The Mermaid Chart Plugin for Jira: A How-To User Guide

The Mermaid Chart plugin for Jira has arrived!

This plugin embeds the diagramming dynamics of the Mermaid Chart editor directly into your Jira workflow, empowering you to build, tweak, and manage visuals within your project tickets — without ever leaving the Jira interface.

You can check out the Jira plugin on the Atlassian marketplace, but keep reading this blog post for some in-depth instructions and best practices to get the most out of our new offering.

Building an integration with Jira marks our second plugin for Atlassian workplace tools; we wrote about our Confluence plugin on our blog as well. You’ll need a Mermaid Chart account to reap the benefits of these plugins, so sign up for free if you haven’t already.

Let’s dive in:

Step-by-step directions for the Mermaid Chart plugin for Jira #

For those unfamiliar with Jira, it’s a project management tool from Atlassian. It’s great for documentation, bug tracking, issue tracking, and agile development.

This makes it a clear fit for a Mermaid Chart integration. Follow these steps to start creating and editing Mermaid Chart diagrams directly in your Jira tickets:

1. Connect your Mermaid Chart account to Jira #

Start by downloading the Jira plugin from the Atlassian marketplace.

Open up your Jira ticket of choice. Within this ticket, you’ll see the “Apps” button in the top left of your screen. Clicking this button will reveal a menu with various plugins.

Select the Mermaid Chart option, which will populate the panel below. Click the blue “Connect” button to link your account.

2. Open the Mermaid Chart panel #

Underneath the Mermaid Chart panel on your ticket, click the card with the “+” icon. This will bring up a grid showing your Mermaid Chart diagrams.

Click on the dropdown to view and select other projects.

3. Add Mermaid Chart diagrams to your Jira ticket #

On each diagram card, you’ll see an option to either Select or Edit that diagram. Clicking the Select button will add the selected diagram into your Jira ticket. It’ll also be viewable as an attachment; click on the attachment to view your diagram in full screen.

You can add any number of diagrams to your ticket, but you may only add the same diagram once. To remove a diagram from the panel, simply hit the trash can icon. You’ll also see a pencil icon, which allows you to edit the diagram that’s already in place (more on that in a second!).

4. Edit and create new diagrams within Jira #

Let’s say the Mermaid Chart diagram you want to drop in your Jira ticket isn’t finalized. No problem!

Click the card with the “+” icon once again. Instead of hitting the Select button, click on Edit. This will bring up a Mermaid Chart Editor directly within the Jira interface. You can now dynamically edit your diagram using our code editor or Visual Editor; it’s like you opened up Mermaid Chart without needing an extra browser or window! Hit the Continue button to drop it into your Jira ticket.

You can even hit the “+ Create New Diagram” button to build a diagram from scratch within Jira. Try out the newly updated Mermaid AI to help you quickly create your diagrams!

5. Hide and re-access the panel #

Navigate back to the Jira ticket. Clicking on the “…” (aka the ellipses) will give you the option to hide the Mermaid Chart panel within your ticket. Re-access the panel by clicking on the Apps button and selecting Mermaid Chart once again.

Benefits of using the Jira plugin #

See how easy that is? If you need a second push to download the plugin, here are a few motivating factors:

Less time switching between windows #

The Mermaid Chart team believes in the power of smart connectivity between workplace tools. Data shows that 58% of our time is spent on “work about work”: non-strategic tasks such as switching between apps, chasing status updates, and searching for information.

The Mermaid Chart plugin for Jira allows you to create and edit diagrams directly within Jira, so you don’t have to leave one interface to switch to another.

Centralized information #

Version control can be an issue for fast-moving teams. The Jira plugin ensures that your Mermaid Chart visuals stay synced within your project management tool. This makes Jira a single source of truth that’s always up to date with the latest information and visuals.

Enhanced communication and decision-making #

Complex processes or workflows often require accompanying visuals to truly hit home. Since the Jira plugin reduces the friction needed to create diagrams, you and your colleagues will likely be more encouraged to include these visuals in your Jira tickets. More diagrams typically leads to better communication and understanding of key concepts and processes.

You can effortlessly add diagrams directly to your Jira tickets, providing clear and concise visuals that everyone can grasp.

Try Mermaid Chart for free #

Ready to start reaping the benefits of the Mermaid Chart Jira plugin? Jira users can download the Mermaid Chart app from the Atlassian marketplace now.

The entire fleet of Mermaid Chart plugins and integrations is built to help remove friction from your workflows. Remember; you’ll need a Mermaid Chart account to get started, so create your free account before you begin.

Stay tuned for more plugin announcements as we continue to build out Mermaid Chart’s capabilities!