JIRA MCP Server

How to use

You access JIRA data and operations by configuring MCP clients to talk to the server you run. After you start the MCP server, your client can query projects, boards, sprints, and issues; create and update issues with detailed fields; manage worklogs and comments; and perform searches using JQL or simple filters. The server is designed to be integrated with editors, IDEs, and other MCP-enabled tools so you can perform end-to-end project work directly from your development workflow.

To begin, ensure your MCP client is configured to point to one of the available MCP server endpoints described in the configuration snippets. You will provide authentication data and the JIRA host so requests to the Atlassian JIRA REST API are properly authorized.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need a working Node.js and Bun toolchain to build and run the MCP server locally, plus access to a JIRA Cloud instance or server with API access.

Install and run the MCP server using Bun or Node-based configuration snippets shown below. You will copy these snippets into your MCP client configuration to connect to the server.

Configuration snippets for MCP clients

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "JIRA Tools": {
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": ["-y", "@dsazz/mcp-jira@latest"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_HOST": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_USERNAME": "[email protected]",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-jira-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "JIRA Tools": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/your/project/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_USERNAME": "your-jira-username",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-jira-api-token",
        "JIRA_HOST": "your-jira-host.atlassian.net"
      }
    }
  }
}

Security and credentials

Protect your credentials carefully. Use environment variables for sensitive data, avoid committing tokens to source control, and restrict API token permissions to the minimum necessary for your workflow.

Examples of common workflows

Create an issue in a project with a summary and description, then add a worklog entry, and finally attach labels for better organization.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter connection issues, verify that your JIRA_HOST, JIRA_USERNAME, and JIRA_API_TOKEN are correct and that network access to the JIRA instance is allowed from your environment. Check for valid token permissions and ensure the MCP server process has the necessary permissions to access the environment variables.

Notes

You can run multiple MCP server configurations in parallel if you need to switch between different JIRA instances or environments. Ensure each server configuration uses distinct environment variables to prevent cross-contamination.

jira_get_assigned_issues

Retrieves all issues assigned to you and returns a Markdown-formatted list of issues.

jira_get_issue

Fetches detailed information for a specific issue by its key and returns a Markdown-formatted summary.

jira_get_issue_comments

Retrieves comments for a specific issue with options to filter, paginate, and include internal comments.

jira_create_issue

Creates a new JIRA issue with a comprehensive set of fields including description, priority, assignee, and custom fields.

jira_update_issue

Updates an existing issue with field changes, time estimates, labels, components, and optional worklog entries.

jira_get_projects

Lists or searches JIRA projects with optional expansion of additional project metadata.

jira_get_boards

Retrieves boards (Scrum/Kanban) with filtering by type, name, or project.

jira_get_sprints

Gets sprint data for a specified board with optional filtering by state and pagination.

jira_add_worklog

Adds time tracking to an issue, with optional comment and visibility settings.

jira_get_worklogs

Lists worklogs for an issue with optional date filtering.

jira_update_worklog

Updates an existing worklog entry for an issue.

jira_delete_worklog

Deletes a worklog entry from an issue.

jira_get_current_user

Retrieves information about the current authenticated user.

search_jira_issues

Searches JIRA issues using either JQL or helper parameters with optional field selection.