Jira transition "Field ... is required" (screen) in CI

Some transitions attach a screen that requires fields, most commonly Resolution when moving to Done. The transition call must supply those fields, or Jira rejects it with a 400 naming the missing field.

What this error means

A transition POST fails with 400 and "errors":{"resolution":"Field 'resolution' is required"}, even though the transition id is correct.

HTTP/1.1 400 Bad Request
{"errorMessages":[],"errors":{"resolution":"Field 'resolution' is required."}}

Common causes

The transition screen requires a field

Moving to a resolved status often forces a Resolution. If the POST omits it, the required-field validator fails the transition.

A mandatory custom field on the transition screen

A workflow admin marked a custom field required on the transition screen, so the transition needs that field supplied too.

How to fix it

Include required fields in the transition body

1. Read which field the 400 names in errors.
2. Add it to the fields object of the transition POST.
3. For Resolution, set it by name (for example "Done" or "Fixed").

curl -sf -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_API_TOKEN" -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"transition":{"id":"31"},"fields":{"resolution":{"name":"Done"}}}' \
  "https://your-domain.atlassian.net/rest/api/3/issue/ABC-123/transitions"

Discover required fields from the transitions API

Request the transition with expanded fields to see exactly which are required before posting.

curl -sf -u "$JIRA_EMAIL:$JIRA_API_TOKEN" \
  "https://your-domain.atlassian.net/rest/api/3/issue/ABC-123/transitions?expand=transitions.fields"

How to prevent it

• Expand transitions.fields to learn required fields before transitioning.
• Always set Resolution when moving issues to a Done status.
• Keep transition screens minimal so CI does not need extra fields.

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