berkly

Guide · Jira Cloud

Export and import Jira Cloud workflows

On Data Center you exported workflow XML. On Cloud, company-managed workflows stay inside the site — there is still no built-in export/import between sites. Here is a workflow-only path: portable JSON, validate first, import when Ready, keep a restore snapshot.

Try Easy Workflows free

30-day trial · Free for teams ≤10 · then about USD 2/user/mo

Related: sandbox → prod move Related: rollback after bad import Related: Standard plan (no Premium deploy) Related: vs Workflow Wizard Easy Workflows app page

01 — The gap

Why “export workflow” still fails on Cloud

Admins search for export/import because they need to promote a tuned company-managed workflow to another site, recover after a bad edit, or rebuild from a known-good definition. Native Cloud admin screens let you copy a workflow on the same site, but they do not give you a portable file you can take to another Cloud site the way DC XML did. Full configuration-manager suites can move more than workflows — when you only need the workflow slice, that is often more tool than the job.

02 — What buyers usually want

Export → scan → validate → import → restore

  1. Export a company-managed workflow (or scheme) as portable JSON you can download or hand to another site.
  2. Scan for statuses, custom fields, and third-party validators/conditions/post-functions that will not survive the move.
  3. Validate on the target in read-only mode — see create/update/reuse plan and blocking errors before anything writes.
  4. Import only when the verdict is Ready.
  5. Snapshot / restore so a bad import does not strand production — daily and manual backups, with one-click restore.

03 — Same site vs cross-site

Use native Copy when you stay on one site

Same Cloud site: Admin → Issues → Workflows → Copy, then copy or adjust the workflow scheme and associate it so you do not edit a shared workflow in place. Cross-site export/import, backup before a risky edit, or validate-before-write on a target site is where a workflow-only Forge app fits.

04 — Quick compare

Native copy vs full CM suites vs workflow-only

  • Native Copy — fine on the same Cloud site. No portable file for sandbox → prod.
  • Full configuration-manager suites — move screens, fields, and many scheme types. Powerful, but often more than you need when the job is “just the workflow.”
  • Easy Workflows (Forge) — workflow-only export/import with validate-before-write, snapshots, and restore. Free for teams ≤10, 30-day trial, then about USD 2/user/mo.

05 — Tooling

Easy Workflows for Jira

Easy Workflows for Jira is a Forge app built for that export/import and backup path. Definitions, snapshots, and history stay in your site on Atlassian infrastructure. It is not a full Configuration Manager replacement for screens, fields, and every scheme type.

Marketplace listing: Easy Workflows for Jira. Related guide: sandbox → production move. Support: info@berkly.nl.

Try free on Marketplace