How to reset edit properties using Automation

[Thomas Maenner]

Hi everybody,

in my workflow I'm setting properties to disable editing when the task is transitioned to done. They are:

I'd like to re-enable editing from time to time as admin, so I tried Automation using "Set entity property". For example:

Or:

But nothing works... The audit log is not very helpful...

Anybody knows how to achieve this in automation or any other way?

Thanks much in advance!

Tom

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Thomas Maenner -- Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

The entity property key is plain text for that action, but you are trying to pass a smart value.  Please try removing the double-curly brackets around the key.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Thomas Maenner]

Thanks Bill, but didn't work...

Changed to:

Still getting:

Thanks,

Tom

[Bill Sheboy]

Thanks for testing that, @Thomas Maenner 

Three more things to try (as I have not experimented with that specific property):

#1) Let's confirm what is actually stored for a work item with that property.

Using a browser tab, call the REST API endpoint for an example work item with the property currently blocking edits.  The URL would be:

your Jira URL/rest/api/3/issue/BC-346/properties

Then find the property on the page to determine if you have the correct key name for it in the rule action.  You are apparently putting that property specifically on the status, which I did not think was possible for a specific field...so the key may be wrong in the rule action.

If the key is there, open the URL for it to check the value and compare to what you expected.

#2) Rather than setting the value to true, clear the Property Value field instead.  I do not know if this property is one where it is either false (i.e., do not edit) or empty rather than using true.

#3) If neither of those help, consider using the Send Web Request action and the REST API endpoint to delete the entity property rather than trying to reset the value:

https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/rest/v3/api-group-issue-properties/#api-rest-api-3-issue-issueidorkey-properties-propertykey-delete

[Thomas Maenner]

Thanks @Bill Sheboy !

Tried:

https://URL//rest/api/3/issue/BC-345/properties/

Got

{"keys":[]}

 Tried:

https://MY_URL/rest/api/3/issue/BC-345/properties/jira.issue.editable

Got

{"errors":{},"errorMessages":["The property jira.issue.editable does not exist."],"httpStatusCode":{"empty":false,"present":true}}

The set property directives in the workflow to disable editing work fine; so, the keys are correct. Besides, they are in the Jira support pages.

Tried the above with browser and curl. Weird.

2 and 3 didn't work either - a permission thing? I'm admin, but maybe something needs to be enabled.

Scratching my head...

Tom

[Bill Sheboy]

Okay, I am out of ideas on this one, although I may be thinking of it incorrectly...I believe that property you set is on the workflow, not on the work item.  That is why you cannot see it with the REST API endpoint I suggested.

As next steps you could...

• Wait for another community member to make suggestions
• Work with your site admin to ask this question to Atlassian Support, submitting that here: https://support.atlassian.com/contact/#/

[Thomas Maenner]

Thanks much @Bill Sheboy for trying!!!

Cheers,

Tom

[Thomas Maenner]

Well, I did get this from Atlassian AI:

Thanks for sharing the details and the community ticket! Here’s what’s possible and what’s not regarding making fields read-only (via workflow properties) and then re-enabling editing for admins using Automation in Jira Software Cloud:

---

### Why Automation Can't Reset Read-Only Status

- When you set a status property like `jira.issue.editable = false` in your workflow, it makes all issues in that status uneditable—even for admins—unless the property is removed from the workflow itself[^01^][^02^].
- **Automation rules cannot modify workflow properties**. They can transition issues, edit fields, or add comments, but they cannot change the underlying workflow configuration or status properties[^03^][^01^].

---

### How to Allow Admins to Edit in Read-Only Status

If you want to allow only admins (or specific users) to edit issues in a "read-only" status, you’ll need to use workflow conditions and transitions rather than relying solely on the `jira.issue.editable` property:

1. **Remove the `jira.issue.editable = false` property** from the status to allow editing again[^01^].
2. **Restrict editing via workflow transitions**:
- Create a special transition (e.g., "Admin Edit") from the read-only status back to itself or to a temporary "Editable" status.
- Add a condition to this transition so only admins (or a specific project role) can execute it[^04^].
- Attach a screen to this transition that allows editing the desired fields.
- Optionally, use a validator to require a comment or other information during the transition[^05^].

This way, regular users can’t edit issues in the read-only status, but admins can use the special transition to make changes.

---

### Automation’s Role

- Automation can trigger transitions, but it **cannot remove or change the read-only property** on a status[^01^].
- You can use Automation to transition issues to a status where editing is allowed, but the workflow must permit this transition, and the status must not have the `jira.issue.editable = false` property[^06^].

---

### Summary

- **Automation cannot reset or override the read-only property set by workflow status properties.**
- To allow admins to edit, use workflow transitions with conditions for admin/project role access, not the `jira.issue.editable` property.
- Any change to status properties must be done manually in the workflow editor by a Jira admin[^01^][^02^].

Let me know if you’d like step-by-step guidance on setting up these workflow transitions or have any other questions!

[^01^]: https://confluence.atlassian.com/jirakb/edit-jira-work-items-after-they-are-closed-779160787.html
[^02^]: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-cloud-administration/docs/work-in-text-mode
[^03^]: https://support.atlassian.com/jira-cloud-administration/docs/work-with-issue-workflows
[^04^]: https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/how-to-restrict-field-editing-to-specific-users-in-jira-cloud
[^06^]: https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/jira-automation-fails-to-transition-an-issue-to-destination-status
[^06^]: https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/jira-automation-fails-to-transition-an-issue-to-destination-status
[^05^]: https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/how-to-set-up-the-comments-field-as-mandatory-when-changing-fields-such-as-priority
[^05^]: https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/how-to-set-up-the-comments-field-as-mandatory-when-changing-fields-such-as-priority