# Jira Zendesk integration

Project management and customer support work better together with the Jira and Zendesk integration by Getint. This connection brings project tracking and customer communication into one workflow, helping teams stay aligned and respond faster. With real-time information shared between Jira and Zendesk, teams can manage tasks, updates, and support requests without switching between platforms. This guide walks through the setup process and shows how the integration helps improve collaboration, visibility, and day-to-day operations for teams of any size.

<figure><img src="/files/eQVflp6NqSzJJxXRGMWM" alt=""><figcaption><p><a href="https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1223934/zendesk-integration-for-jira-zendesk-connector-forge?hosting=cloud&#x26;tab=overview">Check out our Zendesk integration app on the Atlassian Marketplace</a></p></figcaption></figure>

***

### Jira-Zendesk Licensing Model <a href="#jira-zendesk-licensing-model" id="jira-zendesk-licensing-model"></a>

The **Jira-Zendesk licensing model** with Getint fits various integration needs. Here’s an overview:

#### Standard Licensing <a href="#standard-licensing" id="standard-licensing"></a>

* A Getint license is required only on Jira, enabling data synchronization between Zendesk and Jira.
* This keeps setup simple and quick, with no extra configurations needed in Zendesk.

#### Flexible License <a href="#flexible-license" id="flexible-license"></a>

* For managed services companies or organizations integrating four or more instances (same or different tools), Getint provides a **Flexible License**. This custom option covers a set number of connections (up to 10 instances) without tool limits. You can switch integrated tools anytime during the license term for maximum adaptability.

For licensing details, visit our [**Pricing Page**](https://docs.getint.io/licensing).

***

### Requirements to Build Your Integration <a href="#requirements-to-build-your-integration" id="requirements-to-build-your-integration"></a>

* The **Getint app** must be installed in Jira.
* Comments are attributed to the user who created the connection. Therefore, we recommend using dedicated **Service Accounts** for both instances. Create a Service Account here: [How to Create a Jira Service Account](https://docs.getint.io/getting-started-with-the-platform/preparing-for-the-integration#how-to-create-a-jira-service-account).
* **Personal Access Tokens** are required for Jira and Zendesk authentication. Learn more here: [Access Tokens](https://docs.getint.io/guides/quickstart/connection#jira).

***

### Setting Up Your Jira-Zendesk Integration <a href="#setting-up-your-jira-zendesk-integration" id="setting-up-your-jira-zendesk-integration"></a>

#### 1. Access the [Getint](https://marketplace.atlassian.com/apps/1223934/zendesk-integration-for-jira-zendesk-connector-forge?hosting=cloud\&tab=overview) App in Jira: <a href="#id-1.-access-the-getint-app-in-jira" id="id-1.-access-the-getint-app-in-jira"></a>

* Navigate to Jira, go to Apps, and select the Getint app (Jira ↔︎ Zendesk Integration in this case).

<figure><img src="/files/IXfKXJqc2A9eI9W8dyYA" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 2. Create Integration <a href="#id-2.-create-integration" id="id-2.-create-integration"></a>

Click **Create Integration** and select either:

* **Continuous Sync** for ongoing synchronization.
* **Migration** for a one-time data transfer.

<figure><img src="/files/G6cg5svAdg1JTWQgaROS" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 3. Generate a Jira API Token <a href="#id-3.-generate-a-jira-api-token" id="id-3.-generate-a-jira-api-token"></a>

* Log in to your Atlassian account and navigate to **Account Settings** > **Security** > **API Tokens** **> Create and manage API tokens**.

<figure><img src="/files/DjNnwHkqa32liFWVObLG" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Choose between **Create API token** and **Create API token with scopes**. Generate the token, copy it, and securely store the token, as it will be used as the password for Jira Cloud.

<figure><img src="/files/mlbJIoEDfUptZZGB2hgM" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="info" %}
For detailed steps and specific permissions for the Jira user, refer to our guide [Connection](https://docs.getint.io/guides/quickstart/connection#jira).
{% endhint %}

#### 4. Generate a Zendesk Personal Access Token <a href="#id-4.-generate-a-zendesk-personal-access-token" id="id-4.-generate-a-zendesk-personal-access-token"></a>

* Log in to your Zendesk account, click on the dropdown right next to the Zendesk logo, at the upper left corner, and select **Admin Center**.
* On the next page, locate the option **Apps and Integrations** in the far left menu, then select **API Tokens** from the secondary left menu.
* Tick the agreement checkbox and click **Get Started**. Once on the next page, click **Add API Token**, then proceed to name your API token and save it. The token should be generated after saving it.
* After generating the token, click **API Configuration** on the secondary left menu, and enable **Allow API Token Access.**

{% embed url="<https://www.loom.com/share/6d750e77cf8943d2aab572ea57339c68>" %}

{% hint style="info" %}
You can reset the API Key to stop an app from connecting to your helpdesk if you need to. Remember that doing so will also disconnect other apps that use the same key.
{% endhint %}

#### 5. Create a Connection with Jira and Zendesk <a href="#id-5.-create-a-connection-with-jira-and-zendesk" id="id-5.-create-a-connection-with-jira-and-zendesk"></a>

**Jira Connection:**

* Select the **Jira** app. Then enter your Jira instance **URL**, username, the Access token generated, and click **Add**.

<figure><img src="/files/jPfr9YKVcQq7sLzZgXqa" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Select the Jira project(s) you want to synchronize and select **Connect**.

<figure><img src="/files/5CFkXErOk1reS4oVt1PI" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**Zendesk Connection:**

* Select **Zendesk** as the connection app, and click **Create New Connection**.

<figure><img src="/files/3YzxyTI2rprXhatpw8hr" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Enter your Zendesk instance URL in the **URL** field and click **Next**.

<figure><img src="/files/73QAKPRLzqoe1krwpZwA" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Assign a name to the connection and enter the API token.

<figure><img src="/files/sCbFIoAwss5VUHcygLN2" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* **Add** the connection and select it.

{% hint style="info" %}
For detailed steps on how to configure your **Zendesk API token**, please refer to our guide [Connection](https://docs.getint.io/guides/quickstart/connection#zendesk).
{% endhint %}

#### 6. Configure Type Mapping <a href="#id-6.-configure-type-mapping" id="id-6.-configure-type-mapping"></a>

* **Quick Build**: Use the Quick Build feature to automatically map fields and types between applications, simplifying the process.

<figure><img src="/files/eLowFrZgz6rbeWIZeKko" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* **Manual Mapping**: For greater control, manually map the types yourself. This approach lets you tailor the mapping to meet your specific needs. Click **+ Add type mapping** to add the types (Ticket, Task, Bug, Epic, Story) by yourself.
  * For example, **Task ↔ Ticket**.

<figure><img src="/files/NUglJaDen9Nnp9nX0D9O" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 7. Configure Field Mapping <a href="#id-7.-configure-field-mapping" id="id-7.-configure-field-mapping"></a>

Select the fields to synchronize, such as **Title**, **Description**, **Assignees**, and **Custom** fields. In addition to this, for the Zendesk connection to work, it is necessary to map some key fields:

1. **Title (Subject) field:**
   * Map Zendesk’s Title (Subject) field to Jira’s Title (Summary) field, as neither Zendesk nor Jira allows item creation with a blank title.
2. **Description field**:
   * Description is a mandatory field for Zendesk items to be created, meaning it must be mapped. If the Zendesk Description field is mapped to Jira’s Description field, ensure that the mapped Jira work items have data in the description field during their creation. Otherwise, the synchronization run might fail.
   * You can also add a fixed value mapping to either of the aforementioned fields. You can check how to do it through [this documentation](http://docs.getint.io/support-legal-and-others/troubleshooting-guide-for-getint-users#how-to-provide-a-fixed-value-for-a-field).

<figure><img src="/files/iCTfUuumbCX4zzoLliAY" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* After all fields and types have been configured, give your integration a distinctive name and save the settings.

#### 8. Assignee Mapping <a href="#id-8.-assignee-mapping" id="id-8.-assignee-mapping"></a>

Use the assignee mapping option to match Jira assignees to Zendesk assignees, enabling precise synchronization of task ownership. For more details, visit our doc: [Assignees (users) mapping](https://docs.getint.io/getintio-platform/workflows/assignees-users-mapping).

<figure><img src="/files/vxFn9ME0Kay1mdd3VXRR" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 9. Status Mapping <a href="#id-9.-status-mapping" id="id-9.-status-mapping"></a>

Map status fields to align between Jira and Zendesk. For example, **To do** in Jira could be mapped to **New** in Zendesk.

<figure><img src="/files/XwAkICWfLH7J1lBwMvyV" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 10. How to Manage Comments & Attachments: <a href="#id-10.-how-to-manage-comments-and-attachments" id="id-10.-how-to-manage-comments-and-attachments"></a>

Check the **Comments & Attachments** tab. These settings are active by default, but you can modify them to fit your specific requirements.

**Synchronization Directions**

The platform supports three distinct logic flows for these items:

* **Bidirectional**: Updates to comments or attachments in either Jira or Zendesk will reflect in the other platform.
* **Unidirectional to Jira**: Data flows exclusively from Zendesk to Jira. Changes made in Jira will not sync back to Zendesk.
* **Unidirectional to Zendesk**: Data flows exclusively from Jira to Zendesk. Changes made in Zendesk will not sync back to Jira.

**Disabling Sync**

If your organization has strict data privacy policies or if these items are not relevant to a specific integration, you can **disable** comments and attachments entirely. This prevents any data transfer for these specific fields while keeping other mapped fields active.

<figure><img src="/files/eWZGOJz5QaJObtvw98KG" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 11. Filtering Options <a href="#id-11.-filtering-options" id="id-11.-filtering-options"></a>

Customize synchronization by applying filters:

* After completing your integration, add filters to each app by clicking the filter icon next to its app icon. This will affect the corresponding side of the integration.

<figure><img src="/files/on7VH9iYtyt7Cj24YxXs" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

* Choose the filter scope:
  * **ALL items filter**: Rules will be verified for every item before synchronization.
  * **NEW items filter**: Rules will be verified only for newly created items that have not yet been synced.
  * **SYNCED items filter**: Rules will be verified for items that were already synced in the past.

Add values for the filters and click **Apply**. For more details on how to use the filter, refer to our [Filtering Guide](https://docs.getint.io/getintio-platform/workflows/items-filtering).

<figure><img src="/files/rkpqhlchAkBdbAFIjNAF" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

**JQL Filtering (Jira-Specific)**

Beyond standard item filtering, integrations involving Jira support **Jira Query Language (JQL)**. This allows for granular control over exactly which issues enter the synchronization scope.

**Custom JQL Configuration**

In the **Custom JQL** field, you can input a specific query to refine your data set. The platform automatically appends your custom string to the system-generated filters.

* **Logic:** The final query used to identify issues is effectively `(System Filters) AND (Your Custom JQL)`.
* **Example:** If you only want to sync issues currently being worked on, you would enter:

  `status IN ("In Progress")`

**Key Benefits**

* **Precision**: Target specific issue types, labels, or custom field values that standard UI filters might not cover.
* **Performance**: By narrowing the scope of the sync via JQL, you reduce the volume of data the platform needs to scan, often resulting in faster processing.
* **Flexibility**: Use advanced operators (e.g., `WAS`, `CHANGED`, `is EMPTY`) to handle complex workflow requirements.

<figure><img src="/files/yKcCk9MMs03A5tb55N4E" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### 12. Test the Integration <a href="#id-12.-test-the-integration" id="id-12.-test-the-integration"></a>

Before deploying the integration to your production environment, perform a verification cycle to ensure data flows correctly between **Zendesk** and **Jira**.

**Verification Steps**

1. **Initial Creation:**
   * Create a test ticket in **Zendesk**.
   * Create a test issue in **Jira**.
   * Confirm that the items appear in the respective platforms according to your mapping rules.
2. **Field & Feature Validation:**
   * **Updates**: Modify a mapped field and confirm the change reflects on the linked platform.
   * **Comments & Attachments**: Add a comment or upload a file to verify the sync direction and visibility.
   * **Status Transitions**: Change the status (e.g., move a Jira issue to "In Progress") and verify the **Zendesk** ticket updates accordingly.
3. **Audit Logs:**
   * Access the **Logs** tab within the platform.
   * Review the entries to confirm successful executions and identify any potential mapping errors or permission conflicts.

***

### Conclusion <a href="#conclusion" id="conclusion"></a>

By following these steps, you have established a functional integration between **Jira** and **Zendesk**. This setup automates the synchronization of records, workflows, and communication, bridging the gap between support and development teams.

For further assistance, please contact us at the [Support Center](https://getint.io/help-center) or [Schedule a Demo](https://calendly.com/d/cpws-jb2-8xx/demo-call-all-team).

<figure><img src="/files/YtI5CQ4caD1XPVCBAXdC" alt=""><figcaption><p><a href="https://calendly.com/d/cpws-jb2-8xx/demo-call-all-team">Having issues building your integration? Schedule a free consultation with our Integration Experts now!</a></p></figcaption></figure>


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