Jira MCP Server

The Jira MCP Server — part of the @sooperset/mcp-atlassian package — connects Claude and other MCP-compatible agents to Jira Cloud via the Atlassian REST API. Search issues with JQL, create and update tickets, get project details, and manage your backlog — all from a natural-language conversation. The same package also supports Confluence; see the Confluence MCP Server page for those tools.

Installation & Configuration

Add this block to your claude_desktop_config.json (or your agent framework's MCP config file):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@sooperset/mcp-atlassian"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "ATLASSIAN_EMAIL": "you@example.com",
        "ATLASSIAN_TOKEN": "your_api_token_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Generating an Atlassian API token:

• Go to id.atlassian.com → API tokens
• Click "Create API token" and give it a label
• Copy the token — it's only shown once
• Use your Atlassian account email as ATLASSIAN_EMAIL

Config file location:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Available Tools (5)

• jira_get_issue
• jira_search
• jira_create_issue
• jira_update_issue
• jira_get_project

Use Cases

• Sprint review — ask Claude to summarise all closed issues from the last sprint in plain English
• Bug triage — have Claude search for open bugs, group by priority, and suggest which to tackle first
• Issue creation — describe a task conversationally and let Claude create a well-structured Jira ticket
• Status updates — query all in-progress issues assigned to you and get a quick standup summary

Gotchas

• API token, not password: The ATLASSIAN_TOKEN must be an API token generated at id.atlassian.com — your account password will not work and will return 401 errors.
• Cloud only: This server targets Jira Cloud (atlassian.net). Jira Server / Data Center uses a different auth mechanism and different API endpoints — it will not work without modification.
• JIRA_URL format: Include the full https://your-domain.atlassian.net URL. A trailing slash or missing https:// can cause request failures.
• JQL in jira_search: The search tool accepts JQL strings. Claude can generate these for you, but complex JQL with custom fields requires knowing your field IDs — ask Claude to list fields first if lookups return empty results.

Security Note

Source & Documentation