Keepclock documentation (public knowledge base source)
Get started (5 minutes)
- Create a field per SLA (recommended). Jira settings > Work items > Fields > Create new field > Keepclock SLA. Name it like the SLA ("Time to resolution"), pick the projects and work types in its context, and add it to your work item layouts. Skip this if you only want the panel and reports.
- Set your hours. Jira settings > Apps > Keepclock > Calendars. Edit "Business hours":
time zone, working hours per day (split a day with commas for a lunch break:
9:00-12:00, 13:00-18:00), and holidays (one per line, add(yearly)for repeating dates). - Create the SLA. SLAs tab > pick a template > New SLA. Set:
- Applies to (JQL): for example
project in (WEB, OPS) AND type = Bug. Empty = every work item. - Show in field: the field from step 1.
- Start, pause and stop conditions (see below).
- Goals: the first goal whose JQL matches wins. Leave the last goal's JQL empty to cover
everything else. Times like
4h,40h,90mor4h 30m, in working time. - Warn before the deadline and who gets the at-risk and breach emails.
- Apply to existing work items: clocks are rebuilt from history for work items updated in the period you pick. No emails are sent for past breaches.
- Applies to (JQL): for example
- Open a work item: the SLA timers panel shows the clock. Apps > SLA reports shows compliance.
Conditions
| Start or stop when | Fires when |
|---|---|
| Work item created | The work item is created (start only) |
| Enters status / Leaves status | The status changes into / out of one of the picked statuses |
| Enters status category | The status changes into To Do, In Progress or Done from another category |
| Resolution set / cleared | A resolution is set / removed (reopened) |
| Assignee set / changed | The first assignee is set / the assignee changes |
| Field changes | The picked field changes value |
A start condition opens a new cycle when no cycle is running. A stop condition ends the running cycle. Reopened work items get a new cycle; the field and panel show the latest one, the report counts every completed cycle.
Pause (any one pauses): while in a status, while in a status category, while unassigned.
Searching with JQL
Each Keepclock field has these properties:
| Property | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| State | Running, Paused, Met, Missed, Overdue | "Time to resolution".State = Overdue |
| Breached | true / false (Missed or Overdue) | "Time to resolution".Breached = true |
| Due | date and time (running clocks only) | "Time to resolution".Due < "4h" |
| Goal, Elapsed, Remaining | minutes | "Time to resolution".Remaining < 60 |
| Cycles | number | "Time to resolution".Cycles > 1 |
Elapsed and Remaining are refreshed at least hourly for running clocks, and on every change; Due and State are always exact (the scheduler flips State at the deadline, within 5 minutes).
Reports and dashboards
- Apps > SLA reports: pick the SLA, period and project. Met % counts completed cycles that stopped in the period (stopping exactly at the goal counts as met). Median and 90th percentile are working time. Lists show overdue and at-risk work right now and recent misses. Export CSV opens the period's completed cycles as CSV text to copy.
- Dashboards: on a new Jira dashboard, add the widget SLA compliance (Keepclock) and pick the SLA, period and project, then save the dashboard's widget settings. Classic dashboards have the same gadget with the same settings for now.
- Classic dashboards end on 17 May 2027. Atlassian is removing classic dashboard gadgets on that date, and the Keepclock gadget stops showing on classic dashboards then. Before that date, add the widget to a new Jira dashboard and pick the same SLA, period and project.
- Everyone sees only projects and work items they can browse.
Emails
At-risk emails go when a running clock reaches its warning time; breach emails when it passes the deadline. Each goes once per cycle, through Jira's own notifications, only to people who can see the work item. Turn all emails off under Settings.
Good to know
- Keepclock works in company-managed and team-managed software and business projects. It does not replace SLAs inside Jira Service Management service spaces.
- Time counts from each work item's history, so imported work items start at their import.
- Changing a calendar or SLA affects new calculations; use Recalculate to rebuild existing clocks.
- Deleting an SLA deletes its stored cycles. Uninstalling removes all Keepclock data (fields come back with their values if you reinstall within 30 days).