Jira MCP Server

An MCP server for Jira — connect any MCP-compatible client to your Jira projects, issues, sprints, and boards.

![MCP Compatible](https://modelcontextprotocol.io) ![TypeScript](https://www.typescriptlang.org/) ![License: MIT](LICENSE)

What is this?

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives AI assistants and agents full access to your Jira instance — search issues with JQL, create and update tickets, manage sprints and boards, transition issues through workflows, and link related work — all through natural language.

Use it with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Continue, or any MCP-compatible client to manage your projects without leaving the chat.

Why use this?

14 built-in tools — covers search, CRUD, transitions, comments, projects, boards, sprints, and backlog
Full JQL support — search issues with any Jira Query Language expression
Workflow transitions — move issues through your custom workflows by name
Sprint management — query sprint states, goals, and board backlogs
Works with Jira Cloud — connects to any *.atlassian.net instance

Quick Start

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "jira-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_HOST": "your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_EMAIL": "you@example.com",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor / VS Code

Add to your MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "jira-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_HOST": "your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_EMAIL": "you@example.com",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Manual

npm install -g jira-mcp-server
export JIRA_HOST=your-domain.atlassian.net
export JIRA_EMAIL=you@example.com
export JIRA_API_TOKEN=your-api-token
jira-mcp-server

Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description | |----------|----------|-------------| | JIRA_HOST | Yes | Your Jira hostname (e.g. your-domain.atlassian.net) | | JIRA_API_TOKEN | Yes | Jira API token or Personal Access Token | | JIRA_EMAIL | Cond. | Your Jira email (required for Basic auth) | | JIRA_AUTH_TYPE | No | basic (default) or bearer (for PAT) | | JIRA_API_VERSION | No | REST API version (default: 3) |

Getting your API token

Go to Atlassian API Tokens
Click Create API token
Give it a name (e.g. "MCP Server") and copy the token
Use your Atlassian email as JIRA_EMAIL

Tools

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | jira_search | Search issues with JQL | | jira_get_issue | Get full issue details | | jira_create_issue | Create a new issue | | jira_update_issue | Update issue fields | | jira_transition_issue | Transition issue to new status | | jira_add_comment | Add a comment to an issue | | jira_delete_issue | Delete an issue (permanent) | | jira_list_projects | List accessible projects | | jira_get_project | Get project details | | jira_get_issue_types | List issue types for a project | | jira_link_issues | Create a link between two issues | | jira_get_boards | List Jira Software boards | | jira_get_sprints | List sprints for a board | | jira_get_backlog | Get board backlog items |

Usage Examples

Search issues with JQL

{ "tool": "jira_search", "arguments": { "jql": "project = PROJ AND status = Open ORDER BY created DESC" } }

Create a bug

{
  "tool": "jira_create_issue",
  "arguments": {
    "projectKey": "PROJ",
    "summary": "Login page broken on mobile",
    "issueType": "Bug",
    "priority": "High",
    "labels": "mobile,urgent"
  }
}

Transition an issue

{ "tool": "jira_transition_issue", "arguments": { "issueKey": "PROJ-123", "transitionName": "In Progress" } }

Get sprint backlog

{ "tool": "jira_get_backlog", "arguments": { "boardId": "42" } }

Use Cases

Project management — "Show me all open bugs in the mobile project" → jira_search with JQL
Sprint planning — "What's in the current sprint?" → jira_get_sprints + jira_get_backlog
Issue triage — "Create a bug for the login timeout" → jira_create_issue
Workflow automation — "Move PROJ-456 to In Review" → jira_transition_issue
Cross-project overview — "List all projects I have access to" → jira_list_projects

API Coverage

| Resource | Tools | |----------|-------| | Issues | jira_search, jira_get_issue, jira_create_issue, jira_update_issue, jira_transition_issue, jira_delete_issue | | Comments | jira_add_comment | | Projects | jira_list_projects, jira_get_project | | Issue Types | jira_get_issue_types | | Links | jira_link_issues | | Boards | jira_get_boards | | Sprints | jira_get_sprints | | Backlog | jira_get_backlog |

Development

git clone https://github.com/friendlygeorge/jira-mcp-server.git
cd jira-mcp-server
npm install
npm run build
npm start

License

MIT

jira-mcp-server