Documentation

Design Bridge for Jira — user guide

Install it, connect a design tool once, and keep every ticket tied to the exact design it was written against.

Quick start

You can be up and running in a couple of minutes.

  1. Install Design Bridge for Jira from the Atlassian Marketplace. A Jira admin installs it once for the site.
  2. Open an issue and find the Design panel that Design Bridge adds to the issue view.
  3. Paste a link — a Figma file URL or a Miro board URL — into the panel.
  4. Connect Figma the first time you add a Figma link by approving the one-time consent screen.
  5. Done. The design appears inline. Pin the version and it stays put for the whole team.

You only connect a design tool once per user. After that, any issue you open recognises your connection automatically.

Connecting Figma

Design Bridge uses Figma's official OAuth flow — you never paste a password or token into Jira.

  1. Paste a Figma file link into the Design panel and choose Connect Figma.
  2. A Figma consent screen opens. It asks permission to read the files and comments you already have access to. Approve it.
  3. You're returned to the Jira issue and the design renders inline.

The access token that results is stored securely by Atlassian Forge's encrypted storage and is scoped to your account. Design Bridge only ever reads what your own Figma account can already see — it can't widen your access.

If a teammate can't see a file you added, it's an access issue on the design tool's side — ask the file owner to share it with them, or rely on seat-free viewing (below).

Attaching a design

Open any Jira issue and use the Design panel:

  • Paste a Figma file link or Miro board link. Design Bridge detects the type automatically.
  • The design loads as a live, interactive embed with tabbed views so you can switch between the design and its details without leaving the issue.
  • Embeds are thumbnail-first and lazy-loaded — the issue view stays fast and the full design only loads when someone opens it.

You can attach more than one design to an issue when a ticket spans several screens or boards.

Pinning & change detection

Pinning is the heart of Design Bridge. When you pin, it snapshots the exact version the ticket was written against.

  • Click Pin version in the Design panel. The issue now shows that specific version, even as the design keeps evolving elsewhere.
  • When the source design changes after pinning, a banner appears: "This design has changed since the ticket was written."
  • Anyone with access can review what changed and click Re-pin to latest to move the ticket to the new version deliberately.

Change detection means a developer never silently builds against an outdated mockup. The pin holds until someone chooses to move it.

Comments

Design Bridge pulls Figma comments and shows them beside the design inside the issue.

  • Review feedback lives with the ticket instead of in a separate browser tab.
  • Comments reflect what's on the design your account can access, and refresh when you reopen the panel.
  • This keeps the design conversation and the engineering conversation in one place.

Seat-free viewing, explained

This is what lets your whole team see the design without buying everyone a design seat.

  • When a design is pinned, Design Bridge renders that version server-side as an image.
  • Every teammate — developers, QA, PMs, stakeholders — sees that rendered snapshot directly in the Jira issue.
  • Only the person connecting a design tool needs a seat there. Viewers need nothing beyond their Jira access.

The rendered snapshot is a static image of the pinned version, so viewers always see exactly what was agreed — not whatever the design looks like right now.

Miro boards

Miro boards work the same way as Figma files for the core flow:

  • Paste a Miro board link into the Design panel to embed it in the issue.
  • Pin a board so the ticket references a stable point in the board's history.
  • Figma-specific extras such as inline comments are being extended to Miro in upcoming releases.

Reliability & resetting the connection

If something looks wrong, you can fix it yourself without waiting on support.

  • Reset connection — one click clears and re-establishes your design-tool link. Use it if a token has expired or a design stops loading.
  • Actionable errors — messages tell you what to do next in plain language, not error codes.
  • No infinite spinners — if something can't load, you get a clear state and a retry, not an endless loading indicator.

Pricing & limits

PlanTeam sizePriceWhat's included
Free Up to 10 users $0 1 connected design tool, up to 5 linked issues, unlimited seat-free viewing, pinning & comments
Standard 11–100 users $2.50 / user / month All tools, unlimited linked issues, pinning & change detection, comments, seat-free viewing
Volume Above 100 users ~$1.20 at 500, ~$0.85 at 1,000 Everything in Standard, with discounts applied automatically by tier

Pricing is counted per billable Jira user, the same way Atlassian meters every Marketplace app. Annual billing is 10× the monthly rate — two months free. Billing runs entirely through the Atlassian Marketplace on your existing invoice.

Troubleshooting

The messages Design Bridge shows are written to be self-explanatory. Here's what the common ones mean.

What you seeWhat it means & what to do
"Your Figma account can't see this file — ask the owner to share it." Your connected Figma account doesn't have access to that specific file. Ask the file owner to share it with you, or view the pinned snapshot without editing access.
"Your connection expired — reset it to reconnect." The stored token is no longer valid. Click Reset connection and re-approve the consent screen.
"This design has changed since the ticket was written." Not an error — the pinned version differs from the current design. Review it and Re-pin to latest when you're ready.
"That link isn't a Figma file or Miro board we recognise." The URL isn't a supported design link. Paste the file/board URL from Figma or Miro directly, not a share page or export link.
"You've reached the Free plan's 5 linked issues." Free allows up to 5 linked issues. Upgrade to Standard for unlimited linked issues.

Privacy & data handling

Design Bridge stores metadata only — never a copy of your full design.

  • Stored: the design link you add, the pinned version reference, a rendered snapshot image URL, and your design-tool OAuth token (held securely by Atlassian Forge).
  • Not stored: your full Figma file or Miro board, any PII beyond your Atlassian/Figma profile handle, and no analytics on your design content.
  • Where: Atlassian Forge infrastructure and its Key-Value Store, inheriting Atlassian's data-residency options.

Read the full Privacy Policy for collection, retention and deletion details.

Getting support

Need a hand? We're quick to respond.