Guide · Jira

Jira release approval process: how to record who approved a release and when

Approval Flow for Jira 3.0.0 is the production version (30 October 2026). Last updated 1 November 2026. On the Atlassian Marketplace.

By Bartosz Stankiewicz, founder, Stanki Guild.

"When was this release approved?" It is a simple question and Jira does not answer it. A Jira user asked in December 2025 on r/jira why Jira seems to track nothing about release approvals, and said the lack of it might force them to change platform (the thread). If you are asked the same thing next month, the useful work is done before the release, not after.

The short answer: a Jira version records a release date and a status, not an approver. Keep the approval on a release work item, where the history shows who decided and when, and release the version afterwards. This guide is about the record. Blocking the Release button is a separate problem, covered in Release approval before a Jira version is released.

What Jira records for a version

Atlassian's page for releasing a version says: select the version, then More actions, then Release; "Choose what to do with any unresolved work items, and enter a release date." Two things follow. The date is entered by the person releasing, so it is when they say the release happened. And the release can be taken back: "simply select Unrelease from the More actions menu". Both come from Atlassian's own pages, read on 30 October 2026.

So the version tells you what was released and on which date. It does not tell you who agreed it should be.

The audit log will not fill the gap. Atlassian describes it as "The audit log is intended to record configuration changes that can impact users and spaces." and adds "The audit log isn't intended to record all activity in Jira."

Some sites may show something newer. A Jira user reported in the Atlassian Community that the Create release dialog now has a "Require approvals before moving to Released" option (thread). We have not verified it, our own Free test site does not show it, and we found no Atlassian documentation for it. If your Create release dialog has it, read what it records before deciding the rest of this guide is needed.

A record that answers the question

Model the release as a work item, for example a "Release" work item in a release project, and decide there.

Create one release work item per version, with the version in Fix versions or in the summary so the two are easy to match.
Add a user field "Release approved by" and a date field, or use sign-offs from an app (see below).
Add a workflow transition such as "Go for release". Attach the Field Required validator to it (Project settings, Workflows, edit the workflow, select the transition, add a validator) and show the fields on a transition screen. Atlassian's steps are on its page for requiring a field during a transition: "Choose the Field Required Validator".
Move the work item through "Go for release" first. Only then release the version in Jira.
Save a JQL filter for release work items in the "Go" status. That filter, with the History view of each, is the answer to "when and by whom".

Where this is weak: the field says who is listed, not who agreed, and anyone with edit permission can change it. The History view of the work item shows the edit, which is the reason to use it. Atlassian describes History as "Updates on a work item, like when someone edits a field, moves the work item through its workflow, and more." Check on your own site that an entry shows the person and the time.

And one limit that no setup removes: nothing connects the work item to the Release button. A person with permission can release the version without looking at it. Treat this as a record, not a lock.

What if the release is already done

Then you cannot create the record that was never made. Do not backfill dates to look like they were made at the time. Write down what you do know (the version's release date from Jira, the person who has the permission to release, any e-mail or chat with a link), say it was reconstructed, and start the work item process for the next release.

How our app helps

Approval Flow is our app, so weigh this section accordingly. On the release work item it adds required sign-offs with named approvers (QA, security, product owner), and a validator ("Approval sign-off required") that blocks the "Go for release" transition until each Required sign-off is in. Each sign-off records the signed-in person, the time, and for a rejection a reason, in a hash-chained audit trail you can export as CSV or JSON. Its template library includes a release go or no-go policy. A "Approval status" field on the work item shows for example "2/3 approved", and approval status can be searched in JQL.

The limits: it cannot block the Release button of a Jira version. Atlassian's tracker has the request as JRACLOUD-92893, titled "Add a approvals feature for when releasing versions.", with status "In Progress" and 185 votes when we read it on 30 October 2026, and apps built on Forge, which ours is, have no module for versions. We have not built or tested a sign-off that attaches to a version itself. It is an audit trail, not a legally binding electronic signature.

Free for up to 10 users with every feature, then from USD 0.90 per user per month for the first 100 users. See the documentation and the Approval Flow listing on the Atlassian Marketplace.

Common questions

How do I see who approved a Jira release?

A version does not store it. Record the approval on a release work item and read it from the work item's History or from the sign-off record. If the approval was never recorded in Jira, Jira cannot show it.

Does Jira record who released a version?

Atlassian's release steps ask the person to enter a release date, and the audit log is described as covering configuration changes and not all activity. We did not find a page that says the person who clicked Release is recorded, so check your own site before you rely on it.

Can the release date be changed or undone?

The release date is entered when releasing, and Atlassian documents an Unrelease option in the More actions menu. Treat the date as a statement by whoever released, not as an approval.

Can an app stop a Jira release until it is approved?

Not by blocking the Release button, as far as we found. See the guide on release approval before a version is released.