Jira MCP Server

Minimal, secure Jira MCP server with project-level configuration. ~200 lines, 3 dependencies, zero third-party Jira wrappers. Fully auditable.

Works with Claude Code, Kiro, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, GitHub Copilot, and any MCP-compatible AI coding agent.

Why This Exists

Most Jira MCP servers use third-party wrappers with unknown code. This server:

~200 lines total — read every line in 5 minutes
3 dependencies — mcp (Anthropic), httpx, python-dotenv
Zero external calls — only connects to your Jira instance
Project-level config — different Jira instances per project via env vars
No telemetry, no analytics, no SaaS dependency

Tools (19)

| Category | Tool | Description | |----------|------|-------------| | Search | jira_search | Search issues using JQL (auto-scoped to project) | | | jira_my_issues | Get my assigned/created/watched issues | | | jira_sprint_issues | Get active sprint board | | Issues | jira_get_issue | Get full issue details with comments | | | jira_create_issue | Create a new issue (Task, Bug, Story) | | | jira_update_issue | Update summary, description, priority, labels | | Workflow | jira_transition | Change status (In Progress, Done, etc.) | | | jira_get_transitions | List available transitions for an issue | | Comments | jira_add_comment | Add a comment (ADF format) | | | jira_list_comments | List all comments on an issue | | | jira_delete_comment | Delete a comment | | Attachments | jira_attach_file | Upload a file to an issue | | | jira_list_attachments | List all attachments on an issue | | | jira_delete_attachment | Delete an attachment | | People | jira_assign | Assign issue to a user | | | jira_list_users | Search users by name/email | | Links | jira_link_issues | Link two issues (Blocks, Relates, Duplicate) | | Project | jira_get_project_info | Get project details and issue types | | Time | jira_log_work | Log work/time on an issue |

Quick Start

1. Get API Token (Free)

Go to https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens → Create API token

2. Install

git clone https://github.com/rishapgandhi/jira_mcp.git
cd jira_mcp
pip install -e .

3. Configure Per Project

Create .kiro/mcp.json in your project folder:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": ["-m", "src.server"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/jira_mcp",
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://yourcompany.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_EMAIL": "you@company.com",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "JIRA_PROJECT_KEY": "PROJ"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Multiple Projects

project-a/.kiro/mcp.json  → JIRA_PROJECT_KEY=PA, company-a.atlassian.net
project-b/.kiro/mcp.json  → JIRA_PROJECT_KEY=PB, company-b.atlassian.net
project-c/.kiro/mcp.json  → JIRA_PROJECT_KEY=PC, client.atlassian.net

Same server code, different config per project. Each project connects to its own Jira board.

Claude Code

claude mcp add jira -- python3 -m src.server --cwd /path/to/jira_mcp

Cursor / Windsurf

Add to .cursor/mcp.json or .windsurf/mcp.json with same format as above.

Security

| Aspect | Implementation | |--------|---------------| | Dependencies | 3 packages, all well-known | | Network | Only connects to YOUR Jira instance | | Credentials | API token via env vars (never stored in code) | | Code | ~200 lines, fully auditable | | Telemetry | None | | Data flow | Your machine → Your Jira instance |

Dependencies

| Package | Purpose | |---------|---------| | mcp | MCP protocol SDK (Anthropic) | | httpx | HTTP client for Jira REST API | | python-dotenv | .env file loading |

Project Structure

jira_mcp/
├── pyproject.toml
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
├── LICENSE
├── README.md
└── src/
    ├── server.py      # MCP server (stdio transport)
    ├── client.py      # Jira API client (httpx + basic auth)
    └── tools/
        └── issues.py  # 9 tools: search, CRUD, transitions, sprint

Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description | |----------|----------|-------------| | JIRA_BASE_URL | Yes | https://yourcompany.atlassian.net | | JIRA_EMAIL | Yes | Your Jira login email | | JIRA_API_TOKEN | Yes | API token from Atlassian | | JIRA_PROJECT_KEY | No | Scopes all queries to this project (e.g. PV) |

Contributing

PRs welcome. Keep it minimal — the goal is a small, auditable codebase.

License

MIT — use commercially, fork, modify, redistribute freely.

MCP Servers