Jira Integration Guide

CertFusion Certificates for Jira is a Forge app built and maintained by CertFusion. It runs on Atlassian's infrastructure and talks to your CertFusion account through the public API, so there is nothing to host and nothing to install on your side beyond the app itself. This guide covers installing the app, connecting it to CertFusion, issuing certificates by hand or with Jira Automation, and what data leaves Jira.

1. Overview

The app adds three things to Jira Cloud:

• Certificates panel on every work item. Pick a certificate list, confirm the recipient (the assignee and reporter are offered first), fill in any custom fields from your design, and click Issue certificate. The panel lists every certificate issued from that work item with its verification link.
• "Issue CertFusion certificate" Automation action. Use it in any Jira Automation rule, for example when a work item transitions to Done. Map the recipient's email and name from smart values such as {{issue.assignee.emailAddress}}, choose the list, and the certificate goes out without anyone opening CertFusion. The recipient ID, status, and verification link are available to later steps of the rule.
• Certificates project page. A page in the project sidebar listing every certificate issued from that project: work item, recipient, list, date, and link.

Each issuance also posts a comment on the work item ("Certificate issued to Jane Doe via CertFusion" with the verification link), so the history lives in Jira as well as in your CertFusion dashboard.

2. Install and Connect

1. In Jira, open Apps → Explore more apps, search for CertFusion, and click Get app. Alternatively install it from the Atlassian Marketplace listing. A Jira admin needs to do this once per site.
2. In CertFusion, go to your account menu → API Token (or open the API tokens page directly). Click Generate new token, name it "Jira", and copy the token. It is shown only once.
3. Back in Jira, open Apps → Manage your apps → CertFusion Certificates → Configure (or Settings → Apps → CertFusion). Paste the token and click Save and test connection. The page shows the CertFusion account email and remaining monthly quota when the token is valid.
4. Optionally choose a default design and list. The Certificates panel and the Automation action pre-select it so most people never have to choose.

The token is stored encrypted in Forge's secret storage for your Jira site only. Revoking it on the API tokens page disconnects the app immediately.

3. Issue from a Work Item

1. Open any work item. The Certificates panel appears below the description (on some layouts it is behind the Apps button in the top-right of the work item).
2. Choose the design and list the certificate belongs to. Lists are the same ones you see in CertFusion; create one there first if you need a new cohort.
3. Pick the recipient. The assignee and reporter are suggested with their Jira email addresses, or type any name and email.
4. Fill in the custom fields defined on the design (for example "Course" or "Hours"). The work item summary is offered as a quick value.
5. Click Issue certificate. CertFusion creates the recipient, generates the PDF in the background, emails it, and the panel shows the verification link within a few seconds.

If the same email already exists on the chosen list, CertFusion updates the recipient's custom fields instead of creating a duplicate (unless the design allows duplicates), and will not issue a second certificate to a recipient who already has one.

4. Jira Automation

The action works in project rules and global rules. A typical training-completion rule:

1. Open Project settings → Automation → Create rule.
2. Trigger: Work item transitioned, to status Done.
3. Optional condition: Work item matches JQL, e.g. issuetype = "Training Task", or a label such as certificate.
4. Action: Issue CertFusion certificate. Choose the list, then map Recipient email to {{issue.assignee.emailAddress}} and Recipient name to {{issue.assignee.displayName}}. Map custom fields to any smart value, for example {{issue.summary}} or a custom field like {{issue.Course Name}}.
5. Optional follow-up actions can use the outputs: recipientId, status, and verifyLink. For example, add a Send Slack message step that includes the verification link, or Edit work item to store it in a URL field.
6. Turn the rule on and transition a test work item to Done. The certificate email arrives, and the work item receives a comment with the link.

Other rules that work well: Sub-tasks all completed on an onboarding epic, a Scheduled rule that issues to every work item in a JQL search once a week, or a Manual trigger so a team lead can issue with one click from the work item's Actions menu.

5. Project Certificates Page

Open Certificates in the project sidebar to see every certificate issued from the project, newest first, with the work item key, recipient, list, issuance date, and verification link. The page is a log kept by the app inside your Jira site; the certificates themselves, PDFs, and resend options live in your CertFusion dashboard.

6. Data and Privacy

• Sent to CertFusion: the recipient's name and email, the custom field values you map, and the chosen list. Nothing else about the work item or your Jira site leaves Atlassian.
• Read from Jira: the work item key and summary, and the assignee's and reporter's display name and email so they can be offered as recipients.
• Written to Jira: a comment on the work item when a certificate is issued.
• Stored in Jira (Forge storage): your API token, encrypted, and the issuance log shown in the panel and project page. Uninstalling the app removes both.
• CertFusion's handling of recipient data is described in our privacy policy.

7. Troubleshooting

"Connect CertFusion in app settings"

• No token is saved, or the saved token was revoked. A Jira admin needs to paste a new token under Apps → Manage your apps → CertFusion Certificates → Configure.

"Your monthly certificate limit has been reached" or trial / subscription messages

• The recipient was created on the list but the certificate was not issued. Check the quota on the app settings page or your CertFusion billing page, then issue from the panel again (or from the CertFusion dashboard) once quota is available.

Custom field not available

• The design does not define that field. Add the [custom.your_field] placeholder to the design in CertFusion first; the panel and the Automation action read the field list from the design.

Automation rule ran but nothing was issued

• Open the rule's Audit log. The action reports the exact CertFusion response, for example a missing assignee email (assignee is unassigned or hides their email) or a recipient that already has a certificate on that list.

Certificate status is "processing"

• Issuance is asynchronous: the PDF is generated and emailed by a background job, usually within seconds. Reopen the panel to refresh the status, or check the list in CertFusion.

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