What’s the best way to automate transitions for sub-tasks when their parent issue’s status changes?

[Jesse Hilton]

How can I set up Jira so that when a main task (parent issue) changes its status, all its smaller sub-tasks automatically move to the right status too?

[Ali Umut Terzi]

Hi @Jesse Hilton 👋

That’s a great question — and yes, it’s possible to make sub-tasks automatically move when the parent issue changes status, using Jira Automation.

Here’s how you can set it up step-by-step:

1️⃣ Go to Project settings → Automation → Create rule
Create a new rule with the following setup:

Trigger:

When issue transitioned → choose “Any status” (or a specific one, e.g., “To Done”)

Condition:

If issue type = Parent (Story, Task, etc.)

Action:

For sub-tasks → Transition issue
Then choose the target status you want them to move to (for example, “Done” or “In Progress”).

Example rule structure:

When: Issue transitioned to Done 

If: Issue type = Story 

Then: For sub-tasks → Transition to Done

2️⃣ Optional – Add flexibility
If your sub-tasks have multiple possible statuses, you can add a few smart conditions to ensure each sub-task moves to the correct one.

3️⃣ Test first!
Try the rule on a sample issue before applying it broadly. Automation logs help you confirm it’s running correctly.

If you’re on Jira Premium, you can make this rule global — so it works across all projects without recreating it each time.

Hope this helps automate your parent/sub-task flow nicely 🚀

[Cristiano Alves -Appfire-]

Hello @Jesse Hilton ,

Cristiano with the Appfire Team here.

Although this is possible using native Jira automation, I find it way easier using the Jira Misc Workflow Extension (JMWE) app.

As per the print bellow, with just a few clicks you will automatize all project to, when an issue changes status, to change all child from it as well.

The software also lets you pick over conditions through nunjuck (as only transition issues if the a field as been filled and so on.

If you need any help setting this up or in general about the app, feel free to contact our support team.

Regards,