Set up MeritForge in Jira
MeritForge for Jira lets people send Sparks straight from a Jira issue, for example when they close a ticket and want to thank the people who helped. Balances, company values, and every recognition rule stay in MeritForge, and the Spark keeps a link to the issue.
Setting it up usually involves two people: a MeritForge Owner or Admin, and a Jira site admin (often IT or an engineering lead). If that is not the same person, send them this page. It takes about five minutes.
Before you start
- Your company uses Jira Cloud. Jira Data Center and Jira Server are not supported.
- Your company has a MeritForge organization, and you are one of its Owners or Admins.
- Someone who is an admin of your Jira site can install apps.
MeritForge for Jira asks for no Jira permissions. It cannot read your issues, comments, or people, and nobody is asked to grant it access to their Atlassian account. It only knows the key of the issue someone is sending a Spark from.
1. Install MeritForge for Jira
MeritForge Owner or Admin. In MeritForge, open Admin → Organization → Integrations → Jira and select Open the Jira install page. Send the link to your Jira site admin if that is someone else.
Jira site admin. Open the link, choose your Jira site, and approve the installation.
Installing the app on its own gives Jira no access to MeritForge. Nothing works until step 3.
2. Create a connection code
MeritForge Owner or Admin. On the same Jira page in MeritForge, select Create connection code. The code works once and expires after 30 minutes. Creating a new code cancels the previous one.
3. Enter the code in Jira
Jira site admin. In Jira, go to Apps → Manage your apps → MeritForge, paste the code, and select Connect.
Then, back in MeritForge, select Check connection. The page shows your Jira site as connected.
4. How people start
Nothing else is needed from admins. The first time someone uses MeritForge in Jira:
- They select Connect account. MeritForge opens in a new tab.
- They sign in to MeritForge if needed, check that the Jira site, organization, and account shown are right, and select Connect my Jira account.
- They go back to Jira and select Continue.
They do this once. MeritForge sends them an email confirming that a Jira account was connected, so an unexpected connection is noticed.
Sending Sparks from Jira
Open any issue. MeritForge is in two places, and both do the same thing:
- The issue’s ••• menu (top right of the issue) → ✨ Send Sparks. This opens MeritForge in a window over the issue.
- The MeritForge section on the issue, in the issue’s details panel. Expand it to send Sparks without leaving the issue.
Then:
- Choose who to recognize: type at least two letters of their name. Up to 10 people at a time.
- Choose how many Sparks each person gets. Your available balance is shown at the top.
- Pick your company values. If your organization requires one, you’ll be asked to.
- Write your message. It starts with “Thanks for your work on” and the issue key, and you can change it.
- Select ✨ Send Sparks.
The Spark appears in the Great Hall like any other, and recipients are notified as usual. MeritForge also keeps which issue it was sent from.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| “This Jira site is not connected to MeritForge yet” | Steps 2 and 3 are not done, or Jira was disconnected. A MeritForge Owner or Admin creates a new code and the Jira site admin enters it. |
| “This code is invalid or has expired” | Codes expire after 30 minutes and work once. Create a new one. |
| “This Jira site is already connected to another MeritForge organization” | A Jira site can belong to one MeritForge organization. The other organization disconnects it first. |
| Someone is asked to connect their account again | They disconnected it, or an admin unlinked them. They select Connect account again. |
| “You aren’t an active member of the MeritForge organization connected to this Jira site” | They are signed in to MeritForge with a different account, or their membership is not active. They sign in with the right account and open the link again from Jira. |
| ✨ Send Sparks is not in the issue’s ••• menu | The app is not installed on this Jira site. Check step 1. |
Disconnecting
- One person: in MeritForge, Settings → Connected apps → Disconnect.
- One member, as an admin: on the Jira page in MeritForge, find them under Connected members and select Unlink.
- Everyone: on the Jira page in MeritForge, select Disconnect Jira. Every member’s connection ends. To remove the app from Jira as well, a Jira site admin uninstalls it in Apps → Manage your apps.
Sparks already sent stay in MeritForge in every case.
Need help?
Contact MeritForge support with your organization name and what you see. See the Privacy Policy for the Jira data MeritForge uses.