Your dev team lives in Jira. Your WordPress clients don't even know what Jira is. Bugs get reported via email, lost in threads, and manually copied into Jira tickets—losing context in the process.
You need a bridge: clients submit bugs easily, issues appear in Jira automatically with full context, your team works in their familiar environment.
Here's how to set up proper bug tracking that integrates with Jira for WordPress agencies.
The Problem with Manual Jira Entry
Current workflow for most WordPress agencies:
- Client emails: "The contact form isn't working"
- You ask 5 follow-up questions (which page? what error? what browser?)
- Client responds with vague answers
- You manually create Jira ticket with incomplete information
- Developer can't reproduce the issue
- More back-and-forth with client
- Finally fix the bug 3 days later
Time wasted: 45+ minutes per bug on average
Problems:
- ❌ Context lost in email → Jira transfer
- ❌ No screenshots or videos in Jira
- ❌ Multiple clients' bugs mixed in one Jira project
- ❌ Clients never see progress (they're not in Jira)
- ❌ Manual data entry takes time and introduces errors
You need a bug tracker that feeds directly into Jira.
What Makes a Good Jira-Integrated Bug Tracker?
For WordPress agencies specifically, you need:
1. Automatic Jira issue creation Client submits bug → Jira ticket created instantly with full context. No copy/paste.
2. Client-to-project mapping ACME Corp's bugs → ACME Jira project. TechCo's bugs → TechCo Jira project. Automatically.
3. Video or visual context WordPress site owners can't describe technical issues. You need to see what happened.
4. Two-way status sync Developer marks "In Progress" in Jira → Client sees "In Progress" in their portal.
5. No WordPress plugin required Every plugin is a security risk. External bug trackers keep client sites clean.
6. Simple for non-technical clients Your clients run bakeries and law firms. They don't understand Jira workflows.
Solution: Lantern + Jira Integration
Lantern is a bug tracker built specifically for agencies managing WordPress client sites, with native Jira integration designed for multi-client workflows.
How it works:
- Client submits bug → Records 30-second Loom video in their portal
- Lantern creates Jira ticket → Auto-creates in correct project with video embedded
- Developer works in Jira → Familiar environment, full context
- Status syncs back → Client sees progress without accessing Jira
- Bug resolved → Client gets notification automatically
Result: Client communication is easy. Developer workflow is efficient. Nothing falls through the cracks.
Step-by-Step: Setting Up Lantern with Jira
Step 1: Connect Jira to Lantern
What you need:
- Jira Cloud account (e.g.,
yourcompany.atlassian.net) - Jira admin access
- 5 minutes
Setup process:
- Log into Lantern → Settings → Integrations
- Click "Connect Jira"
- Enter your Jira details:
- Jira site URL:
https://yourcompany.atlassian.net - Email: Your Jira admin email
- API token: Generate at id.atlassian.com
- Jira site URL:
- Click "Test Connection"
- Lantern fetches your Jira projects automatically
Security note: Lantern encrypts your API token. It's only used to create issues on your behalf.
Step 2: Map Clients to Jira Projects
This is the magic for agencies. Instead of all bugs going to one messy Jira project, you route each client to their own project.
Organization-level default:
- Settings → Jira Integration
- Select default project: "Client Bugs" (or whatever you use)
- Select default issue type: "Bug"
- Enable "Auto-create Jira issues"
Client-level overrides (recommended for agencies):
- Go to specific client → Settings → Jira
- Check "Override organization defaults"
- Select client-specific project: "ACME Website"
- Select issue type: "Bug" (or "Task" if preferred)
- Save
Example setup for WordPress agency:
| Client | Jira Project | Auto-create |
|---|---|---|
| ACME Corp | ACME-WEBSITE (ACME) | ✅ |
| TechStartup | TECH-SUPPORT (TECH) | ✅ |
| Local Bakery | BAKERY-SITE (BAKE) | ✅ |
| Law Firm | LAW-WP (LAW) | ✅ |
Now when ACME's website has a bug, it automatically goes to the ACME-WEBSITE project. TechStartup's bugs go to TECH-SUPPORT. No manual sorting.
Step 3: Give Clients Their Portal Links
Each WordPress client gets a unique portal link. They bookmark it and use it whenever they find a bug.
How to send portal links:
- In Lantern → Clients → Select client → Copy portal link
- Email template:
Hi [Client],
We've set up a better way to report bugs on your WordPress site.
Your bug portal: https://lanternhq.app/portal/acme-corp-xyz123
Bookmark this link. When you find an issue:
1. Click "Report Bug"
2. Record a quick video showing what's wrong (30 seconds)
3. Add a title and description
4. Submit
We'll get notifications immediately and you'll see progress as we work on it.
Questions? Just reply to this email.
- [Your Agency]
Client experience:
- No account creation required
- No password to remember
- Works on any browser
- Mobile-friendly (though video recording works best on desktop)
Step 4: Client Submits First Bug
Client workflow:
- Client visits their portal:
https://lanternhq.app/portal/acme-corp-xyz123 - Clicks "Report Bug"
- Clicks "Record Video" (opens Loom)
- Records screen showing the WordPress issue (30 seconds)
- Video auto-embeds in the bug report
- Adds title: "Contact form not sending emails"
- Adds description: "I filled out the form but never got a confirmation email"
- Clicks "Submit"
What happens automatically:
- Lantern receives bug with video, title, description
- Jira ticket created in client's project (e.g., ACME-WEBSITE)
- Jira description includes:
- Title: "Contact form not sending emails"
- Description from client
- 🎥 Video link: [Embedded Loom URL]
- 📊 Technical details: Browser (visible in video), Device, Page URL
- 🔗 Link back to Lantern: "View in Lantern →"
- Team notification via Slack/email/Jira notifications
- Bug appears in Lantern dashboard for your team to track
Time from client submission to Jira ticket: ~2 seconds
Step 5: Developer Works in Jira
Your WordPress developer doesn't need to learn a new tool. They work in Jira like always.
Developer sees in Jira:
Title: Contact form not sending emails
Project: ACME-WEBSITE (ACME-123)
Type: Bug
Priority: High
Status: To Do
Description:
I filled out the form but never got a confirmation email.
🎥 Video walkthrough:
[Loom video embedded showing client filling out form on WordPress site]
📊 Technical Details:
- Browser: Chrome 120
- Device: Desktop
- Page: https://acmecorp.com/contact
🔗 View in Lantern: https://lanternhq.app/bugs/abc123
Labels: lantern, client-feedback, client:acme-corp
Developer watches video, sees:
- Client on WordPress contact form
- Fills out all fields correctly
- Clicks "Submit"
- Gets success message (so form submission works)
- Never receives email (so it's an email delivery issue, not form submission)
Developer can immediately investigate:
- Check WordPress SMTP settings
- Test email delivery
- Check spam filters
- Review WP Mail SMTP logs
No follow-up questions needed. The video showed everything.
Step 6: Developer Updates Status in Jira
Developer works on the bug in Jira (familiar workflow):
- Assigns to themselves: "John Smith"
- Moves to "In Progress"
- Fixes the issue (SMTP configuration)
- Moves to "Resolved"
- Adds comment: "Fixed SMTP settings, tested form, emails now working"
What happens automatically:
- Status syncs from Jira → Lantern
- Client sees status change in their portal: "In Progress" → "Resolved"
- Client gets notification: "Your bug has been resolved"
Client experience:
- Submitted bug via video (easy)
- Saw status updates automatically (transparent)
- Got notification when fixed (closure)
- Never touched Jira (too complex for them)
Real Workflow Example: WordPress Plugin Conflict
Scenario: Client reports "The homepage is broken"
Step 1: Client Submission (2 minutes)
- Opens Lantern portal
- Records video: Shows WordPress homepage with broken layout, sections overlapping, sidebar missing
- Title: "Homepage layout is broken"
- Description: "Everything looks wrong since yesterday"
- Submits
Step 2: Automatic Jira Creation (instant)
- Jira ticket ACME-124 created in ACME-WEBSITE project
- Video embedded in description
- Developer assigned automatically (based on Jira project settings)
- Notification sent to dev team Slack
Step 3: Developer Investigation (15 minutes)
- Watches video, sees broken layout
- Notices it's a CSS/JavaScript issue
- Checks recently updated plugins (WordPress admin)
- Finds plugin conflict (WooCommerce + Page Builder)
- Rolls back plugin update temporarily
Step 4: Developer Updates Jira (2 minutes)
- Status: "In Progress" → "Resolved"
- Comment: "Plugin conflict with recent WooCommerce update. Rolled back temporarily, contacted plugin author for fix."
- Links related Jira issue: "Track permanent fix in ACME-125"
Step 5: Client Notification (automatic)
- Client gets email: "Homepage layout is broken - Resolved"
- Opens portal, sees resolution comment
- Checks website, layout fixed
- Marks as satisfied
Total time: 19 minutes from report to resolution
Old workflow (email-based):
- Client emails: "Homepage is broken" (vague)
- Back-and-forth: "Can you send a screenshot?" "What browser?" "When did it break?"
- 3-5 emails over 6 hours
- Developer finally gets enough info to debug
- Fixes issue
- Manually emails client: "Fixed"
- Total time: 2 days
Time saved: 99% faster with video + Jira integration
Advanced Jira Integration Features
Custom Field Mapping
Map Lantern bug fields to Jira custom fields:
Use case: Track bug source in Jira reports
- Lantern → Settings → Jira → Advanced
- Map field: "Source" → Jira custom field "Bug Origin"
- Set value: "Client Portal"
Now all Lantern bugs in Jira have "Bug Origin: Client Portal"
Priority Mapping
Automatically set Jira priority based on Lantern priority:
| Lantern Priority | Jira Priority |
|---|---|
| Critical | Highest |
| High | High |
| Medium | Medium |
| Low | Low |
Set in Lantern → Settings → Jira → Priority Mapping
Assignee Rules
Option 1: Jira default assignee
- Use Jira project settings
- Issues auto-assign based on project rules
Option 2: Client-specific assignee
- Lantern → Client Settings → Jira
- Set default assignee: "John Smith"
- All bugs from this client go to John
Option 3: Manual assignment
- Leave unassigned
- Team lead assigns during daily triage
Labels and Tags
Lantern automatically adds labels to Jira issues:
Default labels:
lantern(so you know it came from Lantern)client-feedback(distinguishes from internal bugs)client:acme-corp(client identifier)
Custom labels: Add in Lantern → Settings → Jira → Labels
Example: Add wordpress label to all issues so you can filter WordPress bugs in Jira reports.
Handling WordPress-Specific Scenarios
Scenario 1: Plugin Update Broke Site
Client report: Video shows: "After updating plugins, checkout page shows white screen"
Jira ticket includes:
- Video of white screen
- URL:
/checkout - Browser info
- Client description
Developer action:
- Watches video
- Checks WordPress error logs
- Identifies plugin causing fatal error
- Rolls back plugin
- Tests checkout works
- Documents which plugin caused issue
- Marks resolved in Jira
Status syncs to Lantern → Client notified
Scenario 2: Theme Customization Request (Not a Bug)
Client report: Video shows: "Can we make the header blue instead of red?"
This isn't a bug, it's a feature request.
Team lead action:
- Reviews in Lantern
- Closes in Lantern: "This is a design change, not a bug. I'll send you a quote for customization work."
- Does NOT create Jira ticket (it's a sales conversation)
- Follows up with client via email
Lantern helps filter: Not everything clients report needs to be in Jira. Lantern gives you a staging area to triage.
Scenario 3: Hosting/Server Issue
Client report: Video shows: "Site is loading really slowly, sometimes times out"
Jira ticket created automatically
Developer investigation:
- Watches video
- Checks server metrics (not WordPress-specific)
- Identifies hosting issue (server overloaded)
- Contacts hosting provider
- Updates Jira: "External dependency - hosting team investigating"
- Adds due date: 2 days (based on hosting SLA)
Client sees: "In Progress" with comment about hosting team
Lantern provides transparency even when the fix is outside your control.
WordPress Agency Jira Best Practices
1. Separate Jira Projects Per Client
Don't do this:
- One project: "All Client Bugs"
- Issues: CLIENT-1, CLIENT-2, CLIENT-3... for all clients mixed together
Do this:
- Separate projects: ACME-WEBSITE, TECH-SUPPORT, BAKERY-SITE
- Issues: ACME-1, ACME-2 (all ACME bugs together)
Why:
- Easier reporting per client
- Cleaner board views
- Better permission management (client-specific access if needed)
Lantern handles this: Client-to-project mapping routes automatically
2. Use Jira Workflows for Client Communication
Example workflow:
To Do → In Progress → Code Review → Testing → Client Review → Resolved
Client sees in Lantern:
- "To Do" → "Submitted"
- "In Progress" → "In Progress"
- "Code Review / Testing" → "In Progress"
- "Client Review" → "Ready for Review"
- "Resolved" → "Resolved"
Lantern simplifies Jira's complex statuses for clients.
3. Track Time in Jira, Bill from Lantern Analytics
In Jira:
- Developers log time on issues
- Track hours per client project
In Lantern:
- View analytics: "Client ACME had 12 bugs this month"
- View response times: "Average response time: 2.4 hours"
- View resolution times: "Average resolution: 1.3 days"
For billing:
- Jira time logs → hours spent
- Lantern analytics → bug volume trends
Combine both for comprehensive client reporting.
Common Questions
Q: Do clients need Jira accounts?
No. Clients use Lantern portal (no account needed). Your team works in Jira. Clients never see Jira.
Q: What if my client insists on emailing bugs?
Redirect them: "Please submit through the portal so it doesn't get lost in email. Here's your link: [portal URL]"
After 1-2 times, they adapt. Seeing instant progress in the portal incentivizes them to use it.
Q: Can I manually create Jira tickets from Lantern?
Yes. If auto-create is disabled, there's a "Create Jira Issue" button on each bug. Useful for triaging before sending to Jira.
Q: Does this work with Jira Server or Data Center?
Currently Lantern supports Jira Cloud only. Jira Server/Data Center support planned for Q2 2026.
Q: What if a bug gets fixed in Jira but client says it's still broken?
Client can reopen the bug in Lantern. You get a notification. Investigate further. Maybe it's a caching issue or different browser.
Q: Can I connect multiple Jira accounts?
Currently one Jira account per Lantern organization. For agencies managing completely separate Jira instances, use separate Lantern organizations.
Q: What happens if Jira is down?
Bugs still submitted to Lantern successfully. Jira creation queued and retries automatically when Jira is back up. You don't lose bug reports.
Q: Do I need a WordPress plugin?
No. Lantern is external to WordPress. Clients submit bugs via portal link, not a widget on their WordPress site. This keeps their site clean and fast.
Pricing: Lantern + Jira
Lantern pricing:
- Individual: $15.50/mo (~$15.50) - 1 user, 5 clients, Jira integration included
- Team: $40/mo (~$40) - Unlimited users and clients, Jira integration included
Jira pricing:
- Free: Up to 10 users
- Standard: $8.15/user/month
- Premium: $16/user/month
Example: 5-person WordPress agency managing 15 clients:
- Lantern Team: $40/mo (~$40)
- Jira Standard (5 users): $40.75/mo
- Total: ~$79/mo for complete issue tracking + Jira integration
Alternative: Using Jira alone for clients:
- Jira Standard (5 team + 15 client users): $163/mo
- Plus: Confusing for clients, training overhead, no video bug reports
- Lantern + Jira is cheaper AND better client experience
Getting Started Checklist
Ready to set up bug tracking with Jira integration? Here's your checklist:
Week 1: Setup (2 hours)
- Sign up for Lantern: lanternhq.app/signup
- Connect Jira (5 minutes)
- Create Jira projects for each client (if not already done)
- Map clients to Jira projects in Lantern
- Test: Submit a bug, verify it appears in Jira
Week 2: Rollout (3 hours)
- Email clients their portal links
- Suggest they bookmark the link
- When first bug comes in via email, redirect to portal
- Celebrate when first video bug appears in Jira automatically
Week 3: Optimize (1 hour)
- Review Lantern analytics: Are clients using it?
- Adjust priority mappings if needed
- Set up assignee rules per client
- Train team on new workflow
Week 4: Scale
- All client bugs now coming through Lantern → Jira
- Email bug reports are rare
- Team is faster (video context + Jira)
- Clients are happier (see progress automatically)
Real Agency Results
8-person WordPress agency, 23 client sites:
Before (Email + Manual Jira):
- ~200 bugs/month via email
- 45 minutes average to understand and log each bug
- 150 hours/month on bug triage and Jira data entry
- Clients frustrated ("did you see my email?")
- Bugs mixed across one Jira project (messy)
After (Lantern + Jira Integration):
- ~200 bugs/month via Lantern portal
- 5 minutes average per bug (watch video, assign)
- 17 hours/month on bug triage
- Clients happy (see progress in real-time)
- Bugs organized per client in separate Jira projects
Results:
- Saved 133 hours/month (88% reduction in triage time)
- Improved client satisfaction (transparent progress)
- Better Jira organization (client-specific projects)
- Cost: $40/mo (pays for itself in 15 minutes of saved time)
Conclusion
You don't need to choose between client-friendly bug reporting and Jira workflows. Lantern bridges the gap:
Clients experience:
- Simple portal (no Jira complexity)
- Video bug reports (no struggling to describe issues)
- Automatic progress updates (no "did you see my email?")
Your team experience:
- Works in Jira (familiar tools)
- Full context from videos (faster debugging)
- Organized by client (clean project structure)
- Automatic ticket creation (no manual data entry)
For WordPress agencies serious about client communication and internal efficiency, Lantern + Jira integration is the solution.
No credit card required. Connect Jira in 5 minutes. See bugs flowing automatically.
Last updated: January 2026
Questions about Jira integration? Email hello@lanternhq.app or check our Jira setup guide.
Simple bug tracking for agencies. No credit card required.