jira-mcp

jira-mcp is a Go-based Jira MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants like Claude Desktop and Cursor to interact directly with Atlassian Jira. The project exposes 23 standardized tools via STDIO transport, covering the full issue lifecycle (create, query, update, transition, comment, worklog), Sprint management (list, details, active sprint), JQL search, version management, issue linking, and development information tracking (associated branches, PRs, commits — supporting GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket).

In addition to the MCP server, it ships a standalone jira-cli command-line tool for direct terminal usage with JSON output. Security-wise, it supports tool whitelisting via the ENABLED_TOOLS environment variable for read-only proxy scenarios. Distributed through Docker (GHCR), Homebrew, go install, and GoReleaser multi-platform binaries, it communicates with Jira Cloud API via the go-atlassian client library.

Tool List#

Issue Management: jira_get_issue, jira_create_issue, jira_create_child_issue, jira_update_issue, jira_list_issue_types

Search: jira_search_issue (JQL search with custom fields and expand options)

Sprint Management: jira_list_sprints, jira_get_sprint, jira_get_active_sprint, jira_search_sprint_by_name

Status & Workflow: jira_list_statuses, jira_transition_issue

Comments & Worklog: jira_add_comment, jira_get_comments, jira_add_worklog

History & Relations: jira_get_issue_history, jira_get_related_issues, jira_link_issues

Versions & Dev Info: jira_get_version, jira_list_project_versions, jira_get_development_information

Architecture#

• Single Go binary with embedded MCP server and standalone CLI entry point
• main.go handles MCP server initialization and tool registration
• services/jira_client.go implements Jira client singleton with Email + API Token auth
• tools/ directory organizes tools by category following a unified registration + handler + typed input validation pattern
• Transport: STDIO (default) + HTTP (optional debug via -http_port)
• Build: GoReleaser multi-platform builds (.goreleaser.yaml), .gitleaks.toml for Git leak detection

Installation#

Docker: Pull ghcr.io/nguyenvanduocit/jira-mcp:latest and configure with ATLASSIAN_HOST, ATLASSIAN_EMAIL, ATLASSIAN_TOKEN environment variables.

Homebrew: brew install nguyenvanduocit/tap/jira-mcp

go install: go install github.com/nguyenvanduocit/jira-mcp/cmd/jira-cli@latest

Unconfirmed Information#

• Exact MCP protocol version not specified in README
• jira_download_attachment tool appears in whitelist examples but is not documented in the tool list
• Jira Server/Data Center compatibility is unclear (only Atlassian Cloud explicitly mentioned)
• Homebrew tap repository availability not verified