"Link", cloned stories with automation

Question

Hi Community,

I've been following the "Clone Epic, Stories and Subtasks tree with Jira Automation".
https://community.atlassian.com/forums/Jira-articles/Clone-Epic-Stories-and-Subtasks-tree-with-Jira-Automation/ba-p/2316387

I've got the basics to work. My Epic is cloned with all user stories linked to the cloned Epic.
But the cloned user stories seem to be linked to the original stories and not to the newly cloned ones.

What I want to achieve:

I have a set of stories underneath my Epic. A few of these stories are linked to each other with "linked issues" option. 
I want to clone the Epic with all stories underneath, and that it is an exact copy from the original, so I can use the same set for a  new project. This means I need the cloned user stories to be linked to each.

Example:

Original set of source stories:
ID1 - Linked to ID2
ID2 - Linked to ID1

New set of copied stories (in my current automation):
ID3 - Linked to ID2
ID4 - Linked to ID1

Wanted result:
ID3 - Linked to ID4
ID4 - Linked to ID3

Vries, E. de (Elske) · Answer

Hi Luka,

Thanks for your reply, but I don't think we have a budget for add ons. 
If someone else has an solution that would be very welcome.

Luka Hummel - codefortynine · Answer

Hi @Vries, E. de (Elske)

While Jira Automation provides some capabilities for cloning and linking issues, it can be complex to ensure all relationships are maintained correctly—especially when working with epics, stories, and subtasks (even mores so if cloning to a different project).

If you're looking for a more advanced cloning solution that can seamlessly handle linking between cloned stories and the original issues, our app Deep Clone for Jira with its Epic/Tree Clone feature could be a great fit.

How Deep Clone for Jira Helps:

* Automatically links cloned issues: Deep Clone adds "clones" issue links between the original and cloned issues, ensuring your hierarchy remains intact.

* Cloning work logs and comments: Optionally copy work logs, comments, and other key issue attributes.
* Preserves issue ranking: Cloned issues can retain their ranking in your backlog.
* Automate cloning with post functions: Set up cloning as part of your workflow transitions.

With Deep Clone, you won’t have to manually configure additional automation rules to link cloned issues—it happens automatically. You can even clone across Jira projects or instances, making it a powerful tool for scaling and automating your workflows.