---
title: "Quickstart - Install Jira MCP"
description: "Get started with Jira MCP, the best MCP server for Jira integration. Install and configure in minutes on Linux, macOS, or Windows."
sidebarTitle: "Quickstart"
---
Get the best Jira MCP server up and running in just a few minutes. Jira MCP provides seamless AI-powered Jira integration for Cursor, Claude, Windsurf, and other LLM clients.
## Prerequisites
Before installing Jira MCP, you need to set up the Jira CLI that the MCP server uses to execute commands.
<Steps>
<Step title="Install jira-cli">
Follow the installation instructions for your operating system from the [jira-cli repository](https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli?tab=readme-ov-file#installation).
</Step>
<Step title="Get Jira API credentials">
Depending on your Jira implementation (Cloud or Self-Hosted), you will need to use a different authentication type.
Add these to your `.bashrc`, `.zshrc`, or other shell configuration file:
```bash
# https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens
export JIRA_API_TOKEN=""
# `bearer` for token,
# `basic` for Jira account API token
# `password` for Jira account password
export JIRA_AUTH_TYPE="basic"
```
Make sure to source the file after adding the credentials:
```bash
source ~/.bashrc
```
<Note>
See [alternative credential
methods](https://github.com/ankitpokhrel/jira-cli/discussions/356) for other
ways to configure authentication.
</Note>
<Warning>
GUI applications like Cursor and Windsurf do not inherit shell environment
variables from `.bashrc` or `.zshrc`. It is recommended to pass these
variables explicitly in the MCP configuration using the `env` field (shown in
the examples below).
</Warning>
</Step>
<Step title="Initialize jira-cli">
```bash
jira init
```
This will prompt you for your Jira URL and credentials.
</Step>
<Step title="Test jira-cli">
```bash
jira issue list
```
This should return a list of issues in Jira.
</Step>
</Steps>
## Install the MCP server
Choose your preferred installation method:
<Tabs>
<Tab title="Download binary (Recommended)">
Download the latest release for your operating system from the [Releases page](https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases).
| Operating System | Binary |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| Linux | `jira-mcp-linux` |
| Windows | `jira-mcp-windows.exe` |
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | `jira-mcp-macos-apple-silicon-arm64` |
| macOS (Intel) | `jira-mcp-macos-x64` |
<AccordionGroup>
<Accordion title="Linux">
```bash
# Download the binary
curl -L -o jira-mcp https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases/latest/download/jira-mcp-linux
# Make it executable
chmod +x jira-mcp
# Move to a directory in your PATH (optional)
sudo mv jira-mcp /usr/local/bin/
```
Add to your LLM client configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"jira": {
"command": "/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp",
"env": {
"JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
"JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
}
}
}
}
```
<Note>
Replace `/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp` with the path to the binary on your machine
if you moved it to a different location.
</Note>
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="macOS">
```bash
# For Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
curl -L -o jira-mcp https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases/latest/download/jira-mcp-macos-apple-silicon-arm64
# For Intel Macs
curl -L -o jira-mcp https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases/latest/download/jira-mcp-macos-x64
# Make it executable
chmod +x jira-mcp
# Move to a directory in your PATH (optional)
sudo mv jira-mcp /usr/local/bin/
```
<Warning>
macOS may block the binary on first run. If you see a security warning, go to **System Settings > Privacy & Security** and click **Allow Anyway**, or run:
```bash
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /usr/local/bin/jira-mcp
```
</Warning>
Add to your LLM client configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"jira": {
"command": "/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp",
"env": {
"JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
"JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
}
}
}
}
```
<Note>
Replace `/usr/local/bin/jira-mcp` with the path to the binary on your machine
if you moved it to a different location.
</Note>
</Accordion>
<Accordion title="Windows">
1. Download `jira-mcp-windows.exe` from the [Releases page](https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp/releases).
2. Move the executable to a convenient location (e.g., `C:\Program Files\jira-mcp\`).
Add to your LLM client configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"jira": {
"command": "C:\\Program Files\\jira-mcp\\jira-mcp-windows.exe",
"env": {
"JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
"JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
}
}
}
}
```
<Note>
Replace `C:\\Program Files\\jira-mcp\\jira-mcp-windows.exe` with the path to
the binary on your machine if you moved it to a different location.
</Note>
</Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>
</Tab>
<Tab title="Development setup with uv">
Clone the repository:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp.git
cd jira-mcp
```
Add MCP server to your LLM client configuration:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"jira": {
"command": "uv",
"args": [
"--directory",
"/ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/REPO/ROOT",
"run",
"python",
"-m",
"src.main"
],
"env": {
"JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token",
"JIRA_AUTH_TYPE": "basic"
}
}
}
}
```
This tells your LLM client that there is a tool that can be called by running `uv --directory /ABSOLUTE/PATH/TO/REPO run python -m src.main`.
<Note>
Install UV if you haven't already: [UV installation
guide](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/getting-started/installation/)
</Note>
</Tab>
<Tab title="Install globally with pipx">
```bash
# Install pipx if you haven't already
brew install pipx
pipx ensurepath
# Clone and install the MCP server
git clone https://github.com/xcollantes/jira-mcp.git
cd jira-mcp
pipx install -e .
```
</Tab>
</Tabs>
## Next steps
<CardGroup cols={2}>
<Card title="Configure Cursor" icon="arrow-pointer" href="/ai-tools/cursor">
Set up Jira MCP in Cursor IDE.
</Card>
<Card
title="Configure Claude Code"
icon="asterisk"
href="/ai-tools/claude-code"
>
Set up Jira MCP with Claude Code CLI.
</Card>
<Card title="Configure Windsurf" icon="water" href="/ai-tools/windsurf">
Set up Jira MCP in Windsurf.
</Card>
<Card title="Development" icon="code" href="/development">
Contribute to Jira MCP development.
</Card>
</CardGroup>
