Guide

Email only the public comments of a JSM request with Jira Automation

Applies to Jira Service Management Cloud Checked October 2026 Contact support@asunoki.jp

A common Automation rule sends a request’s comment history to the customer, for example when the request is resolved. The catch: {{issue.comments}} returns all comments, including internal notes. This guide shows the native way to leave internal notes out, what to test, and when the PublicThread for JSM action is a better fit.

01 The native way (no app)

Atlassian’s knowledge base article Email comments to reporter when closing JSM ticket (Cloud) (updated September 2025) uses a Send email action with a comment loop and an internal check. The shape of the template is:

{{#issue.comments}}{{#if(not(internal))}}
Comment by: {{author.displayName}} at: {{created}}
{{body}}
{{/}}{{/}}

For a rule triggered by a single new comment, the equivalent check is a Smart values condition on {{comment.internal}} equals false.

Test before sending to customers. Run the rule on a test request that has a public reply, an internal note and (if you use them) a restricted comment, and send the email to yourself first. Community threads report that some comment types behave differently with the internal flag, so check your own setup.

02 When the native template is enough

You want every public comment, oldest to newest, in a plain email.
Someone on the team is comfortable maintaining the smart value template.
You have tested it with the comment types your agents actually use.

If that describes your rule, you do not need an app. Jira Service Management’s built-in customer notifications also already email public replies to the reporter and request participants.

03 When PublicThread for JSM helps

PublicThread for JSM adds one Automation action, Get Public Conversation, that returns the public comments as ready-made text for the next step.

Need	Native template	PublicThread action
Leave out internal notes	The `internal` check in your template	Reads the request’s comments through the Service Management request API with a public-only filter, then keeps only comments marked public in its own code. There is no setting to include internal notes.
Only the latest N comments	Not built in	Max Comments 1–50 (default 10)
Customer messages only (no agent replies)	Extra conditions per comment	Include public replies from agents off: keeps comments from the reporter and request participants
HTML email body	You build and escape it	`{{fetchedJiraThread.conversationHtml}}` is pre-escaped
Count for conditions	You compute it	`{{fetchedJiraThread.commentCount}}`

Setup is in the Quick start. A minimal email step:

Action: Get Public Conversation (PublicThread for JSM)
  Issue Key: {{issue.key}}
Action: Send email
  To: {{issue.reporter.emailAddress}}
  Body: {{fetchedJiraThread.conversationText}}

04 Limits of the app

Returns at most the 50 most recent public comments.
With agent replies turned off, customers are identified as the reporter and request participants. If that information cannot be read, agent replies are kept (internal notes are still excluded).
It reads with the permissions of the account that runs the rule, and it does not send email itself; your next Automation step does.
It does not store comments. It uses one read-only scope, read:servicedesk-request. See the Privacy Policy.

05 Sources

Email comments to reporter when closing JSM ticket (Cloud) — Atlassian Support
Comment List Without Internal Comments — Atlassian Community
PublicThread for JSM documentation

Atlassian may change smart value behavior; check the linked article for the current template.