New Workflow Editor: Losing visibility on Validators and Field Rules

Sagi Gueta

Hi everyone,

I’m writing this because I’m genuinely concerned about the upcoming mandatory shift to the new Workflow Editor. I feel we are losing a critical piece of the "Admin experience": Immediate Visibility.

In the current (classic) view, I can quickly scan a transition and see exactly which validators are in place and, more importantly, which fields they affect. In the new editor, the UI is much cleaner, but it often summarizes rules under generic titles like "Field Condition" or "Validation Rule."

The Problem

To provide a good UX for my users, I often split validators into individual rules. Instead of one giant script, I create a separate validator for each mandatory field (e.g., "Automation type", "Original Estimate", "Target Quarter").

Why?

Because I want to trigger a specific, helpful error message for each field ("Please fill the Automation field to proceed") rather than a generic "Some fields are missing" error.

In the new editor, this practice becomes a maintenance nightmare. When I look at a transition, I see a list of identical-looking "Rules" or "Validators." I can't tell which one is responsible for which field without clicking into every single one.

Why this worries me?

1. Maintenance Fatigue: Troubleshooting a blocked transition becomes a "hide and seek" game. If I need to change the logic for a specific field, I have to open 10 different tabs to find the right rule.

2. Human Error: It's incredibly easy to accidentally delete or modify the wrong validator when they all look the same in the sidebar.

3. Complex Logic: In our organization, we rely on strict Jira Expressions. If I can't see a summary of the field or the logic, I lose the "big picture" of the process flow.

Am I the only one who feels that "cleaner UI" shouldn't come at the expense of "administrative transparency"?

For those of you who split validators for better error messaging—how are you dealing with this?

Atlassian Team, please consider adding a "Summary" or "Label" view to the transition side-panel so we can see the specific fields or custom names of these rules. I guess it won't be hard to make it happen.

Btw, that's the link of the ticket I've mentioned. Please comment or upvote if you find this interface as limiting as I do:

JRACLOUD-96230 - Users unable to identify conditions, validators, and post-functions in the new workflow editor 

 

 

dan_hersonsky

Sagi, thank you for bringing up this crucial subject. I completely agree with your concerns, and this issue affects us as well.

In addition to everything you already mentioned, from a service‑provider perspective this becomes even more problematic. We support all the core teams that drive the entire development lifecycle—project managers, developers, QA, analysts, and more—and when a transition is unexpectedly blocked, we must quickly identify the cause. The current UI slows this down significantly and directly impacts our ability to respond efficiently and meet SLA commitments.

I appreciate you raising this, and I hope more users comment or upvote the ticket so Atlassian considers improving validator visibility in the workflow editor.