Convert copied jira kanban to org (jira-to-org)

Fri, Nov 28, 2025

I have been fiddling around with some very rudimentary Jira integration to org, basically something very simple, just a regular copy from the kanban and then convert into org headlines!

This package is designed for simpler workflows where you copy data from Jira rather than maintaining API integration.

Here is a link to the package:

https://github.com/captainflasmr/jira-to-org

Overview

jira-to-org is an Emacs package that converts Jira sprint board data into org-mode task entries. It parses text copied directly from Jira sprint boards and transforms it into properly formatted org-mode headings with TODO keywords, priorities, tags, and metadata.

Features

Parse Jira sprint data from buffers, regions, or clipboard
Convert Jira statuses to org-mode TODO keywords
Map Jira priorities to org-mode priorities (A/B/C)
Generate tags from assignees, sprint identifiers, and years
Update existing org entries based on fresh Jira data
Customizable mappings for assignees, priorities, and statuses
Configurable heading levels and default values

Installation

Manual Installation

Download jira-to-org.el to your Emacs configuration directory
Add to your init.el:

(add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/jira-to-org/")
(require 'jira-to-org)

Using `use-package`

(use-package jira-to-org
  :load-path "/path/to/jira-to-org/"
  :custom
  (jira-to-org-default-sprint "s7")
  (jira-to-org-default-year "2025")
  (jira-to-org-heading-level 4))

Usage

Basic Workflow

Open your Jira sprint board in a web browser
Select and copy the sprint data (the entire board or specific columns)
In Emacs, use one of the parsing commands

Commands

`jira-to-org-parse-buffer`

Parse the entire current buffer as Jira data. The result is copied to the kill ring.

M-x jira-to-org-parse-buffer

With prefix argument (C-u), prompts for a sprint tag:

C-u M-x jira-to-org-parse-buffer
Sprint tag (e.g., s7): s8

`jira-to-org-parse-region`

Parse Jira data in the selected region. The result is copied to the kill ring.

1. Select region containing Jira data
2. M-x jira-to-org-parse-region

`jira-to-org-parse-and-insert`

Parse Jira data from the clipboard and insert the org headings at point.

1. Copy Jira data to clipboard
2. Position cursor where you want entries inserted
3. M-x jira-to-org-parse-and-insert

`jira-to-org-update-from-jira`

Update existing org entries based on fresh Jira data. This command:

Updates TODO statuses for entries that already exist in your buffer
Reports how many entries were updated
Copies new items (not found in buffer) to the kill ring

M-x jira-to-org-update-from-jira

Example Input Format

The package expects text copied from Jira sprint boards in this format:

To Do
MM-78
Implement IG connection management APIs
Assignee: James Dyer
Priority: Medium
Issue Type: Story
2

In Progress
MM-79
Create gRPC service definition
Assignee: Freddy
Priority: High
3

Done
MM-75
Setup project structure
Assignee: N Cropper
Priority: Low
Issue Type: Task
1

Example Output

The above input would be converted to:

#+BEGIN_EXAMPLE

TODO MM-78 Implement IG connection management APIs

DOING MM-79 Create gRPC service definition

DONE MM-75 Setup project structure

#+END_EXAMPLE

Configuration

Customization Variables

`jira-to-org-default-sprint`

Default sprint tag to add to all entries (e.g., "s7"). If nil, no sprint tag is added.

(setq jira-to-org-default-sprint "s7")

`jira-to-org-default-year`

Default year to add as a tag to all entries.

(setq jira-to-org-default-year "2025")

`jira-to-org-assignee-map`

Alist mapping full names (as they appear in Jira) to short tag names.

(setq jira-to-org-assignee-map
      '(("James Dyer" . "jdyer")
        ("Freddy" . "freddy")
        ("N Cropper" . "ncropper")))

`jira-to-org-priority-map`

Alist mapping Jira priority levels to org-mode priority letters.

(setq jira-to-org-priority-map
      '(("Highest" . "A")
        ("High" . "A")
        ("Medium" . "B")
        ("Low" . "C")
        ("Lowest" . "C")))

`jira-to-org-status-map`

Alist mapping Jira status names to org-mode TODO keywords.

(setq jira-to-org-status-map
      '(("To Do" . "TODO")
        ("In Progress" . "DOING")
        ("Done" . "DONE")))

`jira-to-org-heading-level`

Number of asterisks for generated org headings (default: 4).

(setq jira-to-org-heading-level 3)  ; Use *** instead of ****

Complete Configuration Example

(use-package jira-to-org
  :custom
  (jira-to-org-default-sprint "s8")
  (jira-to-org-default-year "2025")
  (jira-to-org-heading-level 4)
  (jira-to-org-assignee-map
   '(("James Dyer" . "jdyer")
     ("Freddy Johnson" . "freddy")
     ("Sarah Chen" . "schen")
     ("Mike Wilson" . "mwilson")))
  (jira-to-org-priority-map
   '(("Highest" . "A")
     ("High" . "A")
     ("Medium" . "B")
     ("Low" . "C")
     ("Lowest" . "C")))
  (jira-to-org-status-map
   '(("To Do" . "TODO")
     ("In Progress" . "DOING")
     ("In Review" . "REVIEW")
     ("Done" . "DONE")))
  :bind
  (:map org-mode-map
        ("C-c j p" . jira-to-org-parse-and-insert)
        ("C-c j u" . jira-to-org-update-from-jira)))

Workflow Integration

Sprint Planning Workflow

Open your sprint planning org file
Navigate to the sprint section
Copy the Jira sprint board data
Run M-x jira-to-org-parse-and-insert
Adjust any entries as needed

Daily Standup Updates

Copy current sprint board state from Jira
Run M-x jira-to-org-update-from-jira
Review updated TODO states
Any new items are copied to kill ring for manual placement

Custom Key Bindings

;; Add to your org-mode configuration
(with-eval-after-load 'org
  (define-key org-mode-map (kbd "C-c j p") #'jira-to-org-parse-and-insert)
  (define-key org-mode-map (kbd "C-c j r") #'jira-to-org-parse-region)
  (define-key org-mode-map (kbd "C-c j b") #'jira-to-org-parse-buffer)
  (define-key org-mode-map (kbd "C-c j u") #'jira-to-org-update-from-jira))

Parsed Fields

The package extracts and uses the following fields from Jira data:

Jira Field	Usage	Example
Issue Key	Included in heading	MM-78
Title	Included in heading	Fix bug in API
Status	Converted to TODO keyword	In Progress
Assignee	Converted to tag	James Dyer
Priority	Converted to org priority	Medium
Story Points	Extracted (not currently used in output)	3

Customizing for Your Organization

Adjusting Issue Key Pattern

If your Jira instance uses a different project key pattern, modify the regex in jira-to-org--parse-buffer-to-items:

;; Current pattern matches MM-123
((string-match "^\\(MM-[0-9]+\\)$" line)

;; Example: Match PROJECT-123
((string-match "^\\(PROJECT-[0-9]+\\)$" line)

;; Example: Match multiple projects (PROJ1-123 or PROJ2-123)
((string-match "^\\(\\(?:PROJ1\\|PROJ2\\)-[0-9]+\\)$" line)

Adding Custom Status Mappings

If your Jira workflow has additional statuses:

(setq jira-to-org-status-map
      '(("To Do" . "TODO")
        ("In Progress" . "DOING")
        ("Code Review" . "REVIEW")
        ("QA Testing" . "TESTING")
        ("Blocked" . "BLOCKED")
        ("Done" . "DONE")))

Make sure your org-mode TODO keywords match:

(setq org-todo-keywords
      '((sequence "TODO" "DOING" "REVIEW" "TESTING" "BLOCKED" "|" "DONE")))

Troubleshooting

No Items Parsed

Verify the Jira data format matches the expected structure
Check that issue keys match the pattern (e.g., MM-123)
Ensure status headers (To Do, In Progress, Done) are present

Wrong Assignee Tags

Check jira-to-org-assignee-map contains mappings for all team members
Verify exact spelling of names in Jira matches the mapping

Incorrect TODO Keywords

Verify jira-to-org-status-map maps all statuses used in your Jira
Check that target TODO keywords exist in org-todo-keywords

Entries Not Found During Update

Ensure issue keys in org file exactly match Jira format
Verify the heading contains the issue key followed by a space

API Functions

For programmatic use:

`jira-to-org-parse-string`

(jira-to-org-parse-string STRING &optional SPRINT)

Parse STRING containing Jira data and return org-mode headings as a string.

`jira-to-org--parse-buffer-to-items`

(jira-to-org--parse-buffer-to-items BUFFER-OR-STRING)

Parse Jira data into a list of jira-to-org-item structs for further processing.

`jira-to-org--item-to-org-heading`

(jira-to-org--item-to-org-heading ITEM &optional SPRINT)

Convert a jira-to-org-item struct to an org-mode heading string.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please submit issues or pull requests on the project repository.

Development Setup

Clone the repository
Load jira-to-org.el in Emacs
Make changes and test with sample Jira data
Run byte-compilation: M-x byte-compile-file

Testing

Create a test file with sample Jira data and verify parsing:

(with-temp-buffer
  (insert "To Do\nMM-1\nTest Issue\nAssignee: Test User\nPriority: High\n")
  (jira-to-org-parse-buffer))

License

This package is provided as-is for personal and professional use.

Changelog

Version 1.0

Initial release
Basic parsing of Jira sprint data
Configurable mappings for assignees, priorities, and statuses
Buffer, region, and clipboard parsing commands
Update existing entries from fresh Jira data

org-jira - Full bidirectional sync with Jira (requires API access)
jiralib2 - Jira REST API library for Emacs
org-jira (baohaojun) - Alternative Jira integration