Description

Atlassian is running a platform-wide automated job that replaces the Legacy Jira Issue Macro with Jira Work Items (Smart Link List View). Each conversion increments Confluence page version history. For customers using Document Control apps (e.g., Confluence Document Control by Vertraulich/Snapbytes), the new version is interpreted as a user-driven content change, which triggers an automatic status reset from Approved to Needs Review. This behavior undermines approval integrity, introduces compliance risk, and creates significant operational overhead for regulated industries such as pharma and life sciences.

• Previously approved pages are automatically reset to "Needs Review."

• The reset occurs because the conversion job increments the page version.

• Document Control apps do not distinguish this system conversion from genuine user edits.

• Pages with view/edit restrictions are converted regardless of permissions, and still accrue a new version.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create or locate a Confluence Cloud page that uses the Legacy Jira Issue Macro.
2. Manage the page with a Document Control app (e.g., Vertraulich/Snapbytes Document Control) and ensure status is set to Approved.
3. Wait for Atlassian's automatic macro conversion job to run.
4. Open page history and observe a new version with the comment: "Automatic conversion: Legacy Jira Issue Macro to Smart Link List View".
5. Check the Document Control status; it has been reset to Needs Review.

Expected Behavior

• No new page version is created for system-led macro conversions; conversion occurs in-place without incrementing version history, or

• The new version is clearly flagged as a system operation in metadata and via the Confluence API so apps can identify and optionally ignore it for approval workflows.

Actual Behavior

• A new page version is created with a system-generated comment.

• The new version is indistinguishable from a user edit at the API/app level.

• Document Control apps reset page approval, requiring full re-review and re-approval by all signatories.

• Conversion proceeds even on pages with view/edit restrictions.

Impact

• Compliance risk: GxP-approved documents are invalidated without user action.

• Operational burden: Customers must manually re-approve hundreds or thousands of pages.

• Lack of transparency: No prior notification that conversions would create new versions.

• Ongoing exposure: The automated job continues, affecting additional pages daily until completion.

Related Communications

• Public announcement: http://community.atlassian.com — Jira Legacy macro becoming Jira Data Center macro
  • https://community.atlassian.com/forums/Confluence-articles/The-Jira-Legacy-macro-is-becoming-the-Jira-Data-Center-macro/ba-p/3126599

• • https://community.atlassian.com/forums/Confluence-articles/Update-on-the-Jira-Legacy-Macro-conversion-We-Hear-You/ba-p/3241653#M15222

Workaround: 

NA