Jira Issue Management

Create and manage Jira issues using the Jira REST API or MCP.

Setup

Option 1: Jira MCP Server

Install the Jira MCP server for seamless integration:

bash
1npx @anthropic/create-mcp-server jira

Option 2: Direct API

Set environment variables:

bash
1export JIRA_BASE_URL="https://yourcompany.atlassian.net"
2export JIRA_EMAIL="your-email@company.com"
3export JIRA_API_TOKEN="your-api-token"

Get your API token: https://id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens

Creating Issues

Basic Issue

python
1import requests
2from requests.auth import HTTPBasicAuth
3import os
4
5def create_issue(project_key, summary, description, issue_type="Task"):
6    url = f"{os.environ['JIRA_BASE_URL']}/rest/api/3/issue"
7
8    auth = HTTPBasicAuth(
9        os.environ['JIRA_EMAIL'],
10        os.environ['JIRA_API_TOKEN']
11    )
12
13    payload = {
14        "fields": {
15            "project": {"key": project_key},
16            "summary": summary,
17            "description": {
18                "type": "doc",
19                "version": 1,
20                "content": [{
21                    "type": "paragraph",
22                    "content": [{"type": "text", "text": description}]
23                }]
24            },
25            "issuetype": {"name": issue_type}
26        }
27    }
28
29    response = requests.post(url, json=payload, auth=auth)
30    return response.json()
31
32# Example
33issue = create_issue("PROJ", "Fix login bug", "Users can't login with SSO", "Bug")
34print(f"Created: {issue['key']}")

With Labels and Priority

python
1def create_detailed_issue(project_key, summary, description,
2                          issue_type="Task", priority="Medium",
3                          labels=None, assignee=None):
4    payload = {
5        "fields": {
6            "project": {"key": project_key},
7            "summary": summary,
8            "description": {
9                "type": "doc",
10                "version": 1,
11                "content": [{
12                    "type": "paragraph",
13                    "content": [{"type": "text", "text": description}]
14                }]
15            },
16            "issuetype": {"name": issue_type},
17            "priority": {"name": priority},
18        }
19    }
20
21    if labels:
22        payload["fields"]["labels"] = labels
23    if assignee:
24        payload["fields"]["assignee"] = {"accountId": assignee}
25
26    # ... make request

Common Issue Types

Updating Issues

Change Status

python
1def transition_issue(issue_key, transition_name):
2    # Get available transitions
3    url = f"{JIRA_BASE_URL}/rest/api/3/issue/{issue_key}/transitions"
4    transitions = requests.get(url, auth=auth).json()
5
6    # Find matching transition
7    transition_id = None
8    for t in transitions['transitions']:
9        if t['name'].lower() == transition_name.lower():
10            transition_id = t['id']
11            break
12
13    # Execute transition
14    requests.post(url, json={"transition": {"id": transition_id}}, auth=auth)

Add Comment

python
1def add_comment(issue_key, comment_text):
2    url = f"{JIRA_BASE_URL}/rest/api/3/issue/{issue_key}/comment"
3
4    payload = {
5        "body": {
6            "type": "doc",
7            "version": 1,
8            "content": [{
9                "type": "paragraph",
10                "content": [{"type": "text", "text": comment_text}]
11            }]
12        }
13    }
14
15    requests.post(url, json=payload, auth=auth)

Searching Issues

JQL Queries

python
1def search_issues(jql):
2    url = f"{JIRA_BASE_URL}/rest/api/3/search"
3    params = {"jql": jql, "maxResults": 50}
4    response = requests.get(url, params=params, auth=auth)
5    return response.json()['issues']
6
7# Examples
8my_bugs = search_issues("project = PROJ AND type = Bug AND assignee = currentUser()")
9open_items = search_issues("project = PROJ AND status != Done")
10recent = search_issues("project = PROJ AND created >= -7d")

Quick Commands

When user says... create this:

Best Practices

1. Summary: Keep under 80 chars, start with verb (Fix, Add, Update)
2. Description: Include steps to reproduce for bugs
3. Labels: Use for categorization (frontend, backend, urgent)
4. Links: Reference related issues when relevant