Approver Group not found in Approval Status

Robbie Ingram

Hi there,

I have set up a an Approval step in a workflow using a Custom Field Group Picker (multiple groups). 

In Contexts & Default Value of the Custom Field the Default Value is set to the correct Group 'Test Approval Group' (set up in Atlassian Admin Settings / User Management / Groups) . 

I get the below error when transitioning the ticket to the status that triggers the Approval: 

Update approver groups

1 person from any group in ‘Test Approval Custom Field v2’ must approve, but there are no groups.

When I click Add Approver Group, the 'Test Approval Group' does not show up in the Dropdown despite the Group being set up in Atlassian Admin Settings / User Management (and correctly mapped to the Custom Field as the Default Context. 

I'm a little bit stumped because I've followed the guide exactly and it also matches another Approval - using a different custom field / group - on the same workflow (which was set up previously by another Admin). 

Any thoughts? 

Thanks

Heenaben Sardarbhai Chaudhary

Hey @Robbie Ingram ,

 

The issue happens because the group field may not be properly set on the issue at the time of the approval step. Even if you set a default value in the custom field config, Jira won’t apply it unless the field is shown and saved on the issue screen.

✅ To fix it:
Ensure the custom field is on the Create/Edit screen so it's saved on the issue.

Check that the field context applies to the correct project and issue type.

Make sure the group has at least one active user.

Verify the global permission “Browse users and groups” is granted to the relevant roles (like Service Desk Team or users triggering the approval).

Optionally, add a post-function before the approval step to set the custom field with the correct group.