How to configure Jira for Mermix
Mermix is only as good as the data it reads from Jira. This guide covers what to connect and which fields to fill in so Mermix can place work on the calendar automatically — instead of dropping everything into the backlog for you to schedule by hand.
Connecting Jira
Mermix connects to Jira Cloud using Atlassian's official OAuth flow. In Settings → Jira (or the setup wizard on first login), click Connect with Atlassian, log in, and approve access. Mermix never sees or stores your Atlassian password, and you can disconnect at any time from the same screen.
One person — an Atlassian admin — connects Jira for the whole workspace. Everyone else just uses Mermix.
Choosing what to sync
Projects. Pick the Jira projects you actually plan in. The setup wizard keeps this to three to get you started quickly; add or remove projects any time in Settings → Jira or by grouping them into Portfolios. There's no limit on the number of projects on any plan.
Issue types. Choose which issue types Mermix should plan — Story, Bug, and Task are the usual set and are selected by default. A few notes:
- Epics are treated as containers, not scheduled work. Mermix uses them to group and label issues, never as a bar on the calendar.
- Sub-tasks are available but off by default — turn them on only if you schedule at sub-task granularity.
The four signals that put work on the calendar
For every issue, Mermix reads four things from Jira. The more of them you fill in, the smarter the placement:
| Signal | Jira field | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Assignee | Assignee | Decides whose row the work goes on. No assignee → the issue waits in the backlog. |
| Estimate | Original estimate (time tracking) | Lets Mermix size the bar and sequence work back-to-back. |
| Due date | Due date | Anchors the deadline; Mermix works backwards from it using the estimate. |
| Start date | A custom date field (Mermix sets this up — see below) | Anchors the start; Mermix works forwards from it. |
The single biggest thing you can do: assign issues and give them an estimate. An assigned issue with an estimate always lands on the calendar, sequenced after that person's other work — even with no dates at all. The exact rules are in How Mermix schedules your Jira issues.
The start-date field (Mermix sets this up for you)
Jira has a standard Due date field but no standard Start date field, so Mermix uses a custom date field for it. During onboarding, if that field is missing, the wizard offers to create it in Jira for you in one click (you'll need Jira admin rights, or you can hand the one-line instruction to whoever does).
If your Jira already has a start-date field you'd rather use, map it yourself in Settings → Jira → Field Mappings. The same screen lets advanced users map their own fields for actual start/end dates — otherwise Mermix derives progress automatically from each issue's Jira status history, so you don't have to maintain anything extra.
Getting the most out of Mermix
A quick checklist that pays off immediately:
- Assign your issues. Unassigned work can't be placed on anyone's calendar.
- Add estimates. Even a rough Original estimate lets Mermix size and sequence work.
- Set due dates where they matter — Mermix schedules backwards from them so deadlines are respected.
- Use sprints. Mermix reads Jira sprints, shows sprint badges on the backlog, and can draw sprint boundaries on the calendar.
- Set each person's country in Settings → Resources so Mermix skips the right public holidays when it calculates capacity and working days.
Keeping Jira and Mermix in sync
Syncing is manual and on-demand — click Pull from Jira whenever you want the latest. Mermix shows you exactly what changed before anything is applied, and your local planning tweaks are never silently overwritten. When you want your Mermix changes to flow the other way, see Pushing your plan back to Jira.
Completed issues are handled quietly: work that's Done in Jira is marked complete in Mermix and never clutters your active plan.