Inspiration
We noticed teams struggling with a common dilemma: needing to track personal observations and follow-ups on Jira issues without cluttering the public activity stream. Private Notes bridges this gap, giving individuals their own workspace within every issue.
What it does
Private Notes adds a personal notebook directly into Jira issues. Users can write private notes, set deadline reminders, and most powerfully - search across thousands of issues using custom JQL functions to find issues they've annotated. Notes can be shared when collaboration is needed, but stay private by default.
How we built it
Built entirely on Atlassian Forge using UI Kit for the frontend, PostgreSQL for data persistence, and Node.js for the backend. We implemented 5 custom JQL functions that integrate seamlessly with Jira's search, a scheduled notification system, and a permission model that respects both privacy and collaboration needs.
Challenges we ran into
The biggest challenge was implementing JQL functions that return results efficiently while respecting Jira's caching and precomputation system. We also had to carefully design the permission model to balance privacy with the ability to share notes when needed.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Creating a truly native Jira experience that feels like it's always been there. The JQL integration is
particularly powerful - users can now search like issue in issuesWithNotesAfter("2024-12-01") AND priority =
High to find all high-priority issues they've made notes on recently.
What we learned
We gained deep insights into Forge's SQL capabilities, JQL function precomputation, and how to build apps that enhance rather than disrupt existing workflows. We also learned the importance of verbose logging for production debugging.
What's next for Private Notes
We're excited to integrate Atlassian's AI capabilities through Rovo agents, enabling intelligent note summarization, automatic action item extraction, and smart suggestions based on note patterns. This will transform Private Notes from a passive storage tool into an active productivity assistant.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.