Control Smart Checklist position on issue view

You are free to choose where you would like the Smart Checklist add-on to be rendered in the JIRA issue view 🙌🏻

Contents👇🏼

1 Where Smart Checklist Can Appear
- 1.1 Configuration for Smart Checklist Pro
- 1.2 Configuration for Smart Checklist Free
2 When Smart Checklist Appears on the Central Panel
3 When the Checklist Is Displayed on the Right Panel
4 Summary table
5 Q&A

Where Smart Checklist Can Appear

Smart Checklist can appear in one of two locations:

Central panel

Central panel view

Right sidebar

Right sidebar view

It is never displayed in both places at the same time.

The actual placement depends on:

Project-level (Pro app) or user-level preference (Free version)
Jira’s own rules for showing or hiding panels

Configuration for Smart Checklist Pro

Placement controlled by Project Admins.

Where to configure:
Project settings → Apps → Smart Checklist → Project settings

Setting: “Show checklist on the central panel”

ON → Checklist is displayed on the central panel
OFF → Checklist is always displayed in the right sidebar

Smart Checklist Project Settings

This setting applies to all users in the project. Individual users cannot override it.

Configuration for Smart Checklist Free

Placement controlled by each user.

How to choose:
Issue → Smart Checklist → 3-dots menu:

Show on the central panel
Keep in the right panel only

This preference is personal and does not affect other users.

When Smart Checklist Appears on the Central Panel

Smart Checklist is displayed on the central panel when any of the following is true:

1. The checklist contains items

A checklist becomes non-empty when items appear due to:

a default template applied automatically
Jira automation adding checklist items
cloning an issue that already had a checklist
the user opening Smart Checklist from the apps list and adding at least one item

Once the checklist contains items, Jira automatically expands the Smart Checklist panel on the central panel. (This behavior is identical for Pro and Free.)

2. Jira’s “Show for all work items” is enabled

If this Jira setting is ON, the Smart Checklist panel appears on the central panel even when empty.

☝🏼NOTE: If a Project Admin selects Hide for all work items, this hides the panel only when the checklist is empty.
As soon as the checklist becomes non-empty, it appears again on the central panel.

When the Checklist Is Displayed on the Right Panel

The checklist appears in the right sidebar whenever the selected display location is the right panel.

Once selected:

it appears in the right sidebar even if empty
it is always visible on every issue
Jira remembers whether the user last collapsed or expanded it and applies that preference across issues

No triggers, templates, automations, or Jira settings affect this mode.
If the right panel is selected, Smart Checklist stays there.

Summary table

Edition	Who decides position?	Central panel rules	Right panel rules

Edition	Who decides position?	Central panel rules	Right panel rules
Pro	Project Admin	Shown if project setting = ON. Appears automatically when the checklist is not empty. “Show for all work items” can force visibility even when empty.	Shown if project setting = OFF. Always visible.
Free	Each user	Shown if the user selects central panel Appears automatically when the checklist is not empty. Show for all work items” can force visibility even when empty.	Shown if user selects right panel. Always visible.

Q&A

Only Project Admins. Regular users cannot change this option.

No. It can only be displayed in one location at a time.

There is no bulk option. A Project Admin must open an issue in each project and enable it manually. Jira does not provide a global toggle.

Yes. Users without Project Admin permissions cannot change this Jira option. If they are Project Admins, there is no additional restriction available.

No. In Smart Checklist Pro, the position is configured per project in Project settings → Apps → Smart Checklist. Each project must be updated separately.

Verify that the Smart Checklist app role has Edit Issue permissions in the project.
As a workaround, enable Jira’s “Show for all work items”.

☝🏼NOTE: Checklist position property is saved per user. It is your personal preference, not the global change, and does not affect other users' settings.