Jira MCP for Copilot

Built by Suresh Suthar — mr.sutharsuresh@gmail.com

Seamlessly connect Jira Server and Data Center with GitHub Copilot using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Table of Contents

1. What it does
2. Prerequisites
3. Quick Start
4. Configure JIRA
5. Use with Copilot
6. Features
7. Commands
8. Copilot Tools
9. Usage Examples
10. Security
11. Troubleshooting
12. Author
13. License

What it does

Jira MCP for Copilot exposes Jira issue tracking and project operations to GitHub Copilot via a dedicated MCP server.

Use natural language from Copilot to search issues, create tickets, add comments, change status, manage attachments, and read custom field data.

Prerequisites

| Requirement | Details | |-------------|---------| | VS Code | Version 1.99.0 or later | | GitHub Copilot | Copilot Chat extension installed and signed in | | Jira | Jira Server or Data Center with REST API access | | Authentication | Jira Personal Access Token (PAT) |

Quick Start

Install the extension

1. Open VS Code.
2. Install the extension from a .vsix file.
3. Reload VS Code.

Build from source

git clone <repo-url>
cd jira_mcp_server
npm install
node esbuild.mjs
npm run package
code --install-extension jira-mcp-1.0.0.vsix

Connect to Jira

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P).
2. Run JIRA MCP: Configure JIRA Connection.
3. Enter your Jira URL, username/email, and PAT.
4. Run JIRA MCP: Test JIRA Connection to verify.

Configure JIRA

The extension stores your PAT securely in VS Code SecretStorage. Jira URL and username are stored in settings.

1. Open Command Palette.
2. Select JIRA MCP: Configure JIRA Connection.
3. Enter the requested values:
   • Jira Server URL
   • Username or email
   • Personal Access Token

If the connection succeeds, the MCP server starts and Copilot can use the Jira tools.

Use with Copilot

1. Open GitHub Copilot Chat.
2. Select Agent mode.
3. Ask Copilot about your Jira instance.

Example prompts:

• "Show me open bugs assigned to me in project MYPROJ"
• "Get the details of PROJ-123 including all comments"
• "Create a task in MYPROJ: "Update API documentation""
• "Add a comment to PROJ-456: "Ready for QA""
• "Move PROJ-789 to In Progress"

Features

• 🔐 Secure PAT-based Jira authentication
• 🧠 Natural language access through GitHub Copilot
• 📝 Create issues, add comments, and update status
• 📁 Browse Jira projects and issue attachments
• 📥 Download attachments to <workspace>/jira-attachments/
• 📤 Upload local files as Jira attachments
• 🧩 Read and update Jira custom field values
• ⚡ Built for MCP-enabled Copilot workflows

Commands

| Command | Description | |-------------------------------|---------------------------------------------| | JIRA MCP: Configure JIRA Connection | Enter or update Jira URL, username, and PAT | | JIRA MCP: Test JIRA Connection | Verify stored Jira credentials | | JIRA MCP: Clear Saved Credentials | Remove saved credentials and settings |

Copilot Tools

The extension exposes these MCP tools:

| Tool | Description | |----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------| | search_issues | Search Jira issues using JQL | | get_issue | Get detailed issue information, comments, attachments, subtasks and custom fields | | create_issue | Create a new Jira issue | | add_comment | Add a comment to an issue | | update_issue_status | Transition an issue through available workflow statuses | | list_projects | List accessible Jira projects | | get_current_user | Get current authenticated user info | | get_server_version | Get the Jira MCP server version and active features | | list_attachments | List attachments on an issue | | download_attachment | Download an issue attachment to the workspace | | upload_attachment | Upload a local file as an issue attachment | | get_custom_fields | List Jira custom fields | | get_custom_field_value | Read a custom field value from an issue | | update_custom_field | Update a Jira custom field value |

Usage Examples

Search for issues

• "Find all bugs assigned to me in project MYPROJ"
• "Show me high priority issues updated this week"
• "What tickets are in the current sprint?"

Manage issues

• "Create a task for implementing user authentication"
• "Move PROJ-123 to In Progress"
• "Add a comment to PROJ-456"

Get information

• "What is the description of PROJ-123?"
• "Who is working on the authentication feature?"
• "What projects do I have access to?"

Security

• Secure Token Storage: PAT is stored in VS Code SecretStorage using the OS keychain.
• No Token Exposure: Tokens are never logged or sent to third parties.
• HTTPS Only: Jira requests are sent over HTTPS.
• No Telemetry: This extension does not collect analytics.

Troubleshooting

Connection failed

• Confirm the Jira URL is correct and includes https://
• Verify your PAT has not expired
• Ensure Jira is reachable from your machine
• Try opening https://<your-jira>/rest/api/2/myself

Copilot does not see Jira tools

• Use Agent mode in GitHub Copilot Chat
• Run JIRA MCP: Test JIRA Connection
• Reload VS Code (Developer: Reload Window)
• Check logs in the JIRA MCP output channel

Downloads not appearing

• Attachments are saved to <workspace>/jira-attachments/
• Make sure a workspace folder is open in VS Code

Author

Built by Suresh Suthar — mr.sutharsuresh@gmail.com

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.