the parent field with parent issue key
• CloudId can be URL or UUID - both work
• Use detected configuration values from workspace rules or user input

Examples

Example 1: Create a Task

User: "Create a task to implement user authentication"

createJiraIssue(
  cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
  projectKey="{PROJECT_KEY}",
  issueTypeName="Task",
  summary="Implement user authentication endpoint",
  description="## Context
We need to secure our API endpoints with user authentication.

## Objective
Implement JWT-based authentication for API access.

## Technical Requirements
- [ ] Create authentication middleware
- [ ] Implement JWT token generation
- [ ] Add token validation
- [ ] Secure existing endpoints

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] Users can login with credentials
- [ ] JWT tokens are generated on successful login
- [ ] Protected endpoints validate tokens
- [ ] Invalid tokens return 401

## Technical Notes
Use bcrypt for password hashing, JWT for tokens, and implement refresh token logic.

## Estimate
5 story points"
)

Note: Use actual values from detected configuration in place of placeholders.

Example 2: Search and Update Issue

User: "Find my in-progress tasks and update the first one"

1. searchJiraIssuesUsingJql(
     cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
     jql="project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND assignee = currentUser() AND status = 'In Progress'"
   )

2. editJiraIssue(
     cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
     issueKey="{PROJECT_KEY}-123",
     fields={ "description": "## Context\nUpdated context..." }
   )

Note: Replace placeholders with detected configuration values.

Example 3: Transition Issue Status

User: "Move task {PROJECT_KEY}-456 to Done"

1. getTransitionsForJiraIssue(cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}", issueKey="{PROJECT_KEY}-456")

2. transitionJiraIssue(
     cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
     issueKey="{PROJECT_KEY}-456",
     transitionId="transition-id-for-done"
   )

Note: Replace placeholders with detected configuration values.

Example 4: Create Subtask

User: "Create a subtask for {PROJECT_KEY}-789"

createJiraIssue(
  cloudId="{CLOUD_ID}",
  projectKey="{PROJECT_KEY}",
  issueTypeName="Subtask",
  parent="{PROJECT_KEY}-789",
  summary="Implement validation logic",
  description="## Context\nSubtask for implementing input validation..."
)

Note: Replace placeholders with detected configuration values.

Common JQL Patterns

All queries MUST include project = {PROJECT_KEY} (use detected project key):

# My current work
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND assignee = currentUser() AND status = "In Progress"

# Recent issues
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND created >= -7d

# High priority bugs
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND type = Bug AND priority = High

# Epics without completion
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND type = Epic AND status != Done

# Unassigned tasks
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND assignee is EMPTY AND status = "To Do"

# Issues updated this week
project = {PROJECT_KEY} AND updated >= startOfWeek()

Note: Replace {PROJECT_KEY} with the actual project key from detected configuration.

Important Notes

• Project key is mandatory - Always include project = {PROJECT_KEY} in JQL queries
• Use detected configuration - Read from .cursor/rules/jira-config.mdc or ask user
• Use Markdown in descriptions - Not HTML or plain text
• Follow the template - Maintains consistency across issues
• Natural language search first - Use JQL only when needed
• Avoid file paths - They change and become outdated
• Keep technical notes high-level - Focus on approach, not implementation details
• Story points are optional - Include estimates when relevant