Jira MCP Server

What it does

Jira MCP servers connect AI coding agents to Jira Cloud, Server, or Data Center. Agents can search issues via JQL, fetch issue details and relationships, create and update issues, add comments, and pull acceptance criteria into implementation work. Atlassian offers an official remote MCP server with OAuth 2.1; community servers use API tokens with stdio transport.

Available tools

Tool	What it does
jira_search_issues	Search issues with JQL queries
jira_get_issue	Get full issue details including description and comments
jira_create_issue	Create a new issue with project, type, summary, description
jira_update_issue	Update issue status, assignee, or other fields
jira_add_comment	Add a comment to an issue
jira_get_transitions	Get available workflow transitions
jira_list_projects	List projects in the instance

Tool names vary by implementation. Atlassian's official server may use different naming.

Setup by tool

Cursor (community stdio server)

Create .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@timbreeding/jira-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_USERNAME": "user@example.com",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your_api_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor (Atlassian remote OAuth)

If using Atlassian's hosted MCP server, add the URL and follow the OAuth flow when prompted. Check the Atlassian MCP documentation for the current endpoint.

Claude Code

Add the same configuration to your Claude MCP config. For API token auth, ensure JIRA_BASE_URL, JIRA_USERNAME, and JIRA_API_TOKEN are set in env.

VS Code / GitHub Copilot

Add the server to your MCP client with the appropriate command and env vars.

Getting a Jira API token

1. Log in to id.atlassian.com
2. Click Create API token
3. Name it (e.g., "MCP Agent") and copy the token
4. Use your Atlassian account email as JIRA_USERNAME

When to use this

• Issue-driven development: Agents read acceptance criteria before implementing
• Status updates: Update ticket status when work is complete
• Context gathering: Search related issues to understand constraints and prior decisions
• Sprint support: Reference backlog and project progress during planning

Security considerations

• API tokens grant the same access as your user; use a service account for shared agents
• Prefer Atlassian's OAuth server when available for finer-grained control
• Limit JQL scope when possible; broad searches may expose sensitive issues
• Do not commit API tokens; use environment variables
• Review agent-created comments and status changes in Jira's audit log