To connect GitHub to Jira, use the GitHub for Atlassian app. A Jira site admin installs it, then a GitHub organisation owner connects the organisation. Branches, commits, pull requests, builds and deployments then link to Jira work items whenever the work item key appears in the branch name, commit message or pull request.
Two people, two permissions
The most common reason this stalls is that one person tries to do it alone. Setup needs Site administrator permission on the Jira site and Organization owner permission on the GitHub organisation. The Jira admin installs the app, and the GitHub organisation owner connects the organisation to the Jira site. If those are different people in your team, get them both ready before you start.
These steps cover GitHub Cloud. GitHub Enterprise Server uses a different route that Atlassian documents separately.
Installing and connecting
- Confirm you have Jira site administrator permission and that a GitHub organisation owner is available.
- In Jira, select Apps, then Explore more apps. Search for GitHub for Atlassian, select Get app, then Get it now.
- Select Get started, then Continue. Choose GitHub Cloud, select Next and sign in to GitHub.
- Find your organisation and select Connect. If there's no Connect button, use Send them a link and ask them to connect, and pass the link to an organisation owner.
- Choose whether GitHub data should be discoverable in Atlassian Rovo, select Next and review the connected organisation.
- In Jira, select Apps, then Manage your apps, to check the organisation shows as connected.
The Rovo step is optional. You can clear that checkbox and still use the connection.
If you're an agency or freelancer working in a client's GitHub organisation, you probably won't be its owner, so you won't see the Connect button. That's what Send them a link and ask them to connect is for: you do the Jira side, and the client's owner approves the GitHub side from the link.
How code finds its Jira work item
Everything hangs on the Jira work item key, the short code such as a project prefix and number. Put it in a branch name, a commit message or a pull request title, and that work links to the item in Jira. Leave it out, and nothing links.
When you first connect, Jira automatically imports six months of history. Backfill brings in pull requests, builds and deployments, commits and branches, but only when the key appears in the title, description, branch name or commit message.
What the backfill leaves out
Atlassian Support's page on backfilling GitHub data lists the gaps. Only the latest 50 commits from non-default branches come in, and unreachable commits, such as those from deleted branches, are excluded. Anything older than six months won't appear. If your team hasn't been using keys, the history will look thin, and that's expected.
There's a quieter issue too. For author and reviewer names and icons to show in the development panel, the GitHub account email must match the Jira account email. If the panel shows activity but no names, mismatched emails are the likely reason.
Rules that prevent sync problems
- Connect only one Jira site to a GitHub organisation at a time, to avoid sync issues.
- If you're still on Jira's built-in DVCS connector, Atlassian advises moving to GitHub for Atlassian if you meet the stated requirements.
- Agree a naming habit so every branch starts with the work item key.
Other ways to link code and issues
GitLab's Jira integration connects GitLab projects with Jira so Jira issues update automatically when developers reference them in commits and merge requests. Zapier has a GitHub and Jira Software Server pairing, where a trigger such as a new branch in GitHub starts a Zap. Note that pairing is for Jira Software Server, not Jira Cloud. If you're weighing up the tools themselves, my roundups of GitHub alternatives and Jira alternatives cover the field.
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My advice for a team connecting the two
Book ten minutes with your GitHub organisation owner and do it together, so nobody waits on a link. Then make the work item key part of every branch name from the first day. That one habit is what makes the development panel useful, and it's what fills the history when you reconnect or audit later. Check that everyone's GitHub and Jira emails match while you're at it.
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Frequently asked questions
What app connects GitHub to Jira?
The GitHub for Atlassian app, installed from Jira's Apps menu.
Who can connect a GitHub organisation?
A GitHub organisation owner, after a Jira site admin installs the app.
How do commits link to Jira work items?
Include the Jira work item key in the branch name, commit message or pull request.
How far back does the history go?
Jira automatically imports six months when you connect.
Can two Jira sites share one GitHub organisation?
Atlassian says only one Jira site should be connected at a time.
