Stop making developers maintain Jira tickets

Keep Jira. Let development activity keep the project status current.

Developers don’t always keep Jira tickets updated. PMs and engineering leads still need the board to reflect what’s actually happening.

We’re testing a simple way to keep Jira closer to the work by connecting it to GitHub or GitLab and using real development activity such as branches, pull requests and merges.

Your team keeps using Jira as usual. Nothing is migrated or switched off.

We simply test whether this can reduce the manual work of keeping tickets updated while still giving your team a clear view of progress.

Apply for the pilot How it works

GitHub / GitLab

  • Branch created
  • Commit pushed
  • Pull request opened
  • Pull request merged

Workstate

  • Validates the event
  • Matches the Jira issue key
  • Applies a configured status rule
  • Records an audit entry

Jira

  • Issue status updated
  • Existing workflow stays active
  • Jira remains the source of record

Developers keep working normally. Nothing is migrated, and nothing is switched off.

How it works

Five steps, one project, deterministic rules

No AI guesswork at this stage. Development events are matched to Jira issues by issue key, and only configured rules can change a status.

  1. Connect

    Connect one Jira project and one GitHub or GitLab repository.

  2. Observe development activity

    Workstate receives relevant development events:

    Events

    • Branch created
    • Commit pushed
    • Pull request opened
    • Pull request reviewed
    • Pull request merged

  3. Match activity to Jira

    Workstate maps development activity to Jira issues using issue keys found in:

    Matched from

    • Branch names — PROJ-123-fix-login
    • Commit messages
    • Pull request titles

    Not every event can be matched automatically. Where confidence is low, the Jira status is left alone and the event is flagged instead.

  4. Apply status rules

    A matched event is checked against the rules configured for that project:

    Example rules

    branch_created In Progress
    pull_request_opened In Review
    pull_request_merged Done

    These are example rules only. Each pilot defines which Jira statuses correspond to which events, so unusual workflow states are configured rather than assumed.

  5. Update Jira

    Workstate updates the Jira issue through the Jira API. Your existing Jira workflow remains active, and every automated change is logged.

The pilot

Run it alongside Jira.

No migration
No replacement
No big-bang change

We connect one real project and run the experiment alongside your existing Jira workflow. The team continues using Jira normally while we measure whether development activity can reduce manual ticket maintenance.

Apply for the pilot
Transparency

Your existing workflow stays intact

Workstate is being tested as a parallel layer, not as a system of record.

  • Jira stays active
  • GitHub / GitLab stays active
  • No migration required
  • No Jira project replacement
  • The pilot can be limited to one project
  • Access is scoped as narrowly as possible
Apply

Apply for the pilot

Tell us about your setup and we’ll see whether it fits this round.

Would you be open to testing this on one real project?

We review each application and reply only if the project looks like a fit.
Questions before applying? Email hello@kpappworx.com.

FAQ

Questions we get asked

Short answers, no overclaiming.

Does this replace Jira?

No. The pilot runs alongside Jira.

Do we have to migrate our data?

No.

Do developers need to change how they work?

The goal is the opposite: reduce manual Jira maintenance while developers continue using GitHub or GitLab normally.

Does it work with GitHub?

Yes — the pilot supports GitHub first.

Does it work with GitLab?

GitLab support is planned. GitHub is built first unless a pilot customer specifically requires GitLab.

Will it automatically change every Jira ticket?

No. Only configured projects and supported events can trigger an automated change.

What happens if Workstate gets something wrong?

Every automated change is logged, and the automation can be disabled.