How can I validate that an activity has a subtask?

[Diego Arturo Bustos Aponte]

I have an issue type called "story", but I want to validate that there is at least one subtask called "acceptance criteria." How do I create this check in the workflow?

[Ollie Guan]

Hi @Diego Arturo Bustos Aponte ,

If you want to stay fully native (no marketplace apps / scripts), a practical way is to use Jira Automation to simulate a validator.

You can configure a rule so that:

• When a Story is transitioned to Done:

  • If it has at least one sub-task, the transition succeeds and nothing special happens.

  • If it does not have any sub-tasks, the Automation rule:

    • Automatically moves the Story back to a previous status (for example, In Progress), and

    • Adds a comment explaining that the Story can’t be completed until it has at least one sub-task.

From the user’s point of view, it feels very similar to a “hard” validator: they try to move the issue to Done, and it immediately “bounces” back with a clear message.

Tip: you can use Rovo to help you build this

If you have Rovo available in your Jira Cloud instance, you can also ask Rovo directly (e.g. “Create an automation rule that prevents Stories from staying in Done if they have no subtasks”) and let it guide you through generating or adjusting the exact rule configuration for your project.

[Diego Arturo Bustos Aponte]

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