---
title: jira-dev
description: Jira developer artifacts agent — generates branch names, PR descriptions, parsed commits, and commit/PR-to-issue links from Jira tickets.
---

# jira-dev

The jira-dev agent bridges Jira and your development workflow. It generates branch names from ticket keys, creates PR descriptions from issue details, parses commits for issue references, and links PRs and commits back to Jira issues. It produces development artifacts but never executes git commands directly.

## Cognitive Framing

> *"Bridge the gap between project management and code. Every PR should trace back to a ticket."*

The jira-dev agent is the connector between Jira's project management layer and the developer's git workflow. It generates the artifacts (branch names, PR descriptions, commit links) that maintain traceability between issues and code changes, but it never executes git or GitHub commands itself — that responsibility belongs to the git-manager and shipper agents.

## Key Facts

| | |
|---|---|
| **Type** | Domain (Jira) |
| **Phase** | On-demand |
| **Model** | inherit |
| **Color** | blue |
| **Safety** | Read-only Jira operations, output generation only |
| **Never does** | Execute git/gh commands (git-manager/shipper), issue CRUD (jira-issue), modify Jira state |

## When to Use

- When you need a **branch name** generated from a Jira ticket key and summary.
- When you need a **PR description** generated from an issue's details.
- When you need to **parse commits** for Jira issue key references.
- When you need to **link a PR or commit** back to a Jira issue.

## Key Capabilities

- **Branch name generation** — creates branch names from ticket keys following the project's naming convention.
- **PR description generation** — builds structured PR descriptions from issue summary, description, and acceptance criteria.
- **Commit parsing** — scans commit messages for Jira issue key references (e.g., `PROJ-123`).
- **Issue linking** — generates the metadata needed to link PRs and commits back to Jira issues.

## Behavioral Checklist

- [x] Generates branch names following the project's naming convention
- [x] Creates PR descriptions from issue details — never fabricates content
- [x] Parses commit messages for issue key references accurately
- [x] Generates link metadata without executing git commands directly
- [x] Never modifies Jira issue state — output only

## Common Use Cases

| Scenario | What the agent does |
|---|---|
| "Branch name for PROJ-123" | Generates `feat/PROJ-123-fix-login-timeout` from ticket key and summary |
| "PR description for PROJ-123" | Creates PR body from issue summary, description, and acceptance criteria |
| "Parse commits for issue keys" | Scans commit messages and returns matched Jira keys |
| "Link this PR to PROJ-123" | Generates the linking metadata for the PR-to-issue connection |

## Pro Tips

### Use Generated Branch Names Consistently

Consistent branch naming tied to Jira keys makes it trivial to trace code changes back to requirements. When every branch includes the ticket key, `git log --grep` can find all commits related to any issue.

### Generate PR Descriptions from Issues

PR descriptions generated from Jira issue details ensure reviewers have context without switching to Jira. The generated description includes the ticket summary, acceptance criteria, and a link back to the full issue.

## Key Takeaway

The jira-dev agent maintains traceability between project management and code by generating the artifacts that connect Jira issues to branches, commits, and PRs. It produces data without side effects, leaving execution to the specialized git agents.

## Related Agents

- **[git-manager](/reference/agents/git-manager)** — executes the git commands that jira-dev generates artifacts for
- **[shipper](/reference/agents/shipper)** — creates PRs using descriptions generated by jira-dev
- **[jira-issue](/reference/agents/jira-issue)** — provides issue data that jira-dev transforms into dev artifacts
