Smooth integration GitHub - Jira and minimal admin afterwards

Question

Hi! I've been assigned to researching around a good integration between GitHub and Jira Cloud. I think the best app is "Github for Jira" from Atlassian?

Two people in my team have tried the integration, but reacted strongly against the problem with forgetting to write the Jira Issue number in PR. Seems like, when trying to fix the writing in GitHub, they have to delete and rewrite the whole pull request again.

Is that dealt with in the latest version of the app?

My wish is to have as little admin as possible after connecting GitHub - Jira. /Stephan

OpsHub - Enterprise class Integration and Migratio · Answer

Hi @Stephan Svensson

The “GitHub for Jira” app from Atlassian is still the go-to solution for basic linking, but it does rely on users including the Jira issue key (like PROJ-123) in branch names, commit messages, or PR titles.

A few things to know:

* If a commit or PR doesn’t mention the issue key, it won’t show up in Jira—even if the PR was linked later.
* As of now, the app doesn’t retroactively scan for changes—you'd need to close and re-open the PR or push a new commit with the correct key.
* There are no automatic reminders or enforcement baked in, so it does require team discipline.

OpsHub Integration Manager (OIM) can help here by:

* Supporting field-level sync between GitHub and Jira—including statuses, any other standard field, comments, and custom fields
* Keeping both systems aligned including issues, epics, tests, defects etc.
* Offering a plugin-free setup, so Jira and GitHub stay easy to maintain, and users can integrate on-premises instance with SaaS.

If you're aiming for smoother sync without switching platforms or reworking your workflow, OIM gives you more control over what updates and when—without relying on workaround.

Hope it helps!

Syed Majid Hassan -Exalate- · Answer

Hi Stephan,

A very warm welcome to the community!

I am not sure how customized an integration you are looking for but it seems you would benefit from having the integration tailored to your exact use case. This is where Exalate comes into its own by allowing you that freedom (disclaimer - I work @ Exalate).

Let me know if you have any questions please.

Thanks
Majid

John Funk · Answer

Hi Stephan - Welcome to the Atlassian Community!

Yes, the Jira key must be in the name of the Branch. However, why not just create the Branch from within the Jira Issue itself? Then it will always be there.