Admin Guide

This guide helps YouTrack administrators start using Checklists, configure installation-wide checklist behavior, and maintain the global template catalog.

Installation

1. Install Checklists for YouTrack from the JetBrains Marketplace or from the Appfero product page when the listing is available.
2. In YouTrack, open Administration -> Apps.
3. Open Checklists.
4. Review the access status shown in the subscription panel.
5. Review global settings, statuses, and templates before asking project administrators to configure their projects.

Access Status

The administration page includes an Appfero subscription panel. Use it to:

• review the current access status,
• refresh subscription data,
• open subscription management,
• activate offline access where supported.

If access is inactive, checklist screens tell users that active access is required.

General Settings

Checklist History

Use Enable checklist history to decide whether users can review checklist changes from the issue panel.

When enabled, users can open the issue panel history view and see checklist changes such as:

• checklist and item creation,
• item completion changes,
• status changes,
• required flag changes,
• due date and assignee updates,
• template application,
• template saving.

When disabled, new checklist changes are not added to history. Existing checklists remain available.

Statuses

Global statuses define the default checklist workflow for projects that do not use project-specific statuses.

Each status has:

• Name: the label shown in the issue panel.
• Color: the tag color used for quick scanning.
• Checked behavior: whether selecting the status completes the item.
• Default marker: the status assigned to new items when applicable.

The default global statuses are:

Status	Meaning	Typical use
To do	Open	Work has not started.
In progress	Open	Work is underway but not complete.
Done	Complete	Work is finished.
Skipped	Complete	Work is intentionally not needed.

Disable Checklist Statuses

If your team only needs simple checkbox behavior, disable checklist statuses globally. When statuses are disabled:

• issue panels hide status selectors and status tags,
• users complete items with checkboxes only,
• project-specific status overrides are disabled.

Keep Statuses Simple

Use a short status list that matches the way teams already talk about checklist work. Before saving, check that:

• each status has a clear name,
• names are not duplicated,
• the list includes at least one open status and one complete status,
• only one status is marked as the default.

Templates

The global template catalog lets administrators manage templates that should be available across projects.

Template Scope and Customization

Checklists uses three template scopes:

Template scope	Who manages it	How to customize it
Built-in	Global administrators can enable or disable it	Copy it to a global or project template, then edit the copy
Global	Global administrators	Edit it from global administration
Project	Project administrators for that project	Edit it from project settings

Templates are copied into issues when applied. Updating a template later does not change checklist content that was already copied into an issue.

Built-in Templates

Checklists ships with built-in templates for common workflows:

• Access / Offboarding Checklist
• Bug Reproduction
• Code Review
• Customer Escalation Checklist
• Definition of Done - Story
• Definition of Ready
• Employee Onboarding Checklist
• Incident Review Checklist
• QA Handoff
• Release Checklist
• Support Triage Checklist

Built-in templates are read-only. Administrators can disable built-in templates that should not appear in project settings or issue template pickers.

To customize a built-in template, copy it to a global template first, then edit the copy.

Global Templates

Global templates are editable templates available to projects where Checklists is enabled. Use them for organization-wide processes such as:

• release readiness,
• production change review,
• customer escalation,
• security review,
• shared Definition of Done.

To create a global template:

1. Open Templates in the global administration page.
2. Create a new template or copy an existing template to global scope.
3. Add one or more checklists.
4. Add section headers and items.
5. Mark required items.
6. Save the template.

Global template changes do not update checklists that were already copied into issues.

Recommended Rollout

For a clean first rollout:

1. Confirm that Checklists has active access.
2. Review whether checklist history should stay enabled.
3. Keep global statuses enabled unless your team only needs checkboxes.
4. Disable built-in templates that do not fit your organization.
5. Create one or two global templates for the workflows you want to standardize first.
6. Ask project administrators to configure Project Settings.
7. Ask issue users to read the Issue Panel Guide.

Permissions

Global administration is intended for users who can manage the app at the YouTrack installation level.

Project administrators can manage project settings separately from global administration. Issue users need permission to update an issue before they can change checklist content.

User goal	YouTrack permission typically needed
View checklists on an issue	Read Issue
Edit issue checklists or apply templates	Update Issue
Manage project settings and project templates	Update Project
Manage global settings and global templates	Admin Update App

Troubleshooting

Access status does not update

• Refresh the administration page.
• Use the manual refresh action in the subscription panel.
• Verify that the YouTrack instance has internet access if you use online validation.
• Contact support@appfero.com if the state does not update.

Global settings cannot be saved

• Confirm that you are using the global administration page.
• Confirm that your YouTrack account can manage the app.
• Review the visible settings and save again.
• Reload the page and try again.

Status selectors disappeared from issues

Checklist statuses are probably disabled globally. Re-enable statuses in global settings if users should see status tags and status selectors again.

A built-in template is missing from projects or issue pickers

Check whether the built-in template is disabled in the global template catalog. Disabled built-ins remain visible in global administration but are hidden from project configuration and issue apply views.

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Next step: Continue with the Project Settings Guide.