How to Generate Release Notes from GitHub to Jira with N8n

Workflow > + > GitHub Trigger

Set up GitHub webhook trigger

Configure N8n to listen for GitHub release events. This trigger fires instantly when a new release is published in your repository.

1. 1Click the '+' button to add a new node
2. 2Search for 'GitHub Trigger' and select it
3. 3Set Event to 'release'
4. 4Set Action to 'published'
5. 5Enter your repository owner and name

GitHub > Settings > Webhooks

Add GitHub webhook to repository

Register the N8n webhook URL in your GitHub repository settings. This connects GitHub's release events to your workflow.

1. 1Go to your GitHub repository settings
2. 2Click 'Webhooks' in the left sidebar
3. 3Click 'Add webhook'
4. 4Paste the N8n webhook URL into Payload URL
5. 5Set Content type to 'application/json'
6. 6Select 'Let me select individual events'
7. 7Check only 'Releases' and save

Workflow > + > Code

Extract linked issues from release

Parse the release body to find Jira ticket references. Most teams reference tickets in release notes using patterns like ABC-123 or #123.

1. 1Add a 'Code' node after the GitHub trigger
2. 2Set Mode to 'Run Once for All Items'
3. 3Paste regex extraction code to find ticket patterns
4. 4Configure to extract both Jira keys and GitHub issue numbers

Workflow > + > Item Lists

Split into individual ticket items

Convert the array of ticket IDs into separate workflow items. This lets you process each ticket individually in the next steps.

1. 1Add an 'Item Lists' node
2. 2Set Operation to 'Split Out Items'
3. 3Map the ticket array from the previous Code node
4. 4Set Field Name to 'tickets'

Workflow > + > Jira Software > Credentials

Connect to Jira API

Authenticate with Jira to fetch ticket details and update statuses. You need a Jira API token and your instance URL.

1. 1Add a 'Jira Software' node
2. 2Set Operation to 'Get' under Issue
3. 3Click 'Create New Credential'
4. 4Enter your Jira domain (without /browse/)
5. 5Paste your email and API token
6. 6Test the connection

Jira Software > Get > Issue

Fetch ticket details

Retrieve each ticket's summary, description, and current status from Jira. This data will populate your release notes.

1. 1Set Issue Key to the ticket ID from previous steps
2. 2Add Fields parameter
3. 3Include 'summary', 'description', 'status', and 'assignee'
4. 4Set Simplify to true

Workflow > + > IF

Filter tickets to update

Only update tickets that aren't already Done. This prevents unnecessary API calls and duplicate status changes.

1. 1Add an 'IF' node
2. 2Set Condition to 'String'
3. 3Map Value 1 to the ticket status name
4. 4Set Operation to 'Not Equal'
5. 5Set Value 2 to 'Done'

IF > True > Jira Software > Update

Update ticket status to Done

Transition filtered tickets to Done status in Jira. This marks them as completed as part of the release process.

1. 1Add a 'Jira Software' node to the True branch
2. 2Set Resource to 'Issue' and Operation to 'Changelog'
3. 3Then add another Jira node for 'Update'
4. 4Set Issue Key from the ticket data
5. 5Set Update Fields to Status
6. 6Map Status to 'Done'

Workflow > + > Code

Aggregate ticket data for release notes

Collect all ticket summaries and format them into readable release notes. This combines the individual ticket items back into a single document.

1. 1Add a 'Code' node after all Jira operations complete
2. 2Set Mode to 'Run Once for All Items'
3. 3Write JavaScript to format ticket summaries into markdown
4. 4Include ticket keys, summaries, and assignees
5. 5Sort by ticket priority or creation date

Workflow > + > GitHub > Release > Update

Update GitHub release notes

Push the compiled release notes back to the GitHub release. This creates a complete changelog automatically.

1. 1Add a 'GitHub' node
2. 2Set Resource to 'Release' and Operation to 'Update'
3. 3Map Repository Owner and Repository Name
4. 4Set Release ID from the original trigger data
5. 5Set Body to your formatted release notes

Drop this into an n8n Code node.

// Enhanced regex to catch multiple ticket formats
const ticketPatterns = [
  /[A-Z]{2,}-\d+/g,  // JIRA-123 format

// Enhanced regex to catch multiple ticket formats
const ticketPatterns = [
  /[A-Z]{2,}-\d+/g,  // JIRA-123 format
  /#(\d+)/g,         // #123 GitHub issues
  /\b(\w+-\d+)\b/g  // ABC-456 variations
];
const tickets = [];
ticketPatterns.forEach(pattern => {
  const matches = releaseBody.match(pattern) || [];
  tickets.push(...matches);
});
return [...new Set(tickets)]; // Remove duplicates