jira-writer

name	jira-writer
description	Update and modify JIRA issues on Red Hat Issue Tracker. Use this skill to push release notes, update custom fields (release note content, status), manage labels (add/remove), and modify issue properties. This skill performs write operations and will prompt for user approval before making changes. Requires jira and ratelimit Python packages. Only use when explicitly asked to update or modify JIRA issues.
author	Gabriel McGoldrick ([e-mail])

JIRA Writer Skill

This skill provides write access to JIRA issues on Red Hat Issue Tracker (https://redhat.atlassian.net).

WARNING: This skill modifies JIRA issues. Always verify the changes before confirming.

Capabilities

• Push Release Notes: Update the release note custom field with generated content
• Update Status: Set release note status to 'Proposed' or other values
• Update Custom Fields: Modify any custom field on a JIRA issue
• Label Management: Add or remove labels on JIRA issues
• Batch Updates: Update multiple issues with the same content

Usage

The skill uses a Python script that connects to JIRA using an authentication token.

Environment Variables Required

Set in ~/.env (global) or .env in the project root (local override). See docs-skills README for setup:

JIRA_API_TOKEN=your-jira-api-token
JIRA_EMAIL=[e-mail]           # required for Atlassian Cloud
JIRA_URL=https://redhat.atlassian.net  # optional, defaults to redhat.atlassian.net

The script loads .env files automatically — do not prepend source ~/.env to bash commands.

Examples

Push a release note:

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue INFERENG-5233 --release-note "Fixed issue with..."

Update release note status:

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue INFERENG-5233 --status Proposed

Update custom field:

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue INFERENG-5233 --custom-field customfield_10783 --value "Release note content"

Batch update multiple issues:

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue INFERENG-5233 --issue INFERENG-5049 --status Approved

Read release note from file:

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue INFERENG-5233 --release-note-file /path/to/note.txt

Add a label:

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue PROJ-123 --labels-add docs-in-progress

Swap labels (remove + add in one API call):

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue PROJ-123 --labels-remove docs-ready --labels-add docs-in-progress

Batch label update:

uv run --script ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/scripts/jira_writer.py --issue PROJ-123 --issue PROJ-456 --labels-add docs-complete

Output Format

The script outputs JSON with the following structure:

{
  "success": true,
  "issue_key": "INFERENG-5233",
  "updated_fields": {
    "customfield_10783": "Release note content",
    "customfield_10807": "Proposed"
  },
  "url": "https://redhat.atlassian.net/browse/INFERENG-5233"
}

Custom Fields

Common custom fields used:

• customfield_10783: Release Note Text
• customfield_10807: Release Note Status (values: Proposed, Approved, Rejected)
• customfield_10785: Release Note Type

Rate Limiting

The skill respects JIRA API rate limits (2 calls per 5 seconds) to avoid overwhelming the server.

Security

• Requires user approval before making changes (no allowed-tools restriction)
• Token stored in environment variable (not in code)
• All changes are logged with details

Common Use Cases

1. Publish release notes: Push generated release note content to JIRA
2. Update status: Mark release notes as Proposed/Approved after review
3. Batch updates: Apply same status to multiple issues
4. Field updates: Modify any custom field on JIRA issues
5. Label management: Add or remove labels for workflow automation

Best Practices

• Always review the content before pushing to JIRA
• Test with non-production issues first
• Verify the issue key is correct
• Back up existing content if overwriting
• Use descriptive commit messages when used with git workflows