Overview
What is JIRA MCP Server?
A flexible Go server that implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to interact with the JIRA Cloud REST API. It bridges AI assistants or developer tools (MCP clients) with JIRA, enabling automated issue management, searching, and Epic tracking through a standardized interface.
How to use JIRA MCP Server?
Clone the repository, set required environment variables (JIRA_MCP_JIRA_URL, JIRA_MCP_JIRA_USER_EMAIL, JIRA_MCP_JIRA_API_TOKEN), and run the server using make run (Go) or Docker (build image then make docker-run). The server listens on the configured port (default 8080) and exposes MCP-compatible endpoints.
Key features of JIRA MCP Server
- Exposes JIRA actions via standard MCP endpoints
- Create issues, search with JQL, retrieve details, and fetch Epic issues
- Flexible configuration via environment variables, config file, or defaults
- Ready for containerized deployment with Docker and Docker Compose
- Comprehensive unit and integration tests
- Clean architecture with dependency injection and structured logging
Use cases of JIRA MCP Server
- Automate issue creation from AI assistant conversations
- Query and display JIRA project status in development tools
- Fetch all issues in an Epic for sprint planning via LLMs
- Integrate task management into custom MCP-powered workflows
- Search and retrieve issue details without leaving the coding environment
FAQ from JIRA MCP Server
What are the prerequisites?
You need Go 1.20+ (for local build), a JIRA Cloud instance, and a JIRA API token associated with a user email. Docker and Docker Compose are optional for containerized deployment.
How do I configure the server?
Configuration is loaded from environment variables prefixed with JIRA_MCP_ (highest priority), a config.yaml file, or application defaults. Required vars: JIRA_MCP_JIRA_URL, JIRA_MCP_JIRA_USER_EMAIL, JIRA_MCP_JIRA_API_TOKEN.
What API endpoints are available?
POST /create_jira_issue, POST /search_jira_issues, GET /jira_issue/{issueKey}, and GET /jira_epic/{epicKey}/issues (the Epic endpoint requires the JIRA_MCP_EPIC_LINK_FIELD_ID config).
How do I run the server with Docker?
Build the Docker image with make docker-build, create a .env file in the server directory with JIRA_MCP_ environment variables, then run make docker-run (which uses docker-compose up -d). To stop, run docker-compose down.
Where is my API token stored?
Never commit the token to version control. Use environment variables or a secure secrets manager. In Docker, store it in a .env file (excluded from Git) or inject it at runtime.
