MCP Jira Server for Self-Hosted Jira

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for interacting with self-hosted Jira instances using Personal Access Token (PAT) authentication.

Features

• ✅ Personal Access Token authentication for self-hosted Jira
• ✅ Create, read, update, and delete Jira issues
• ✅ Search issues using JQL (Jira Query Language)
• ✅ Add and view comments
• ✅ Manage issue assignments
• ✅ List projects and issue types
• ✅ Transition issues between statuses
• ✅ Get current user information

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18 or higher
• A self-hosted Jira instance (e.g., https://jira.domain.com)
• A Jira Personal Access Token

How to Create a Personal Access Token in Self-Hosted Jira

1. Log in to your Jira instance (e.g., https://jira.domain.com)
2. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner
3. Select "Profile" or "Account Settings"
4. Navigate to "Personal Access Tokens" or "Security"
5. Click "Create token"
6. Give your token a name (e.g., "MCP Server")
7. Set an expiration date (optional but recommended)
8. Click "Create"
9. Copy the token immediately - you won't be able to see it again!

Installation

Option 1: Using npm (Recommended)

Direct usage with npx:

npx mcp-jira-server

Or install globally:

npm install -g mcp-jira-server

Option 2: From Source

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/edrich13/mcp-jira-server.git
cd mcp-jira-server

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Build the server:

npm run build

Configuration

For Claude Desktop

Add the following to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

MacOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Option 1: Using npx (Recommended)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-jira-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://jira.domain.com",
        "JIRA_PAT": "your-personal-access-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using source build

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/Users/edrich.rocha/.nvm/versions/node/v22.6.0/bin/mcp-jira-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://jira.domain.com",
        "JIRA_PAT": "your-personal-access-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

For VS Code with MCP

Create or update .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

Option 1: Using npx (Recommended)

{
  "servers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-jira-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://jira.domain.com",
        "JIRA_PAT": "your-personal-access-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using source build

{
  "servers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-jira-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://jira.domain.com",
        "JIRA_PAT": "your-personal-access-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

• JIRA_BASE_URL: The base URL of your self-hosted Jira instance (e.g., https://jira.domain.com)
• JIRA_PAT: Your Personal Access Token
• JIRA_USER_AGENT (optional): Custom User-Agent header for Jira instances behind reverse proxies (oauth2-proxy, nginx, etc.) that filter requests by User-Agent. If your API requests get redirected to SSO login despite valid PAT, your reverse proxy may require a specific User-Agent to bypass authentication for API clients.

Available Tools

1. jira_get_issue

Get details of a specific Jira issue by its key.

Parameters:

• issueKey (string, required): The Jira issue key (e.g., "PROJ-123")

Example:

Get details for issue PROJ-123

2. jira_search_issues

Search for Jira issues using JQL (Jira Query Language).

Parameters:

• jql (string, required): JQL query string
• maxResults (number, optional): Maximum number of results (default: 50)

Example:

Search for all open issues in project PROJ assigned to me

Common JQL Examples:

• project = PROJ AND status = Open
• assignee = currentUser() AND status != Done
• priority = High AND created >= -7d
• reporter = john.doe AND status IN (Open, "In Progress")

3. jira_create_issue

Create a new Jira issue.

Parameters:

• projectKey (string, required): Project key
• summary (string, required): Issue title/summary
• issueType (string, required): Issue type (e.g., "Bug", "Task", "Story")
• description (string, optional): Detailed description
• priority (string, optional): Priority level (e.g., "High", "Medium", "Low")
• assignee (string, optional): Username to assign to
• labels (array, optional): Array of labels
• components (array, optional): Array of component names
• Custom fields: Any additional parameters prefixed with customfield_ (e.g., customfield_10001)

Example:

Create a new bug in project PROJ with summary "Login page not loading" and high priority

Custom Fields Example:

Create a story in PROJ with custom field customfield_10001 set to "Sprint 1"

4. jira_update_issue

Update an existing Jira issue.

Parameters:

• issueKey (string, required): Issue key to update
• summary (string, optional): New summary
• description (string, optional): New description
• assignee (string, optional): New assignee username
• priority (string, optional): New priority
• labels (array, optional): New labels array
• status (string, optional): New status (e.g., "In Progress", "Done")
• Custom fields: Any additional parameters prefixed with customfield_ (e.g., customfield_10002)

Example:

Update issue PROJ-123 to set status to "In Progress" and assign to john.doe

5. jira_add_comment

Add a comment to a Jira issue.

Parameters:

• issueKey (string, required): Issue key
• comment (string, required): Comment text

Example:

Add a comment to PROJ-123 saying "Fixed in latest deployment"

6. jira_get_comments

Get all comments from a Jira issue.

Parameters:

• issueKey (string, required): Issue key

7. jira_get_projects

List all available Jira projects.

Parameters: None

Example:

List all Jira projects

8. jira_get_project

Get details of a specific project.

Parameters:

• projectKey (string, required): Project key

9. jira_get_issue_types

Get available issue types for a project.

Parameters:

• projectKey (string, required): Project key

10. jira_assign_issue

Assign a Jira issue to a user.

Parameters:

• issueKey (string, required): Issue key
• assignee (string, required): Username to assign to

11. jira_delete_issue

Delete a Jira issue permanently.

Parameters:

• issueKey (string, required): Issue key to delete

⚠️ Warning: This action is permanent and cannot be undone.

12. jira_get_current_user

Get information about the currently authenticated user.

Parameters: None

Development

Build the server

npm run build

Watch mode for development

npm run watch

Run in development mode

npm run dev

Testing the Server

After configuring the server, restart Claude Desktop or VS Code to load the new MCP server.

Quick Test Commands

1. Test authentication:

   Get my current Jira user information
   

2. List projects:

   Show me all Jira projects
   

3. Search for issues:

   Search for all issues assigned to me that are not done
   

4. Create an issue:

   Create a new task in project PROJ with summary "Test MCP integration"
   

Troubleshooting

Server not connecting

• Verify the absolute path in your configuration
• Ensure the server is built (npm run build)
• Check that environment variables are set correctly
• Restart Claude Desktop or VS Code after configuration changes

Authentication errors

• Verify your Personal Access Token is still valid
• Check that the token has not expired
• Ensure the token has appropriate permissions
• Verify the JIRA_BASE_URL is correct (no trailing slash)

API errors

• Check Jira server logs for detailed error messages
• Verify the Jira API is accessible from your machine
• Ensure your user account has necessary permissions
• Try accessing the REST API directly: https://jira.domain.com/rest/api/2/myself

Common issues

• "Cannot find module": Run npm install and npm run build
• "Connection refused": Check if Jira server is accessible and URL is correct
• "Unauthorized": Verify your Personal Access Token
• "Issue type not found": Use jira_get_issue_types to see valid types for the project
• API requests redirect to SSO login: Your Jira may be behind a reverse proxy (oauth2-proxy, nginx) that filters by User-Agent. Set JIRA_USER_AGENT environment variable to a whitelisted User-Agent string. Contact your system administrator to get the allowed User-Agent value.

Security Best Practices

1. Never commit your Personal Access Token to version control
2. Store tokens securely in configuration files with restricted permissions
3. Use tokens with minimal required permissions
4. Set expiration dates for tokens
5. Rotate tokens regularly
6. Monitor token usage in Jira's audit logs

API Reference

This MCP server uses the Jira REST API v2. For more information about Jira's API:

• Jira REST API documentation: https://your-jira-instance/rest/api/2/
• JQL syntax guide: Check your Jira instance documentation

License

MIT

Support

For issues related to:

• MCP Server: Check the logs in Claude Desktop or VS Code
• Jira API: Refer to your self-hosted Jira documentation
• Authentication: Contact your Jira administrator

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please ensure:

• Code follows TypeScript best practices
• All tools are properly documented
• Error handling is comprehensive
• Security best practices are followed