Jira MCP Connector Service

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) service implementation leveraging the jira-python library to interface with the Jira REST API. This component integrates deeply with Claude Desktop and other compliant MCP clients, translating conversational directives into actionable Jira operations.

Core Capabilities

• Retrieval of all accessible Jira organizational containers (projects).
• Fetching granular data for any specified Jira ticket (issue).
• Execution of sophisticated searches against Jira leveraging JQL (Jira Query Language).
• Automated creation of new Jira entities (issues).
• Appending contextual notes (comments) to existing tickets.
• Inquiry regarding valid workflow state changes for an issue.
• Applying mandated state transitions to issues.

Setup and Deployment

Prerequisites

• Python runtime, version 3.9 or newer.
• Access credentials for a target Jira environment (Cloud, On-Premise Server, or Data Center).
• Utilizing uv is highly suggested for dependency resolution.

Virtual Environment Activation (Best Practice)

# Establish a Python Virtual Environment within the service root
python -m venv .
# Engage the isolated environment
source bin/activate

Installation via uv (Recommended Method)

# Install uv if necessary
pip install uv

# Install the Jira MCP service package
uv pip install mcp-server-jira

Standard Installation using pip

pip install mcp-server-jira

Configuration Parameters

Configuration is primarily managed through environment variables:

• JIRA_SERVER_URL: The base endpoint URL for your Jira installation.
• JIRA_AUTH_METHOD: Specification of the authentication strategy ('basic_auth' or 'token_auth').
• JIRA_USERNAME: Required identifier for basic authentication schemes.
• JIRA_PASSWORD: Secret credential for basic authentication.
• JIRA_TOKEN: Security token (API or Personal Access Token).

Local Configuration File (.env)

For local execution, populate a .env file in the root directory:

JIRA_SERVER_URL=https://your-organization.atlassian.net
JIRA_AUTH_METHOD=basic_auth
JIRA_USERNAME=your_identity@domain.com
JIRA_TOKEN=your_generated_api_token

Execution Methods

Direct Command Line Invocation

python -m mcp_server_jira

Containerized Deployment (Docker)

docker build -t mcp-jira-service .
docker run --env-file .env -p 8080:8080 mcp-jira-service

Integration with Claude Desktop

To link this service to your Claude Desktop instance:

1. Complete the installation of the adapter using one of the outlined procedures.
2. Within Claude Desktop, navigate to Settings -> Developer interfaces.
3. Select the option to Modify Configuration.
4. Access and open the primary JSON configuration file.
5. Insert the following configuration block: (NOTE: The provided environment variables below are configured specifically for token-based authorization and may require adjustment for other authentication protocols)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "<PATH TO UV> e.g., /home/user/.local/bin/uv",
      "args": [
          "--directory",
          "<PATH TO JIRA MCP DIRECTORY>",
          "run",
          "mcp-server-jira"
      ],
      "env": {
          "JIRA_SERVER_URL": "https://<YOUR_TENANT>.atlassian.net/",
          "JIRA_AUTH_METHOD": "token_auth",
          "JIRA_USERNAME": "<USER_IDENTIFIER>",
          "JIRA_TOKEN": "<YOUR_SECRET_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

1. You can subsequently issue commands to Claude such as:
2. "List all projects currently visible in Jira."
3. "Retrieve the full specification for ticket PROJECT-123."
4. "Instantiate a new defect ticket in the PROJECT project with the summary 'Login functionality failure'."
5. "Search for all unresolved tickets assigned to my account."

Supported Authentication Schemes

The adapter accommodates several secure connection modalities:

Basic Auth Credentials

Appropriate for self-hosted Jira Server/Data Center environments requiring standard user/password pairs:

JIRA_SERVER_URL="https://jira.enterprise-corp.com"
JIRA_AUTH_METHOD="basic_auth"
JIRA_USERNAME="svc_user"
JIRA_PASSWORD="secure_pass_hash"

API Token (For Cloud Instances)

Standard method for authenticating against Jira Cloud services:

JIRA_SERVER_URL="https://your-company.atlassian.net"
JIRA_AUTH_METHOD="basic_auth"
JIRA_USERNAME="support_email@company.com"
JIRA_TOKEN="atlassian_api_token_value"

Personal Access Token (For Modern Server/DC)

Utilized for newer Jira Server/Data Center versions (8.14+):

JIRA_SERVER_URL="https://jira.corp.local"
JIRA_AUTH_METHOD="token_auth"
JIRA_TOKEN="pat_for_server_access"

Exposed Functionality (Tools)

1. get_projects: Fetches the entire catalog of accessible Jira project listings.
2. get_issue: Retrieves comprehensive data for an issue identified by its unique key.
3. search_issues: Performs targeted data retrieval based on specified JQL expressions.
4. create_issue: Initiates the creation process for a new Jira ticket.
5. add_comment: Posts supplemental information onto an existing issue record.
6. get_transitions: Details the valid state progression paths available for a specified issue.
7. transition_issue: Executes the movement of an issue to an alternate workflow state.

Licensing

MIT

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