License Optimizer Limitations
Some features in Jira and Confluence require users to have application access. We did our best to ensure these work even with License Optimizer enabled. Please see below for more details.
REST Calls
When calling any REST API of Jira or Confluence with a user managed by the License Optimiser, the call will only succeed when using Basic Authentication. This is because we can’t derive the username from the request when using Bearer Authentication, which is also the only allowed method when using Atlassian’s Personal Access Tokens.
Alternatives
Create a dedicated group that provides application access to these users permanently, essentially excluding them from being managed by License Optimizer
Use Basic Authentication with an app that provides both secure tokens and allows that:
Jira
There are currently no known limitations, but you might need to enable a dark feature to ensure notifications are being sent:
License Optimizer and Jira E-Mail Notifications
Please read a more detailed description of what you need to verify here: https://wiki.resolution.de/go/ud/jira-notifications
Remaining limitations
E-mail handler integrations: users currently not licensed can't create issues by sending an e-mail
Data sent via application links, i.e., posting commits from Bitbucket to Jira, is not being detected.
Activity in Jira
Jira Service Management
Even with an open browser tab but with no real user interaction in it, the Jira REST API is periodically called from that tab:
The Service Management SLA (re)calculation endpoint
Thus, these users would not be removed from the group providing licensed access unless they close any open tabs with issues in Jira Service Management.
Confluence
Up until version 5, the following Confluence features did not work for/ with users who currently don't have application access because of inactivity:
Selecting these users to be mentioned in comments or on pages
E-mail notifications to these mentioned users
E-mail notifications, in general, for page, blog, and comment updates
Assigning these users to page restrictions and space permissions
To overcome these limitations, users will be temporarily assigned to the group that provides access to the application. Since Confluence sends some notifications in a batched format and with a delay, the minimum inactivity period is 15 minutes. We decreased the minimum allowed inactivity period with version 5.0.4 because batched notifications are sent every 10 minutes in Confluence.
If you previously had a period of fewer minutes defined, the configuration was automatically adjusted when updating our app to version 5 or newer.
Activity in Confluence
Even with an open browser tab but with no real user interaction in it, the Confluence REST API is periodically called from that tab:
The Quick Reload endpoint by the plugin with the same name lets a user know if new comments have been added to the page that they're on
The Notifications and Tasks REST endpoint is used to inform about new notifications in Confluence
The Atlassian Analytics API, if enabled
Thus, these users would not be removed from the group providing licensed access, but only if they close any open tabs with Confluence.
E-Mail Notifications and License Consumption
Many users can be added to the license group to overcome the limitation of email notifications mentioned above. You might have pages with many watchers who are currently not actively working.
License Optimizer will only add as many users as there are available licenses. Please note that this may result in some users not receiving notifications. If some spaces or pages are frequently updated and you have a large number of subscribers, this can also lead to the need for more licenses. Keeping the inactivity period setting at the minimum allowed value will at least ensure that licenses are freed up again as soon as possible.
Remaining Limitations
The "People who can view this page" functionality does not return users without an application license.
We are currently evaluating a limited workaround for this (written June 2025)
Jira issue list macros embedded in Confluence pages
If the user in Confluence is currently not active in Jira, Confluence can't show the Jira issues and presents a link to see the issues in Jira instead
Because of technical platform limitations, there's no way to change that behaviour
Recommended updates via email to users who currently don't have a Confluence license
We don't plan to work around this issue.