Wrike and JIRA Sync: Setup Guide

Wrike and Jira Sync is a part of the paid Project Syncs add-on. Admins on Business and higher plans can create the Wrike and Jira two-way sync.

⏱ 4.5 min read

• Overview
• Important Information
• Set Up the Sync
• Edit Existing Syncs

Overview

The Wrike and Jira two-way sync allows for automatic updates between Wrike tasks and Jira issues and epics. Select or create a Wrike project and select the Jira project that you’d like to sync with Wrike and:

• Wrike creates a task for each issue or epic in the Jira project.
• For any task created in, or added to, the synced subfolder in Wrike, Wrike creates a Jira issue in the synced project.
• By default, tasks in Wrike turn into issues in Jira. If there are epics in a Jira project, they’re synced as tasks and the issues they contain are synced as separate tasks.

Once the sync is in place, Wrike tasks become linked with corresponding Jira issues. and when you update a linked task, the linked issue is automatically updated (and vice versa).

Please note: This page goes over how to sync projects between Wrike and Jira. For details on what you can do once the sync is in place, please see Wrike and JIRA Two-Way Sync: Overview.

Important Information

• The Wrike and Jira two-way sync is powered by a partner: Unito.io.
• Subtasks in Wrike are not synced along with their parent tasks by default. Syncing subtasks can be enabled after the creation of the sync as described on the Syncing Subtasks page of Unito's Help Center. For even more information about how the Wrike and Jira two-way sync works, please check out Unito’s Help Center.
• When you set up the integration, a Wrike Bot is automatically created for you. The bot doesn't take up a Wrike user seat. A sync account is not automatically set up in Jira, and we strongly recommend creating one prior to setting up the first sync. You’ll find more details on how to do that below.

Set Up the Sync

Admins on Business and higher plans can enable the Wrike and Jira two-way sync.

The steps below are for setting up the sync with the Jira cloud solution. Details about how to sync with Jira’s on-premises solution are available on Unito’s Help Center.

There are three steps to creating your first sync:

• Step 1: Enable project syncs add-on in your Wrike account
• Step 2: Create a Jira test project and sync account
• Step 3: Sync setup between Wrike and Jira

Step 1: Enable project syncs add-on in your Wrike account

Before setting up the two-way sync between Wrike and Jira, you need to enable the Project Syncs Add-On in your Wrike account. You can find instructions on how to do that on the Project Syncs overview page.

Step 2: Create a Jira test project and sync account

Each sync setup begins with creating a folder or project in Wrike and a project in Jira that will be connected. To help you get a feel for how the sync works, create a test project in Wrike and in Jira and use these projects for your first sync.

Create a sync account in Jira to better track when updates are made as a result of the sync. If you use a sync account and a user updates a task’s title in Wrike, then in Jira you’ll see that the title of the synced issue was updated by the sync account. If you don’t use a sync account, then Jira will show that the user, whose credentials you selected to set up the sync, updated the issue.

To create a sync account, create a new Jira user and name it “Wrike Bot.” Visit Unito’s Help Center to read more about what permissions the Wrike Bot account requires. Make sure you give the bot account access to the Jira projects you want to sync.

Please note: You only need to create a sync account in Jira. In Wrike, there’s a special bot called “Unito Bot for Two-Way Sync” that is automatically added to your Wrike account when you set up the integration.

Step 3: Sync setup between Wrike and Jira

To create your first sync:

1. Click your profile image in the upper-right corner of the Wrike account.
2. Select “Apps and integrations.”
3. Click the “Project syncs” tab in the left panel.
4. (Optional) If there are multiple Wrike accounts associated with your email, select the relevant one.
5. Click the “Add sync” button.
6. You’ll see two cards on the screen for the two systems that you sync. The card on the right is reserved for Wrike by default.
7. Click the “Add another tool” option on the left card.
8. Select Jira and you’ll be prompted to log in.
9. Select how you want to log in to Jira. You have two options:
   
   • With an API token:
     • Enter your username.
     • Enter the API token.
     • If you don’t have the token, click the “Create API Token” hyperlink on the pop-up and follow the steps to create the token and use it for logging in.
   • With OAuth login:
     • Enter the domain of your Jira instance (the domain must be publicly reachable over the internet). An example domain is https://companyname.atlassian.com.
     • Click “Get Started.”
     • Follow the steps on the “Setup your Application Link” page. More detailed instructions for setting up Jira are available here.
     • Click “Connect Jira.”
     • Log in using the credentials of the bot account you created.
     • Click “Allow.”
10. In the “Project” drop-down, select the existing Jira project you wish to sync or create a new one.
11. After setting up the Jira card, select a connector for Wrike on the right card:
    • The “Wrike via Unito Bot for Two-Way Sync” option is selected automatically. If you keep this option selected, Jira will show that the bot has updated the issue. In this case, if you’re processing the first sync, you need to create a project or folder that will be integrated with Jira. That project or folder will be available for selection in the future syncs.
    • If you choose “Wrike via Username” option, then the updates in Jira will show that the user whose credentials you select to set up the sync updated the issue.
12. After both cards are set up, scroll down to choose the preferred sync direction.
13. Click “Next.” You’ll be directed to a page where you can configure filters.
14. Leave the filters as is to sync all issues and tasks by default.
15. Click “Next.”
16. You’ll see the “Options” section. Here, you can disable the Test Mode and Auto Sync and customize workflow and content.
17. Click the “Create sync” button when all the preferred configurations are set up.

Your sync is created.

Please note: If you have a lot of existing tasks, issues, or epics, it may take a few minutes for the first sync to be completed. Tasks, issues, and epics are added continuously until all of them are synced.

To sync additional Jira projects with Wrike, repeat steps described in Step 3 above. 

Edit Existing Syncs

1. Click your profile image in the workspace’s upper right-hand corner.
2. Select “Apps and Integrations.”
3. Click the “Jira Project Sync” card.
4. Click the “Settings” button in the upper-right corner of the card.
5. (Optional) If there are multiple Wrike accounts associated with your email, select the relevant one.
6. Click the name of the sync to access its settings.

Now you can edit the sync.