Skills for Jira Configuration UI forbids renaming skills once Skillset fields are created. This limitation is necessary to ensure:

• The ability to query issues by skill requirements in JQL;

• The ability to refer to skills in custom automation outside of Skills for Jira;

• Fast expert matching (i.e. matching task skill requirements with experts - seconds instead of minutes);

• Performance and data consistency by avoiding re-synchroinization of hundreds of thousands of issues on rename;

There are several possible workarounds:

1. Delete and re-create the skill

   This is the simplest approach to use until you have assigned the skill to users.

2. Use a script (Python) https://www.dropbox.com/s/mlsc6ob1r2682db/rename-skill.py?dl=0
   The script updates the skill name, users' expertise and all the scoped issues that list this skill as a requirement.

3. Use Skills for Jira API

   Skill and user expertise management are available via API. You can use it in your own automation

Using https://www.dropbox.com/s/mlsc6ob1r2682db/rename-skill.py?dl=0

Prerequisites:

• Install Python 3

• Download https://www.dropbox.com/s/mlsc6ob1r2682db/rename-skill.py?dl=0

• Download https://www.dropbox.com/s/afiovr3ox4ce08a/requirements.txt?dl=0

• In the script directory run the following command to install the required libraries:

  pip install -r requirements.txt

• Obtain endpoint URLs and credentials to be used by the script:

  • Atlassian Token (instruction)

  • Skills for Jira API token and endpoint URLs: (instruction)

• (Optional) Create a .env file in the script directory and fill in your credentials and endpoint URLs to providing this information on every script run:

  ATLASSIAN_INSTANCE=https://your-instance.atlassian.net/ ATLASSIAN_USERNAME=username@domain.com ATLASSIAN_TOKEN= API_TOKEN= GET_SKILL_ENDPOINT= CREATE_SKILL_ENDPOINT= DELETE_SKILL_ENDPOINT= GET_ALL_USERS_SKILLS_ENDPOINT= BULK_UPDATE_USERS_SKILLS_ENDPOINT= SYNC_SCOPE_JQL=

Executing the script:

python3 rename-skill.py "Old skill name" "New skill name"

Sample output:

Successfully created skill: New skill...
Successfully updated users' expertise...
DEV-7 updated
DEV-4 updated
DEV-3 updated
DEV-1 updated
Successfully deleted skill: Old skill...