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How can you clone hierarchical issues as templates?

Kyra Mayock_mimkps

Hi All,

I recently started using Jira Work Management and an trying to figure out a way to create a template or be able to clone a whole hierarchy of issues to use for large scale repeatable projects. I don't want them to be separate projects in Jira.

I am running into an issue where I select to clone the issue at the highest level of the hierarchy (one above the epic level) and click the check boxes to include child issues and issue links, yet when I hit clone only the highest level parent issue actually comes over.

My issuetype hierarchy looks like this:

Project > Phase (this one is considered the same level as an Epic) > Story/Task > Sub-Task

Does this feature not work for issuetypes above the Epic level?

Alternatively I tried a 3P app called Issue Templates Agent which claims to offer this feature but alas, it does not work there either, it only allows me to start a template with the "Phase" issuetype.

Is there any way to accomplish this? I really need this feature in some capacity. Thanks!!

Added screenshots below of what I am seeing.

Issue to clone.png clone settings.png cloned issue.png issuetype hierarchy project level.png issuetype hierarchy phase level.png

Accepted answers

Trudy P Claspill

Hello @Kyra Mayock

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

The native Clone Issue function will not support cloning a set of issues in the extended Issue Type Hierarchy.

I have not used it before, but the Deep Clone for Jira app says in their listing "Clone Epics, Initiatives, and larger hierarchies", and I found the following article in their documentation.

https://documentation.codefortynine.com/deep-clone-for-jira/epic-tree-clone

All comments

Trudy P Claspill

Hello @Kyra Mayock

Welcome to the Atlassian community.

The native Clone Issue function will not support cloning a set of issues in the extended Issue Type Hierarchy.

I have not used it before, but the Deep Clone for Jira app says in their listing "Clone Epics, Initiatives, and larger hierarchies", and I found the following article in their documentation.

https://documentation.codefortynine.com/deep-clone-for-jira/epic-tree-clone

Marlene Kegel - codefortynine

Hello @Trudy P Claspill, and welcome to the Atlassian community @Kyra Mayock,

I am Marlene, product manager of Deep Clone for Jira.

Deep Clone is indeed able to clone Epics and larger issue hierarchies. After you've installed the app the process is pretty simple.

Just navigate to the issue with the highest hierarchy leven you want to clone.
Click Deep Clone in the issue action menu
Select "Epic/Tree Clone"
Configure your clone and start the cloning progress

You can find a quick tutorial about how to clone issue hierarchies here.

If you want to learn more about the advanced functionality, you can watch our webinar about cloning Epics in Jira with Deep Clone for Jira.

And of course you can download the free trial of Deep Clone for Jira and test is yourself

Clara Belin-Brosseau_Elevatic

Hello @Kyra Mayock

If you're seeking for an easy way to clone an epic with all its child issues from a template, you can try our app Elements Copy & Sync that allows you to clone and sync a full hierarchy of issues with all their content (summary, description, custom fields, comments, attachments, etc).

Elements Copy & Sync - Copy full hierarchy of issues .png

You can check our guide here.

The app is for free during 30 days (and it stays free under 10 users).

Kind regards,

Clara

Dorota Popowska - Vilisoft

Hi @Kyra Mayock

If I understand your case correctly, you need to clone a hierarchy of work items starting from different levels, either above Epic level, such as Project / Initiative, or from the Phase at the Epic level.

For this setup, I’d recommend using a dedicated cloning app, such as Clone Expert for Jira. It supports cloning hierarchies from any level, so you can reuse complex structures without rebuilding them manually each time.

One of the main advantages is that before cloning, you can review and adjust the structure in a preview table. That means you can edit selected fields, exclude items you do not want to copy, and make sure the cloned work items are created in the target project already in the form you want, instead of requiring additional cleanup afterwards.

It also supports on-clone placeholders, which let you provide variable values during cloning and reuse the same template structure in different contexts.

If helpful, I’d be happy to explain in more detail how this could work in your setup. You can also find more information here.

Best,

Dorota

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