How to add custom status columns in Jira through API?

Other Questions Jira
1

I’m working on a project where I need to add a new status column to our Jira board. We’re using the Kanban setup with the usual To Do, In Progress, and Done columns. But I want to add a Testing column to match our team’s workflow better.

I’ve been digging through the Jira API docs, but I can’t seem to find anything about making new columns. I tried poking around the board and project APIs too, but no luck there either.

Has anyone managed to create custom columns using the Jira API? I’d really appreciate any tips or code snippets that could help. Maybe there’s a specific endpoint I’m missing?

Here’s a basic example of what I’m trying to do:

import requests

url = 'https://your-domain.atlassian.net/rest/api/3/...'
auth = ('[email protected]', 'api_token')

data = {
    'name': 'Testing',
    'description': 'Items ready for QA'
}

response = requests.post(url, json=data, auth=auth)
print(response.status_code)

Any ideas on how to make this work? Thanks in advance!

2

hey claire, i’ve done this before! you gotta use the workflow API, not the board API. first create a new status, then update ur workflow to include it. finally, tweak the board config to show the new status as a column. it’s a bit fiddly but works. lemme know if u need more help!

3

I faced a similar challenge and discovered that the trick lies in the way Jira handles columns. Columns are actually derived from workflow statuses, not directly created through a single API call. To get a new column such as Testing working, you need to first create the new status, then incorporate it into the existing workflow, and finally update your board configuration so that the new status appears as a column. This process requires multiple API interactions, but it logically integrates the change into Jira’s system.

4

Adding custom status columns in Jira via API is indeed a multi-step process. You’ll need to create a new status, update the workflow, and modify the board configuration. Here’s a high-level approach:

  1. Create a new status using the /rest/api/3/status endpoint.
  2. Retrieve the current workflow scheme with /rest/api/3/workflowscheme.
  3. Update the workflow to include the new status using /rest/api/3/workflow.
  4. Update the board configuration to display the new status as a column with /rest/agile/1.0/board/{boardId}/configuration.

Each step requires careful handling of permissions and existing configurations. I’d recommend testing in a sandbox environment first. The Jira API documentation, while extensive, can be unclear on these specific operations. Consider reaching out to Atlassian support for detailed guidance on your particular setup.