---

name: jira-wiki description: Jira Wiki Markup (Text Formatting Notation) for formatting issue descriptions, comments, and custom fields. NOT Markdown—Jira uses different syntax. Use when formatting Jira text, creating tables/panels/code blocks in Jira, linking users/issues/attachments, writing Jira templates, or when any Jira formatting question arises. Triggers include "Jira markup", "Jira formatting", "Jira table", "Jira code block", "Jira panel", "link in Jira", "format Jira comment/description", "Jira wiki syntax".

Jira Wiki Markup

Jira uses Wiki-style markup, not Markdown. Key differences from Markdown:

Quick Reference

Text Effects

Copy*bold*  _italic_  -strikethrough-  +underline+
^superscript^  ~subscript~  {{monospace}}
??citation??  {color:red}colored{color}

Headings

Copyh1. Largest
h2. Large
h3. Medium (most common for sections)

Links

Copy[http://example.com]                    Plain URL
[Link Text|http://example.com]          URL with text
[~username]                             User mention (notifies them)
[^attachment.ext]                       Link to attachment
[PROJ-123]                              Issue link (auto-detected)

Lists

Copy* Bullet item              # Numbered item
** Nested bullet           ## Nested number
- Alternative bullet       #* Mixed: number then bullet

Tables

Copy||Header 1||Header 2||Header 3||
|Cell 1|Cell 2|Cell 3|
|Cell 4|Cell 5|Cell 6|

Code and Preformatted Text

Code block with syntax highlighting:

Copy{code:python}
def hello():
    return "world"
{code}

Plain preformatted (no highlighting):

Copy{noformat}
Preserves whitespace, no *formatting* applied
{noformat}

Panels and Quotes

Quote (for citations):

Copybq. Single paragraph quote

{quote}
Multi-paragraph
quoted content
{quote}

Panel (for callouts/notices):

Copy{panel:title=Warning|bgColor=#FFFFCE}
Important message here
{panel}

Breaks

Copy\\              Force line break
----            Horizontal rule
---             Em dash (—)
--              En dash (–)

When to Use What

Common Patterns

Status Update

Copyh3. Status
*Current:* In progress
*Blockers:* None
*Next steps:* Complete testing

h3. Details
Description here...

Bug Description

Copyh3. Steps to Reproduce
# Step one
# Step two
# Step three

h3. Expected vs Actual
||Expected||Actual||
|Should show X|Shows Y|

{code:title=Stack Trace}
Error details here
{code}

Decision Record

Copyh3. Decision
We chose option B.

{panel:title=Rationale}
Explanation of why...
{panel}

h3. Alternatives Considered
* Option A - rejected because...
* Option C - rejected because...

Escaping

Use backslash to show literal characters: \*not bold\* → *not bold*

Additional References

• Complete syntax reference: See references/complete-syntax.md
• Templates: See references/templates.md for meeting notes, feature requests, etc.
• Emoticons: See references/emoticons.md for the full emoticon list