Add format requirements to fields

[Phoebe Black]

Is there any way to apply format requirements to fields within a request/issue/ticket so that only certain values are accepted, similar to the "Must match regex pattern" on the form fields.

[Hari Krishna]

Hi @Phoebe Black ,

Jira does not currently support applying regex or format validation directly on issue/request fields. The “Must match regex pattern” option is available only at the form field level in Jira Service Management.
To enforce formatting at the issue level, you would need to use workflow validators (requires Jira admin access) or implement a custom automation workaround to detect invalid values.

[Phoebe Black]

Hi Hari,

Thanks for the guidance, in terms of the workflow validators, does this mean it would only come into play when trying to transition an issue?

[Hari Krishna]

Yes, that’s correct.

Workflow validators are evaluated only during workflow transitions. They don’t block users while typing or saving field values, but they prevent the issue from moving to the next status if the field value doesn’t meet the required format.

So in practice:

Users can enter any value in the field

The validation is enforced when the issue is transitioned

If the format doesn’t match, the transition fails with an error message

If you need real-time validation while entering data, Forms are the only native option.