How do I create an automation rule that adds the label "Blocker" if it has any "Blocks" links

Question

I'm trying to create (or have our DevOps folks create) an automation rule where if an issue has any "Blocked" linked issues that are not closed, it will add the label "Blocker" to that parent issue.

It seems straight forward (pseudo rule description):

When triggered

For Linked issues

If blocked by Trigger issue

Then Edit Trigger issue field (add label: "Blocker")

This seems like something someone that has been done before to support simplified filters, but I cannot find an example to share with our DevOps folks to speed this up. Anyone done this already?

Hariharan Iyer_f6fx5m · Answer

Yes, a scheduled rule will work as well. However for finding all blockers, you would have to use JQL in the schedule. The JQL query to use would be

project="your-project" AND issueLinkType=blocks AND resolution = Unresolved

One caveat with this is that it returns blockers as well as those issues that are blocked on the blockers, and there's no way to separate them in the JQL. So, if you want to put different labels on blockers and blockees(?), you will need two branches:

1. One will be the same as the one above (for blockees)

2. In the second one, the link type would "is blocked by" instead of "blocks" (for the blockers).

Daniel P. Allis · Answer

This is extremely helpful information. If you don't mind humoring me for one more question, here it goes. We have a lot of tickets already linked but not labeled. can I use a nightly time trigger and "For: Linked issues", "If: Link type (blocked)", set label to accomplish the same behavior to address existing issues? Sorry for the pseudoscripting. I'm asking to help support our internal DevOps folks on this issue. :)

Hariharan Iyer_f6fx5m · Answer

Either direction will trigger the rule. The points to note are:

1. The issue that "blocks" will always be the main issue

2. If you want to add a label on the issue that "is blocked" as well, you can use a branch as in the image below

And then in the next step in the branch, you can add a label (say, "isBlocked") to the issue that is blocked.