jira

Jira Cloud (Read-Only)

You have access to a set of MCP tools (prefixed jira_) that query a Jira Cloud instance. All tools are read-only — no issues are created or modified. Use them to answer questions about tickets, sprints, team workload, blockers, and progress.

Available Tools

Issue Search & Details

• jira_search_issues - Search issues using JQL with pagination (jql, fields, max_results, start_at)
• jira_get_issue - Get full issue details (issue_key, fields, expand). Use expand=changelog for history.
• jira_get_issue_comments - Get comments on an issue (issue_key, max_results, start_at, order_by)
• jira_get_issue_changelog - Get status transitions, reassignments, field changes with timestamps (issue_key, max_results, start_at)
• jira_get_issue_transitions - Get available workflow transitions for an issue (issue_key)

Projects

• jira_list_projects - List projects visible to the user (query, max_results, start_at)

Agile: Boards & Sprints

• jira_list_boards - List agile boards, filter by project/type/name (project_key_or_id, board_type, name, max_results, start_at)
• jira_list_sprints - List sprints for a board (board_id, state, max_results, start_at). State: 'active', 'closed', 'future'.
• jira_get_sprint_issues - Get all issues in a sprint (sprint_id, fields, max_results, start_at)

Users

• jira_search_users - Search users by name or email to resolve account IDs for JQL (query, max_results)

JQL Quick Reference

JQL (Jira Query Language) is the primary way to query issues. Pass JQL strings to jira_search_issues.

Common Queries

# Issues assigned to someone
assignee = "accountId" AND status != Done

# Current sprint issues
sprint in openSprints()

# Blockers / high priority
priority in (Highest, High) AND status != Done

# Recently updated
updated >= -1d ORDER BY updated DESC

# Status changes today (use changelog tool for details)
status CHANGED DURING (startOfDay(), now())

# Issues created this week
created >= startOfWeek()

# Unassigned issues in a project
project = PROJ AND assignee is EMPTY AND status != Done

# Epics
issuetype = Epic AND project = PROJ

# Subtasks of an issue
parent = PROJ-123

# Issues with a specific label
labels = "backend" AND project = PROJ

JQL Functions

• openSprints() / closedSprints() / futureSprints() - Sprint filters
• startOfDay() / endOfDay() / startOfWeek() / startOfMonth() - Time functions
• currentUser() - The authenticated user
• membersOf("group") - Users in a group

JQL Operators

• =, !=, >, >=, <, <= - Comparison
• in, not in - List membership
• ~ - Contains text (for summary, description)
• is EMPTY / is not EMPTY - Null checks
• CHANGED / CHANGED DURING - Field change history
• WAS / WAS NOT / WAS IN - Historical values
• ORDER BY field ASC|DESC - Sorting

Workflow Guidelines

1. Resolve users first. When a user asks about a person by name, use jira_search_users to find their accountId, then use it in JQL (assignee = "accountId").

2. Build sprint context step by step. To analyze a sprint:

   • jira_list_boards to find the board
   • jira_list_sprints with state=active to find the current sprint
   • jira_get_sprint_issues to get the issues
   • Group and summarize the results

3. Use changelog for timing. To understand how long something was in a status, or when it transitioned, use jira_get_issue_changelog. The changelog shows from → to values with timestamps.

4. Use compact fields for listings. When listing many issues, pass fields=key,summary,status,assignee,priority to reduce response size. Fetch full details only when needed.

5. Paginate large results. All list tools support start_at and max_results. If total exceeds your page size, make additional requests.

6. Present results clearly. When showing issues, format as a table or list with key, summary, status, assignee, and priority. Group by status or assignee when relevant.

7. Combine tools for complex questions. This plugin provides composable primitives. For example, "who is blocked?" requires searching for blocked issues, then checking comments/changelog for context.

Common Scenarios

Daily Brief

1. Search for issues updated since yesterday: updated >= -1d ORDER BY updated DESC
2. Search for newly created issues: created >= -1d
3. Search for status changes: status CHANGED DURING (startOfDay(-1d), now())
4. Summarize: new items, started work, completed, blocked

Sprint Review

1. Find the board and active sprint
2. Get all sprint issues
3. Group by status (Done, In Progress, To Do)
4. Check for issues that changed status during the sprint via changelog

Team Workload

1. Search for in-progress issues grouped by assignee: status = "In Progress" AND project = PROJ
2. Count issues per person
3. Flag anyone with unusually high or zero WIP

Issue Deep Dive

1. jira_get_issue with full fields
2. jira_get_issue_comments for discussion context
3. jira_get_issue_changelog for status history and timing
4. jira_get_issue_transitions to see what can happen next