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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"
    }
  }
}
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 your shell environment:
export JIRA_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export JIRA_AUTH_TYPE="basic"
Then restart Claude Code to pick up the environment variables.