diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 33d3f61425..37dc51e10b 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -745,6 +745,10 @@ test-binaries: test/checkseccomp/checkseccomp test/goecho/goecho install.cataton
 tests-included:
 	contrib/cirrus/pr-should-include-tests
 
+.PHONY: test-jira-links-included
+test-jira-links-included:
+	contrib/cirrus/pr-should-link-jira
+
 .PHONY: tests-expect-exit
 tests-expect-exit:
 	@if grep -E --line-number 'Expect.*ExitCode' test/e2e/*.go | grep -E -v ', ".*"\)'; then \
diff --git a/contrib/cirrus/pr-should-link-jira b/contrib/cirrus/pr-should-link-jira
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..1f4c7d08df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/cirrus/pr-should-link-jira
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# Intended for use in CI, for -rhel branches: check git PR, barf if no jira links
+#
+
+ME=$(basename $0)
+
+set -e
+
+# Github label which allows overriding this check
+OVERRIDE_LABEL="No Jira Link"
+
+# Only -rhel branches need jira links
+BRANCH_REGEX="v.*-rhel"
+
+LINK_REGEX="Fixes:?[[:space:]]+https://issues.redhat.com/[[:alnum:]/-]*"
+
+if [[ ! "${DEST_BRANCH}" =~ $BRANCH_REGEX ]]; then
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+if [[ "${CIRRUS_CHANGE_MESSAGE}" =~ $LINK_REGEX ]]; then
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+# Nope. Only allow if the github 'No Jira Link' label is set
+if [[ -z "$CIRRUS_PR" ]]; then
+    if [[ ! "$CIRRUS_BRANCH" =~ pull ]] || [[ -n "$CIRRUS_TAG" ]]; then
+        echo "Warning: $ME only intended for use on PRs in CI"
+        exit 0
+    fi
+    echo "$ME: cannot query github: \$CIRRUS_PR is undefined" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ -z "$CIRRUS_REPO_CLONE_TOKEN" ]]; then
+    echo "$ME: cannot query github: \$CIRRUS_REPO_CLONE_TOKEN is undefined" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+query="{
+  \"query\": \"query {
+  repository(owner: \\\"containers\\\", name: \\\"podman\\\") {
+    pullRequest(number: $CIRRUS_PR) {
+      labels(first: 100) {
+        nodes {
+          name
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}\"
+}"
+
+result=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: bearer $CIRRUS_REPO_CLONE_TOKEN" -H "Accept: application/vnd.github.antiope-preview+json" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST --data @- https://api.github.com/graphql <<<"$query")
+
+labels=$(jq -r '.data.repository.pullRequest.labels.nodes[]?.name' <<<"$result")
+
+if grep -F -x -q "$OVERRIDE_LABEL" <<<"$labels"; then
+    # PR has the label set
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+cat <<EOF
+$ME: PR does not include required references to Jira issues
+
+Please add a reference to the related Jira ticket(s) by adding to the
+description of the PR something like:
+
+Fixes: https://issues.redhat.com/browse/RHEL-50507
+
+You can use multiple lines like this, but only one issue per line.
+
+If your commit really, truly does not need a jira link, you can proceed
+by asking a repo maintainer to set the '$OVERRIDE_LABEL' github label.
+This will only be done when there's no reasonable alternative.
+EOF
+
+exit 1
diff --git a/contrib/cirrus/pr-should-link-jira.t b/contrib/cirrus/pr-should-link-jira.t
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000..590436efcc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/contrib/cirrus/pr-should-link-jira.t
@@ -0,0 +1,146 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# tests for pr-should-link-jira.t
+#
+
+ME=$(basename $0)
+
+# Our test script queries github, for which we need token
+if [[ -z "$CIRRUS_REPO_CLONE_TOKEN" ]]; then
+    if [[ -n "$GITHUB_TOKEN" ]]; then
+       export CIRRUS_REPO_CLONE_TOKEN="$GITHUB_TOKEN"
+    else
+        echo "$ME: Please set \$CIRRUS_REPO_CLONE_TOKEN" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+fi
+
+###############################################################################
+# BEGIN test cases
+#
+
+read -d '\n' msg_no_jira << EndOfText
+This is some text
+without a jira
+EndOfText
+
+read -d '\n' msg_invalid << EndOfText
+This is some text
+without a jira
+Fixes #42
+More text...
+EndOfText
+
+read -d '\n' msg_jira << EndOfText
+This is some text
+with a jira
+Fixes https://issues.redhat.com/browse/RHEL-50507
+More text...
+EndOfText
+
+read -d '\n' msg_jira2 << EndOfText
+This is some text
+with a jira
+Fixes:  https://issues.redhat.com/browse/RHEL-50507
+More text...
+EndOfText
+
+read -d '\n' msg_multiple << EndOfText
+This is some text
+with multiple jira lines
+Fixes  https://issues.redhat.com/browse/RHEL-50507
+More text...
+Fixes: https://issues.redhat.com/browse/RHEL-50506
+More text...
+EndOfText
+
+# Feel free to add as needed. Syntax is:
+#    <exit status> <pr> <commit message> <dest branch> # comments
+#
+# Where:
+#    exit status        is the expected exit status of the script
+#    pr                 pr number (only used to get tag, 0000 if doesn't matter)
+#    commit message     commit message
+#    dest branch        name of branch
+#
+
+tests="
+0  0000  msg_no_jira   main        not rhel branch, no link, should pass
+0  0000  msg_jira      main        not rhel branch, link, should pass
+0  0000  msg_invalid   main        not rhel branch, invalid link, should pass
+0  0000  msg_no_jira   v4.9        not rhel branch, no link, should pass
+1  23514 msg_no_jira   v4.9-rhel   no link, no tag, should fail
+0  8890  msg_no_jira   v4.9-rhel   no link, tag, should work
+1  23514 msg_invalid   v4.9-rhel   invalid link, no tag, should fail
+0  0000  msg_jira      v4.9-rhel   link, should work
+0  0000  msg_jira2     v4.9-rhel   link with colon, should work
+0  0000  msg_multiple  v4.9-rhel   multiple links, should work
+"
+
+# The script we're testing
+test_script=$(dirname $0)/$(basename $0 .t)
+
+# END   test cases
+###############################################################################
+# BEGIN test-script runner and status checker
+
+function run_test_script() {
+    local expected_rc=$1
+    local testname=$2
+
+    testnum=$(( testnum + 1 ))
+
+    # DO NOT COMBINE 'local output=...' INTO ONE LINE. If you do, you lose $?
+    local output
+    output=$( $test_script )
+    local actual_rc=$?
+
+    if [[ $actual_rc != $expected_rc ]]; then
+        echo "not ok $testnum $testname"
+        echo "#  expected rc $expected_rc"
+        echo "#  actual rc   $actual_rc"
+        if [[ -n "$output" ]]; then
+            echo "# script output: $output"
+        fi
+        rc=1
+    else
+        if [[ $expected_rc == 1 ]]; then
+            # Confirm we get an error message
+            if [[ ! "$output" =~ "Please add a reference" ]]; then
+                echo "not ok $testnum $testname"
+                echo "# Expected: ~ 'Please add a reference'"
+                echo "# Actual:   $output"
+                rc=1
+            else
+                echo "ok $testnum $testname - rc=$expected_rc"
+            fi
+        else
+            echo "ok $testnum $testname - rc=$expected_rc"
+        fi
+    fi
+}
+
+# END   test-script runner and status checker
+###############################################################################
+# BEGIN test-case parsing
+
+rc=0
+testnum=0
+tested_override=
+
+while read expected_rc pr msg branch rest; do
+    # Skip blank lines
+    test -z "$expected_rc" && continue
+
+    export DEST_BRANCH=$branch
+    export CIRRUS_CHANGE_MESSAGE="${!msg}"
+    export CIRRUS_PR=$pr
+
+    run_test_script $expected_rc "PR $pr $msg $branch - $rest"
+done <<<"$tests"
+
+echo "1..$testnum"
+exit $rc
+
+# END   Test-case parsing
+###############################################################################
diff --git a/contrib/cirrus/prebuild.sh b/contrib/cirrus/prebuild.sh
index 8b6a789b1b..65c254f556 100755
--- a/contrib/cirrus/prebuild.sh
+++ b/contrib/cirrus/prebuild.sh
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ if [[ "${DISTRO_NV}" == "$PRIOR_FEDORA_NAME" ]]; then
     # Tests for lib.sh
     showrun ${SCRIPT_BASE}/lib.sh.t
 
+    # Tests for pr-should-link-jira
+    showrun ${SCRIPT_BASE}/pr-should-link-jira.t
+
     msg "Checking renovate config."
     showrun podman run -it \
             -v ./.github/renovate.json5:/usr/src/app/renovate.json5:z \
diff --git a/contrib/cirrus/runner.sh b/contrib/cirrus/runner.sh
index 88f9abfcec..5c9209221b 100755
--- a/contrib/cirrus/runner.sh
+++ b/contrib/cirrus/runner.sh
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ function _run_validate-source() {
 
     # make sure PRs have tests
     showrun make tests-included
+
+    # make sure PRs have jira links (if needed for branch)
+    showrun make test-jira-links-included
 }
 
 function _run_unit() {