fix(campaigns): defer Jira ticket creation to start_date, gate recurring campaigns behind manager approval

- Approve endpoint now only creates Jira tickets immediately when
  start_date is now/past; a new periodic job (every 15 min) catches
  campaigns whose scheduled start_date has since arrived.
- Recurring campaign clones now go to pending_approval instead of
  active, routing through the same manager-approval gate as any other
  campaign; managers are notified instead of red_tech.
- Fix UTC conversion for the campaign approval start_date input and
  extract shared isoToDatetimeLocal/datetimeLocalToIso helpers.

backend/app/jobs/mitre_sync_job.py

@@ -27,7 +27,10 @@ from app.jobs.jira_sync_job import sync_all_jira_links
 from app.jobs.retention_job import run_retention_job
 
 # Import check_and_run_recurring_campaigns from app.services.campaign_scheduler_service
-from app.services.campaign_scheduler_service import check_and_run_recurring_campaigns
+from app.services.campaign_scheduler_service import (
+    check_and_run_recurring_campaigns,
+    sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets,
+)
 
 # Import scan_intel from app.services.intel_service
 from app.services.intel_service import scan_intel
@@ -164,6 +167,19 @@ def _run_recurring_campaigns() -> None:
         db.close()
 
 
+def _run_due_campaign_jira_sync() -> None:
+    """Create Jira tickets for campaigns whose scheduled start_date has arrived."""
+    logger.info("Scheduled due-campaign Jira sync starting...")
+    db = SessionLocal()
+    try:
+        processed = sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets(db)
+        logger.info("Due-campaign Jira sync finished — processed %d campaigns", processed)
+    except Exception:
+        logger.exception("Due-campaign Jira sync failed")
+    finally:
+        db.close()
+
+
 def _run_intel_scan() -> None:
     """Execute an intel scan inside its own DB session."""
     # Log info: "Scheduled intel scan job starting..."
@@ -497,6 +513,14 @@ def start_scheduler() -> None:
         # Keyword argument: replace_existing
         replace_existing=True,
     )
+    scheduler.add_job(
+        _run_due_campaign_jira_sync,
+        trigger="interval",
+        minutes=15,
+        id="due_campaign_jira_sync",
+        name="Due campaign Jira ticket sync (every 15 min)",
+        replace_existing=True,
+    )
     # Call scheduler.add_job()
     scheduler.add_job(
         sync_all_jira_links,
@@ -605,7 +629,7 @@ def start_scheduler() -> None:
         # Literal argument value
         "notification_cleanup (24h), weekly_snapshot (Sundays 00:00), "
         # Literal argument value
-        "recurring_campaigns (daily), jira_sync (1h), "
+        "recurring_campaigns (daily), due_campaign_jira_sync (15m), jira_sync (1h), "
         # Literal argument value
         "osint_enrichment (weekly), stale_detection (daily), "
         "retention_policies (daily), data_sources_sync (6h), "

backend/app/routers/campaigns.py

@@ -135,39 +135,21 @@ router = APIRouter(prefix="/campaigns", tags=["campaigns"])
 
 
 def _create_jira_tickets_for_campaign(db: Session, campaign: Campaign, campaign_id: str, user: User) -> None:
-    """Create Jira tickets for a campaign and its already-linked tests, if missing.
+    """Create Jira tickets for *campaign* now, if its start_date has arrived.
 
     Shared by both paths that bring a campaign to ``active``: the admin-only
     emergency `/activate` override and the normal manager `/approve` flow.
-    Tests may already be linked to the campaign from when it was still a
-    draft, i.e. before any Jira ticket existed for the campaign — so they
-    need their own tickets created here too. Best-effort: failures are
-    logged, not raised, since a Jira outage must not block activation.
+    If ``start_date`` is still in the future, ticket creation is skipped
+    here and left to the periodic ``sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets`` job,
+    which creates them once that date actually arrives — this is what makes
+    the campaign's real scheduled date/time authoritative for when tickets
+    (and their Jira start-date field) appear, instead of always at approval
+    time.
     """
-    try:
-        from app.services.jira_service import (
-            auto_create_campaign_issue,
-            auto_create_test_issue,
-            get_campaign_jira_key,
-            get_test_jira_key,
-        )
-        campaign_jira_key = get_campaign_jira_key(db, campaign_id)
-        if not campaign_jira_key:
-            campaign_jira_key = auto_create_campaign_issue(db, campaign, user)
-        if campaign_jira_key:
-            for ct in campaign.campaign_tests:
-                if ct.test and not get_test_jira_key(db, ct.test.id):
-                    auto_create_test_issue(
-                        db, ct.test, user,
-                        parent_ticket_override=campaign_jira_key,
-                        campaign_start_date=campaign.start_date,
-                    )
-        db.commit()
-    except Exception:
-        logger.exception(
-            "Jira ticket creation failed while activating campaign %s",
-            campaign_id,
-        )
+    if campaign.start_date and campaign.start_date > datetime.utcnow():
+        return
+    from app.services.jira_service import ensure_campaign_jira_tickets
+    ensure_campaign_jira_tickets(db, campaign, user)
 
 
 # ── Pydantic schemas ─────────────────────────────────────────────────

backend/app/services/campaign_scheduler_service.py

@@ -72,32 +72,24 @@ def _clone_campaign(db: Session, original: Campaign) -> Campaign:
     1. Clone the campaign with a date-stamped name.
     2. For each ``CampaignTest`` in the original, create a new ``Test``
        with the same base data (in ``draft`` state) and link it.
-    3. Activate the new campaign.
+    3. Queue the new campaign for manager approval — recurrence only
+       automates *creating* the run, not skipping the same approval gate
+       every other campaign goes through. A manager still picks the real
+       start date (and that's what triggers Jira ticket creation) via the
+       normal /approve endpoint.
     """
-    # Assign now = datetime.utcnow()
     now = datetime.utcnow()
-    # Assign run_label = now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
     run_label = now.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")
 
-    # Assign child = Campaign(
     child = Campaign(
-        # Keyword argument: name
         name=f"{original.name} (Run {run_label})",
-        # Keyword argument: description
         description=original.description,
-        # Keyword argument: type
         type=original.type,
-        # Keyword argument: threat_actor_id
         threat_actor_id=original.threat_actor_id,
-        # Keyword argument: status
-        status="active",
-        # Keyword argument: created_by
+        status="pending_approval",
         created_by=original.created_by,
-        # Keyword argument: target_platform
         target_platform=original.target_platform,
-        # Keyword argument: tags
         tags=original.tags or [],
-        # Keyword argument: parent_campaign_id
         parent_campaign_id=original.id,
     )
     # Stage new record(s) for database insertion
@@ -239,46 +231,34 @@ def check_and_run_recurring_campaigns(db: Session) -> int:
             # Commit all pending changes to the database
             db.commit()
 
-            # Notify
+            # Notify the creator — the run happened, but it still needs a
+            # manager's approval before it goes anywhere.
             if campaign.created_by:
-                # Call create_notification()
                 create_notification(
                     db,
-                    # Keyword argument: user_id
                     user_id=campaign.created_by,
-                    # Keyword argument: type
                     type="recurring_campaign_run",
-                    # Keyword argument: title
-                    title="Recurring campaign executed",
-                    # Keyword argument: message
+                    title="Recurring campaign created — awaiting approval",
                     message=(
                         f'Campaign "{child.name}" was automatically created '
-                        f'from recurring template "{campaign.name}".'
+                        f'from recurring template "{campaign.name}" and is now '
+                        f'queued for manager approval.'
                     ),
-                    # Keyword argument: entity_type
                     entity_type="campaign",
-                    # Keyword argument: entity_id
                     entity_id=child.id,
                 )
 
-            # Notify red_tech users
-            red_techs = db.query(User).filter(User.role == "red_tech", User.is_active == True).all()  # noqa: E712
-            # Iterate over red_techs
-            for user in red_techs:
-                # Call create_notification()
+            # Notify managers — same approval gate as any other campaign,
+            # recurrence only automates spawning the run, not skipping review.
+            managers = db.query(User).filter(User.role == "manager", User.is_active == True).all()  # noqa: E712
+            for user in managers:
                 create_notification(
                     db,
-                    # Keyword argument: user_id
                     user_id=user.id,
-                    # Keyword argument: type
-                    type="campaign_activated",
-                    # Keyword argument: title
-                    title="New recurring campaign active",
-                    # Keyword argument: message
-                    message=f'Campaign "{child.name}" is now active and ready for execution.',
-                    # Keyword argument: entity_type
+                    type="campaign_pending_approval",
+                    title="Recurring campaign needs approval",
+                    message=f'Campaign "{child.name}" was auto-created from a recurring template and needs your approval.',
                     entity_type="campaign",
-                    # Keyword argument: entity_id
                     entity_id=child.id,
                 )
 
@@ -296,3 +276,61 @@ def check_and_run_recurring_campaigns(db: Session) -> int:
 
     # Return spawned
     return spawned
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Catch up on due campaigns' Jira tickets (periodic job)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets(db: Session) -> int:
+    """Create Jira tickets for active campaigns whose start_date has arrived.
+
+    A campaign approved with a future ``start_date`` intentionally skips
+    Jira ticket creation at approval time (see
+    ``app.routers.campaigns._create_jira_tickets_for_campaign``). This job
+    is what actually creates those tickets once that date arrives — it
+    finds active campaigns lacking a Jira link and, for any whose
+    start_date is now due, calls the same idempotent creation helper.
+
+    Returns the number of campaigns processed.
+    """
+    from app.models.jira_link import JiraLink, JiraLinkEntityType
+    from app.services.jira_service import ensure_campaign_jira_tickets
+
+    now = datetime.utcnow()
+
+    linked_campaign_ids = {
+        row[0]
+        for row in db.query(JiraLink.entity_id).filter(
+            JiraLink.entity_type == JiraLinkEntityType.campaign
+        ).all()
+    }
+
+    due_campaigns = (
+        db.query(Campaign)
+        .filter(
+            Campaign.status == "active",
+            Campaign.start_date.isnot(None),
+            Campaign.start_date <= now,
+        )
+        .all()
+    )
+
+    processed = 0
+    for campaign in due_campaigns:
+        if campaign.id in linked_campaign_ids:
+            continue
+        actor = db.query(User).filter(User.id == campaign.approved_by).first()
+        if not actor:
+            actor = db.query(User).filter(User.id == campaign.created_by).first()
+        if not actor:
+            logger.warning(
+                "Cannot sync Jira tickets for campaign %s: no valid actor found",
+                campaign.id,
+            )
+            continue
+        ensure_campaign_jira_tickets(db, campaign, actor)
+        processed += 1
+
+    return processed

backend/app/services/jira_service.py

@@ -705,6 +705,37 @@ def auto_create_campaign_issue(
         return None
 
 
+def ensure_campaign_jira_tickets(db: Session, campaign, user: User) -> None:
+    """Create Jira tickets for a campaign and its already-linked tests, if missing.
+
+    Called from two places: immediately at manager-approval time when the
+    campaign's ``start_date`` is now/past, and from the periodic
+    ``sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets`` job for campaigns approved with a
+    future ``start_date`` once that date actually arrives. Idempotent —
+    checks for existing links before creating anything — so it is safe to
+    call repeatedly. Best-effort: failures are logged, not raised, since a
+    Jira outage must not block campaign activation.
+    """
+    try:
+        campaign_jira_key = get_campaign_jira_key(db, campaign.id)
+        if not campaign_jira_key:
+            campaign_jira_key = auto_create_campaign_issue(db, campaign, user)
+        if campaign_jira_key:
+            for ct in campaign.campaign_tests:
+                if ct.test and not get_test_jira_key(db, ct.test.id):
+                    auto_create_test_issue(
+                        db, ct.test, user,
+                        parent_ticket_override=campaign_jira_key,
+                        campaign_start_date=campaign.start_date,
+                    )
+        db.commit()
+    except Exception:
+        logger.exception(
+            "Jira ticket creation failed for campaign %s",
+            campaign.id,
+        )
+
+
 def auto_create_test_issue(
     db: Session,
     test: Test,

backend/tests/test_campaign_approval_router.py

@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ def test_manager_can_approve_and_sets_start_date(api, db, red_lead_user, red_lea
         "post",
         f"/api/v1/campaigns/{campaign.id}/approve",
         manager_headers,
-        json={"start_date": "2026-09-01T00:00:00"},
+        json={"start_date": "2020-01-01T00:00:00"},
     )
     assert resp.status_code == 200
     body = resp.json()
@@ -53,10 +53,13 @@ def test_manager_can_approve_and_sets_start_date(api, db, red_lead_user, red_lea
     assert body["start_date"] is not None
 
 
-def test_manager_approval_creates_jira_tickets(api, db, red_lead_user, red_lead_headers, manager_headers):
+def test_manager_approval_creates_jira_tickets_when_start_date_is_due(
+    api, db, red_lead_user, red_lead_headers, manager_headers
+):
     """The normal manager-approval path must create Jira tickets too, not just
     the admin-only emergency /activate override — this was the Block 1 gap:
-    campaigns approved through the standard flow never got a Jira ticket."""
+    campaigns approved through the standard flow never got a Jira ticket.
+    Uses a past start_date so ticket creation is due immediately."""
     campaign = _make_draft_campaign(db, red_lead_user.id)
     api("post", f"/api/v1/campaigns/{campaign.id}/submit", red_lead_headers)
 
@@ -68,7 +71,7 @@ def test_manager_approval_creates_jira_tickets(api, db, red_lead_user, red_lead_
             "post",
             f"/api/v1/campaigns/{campaign.id}/approve",
             manager_headers,
-            json={"start_date": "2026-09-01T00:00:00"},
+            json={"start_date": "2020-01-01T00:00:00"},
         )
 
     assert resp.status_code == 200
@@ -77,6 +80,29 @@ def test_manager_approval_creates_jira_tickets(api, db, red_lead_user, red_lead_
     mock_create_test.assert_called_once()
 
 
+def test_manager_approval_skips_jira_tickets_when_start_date_is_future(
+    api, db, red_lead_user, red_lead_headers, manager_headers
+):
+    """A campaign scheduled to start in the future must not get its Jira
+    tickets created at approval time — that must wait for the periodic
+    due-campaign sync job, once the scheduled start_date actually arrives."""
+    campaign = _make_draft_campaign(db, red_lead_user.id)
+    api("post", f"/api/v1/campaigns/{campaign.id}/submit", red_lead_headers)
+
+    with patch("app.services.jira_service.get_campaign_jira_key", return_value=None) as mock_get_key, \
+         patch("app.services.jira_service.auto_create_campaign_issue", return_value="PT-100") as mock_create_campaign:
+        resp = api(
+            "post",
+            f"/api/v1/campaigns/{campaign.id}/approve",
+            manager_headers,
+            json={"start_date": "2099-01-01T00:00:00"},
+        )
+
+    assert resp.status_code == 200
+    mock_get_key.assert_not_called()
+    mock_create_campaign.assert_not_called()
+
+
 def test_lead_cannot_approve(api, db, red_lead_user, red_lead_headers):
     campaign = _make_draft_campaign(db, red_lead_user.id)
     api("post", f"/api/v1/campaigns/{campaign.id}/submit", red_lead_headers)

backend/tests/test_campaigns_and_snapshots.py

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ from app.services.campaign_service import (
 from app.services.campaign_scheduler_service import (
     calculate_next_run,
     check_and_run_recurring_campaigns,
+    sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets,
 )
 from app.services.snapshot_service import (
     create_snapshot,
@@ -199,7 +200,10 @@ class TestCampaigns:
         )
         assert child is not None
         assert "Run" in child.name
-        assert child.status == "active"
+        # Recurrence only automates spawning the run — it still needs a
+        # manager's approval like any other campaign, same as the manual
+        # draft -> submit -> approve path.
+        assert child.status == "pending_approval"
 
         # Check child tests are fresh copies (new IDs, draft state)
         child_cts = (
@@ -217,12 +221,92 @@ class TestCampaigns:
             test = db.query(Test).filter(Test.id == ct.test_id).first()
             assert test.state == TestState.draft
 
+    def test_campaign_cloning_notifies_managers(self, db, campaign_with_tests, manager_user):
+        """Managers must hear about a spawned recurring run — it's sitting in
+        their approval queue just like a manually-submitted campaign."""
+        from app.models.notification import Notification
+
+        campaign = campaign_with_tests["campaign"]
+        campaign.is_recurring = True
+        campaign.recurrence_pattern = "monthly"
+        campaign.next_run_at = datetime.utcnow() - timedelta(hours=1)
+        db.commit()
+
+        check_and_run_recurring_campaigns(db)
+
+        notif = (
+            db.query(Notification)
+            .filter(Notification.user_id == manager_user.id, Notification.type == "campaign_pending_approval")
+            .first()
+        )
+        assert notif is not None
+
         # Check parent was updated
         db.refresh(campaign)
         assert campaign.last_run_at is not None
         assert campaign.next_run_at > datetime.utcnow()
 
 
+class TestDueCampaignJiraSync:
+    """sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets — the periodic catch-up job for
+    campaigns approved with a future start_date whose Jira tickets were
+    deliberately skipped at approval time."""
+
+    def test_creates_tickets_for_due_campaign_without_jira_link(self, db, campaign_with_tests, admin_user):
+        from unittest.mock import patch
+
+        campaign = campaign_with_tests["campaign"]
+        campaign.status = "active"
+        campaign.approved_by = admin_user.id
+        campaign.start_date = datetime.utcnow() - timedelta(hours=1)  # now due
+        db.commit()
+
+        with patch(
+            "app.services.jira_service.get_campaign_jira_key", return_value=None
+        ) as mock_get_key, patch(
+            "app.services.jira_service.auto_create_campaign_issue", return_value="PT-200"
+        ) as mock_create_campaign, patch(
+            "app.services.jira_service.get_test_jira_key", return_value=None
+        ), patch(
+            "app.services.jira_service.auto_create_test_issue"
+        ) as mock_create_test:
+            processed = sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets(db)
+
+        assert processed == 1
+        mock_get_key.assert_called_once()
+        mock_create_campaign.assert_called_once()
+        assert mock_create_test.call_count == len(campaign_with_tests["tests"])
+
+    def test_skips_campaign_with_future_start_date(self, db, campaign_with_tests, admin_user):
+        campaign = campaign_with_tests["campaign"]
+        campaign.status = "active"
+        campaign.approved_by = admin_user.id
+        campaign.start_date = datetime.utcnow() + timedelta(days=30)
+        db.commit()
+
+        processed = sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets(db)
+        assert processed == 0
+
+    def test_skips_campaign_already_linked_to_jira(self, db, campaign_with_tests, admin_user):
+        from app.models.jira_link import JiraLink, JiraLinkEntityType
+
+        campaign = campaign_with_tests["campaign"]
+        campaign.status = "active"
+        campaign.approved_by = admin_user.id
+        campaign.start_date = datetime.utcnow() - timedelta(hours=1)
+        db.add(JiraLink(
+            entity_type=JiraLinkEntityType.campaign,
+            entity_id=campaign.id,
+            jira_issue_key="PT-1",
+            jira_project_key="PT",
+            created_by=admin_user.id,
+        ))
+        db.commit()
+
+        processed = sync_due_campaign_jira_tickets(db)
+        assert processed == 0
+
+
 # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
 # Snapshot Tests
 # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════