The “Find HubSpot Object and Link” automation rule in HubSpot for Jira lets you automatically locate an existing HubSpot Contact, Company, Deal, or Ticket and link it to a Jira work item – eliminating manual searching and copy-paste between your CRM and project tracker. In this article, we walk through exactly what this rule does, a practical engineering use case, and a complete step-by-step setup guide so you can have both systems referencing each other without any manual effort.
This is Episode 2 of our HubSpot for Jira automation rules series, where we break down each of the seven available automation rules end-to-end.
We cover every detail in our video, including the two-part setup process and field mapping configuration:
What the “Find HubSpot Object and Link” Rule Does
When something happens in Jira, such as a work item being created or a status change – this rule instructs the HubSpot for Jira app to go into HubSpot, search for an existing object, and then link it to the Jira work item that triggered the rule. The supported HubSpot object types include Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Tickets.
The critical keyword here is “existing.” This rule does not create anything new in HubSpot. It locates a record that is already there and connects it to the corresponding Jira work item. Once linked, both sides of the integration know they are related, meaning team members working in either tool can see the connected record without switching platforms.
Breaking Down the Rule Name
“Find” means the object must already exist in HubSpot. If a matching record is not found, the rule will not create one for you – it simply will not establish a link. “Link” means that once the matching record is located, a bidirectional connection between the Jira work item and the HubSpot object is established. From that point forward, the two records reference each other. The entire job of this rule is to locate and then connect.
Real-World Use Case: Bug Fixes Linked to Customer Companies
To make this concrete, consider a common scenario. Your engineering team uses Jira to track bug fixes. When a developer creates a new bug work item and types a customer’s company name into a custom field, this rule can automatically search HubSpot for that company and link the matching company record to the Jira work item.
The result is powerful for cross-team visibility. The account manager opening that company record in HubSpot can immediately see the bug being worked on. Meanwhile, the developer working in Jira can see exactly which customer is affected by the issue they are fixing. This eliminates the need for Slack messages, emails, or manual lookups just to figure out which customer is impacted by a particular bug.
How to Set Up the Rule: Two-Part Process
Setting up this rule involves two parts: first, configuring the rule inside the HubSpot for Jira app, and second, wiring it into Jira Global Automation so it fires automatically.
Part 1: Setup Inside the HubSpot for Jira App
Start by opening the HubSpot for Jira configuration and navigating to the automation screen. From there, follow these steps:
- Create a new automation rule. Click the option to create a new rule.
- Name your rule clearly. Use something descriptive, such as “Link existing HubSpot company on bug creation.” Make a mental note of this exact name – you will need to reference it in Part 2.
- Select the direction. Choose that this is a Jira to HubSpot automation.
- Select the action. Pick “Find HubSpot Object and Link” from the available actions.
- Select the Jira space. Specify which Jira space or project the rule should apply to.
- Choose the HubSpot object type. Decide whether you are searching for a Contact, Company, Deal, or Ticket.
- Set up your field mappings. This step is critical. Field mappings define how the rule finds the right object in HubSpot. For example, you might map the Jira field “customer email” to the HubSpot contact’s email property. This tells the rule exactly what value to use when performing the lookup.
- Save the rule.
The field mapping configuration is the most important part of this setup. It determines the search criteria the rule uses to match a Jira work item to a HubSpot record. If the mapping is incorrect or the data does not match, the rule will not find a record to link.
Part 2: Setup in Jira Global Automation
Now switch over to Jira Global Automation and create a new automation flow. Here is what to do:
- Pick your trigger. Choose the event that should kick off this rule. Common triggers include “work item created” or “status changed.”
- Add an action. From the list of available actions, find “HubSpot CRM for Jira.”
- Choose the specific action. Select “Find HubSpot Object and Link” from the HubSpot CRM for Jira actions.
- Select your rule by name. Pick the specific rule you built in Part 1 using the name you gave it earlier.
- Save and enable your automation.
Once enabled, the automation is fully operational. A trigger fires in Jira, the app searches HubSpot for the matching record based on your field mappings, and links the two records together – all without any manual intervention.
Important Note About the Upcoming Automations Experience
This walkthrough showcases the upcoming HubSpot for Jira Automations experience, which allows you to configure saved automation rules directly in Jira Global Automations without using web request URLs. The automation logic, use cases, and overall setup process remain largely the same as in the current version of the app. The primary difference is that the new experience simplifies configuration by eliminating the need to create and manage web request URLs.
If you are using the current version of the app, some of the steps shown may look different and require web request URLs to achieve the same outcome. For guidance on setting up automations in the current version, refer to the official documentation.
Key Takeaways
- The rule only finds existing records – it does not create new HubSpot objects.
- Field mappings are the core of how the rule matches records between Jira and HubSpot.
- The setup is a two-part process: configure the rule in the HubSpot for Jira app, then wire it into Jira Global Automation.
- Once linked, both the HubSpot user and the Jira user gain immediate visibility into the related record in the other system.
- If you need the rule to create an object when one is not found, the next rule in the series – “Link or Create and Link HubSpot Object” – covers that exact scenario.
HubSpot for Jira is built by resolution Reichert Network Solutions GmbH, a Platinum Atlassian Marketplace Partner. The app keeps your CRM and engineering tracker in sync by linking issues to HubSpot records, pushing data both ways, automating object creation, and giving every team the context they need without leaving their tool. For support, you can reach the team at support@resolution.de.
