Introduction to Admin Essentials

Welcome to the official documentation for Admin Essentials for Jira! 🎉

Admin Essentials — advanced custom fields and workflow extensions for Jira Cloud on Forge.

The add-on is built on Atlassian Forge and distributed through a Forge install link provided by MB Group, which means it benefits from Atlassian's official platform for security, deployment, and updates.

How to get this add-on?

Admin Essentials for Jira is not listed on the Atlassian Marketplace. Use the install link in our Installation Guide to enable it on your site.

Who is this for?

Target audience

Admin Essentials is designed for Jira Cloud administrators, project leads, and operational teams (support, service desks, sales, operations) who need to extend Jira with cross-cutting utilities that cover everyday needs without adding more add-ons to the instance.

What's included in version 2.0.0

This first Cloud version ships three modules with functional parity to the Data Center version of the add-on:

Email Custom Field

• Custom field type that stores a single email address per work item.
• Format validation on the client (while editing) and on the server (via a Jira expression).
• Automatic rendering as a clickable mailto: link on the issue view.
• Inline editing from the issue view, create / edit / transition screens, and the JSM portal.
• JQL search with exact-match string operators (=, !=, in, is EMPTY, etc.).

Traffic Light KPI Custom Field

• Numeric field type rendered as a three-color indicator (🔴 red / 🟡 yellow / 🟢 green).
• Per-context thresholds: different thresholds for different projects or issue types.
• "Lower value is better" mode to invert the color semantics for KPIs where a low value is desirable.
• Descriptive legend and tooltip explaining the active rule.
• Native dark-mode support through UI Kit 2 design tokens.

"Fields Required" Workflow Validator

• New transition validator that blocks transitions when selected fields are empty.
• Configuration through a dual list (available fields / required fields).
• Custom error message and Ignore context option to enforce validation even on contexts that don't apply.

Differences from the Data Center version

Aspect	Data Center	Cloud (Forge)
Platform	Traditional plugin (P2)	Atlassian Forge
Distribution	.jar / .obr file	Forge install link
UI technology	Velocity / AUI	UI Kit 2 (@forge/react) + Custom UI
Compatibility	Jira Data Center 10.3.18+	Jira Cloud (any site)
Updates	Manual by the administrator	Automatic from Atlassian
Dark mode	Classic CSS styling	Native via design tokens

Already using the Data Center version?

If you're already familiar with Admin Essentials for Jira Data Center, you'll find a functionally equivalent experience in the Cloud version for the modules included in this 1.0.0 release. Differences are concentrated in the installation, screen configuration, and field administration flows, which on Cloud follow the native patterns of Forge and Jira Cloud's admin UI.

Compatibility

• Jira Cloud: Any Jira Cloud site (Free, Standard, Premium, Enterprise).
• Jira Service Management (JSM): Custom fields work on the agent view and the customer portal.
• Platform: Atlassian Forge, runtime nodejs24.x.

Welcome to Admin Essentials: the essentials so your Jira Cloud speaks the same language as your processes.