Ticket Locks
Restrict edits to specific parts of a ticket to enforce governance and protect work in flight.
Overview
Ticket locks let you restrict specific kinds of changes to a ticket. A lock targets one aspect of a ticket, such as a field, links, attachments, status transitions, or comments, and prevents that aspect from being modified until it is unlocked. Locks are most powerful when applied automatically by automations, so governance rules enforce themselves.
What Can Be Locked
| Lock | Prevents |
|---|---|
| Field | Editing a specific field value |
| Link | Adding or removing links |
| Attachment | Adding or removing attachments |
| Status Transition | Moving the ticket to another workflow state |
| Comment Add | Posting new comments |
Why Lock a Ticket
- Freeze a released ticket: once work ships, lock its fields and transitions so the record stays accurate.
- Protect approvals: lock status transitions until an approval condition is met, then unlock.
- Enforce process: prevent links or attachments from changing on tickets that have reached a controlled stage.
Locking with Automations
The most reliable way to apply locks is through automation lock actions. An automation can lock part of a ticket when it reaches a certain state and unlock it when conditions change, so the rule is applied consistently every time, with no manual steps.
Trigger on a state change
For example, when a ticket transitions to "Released".
Apply a lock action
Add a Lock Field or Lock Status Transition action to the ticket.
Unlock later if needed
A separate automation or a different branch can remove the lock when the ticket should become editable again.
Lock actions are listed under the Actions category in the automation node palette. See the Node Reference for the full set.
Behavior
When an aspect of a ticket is locked, attempts to change it are rejected, whether they come from a person in the UI or from another automation. This makes locks a dependable enforcement mechanism rather than a soft suggestion.
Because locks block both people and automations, make sure you have a path to unlock, such as a complementary automation or an administrator action, before locking tickets in bulk.