Required Jira Permissions Matrix
The table below outlines the Jira permissions used by the DataSync plugin, mapping the user-facing admin UI labels to their underlying REST API permission keys.
| Jira UI Permission Name | REST API Permission Key | Requirement Level | Purpose & Integration Scope |
| Browse Projects | BROWSE_PROJECTS | Mandatory | Read access to project data, issues, issue types, statuses, priorities, components, and field metadata. Validated at startup. |
| Create Issues | CREATE_ISSUES | Mandatory | Creates new issues in Jira when a Spira artifact (incident, requirement, or task) is pushed. Validated at startup. |
| Edit Issues | EDIT_ISSUES | Required for plugin features | Updates existing issues during subsequent sync cycles (custom fields, descriptions, labels, time tracking, etc.). |
| Transition Issues | TRANSITION_ISSUES | Required for plugin features | Executes workflow transitions when artifact statuses change in Spira. |
| Add Comments | ADD_COMMENTS | Required for plugin features | Syncs discussions and comments from Spira to Jira. |
| Create Attachments | CREATE_ATTACHMENTS | Required for plugin features | Uploads file attachments from Spira artifacts to Jira issues. |
| Link Issues | LINK_ISSUES | Required for plugin features | Creates relationships and issue links between Jira issues. |
| Administer Projects | ADMINISTER_PROJECTS | Optional / Releases Only | Required only if synchronizing Spira Releases with Jira Versions. |
Note on Startup Validation: The DataSync integration explicitly validates BROWSE_PROJECTS and CREATE_ISSUES during its startup initialization routine. If either is missing, the integration will fail to initialize. All other permissions are evaluated dynamically when their corresponding REST API operations execute.
Special Considerations
1. Release & Version Synchronization
Synchronizing Spira Releases to Jira Versions introduces special permission requirements in Jira:
Project Admin Requirement: In Jira, creating and modifying versions requires the project-level Administer Projects (ADMINISTER_PROJECTS) permission. This is a Jira architecture limitation, not a global admin requirement.
Alternative (createReleasesOnly): If your security policy forbids granting project administration permissions to service accounts, configure the sync mode to createReleasesOnly. Under this mode, Jira versions can be created without requiring modification rights over existing versions.
Error Handling: If release sync is enabled without the necessary permissions, the DataSync plugin logs a single warning in its synchronization logs and gracefully continues synchronizing all other standard artifacts (issues, comments, attachments).
Recommended Security Best Practice
To maintain a secure, least-privilege deployment across multiple projects:
Create a Dedicated Project Role: In Jira, create a custom Project Role (e.g., Spira DataSync Service).
Assign Permissions to the Role: In your Jira Permission Schemes, grant that role the standard seven operational permissions:
Browse Projects
Create Issues
Edit Issues
Transition Issues
Add Comments
Create Attachments
Link Issues
Assign the Service Account: Add the DataSync service account to that role inside each project targeted for synchronization.
Isolate Release Management: Grant Administer Projects only in specific projects where Spira release-to-Jira-version sync is strictly necessary.