Jira time tracking integration - log hours against Jira issues
Connect Jira to SquadBear, search real issues from your timesheet, and log time against them. One-way and read-only. No worklog is written back.
SquadBear's Jira integration exists for one reason: attach a real Jira issue to a time entry, found by a search picker rather than typed from memory. Nothing is mirrored. An issue becomes a work item the moment someone logs hours against it.
Time tracking has to be on. If that module is hidden, the Issue trackers page will say so.
What the Jira integration does
On Time tracking → My week, Add work item searches connected Jira as you type. A key like PLAT-123 is looked up directly. Anything else matches issue summaries. Picking an issue drops it onto the grid and logs your hours. The first log against an issue creates one work item; logging against that same issue again reuses it, so per-issue totals accumulate instead of splitting.
If Jira is unreachable, typing a key still offers "use PLAT-999 as issue key", so logging never blocks on the tracker being up. Saved tracker work stays searchable even when the connection fails.
How to connect Jira
An admin connects Jira at Workspace settings → Issue trackers:
- Open the Jira row and choose Verify & connect.
- Fill in the Site URL (
https://yourcompany.atlassian.net), the email the Atlassian API token belongs to, and an API token (create one at id.atlassian.com under Security → API tokens). - SquadBear verifies the credentials against Jira before saving. Wrong credentials come back as a rejection, not a silent failure. The token is stored encrypted.
To pin a project to one Jira project, set Issue source and Issue scope on that project at Workspace settings → Projects (for example PLAT). Full details: Connect an issue tracker.
Issues assigned to you
Link your Atlassian account under My settings → Connected accounts. Search can then pick out issues assigned to you. There is no separate Assigned tab.
Log time against Jira with an assistant
What stays in sync
Only an issue's key and its cached title come from Jira, refreshed the next time someone logs against it. No worklog is ever written back. Disconnecting hides the pickers; every hour already logged stays on the timesheet.
Related
- Connect an issue tracker
- Log your first week of time
- Linear integration · GitHub integration · Asana integration
Frequently asked questions
Does SquadBear write worklogs back to Jira?
No. The integration is one-way and read-only. SquadBear reads an issue's key and title so you can log time against it in SquadBear. Nothing is ever written back to Jira.
What do I need to connect Jira?
Your Jira site URL (https://yourcompany.atlassian.net), the email your Atlassian API token belongs to, and an API token created at id.atlassian.com under Security → API tokens. SquadBear verifies the credentials before saving and stores the token encrypted.
Can I limit a project to one Jira project?
Yes. A project's issue scope takes a Jira project key (for example PLAT), which narrows that project's picker to just that project's issues. A project with no scope searches the whole connected Jira.
What happens to logged time if I disconnect Jira?
Every hour already logged keeps its issue reference and stays on the timesheet. Disconnecting only hides the pickers.
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