Jira

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Jira API integration lets you read, write, and manage Jira issues and projects directly from an MCP client such as Claude. It provides a structured bridge between Jira and MCP-powered assistants, enabling smooth project management workflows within your conversational interface.

How to use

This MCP Jira Server integrates with your MCP client to perform common Jira tasks. You can look up visible projects, fetch project details, create and update issues, add comments, and manage metadata such as priorities and statuses. The server exposes a set of tools designed to be invoked from your MCP client, streamlining Jira interactions from natural language or scripted prompts.

In practice, you typically install the server, configure your Jira credentials, and then enable it in your MCP client's configuration. Once configured, you can issue commands like creating issues in a Jira project, updating descriptions, or retrieving issue details without leaving your MCP environment.

How to install

Prerequisites include Node.js v18 or higher and access to a Jira instance (Cloud or Server). You will also need a Jira API token if using Jira Cloud.

Install from npm for global usage or install locally in your project.

# Install from npm globally
npm install -g mcp-jira-stdio

# Or install locally in your project
npm install mcp-jira-stdio

Development installation steps (optional if you want to build from source): clone the repository, install dependencies, and build the project.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/freema/mcp-jira-stdio.git
cd mcp-jira-stdio

# Install dependencies
npm install
# or using Task runner
task install

# Build the project
npm run build
# or
task build

Configuration and credentials

Configure your Jira credentials and base URL. You can set these values via a .env file or environment variables when launching the MCP server.

Example configuration values you will need to provide:

JIRA_BASE_URL=https://your-instance.atlassian.net
JIRA_EMAIL=your-email@example.com
JIRA_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

MCP client setup details

Claude Code users are encouraged to use the quick install command which pulls the MCP server via npx and passes necessary environment variables.

claude mcp add jira npx mcp-jira-stdio@latest \
  --env JIRA_BASE_URL=https://yourcompany.atlassian.net \
  --env JIRA_EMAIL=your-email@example.com \
  --env JIRA_API_TOKEN=your-api-token

Alternative: Claude Desktop configuration allows you to reference a local or npm-based MCP server in your Claude Desktop config. You can place the configuration in your Claude Desktop config.json as shown in the README.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "mcp-jira-stdio",
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://your-instance.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_EMAIL": "your-email@example.com",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Security and troubleshooting notes

Startup does not strictly require Jira connectivity to begin; if Jira credentials are missing, the server will start and list tools, but tool calls will fail with an authentication error until the Jira base URL, email, and API token are provided.

Common issues include authentication failures due to misconfigured tokens or base URLs, connectivity problems, and permission issues in Jira. If you encounter problems, verify credentials, confirm the Jira REST API is accessible, and check your network configuration.

For debugging, use the MCP inspector and the provided task commands to test Jira connectivity and list projects.

If you run into timeouts when using multiple sessions with npx, install the package globally and reconfigure the client to avoid cache/registry locking.

# Global install to avoid npx timeouts
npm install -g mcp-jira-stdio
claude mcp add jira mcp-jira-stdio \
  --env JIRA_BASE_URL=... \
  --env JIRA_EMAIL=... \
  --env JIRA_API_TOKEN=...

Project structure and tools

The MCP server exposes a set of tools to interact with Jira, including fetching projects, getting project info, and managing issues, comments, and metadata.