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Set up Jira MCP with Claude Code to manage Jira tickets directly from the command line using natural language.

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Prerequisites

  • Claude Code CLI installed (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code)
  • Active Claude subscription (Pro, Max, or API access)
  • Jira MCP installed (see Quickstart)
  • jira-cli configured and authenticated

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Configuration

1

Locate Claude Code config

Claude Code stores its MCP configuration in ~/.claude/claude_desktop_config.json or a similar location depending on your setup.
2

Add Jira MCP server

Add the following to your Claude Code MCP configuration:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp",
      "env": {
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
      }
    }
  }
}
Replace /usr/local/bin/jira-mcp with the actual path to your jira-mcp binary.
3

Restart Claude Code

Restart Claude Code to apply the changes.

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Usage examples

Once configured, you can interact with Jira using natural language:
  • “Show me my assigned tickets”
  • “Create a bug ticket for the login page issue”
  • “Move PROJ-123 to In Progress”
  • “Add a comment to PROJ-456 explaining the fix”
  • “What tickets are in the current sprint?”

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Troubleshooting

  1. Verify the path to your jira-mcp binary is correct.
  2. Make sure jira-cli is properly configured by running jira issue list in your terminal.
  3. Check Claude Code’s logs for error messages.
Ensure your Jira credentials are set in the MCP configuration’s env field:
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp",
      "env": {
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
        "JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
      }
    }
  }
}
GUI applications and CLI tools may not inherit shell environment variables from .bashrc or .zshrc. Using the env field in the MCP configuration is the recommended approach.