JIRA project List Tab: Unable to see ONLY epics with option to expand them (XRay entities don't hide

[Lena Wong]

Hi everypne,

I am facing a severe limitation with the List View in JIRA Cloud. I am trying to configure a clean view for ONLY Epics at the root level, with the native arrow to expand and see their child issues on demand. Additionally, we need to completely hide Xray test entities (Test, Test Set, Test Execution, Test Plan, Precondition) from the view.

We have tried multiple approaches, and all of them fail due to native List View constraints:

1. Filtering by issuetype = Epic:
   • Result: It shows only the Epics, but Jira completely removes the expand/collapse arrow because child issues are excluded from the JQL scope.
2. Including children in JQL (issuetype = Epic OR parent is not EMPTY) and ordering by Hierarchy (ORDER BY cf[number] ASC): --> I replaced the real number by "number" only for this thread
   • Result: Jira successfully brings the arrows, but it lists all children flat on the screen. It also lists orphan Xray test cases at the bottom of the page, cluttering the view.
3. Using UI Collapse/Expand Buttons:
   • Result: "Collapse all" does not prevent orphan issues or flat-listed children from populating the root rows incorrectly in this specific List.
4. Using Grouping options:
   • Result: Grouping by "Epic" is missing/not supported in this view's dropdown. Grouping by "Issue Type" breaks the parent-child hierarchy completely.

What we need:
A way (via JQL or native view settings) to achieve a clean tree hierarchy in List View where only Epics are listed initially, their dropdown arrows are functional, and Xray test entities do not clutter the root level or appear as individual flat rows.

Is this a known limitation of the new List View components (List tab when you see a project), or is there a specific workaround/custom field ordering we are missing to force a strict Epic-root hierarchy?

Thanks in advance!

[Gabriela - LeanZero]

Hi @Lena Wong, known limitation, and attempt 1 is where it shows. Filter to issuetype = Epic and the hierarchy stops rendering, which is JRACLOUD-94328, Gathering Interest, 29 votes. Attempt 2 gets the arrows back by pulling every child into scope, so each child then takes a root row of its own. Same reason Collapse all can't touch the orphan Xray tests. No JQL and no field ordering closes that gap.

On Premium or Enterprise, build a plan over the project. Filters menu, Work types set to Epic, then turn on Show full hierarchy. Going by the docs that pulls the children back in as expandable rows even though they don't match, and an orphan Xray test matches nothing, so it stays out of the tree.

The project's Timeline tab gets closest without Premium. Children nest under their parents there, and a child with no parent doesn't render at all.

On both routes though, a Test with an Epic as its parent still shows when you expand that Epic.

[Paul Glantschnig _Appfire_]

Hello @Lena Wong,

the plan and Timeline routes that @Gabriela - LeanZero laid out are the closest you'll get natively as far as I know. I'd just add an option for the last gap: on both of those routes, a Test that has an Epic as its parent still shows up once you expand the Epic.

If you're open to apps from the Atlassian Marketplace, JXL for Jira handles the whole requirement in one view:

• A sheet's scope is a JQL query, so you can exclude Test, Test Set, Test Execution, Test Plan, and Precondition entirely. Excluded work types don't render anywhere, including under an Epic that parents them.
• With hierarchy enabled, Epics sit collapsed at the root level with expand/collapse arrows per item and per level. Children never appear as flat rows.

Disclosure: I work for the team that builds JXL.

Best, Paul