SmartBear’s BearQ Agent Powers Autonomous Testing in Jira ✨

Truman So

Close the loop between the code you build and the quality you ship with autonomous test authoring and execution right where your work happens.

AI coding tools make it possible to write code at lightning speed, but testing is often left playing catch-up. When testing is disconnected from where work is planned, teams frequently run into broken test suites, missed edge cases, and sluggish handoffs between development and QA.

Testing is far more effective when grounded directly in the user stories, acceptance criteria, and discussions already taking place in Jira.

That’s why we’re excited to introduce BearQ for Jira | Atlassian Marketplace by SmartBear.

Available now on the Atlassian Marketplace, BearQ is an assignable AI agent that brings intelligent, end-to-end functional testing directly into your Jira workflow. Acting as an autonomous testing teammate, BearQ explores user journeys, authors test cases from your issue context, executes regression suites, and helps catch defects early.

See it in action

https://youtu.be/h_octE2OB-s?si=JgweJVzWWcU2cyR4

How it works

1. Ground testing in real delivery context
   Once code is generated (by your team or an AI coding agent like Cursor or Jira Coding Agent) and ready for validation, transition your Jira work item to Testing or assign it directly to BearQ (you can also @mention BearQ in Rovo Chat ). BearQ reads your acceptance criteria, issue requirements, and comment threads to understand the scope and intent of the change.
2. Autonomously explore and author tests
   BearQ spins up a live browser session to dynamically explore the user journey (such as testing product comparison flows). Rather than relying on static, high-maintenance scripts, it autonomously navigates new UI paths and authors regression test cases that adapt as your application changes.
3. Verify stability & catch regressions early
   BearQ runs test suites across multiple passes to guarantee stability and consistency before handing off for human sanity checks. When regressions or UI inconsistencies occur, it creates actionable Jira issues complete with reproduction steps and evidence.
4. Query test status directly within Jira comments
   Need a quick update on test coverage? Simply @mention BearQ directly inside the Jira issue comment thread (e.g., asking for the latest regression results), and BearQ replies with real-time test outcomes and status.

How to get started

Requirements

• A Jira Cloud site
• The BearQ for Jira | Atlassian Marketplace installed from the Atlassian Marketplace

Setup steps

1. Install BearQ for Jira | Atlassian Marketplace in your Jira workspace.
2. Connect your testing environment and configure your workspace guardrails.
3. Assign an issue or bug ready for QA directly to BearQ, or @mention BearQ in your issue comments and Rovo Chat to begin testing.

Join the conversation

How is your team handling automated testing as your development cycle speeds up? Have questions or ideas on orchestrating AI agents in Jira?

Drop your thoughts and feedback in the comments below! 👇

Felix Rowan

The Jira integration makes a lot of sense, especially since the agent can use the issue context and acceptance criteria when creating tests. I’m particularly interested in how well it handles changing UI flows and edge cases compared with traditional scripted regression tests. Having the test results and reproduction details added back to the Jira issue could also make the QA-to-development handoff much smoother.