How to update a multi-user field from multiple Assets in a branch using Jira Automation?

[Kurtis]

What My Automation Is Trying to Do

I'm working on a Jira Automation rule to automatically update a User Picker (multi-user) field based on the results of linked Assets objects.

Context:

• I have an Assets field on my issue called Location (customfield_10871). It's a multi-object field — meaning multiple Assets (Locations) can be selected.

• Each Location object contains a user attribute (Approver) that links to one or more Jira users — these are the people I want to add to a Jira user picker field (customfield_10896, for example, called “FSQA Managers”).

---

What the Automation Does

• The rule uses a “For each object” branch to iterate over each Location in the issue's Assets field.

• Inside the branch:

  • I run a lookupObjects action to get the matching record from Assets (e.g., objectType = "FSQA Managers" AND Name = "{{locations}}")

  • I create a variable (e.g., FSQAmanagers) and append the users returned from lookupObjects.Approver.accountId

  • I use an Edit issue action with JSON that splits the variable and tries to add each user to the multi-user field

---

Problem I'm Running Into

• The variable I build (FSQAmanagers) contains multiple users — confirmed via logging.

• However, only one user gets added to the field per rule execution.

• If I manually re-trigger the rule, it adds another user from the same list.

• My JSON uses split(",") with a loop to add each accountId, and I’m using the correct update structure — but still, only one user is added per run.

---

What I Suspect (but need help confirming)

• I believe the issue is caused by scoping or execution order within the branch:

  • Each iteration of the “for each object” branch seems to create its own variable version

  • The edit issue action inside the branch may be firing before the variable is fully built, or it’s only seeing part of the data

  • Because Jira doesn’t allow variables created in a branch to be used outside of it, I can't do the update after the loop finishes

---

What I Need Help With

1. Is there a way to reliably accumulate users from multiple Assets objects inside a branch, and then add them all at once to a multi-user field?

2. Is it possible to restructure this rule without using variables, perhaps by updating the field directly from lookupObjects inside each branch iteration?

3. Is the observed behavior — only one user added per execution — expected with variables inside branches?

[Kurtis · Accepted solution]

Solution

• The cause was the field used to pick the location was a regular multi select field when it should have been an asset field.
• I also simplified the asset structure to look like the following:
  • Approver Lists
    • Locations
      • “Location”
        • FSQA Approvers (people objects listed)
        • Location Approvers (People objects listed)
• I created a new Asset field and linked it to the locations.
• The automation was adjusted to pull the people objects from the listed locations and insert them into the respective fields, including participants.

This updates each approver field:

{
"fields": {
"customfield_10896": {{issue.customfield_10929."FSQA Approver".flatten.asJsonObjectArray("id")}},
"customfield_10897": {{issue.customfield_10929."Location Approver".flatten.asJsonObjectArray("id")}}
}
}

This updates the participants:

{
"fields": {
"customfield_10032": [
{{#allParticipants.split(",").distinct}}
{"id": "{{.}}"}
{{^last}},{{/last}}
{{/allParticipants.split(",").distinct}}
]
}
}

[Kurtis]

Here are screenshots showing the automation, the JSON, and the log. 

I have been hammering at this for a while now, so I don't really know what revision of the JSON I'm on and how far off or close it is to the actual solution. 

[Marc - Devoteam]

HI @Kurtis 

Could you if you provide:

1. images that show your complete rule.

2. images showing the details of any relevant actions/conditions/branches.

3. images showing the Audit Log details for the rule execution.

These questions are not for not willing to help, but to have community members understand on how automation works.

[Kurtis]

Done - Thank you

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Kurtis 

You could try the following, in the edit action:

{
   "update": {
         "customfield_10896": [ {{FSQAmanagers.flatten.asJsonObjectArray("id")}}
              ]
       }
}

I got this info from KB; https://support.atlassian.com/jira/kb/how-to-auto-populate-approvers-from-asset-objects-attributes-using-automation-in-assets/ 

[Kurtis]

Thank you, but this was unsuccessful. Please see the error in the log screenshot. 

[Marc - Devoteam]

HI @Kurtis 

Based on the action you want, replace the word update with set or add.

[Kurtis]

This removed the error, but it doesn't populate the field.

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Kurtis 

What If you don't create a variable, but just edit the field after the lookup?

smart value in the edit action in the advanced json:

{
  "fields": {                        "customfield_10896": {{llookupObjects.Approver.accountId.flatten.asJsonObjectArray("id")
   }
}

[Kurtis]

It will not accept that JSON in the automation. It says, An unknown error occurred. Please reload and try again.

I also tried: 

{
"fields": {
"customfield_10896": [ {{llookupObjects.Approver.accountId.flatten.asJsonObjectArray("id")}}
]
}
}

This is accepted but doesn't do anything. It can't find the objects unless I use a branch. 

For more context., I'm adding images showing the fields I'm working with.

• The location field has the potential to include multiple locations.
• Each location has a different person assigned to it in the object and there are two different schemas in the tree, one for Location Managers and the other for FSQA Managers. Each tree lists the same locations but different people for each. 
• I originally used a branch because I had to look at each location in the "Production Location" field and grab the respective user from that asset object for each tree. 
• I was doing this in 2 different branches, one for Location and the other for FSQA. This way I could simplify the JSON and avoid complications/errors. 
• Everything works great until it's time to add the list of users to the Multiuser Select custom fields. It hits the first user in the variable I create and then stops processing the others. 
• If I leave that user or remove them from the custom field and run the automation again, it adds the second person in the variable. This is very odd because this occurs no matter if clear the custom field or not. I would think that if I clear the custom field, it will at least just add the same person again. 

[Marc - Devoteam]

Hi @Kurtis 

So based on your setup in assets, this will happen, as you explain.

To use the options collected in the variable, you would need to branch again based on splitting the found options, but that is not an option in a branch.

[Kurtis]

Is there anything I can do to adjust my config to accommodate my needs? 

[Bill Sheboy]

Hi @Kurtis and @Marc - Devoteam 

Marc, did you notice there was a typo in your suggestion where there are two "l" characters at the start of lookupObjects?

Next, in my experience dynamic JSON expressions can have timing problems when used directly in the Edit Work Item action.  That is, they are not fully evaluated before processing.  The workaround to determine if that is the cause is first create that entire JSON expression in a Created Variable, perhaps named varJson, and then use that in the Edit Work Item action as the JSON as {{varJson}}

Kind regards,
Bill

[Kurtis]

I fixed my issue. 

I needed to be using a custom object field. Once I did that, I was able to greatly simplify the automation and use the following. 

{
"fields": {
"customfield_10896": {{issue.customfield_10929."FSQA Approver".flatten.asJsonObjectArray("id")}},
"customfield_10897": {{issue.customfield_10929."Location Approver".flatten.asJsonObjectArray("id")}}
}
}