Updates to Closed Tickets

When a Zendesk ticket is closed, Zendesk stops accepting most updates, including new comments. A closed ticket is different from a solved ticket. A solved ticket stays editable until Zendesk closes it.

What Git-Zen does with closed tickets

By default, Git-Zen skips a closed ticket. When an event from your platform references a closed ticket, Git-Zen does not add a comment and does not change the ticket. It continues with the other linked tickets.

On a closed ticket, the Git-Zen menu bar does not appear. You cannot create, link, or unlink items from a closed ticket.

Metadata updates on closed tickets

Git-Zen can still record activity on closed tickets, in a way that fits Zendesk’s limits. With Update closed Zendesk tickets on, Git-Zen does this when an event references a closed ticket:

• It does not add a comment, because Zendesk rejects comments on closed tickets.
• It updates the Git-Zen custom field, so the sidebar shows the current state of the linked items.
• It adds the tag git-zen-activity-after-close to the ticket.

The tag records that something happened after the ticket closed. It does not keep the comment text.

This setting is off by default. To turn it on:

1. Click Settings on the Git-Zen menu bar.
2. Find Update closed Zendesk tickets. It is next to the settings that solve a ticket when an issue closes.
3. Turn it on.
4. Click Save.

Caution

Zendesk must allow updates to closed tickets. Turn on Modify closed ticket in your Zendesk Admin Center. The Git-Zen setting needs it. If it is off, Zendesk rejects the update with a 422 error, and the ticket does not change.

The setting applies only to events that arrive after it is on. It does not reopen tickets, and it does not change tickets that closed earlier.

GitHub

The setting applies to issue events, such as comments, state changes, and label changes.

GitLab

The setting applies to issue events, such as comments, state changes, label changes, weight changes, and iteration changes.

Azure DevOps

The setting applies to work item events, such as comments and state changes.

Jira

The setting applies to work item events, such as comments and state changes.

Linear

• Issue events (created, updated, removed): Git-Zen updates the issue details in the Git-Zen custom field, and adds the tag git-zen-activity-after-close.
• Comment events (added, edited, deleted): Git-Zen adds only the tag git-zen-activity-after-close. It does not copy the comment text.

Solved tickets with required fields

A solved ticket is not locked, but Zendesk still checks its required fields. If your Zendesk requires a field when a ticket is solved, and that field is empty on a solved ticket, Zendesk rejects every update that Git-Zen sends to that ticket. This includes comments, field updates, and unlinks. See Troubleshooting.

Better option: lengthen your solved-ticket window

To keep the full comment thread for work that lands after a ticket is “done”, lengthen the Zendesk auto-close window. In Zendesk, go to Admin Center → Objects and rules → Automations. Find Close ticket 4 days after status is set to solved and increase the time, for example to 30 days.

With a longer window, most engineering follow-up arrives while the ticket is solved, and Git-Zen can add full comments.