Apps Work Type Guardrails for Jira
Work Type Guardrails for Jira
Work Type Guardrails lets a project admin block specific work type changes in a Jira project (work types were called issue types until 2025). You choose which type changes are not allowed, and Jira prevents them.
What it covers
Rules apply to all four ways a work item's type can change. That covers inline edit on the issue, Move Issue, Bulk Move, and subtask conversion.
Why this matters. Some of these changes never go through a workflow transition, so workflow validators do not run on them and other apps cannot block them. Work Type Guardrails does.
How it works
A rule names one work type change to block, with a From type and a To type. Rules are directional, so blocking Task to Story does not block Story to Task. Add a second rule if you want to block both directions. You can also set one side to Any type to block every change into or out of a type.
There is no separate save step. A rule starts blocking as soon as you add it, and stops as soon as you remove it. The full walkthrough is in the documentation.
Can Jira restrict work type changes on its own?
Partly. In a company-managed project, Jira gives you two blunt switches, described in Atlassian's article Prevent users from editing the Issue Type:
- Remove the Issue Type field from the edit screen. Nobody can change the type inline any more, for any type.
- Take away the Move Issues permission. That stops type changes through Move, but also stops those people moving work between projects.
Neither lets you say which change is not allowed. Work Type Guardrails blocks one change, such as Task to Story, and leaves every other change, the field and the Move permission as they are. The same rule also covers Bulk Move and subtask conversion.
Pricing
The app is free. There are no paid tiers and no seat limits. Install it from the Atlassian Marketplace.
Data and permissions
It runs on Atlassian and makes no external network calls. The only thing it stores is the work type IDs that make up your rules, held in a project property inside your own Jira site. It does not store issue content, user names or email addresses. See the privacy policy for the detail.
Known limits
These are stated plainly so you know them before you rely on the app.
- Deleting a work type and migrating its items. When you delete a work type, Jira offers to move existing items to another type. That migration does not go through the validator, so a rule cannot block it. This is intended. It means a rule can never lock you out of deleting a work type.
- Migrate as a separate flow. Bulk Move is covered and verified. If your Jira exposes a distinct "Migrate" flow separate from Bulk Move, it has not been tested, and its behaviour is not known.
Support
Work Type Guardrails is published by Dripwork. For questions, issues or feedback, email support@dripwork.dev.
Atlassian and Jira are trademarks of Atlassian Pty Ltd. Work Type Guardrails is an independent app and is not made or endorsed by Atlassian.