How to integrate Jira MCP with Claude Agent SDK

BOOK A CALLGET STARTED FOR FREE
Framework Integration Gradient
Jira Logo
Claude Agent SDK Logo
divider

Introduction

This guide walks you through connecting Jira to the Claude Agent SDK using the Composio tool router. By the end, you'll have a working Jira agent that can create a new bug in project alpha, assign issue jira-102 to sarah lee, add comment to ticket jira-207 with update, start a new sprint for the dev board through natural language commands.

This guide will help you understand how to give your Claude Agent SDK agent real control over a Jira account through Composio's Jira MCP server.

Before we dive in, let's take a quick look at the key ideas and tools involved.

TL;DR

Here's what you'll learn:
  • Get and set up your Claude/Anthropic and Composio API keys
  • Install the necessary dependencies
  • Initialize Composio and create a Tool Router session for Jira
  • Configure an AI agent that can use Jira as a tool
  • Run a live chat session where you can ask the agent to perform Jira operations

What is Claude Agent SDK?

The Claude Agent SDK is Anthropic's official framework for building AI agents powered by Claude. It provides a streamlined interface for creating agents with MCP tool support and conversation management.

Key features include:

  • Native MCP Support: Built-in support for Model Context Protocol servers
  • Permission Modes: Control tool execution permissions
  • Streaming Responses: Real-time response streaming for interactive applications
  • Context Manager: Clean async context management for sessions

What is the Jira MCP server, and what's possible with it?

The Jira MCP server is an implementation of the Model Context Protocol that connects your AI agent and assistants like Claude, Cursor, etc directly to your Jira account. It provides structured and secure access to your Jira projects, so your agent can perform actions like creating issues, managing sprints, commenting on tasks, assigning work, and tracking releases on your behalf.

  • Automated issue creation and tracking: Let your agent create new bugs, tasks, or stories, and keep tabs on issues across your Jira projects.
  • Collaborative commenting and updates: Have your agent add rich-text comments or attachments to issues, keeping team communication seamless and up to date.
  • Effortless assignment and watcher management: Easily assign issues to teammates or add watchers, ensuring everyone stays in the loop and accountable.
  • Sprint and release planning: Empower your agent to create sprints, manage boards, and organize project milestones or versions for agile teams.
  • Issue linking and bulk operations: Direct your agent to link related issues or perform bulk creation of tasks, streamlining project workflows and dependencies.

Supported Tools & Triggers

Tools
Triggers
Add AttachmentUploads and attaches a file to a jira issue.
Add CommentAdds a comment using atlassian document format (adf) for rich text to an existing jira issue.
Add Watcher to IssueAdds a user to an issue's watcher list by account id.
Assign IssueAssigns a jira issue to a user, default assignee, or unassigns; supports email/name lookup.
Bulk Create IssuesCreates multiple jira issues (up to 50 per call) with full feature support including markdown, assignee resolution, and priority handling.
Create IssueCreates a new jira issue (e.
Link IssuesLinks two jira issues using a specified link type with optional comment.
Create ProjectCreates a new jira project with required lead, template, and type configuration.
Create SprintCreates a new sprint on a jira board with optional start/end dates and goal.
Create VersionCreates a new version for releases or milestones in a jira project.
Delete CommentDeletes a specific comment from a jira issue using its id and the issue's id/key; requires user permission to delete comments on the issue.
Delete IssueDeletes a jira issue by its id or key.
Delete VersionDeletes a jira version and optionally reassigns its issues.
Delete WorklogDeletes a worklog from a jira issue with estimate adjustment options.
Edit IssueUpdates an existing jira issue with field values and operations.
Find UsersSearches for jira users by email, display name, or username to find account ids; essential for assigning issues, adding watchers, and other user-related operations.
Get All Issue Type SchemesRetrieves all jira issue type schemes with optional filtering and pagination.
Get all projectsRetrieves all visible projects using the modern paginated jira api with server-side filtering and pagination support.
Get Issue StatusesRetrieves all available issue statuses from jira with details.
Get All UsersRetrieves all users from the jira instance including active, inactive, and other user states with pagination support.
Get CommentRetrieves a specific comment by id from a jira issue with optional expansions.
Get Current UserRetrieves detailed information about the currently authenticated jira user.
Get IssueRetrieves a jira issue by id or key with customizable fields and expansions.
Get Issue Link TypesRetrieves all configured issue link types from jira.
Get Issue PropertyRetrieves a custom property from a jira issue by key.
Get Issue ResolutionsRetrieves all available issue resolution types from jira.
Get issue typesRetrieves all jira issue types available to the user using the modern api v3 endpoint; results vary based on 'administer jira' global or 'browse projects' project permissions.
Get Issue Type SchemeGets a jira issue type scheme by id with all associated issue types.
Get Issue WatchersRetrieves users watching a jira issue for update notifications.
Get Issue WorklogsRetrieves worklogs for a jira issue with user permission checks.
Get Project VersionsRetrieves all versions for a jira project with optional expansion.
Get Issue Remote LinksRetrieves links from a jira issue to external resources.
Get TransitionsRetrieves available workflow transitions for a jira issue.
Get Issue VotesFetches voting details for a jira issue; requires voting to be enabled in jira's general settings.
Get WorklogsRetrieves worklogs for a specified jira issue.
List BoardsRetrieves paginated jira boards with filtering and sorting options.
List Issue CommentsRetrieves paginated comments from a jira issue with optional ordering.
List SprintsRetrieves paginated sprints from a jira board with optional state filtering.
Move Issues to SprintMoves one or more jira issues to a specified active sprint.
Remove Watcher from IssueRemoves a user from an issue's watcher list by account id.
Search Issues Using JQL (GET)Searches for jira issues using jql with pagination and field selection.
Search Issues Using JQL (POST)Searches for jira issues using jql via post request for complex queries; ideal for lengthy jql queries that might exceed url character limits
Search issuesAdvanced jira issue search supporting structured filters and raw jql.
Send Notification for IssueSends a customized email notification for a jira issue.
Transition IssueTransitions a jira issue to a different workflow state, with support for transition name lookup and user assignment by email.
Update CommentUpdates text content or visibility of an existing jira comment.

What is the Composio tool router, and how does it fit here?

What is Tool Router?

Composio's Tool Router helps agents find the right tools for a task at runtime. You can plug in multiple toolkits (like Gmail, HubSpot, and GitHub), and the agent will identify the relevant app and action to complete multi-step workflows. This can reduce token usage and improve the reliability of tool calls. Read more here: Getting started with Tool Router

The tool router generates a secure MCP URL that your agents can access to perform actions.

How the Tool Router works

The Tool Router follows a three-phase workflow:

  1. Discovery: Searches for tools matching your task and returns relevant toolkits with their details.
  2. Authentication: Checks for active connections. If missing, creates an auth config and returns a connection URL via Auth Link.
  3. Execution: Executes the action using the authenticated connection.

Step-by-step Guide

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:
  • Composio API Key and Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Primary know-how of Claude Agents SDK
  • A Jira account
  • Some knowledge of Python

Getting API Keys for Claude/Anthropic and Composio

Claude/Anthropic API Key
  • Go to the Anthropic Console and create an API key. You'll need credits to use the models.
  • Keep the API key safe.
Composio API Key
  • Log in to the Composio dashboard.
  • Navigate to your API settings and generate a new API key.
  • Store this key securely as you'll need it for authentication.

Install dependencies

pip install composio-anthropic claude-agent-sdk python-dotenv

Install the Composio SDK and the Claude Agents SDK.

What's happening:

  • composio-anthropic provides Composio integration for Anthropic
  • claude-agent-sdk is the core agent framework
  • python-dotenv loads environment variables

Set up environment variables

bash
COMPOSIO_API_KEY=your_composio_api_key_here
USER_ID=your_user_id_here
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=your_anthropic_api_key_here

Create a .env file in your project root.

What's happening:

  • COMPOSIO_API_KEY authenticates with Composio
  • USER_ID identifies the user for session management
  • ANTHROPIC_API_KEY authenticates with Anthropic/Claude

Import dependencies

import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()
What's happening:
  • We're importing all necessary libraries including the Claude Agent SDK and Composio
  • The load_dotenv() function loads environment variables from your .env file
  • This setup prepares the foundation for connecting Claude with Jira functionality

Create a Composio instance and Tool Router session

async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Jira
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["jira"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")
What's happening:
  • The function checks for the required COMPOSIO_API_KEY environment variable
  • We're creating a Composio instance using our API key
  • The create method creates a Tool Router session for Jira
  • The returned url is the MCP server URL that your agent will use

Configure Claude Agent with MCP

# Configure remote MCP server for Claude
options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
    permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
    mcp_servers={
        "composio": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": url,
            "headers": {
                "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
            }
        }
    },
    system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Jira tools via Composio.",
    max_turns=10
)
What's happening:
  • We're configuring the Claude Agent options with the MCP server URL
  • permission_mode="bypassPermissions" allows the agent to execute operations without asking for permission each time
  • The system prompt instructs the agent that it has access to Jira
  • max_turns=10 limits the conversation length to prevent excessive API usage

Create client and start chat loop

# Create client with context manager
async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
    print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

    # Main chat loop
    while True:
        user_input = input("You: ").strip()
        if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
            print("Goodbye!")
            break

        # Send query
        await client.query(user_input)

        # Receive and print response
        print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
        async for message in client.receive_response():
            if hasattr(message, "content"):
                for block in message.content:
                    if hasattr(block, "text"):
                        print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
        print()
What's happening:
  • The Claude SDK client is created using the async context manager pattern
  • The agent processes each query and streams the response back in real-time
  • The chat loop continues until the user types 'exit' or 'quit'

Run the application

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())
What's happening:
  • This entry point runs the async chat_with_remote_mcp() function using asyncio.run()
  • The application will start, create the MCP connection, and begin the interactive chat session

Complete Code

Here's the complete code to get you started with Jira and Claude Agent SDK:

import asyncio
from claude_agent_sdk import ClaudeSDKClient, ClaudeAgentOptions
import os
from composio import Composio
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()

async def chat_with_remote_mcp():
    api_key = os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
    if not api_key:
        raise RuntimeError("COMPOSIO_API_KEY is not set")

    composio = Composio(api_key=api_key)

    # Create Tool Router session for Jira
    mcp_server = composio.create(
        user_id=os.getenv("USER_ID"),
        toolkits=["jira"]
    )

    url = mcp_server.mcp.url

    if not url:
        raise ValueError("Session URL not found")

    # Configure remote MCP server for Claude
    options = ClaudeAgentOptions(
        permission_mode="bypassPermissions",
        mcp_servers={
            "composio": {
                "type": "http",
                "url": url,
                "headers": {
                    "x-api-key": os.getenv("COMPOSIO_API_KEY")
                }
            }
        },
        system_prompt="You are a helpful assistant with access to Jira tools via Composio.",
        max_turns=10
    )

    # Create client with context manager
    async with ClaudeSDKClient(options=options) as client:
        print("\nChat started. Type 'exit' or 'quit' to end.\n")

        # Main chat loop
        while True:
            user_input = input("You: ").strip()
            if user_input.lower() in {"exit", "quit"}:
                print("Goodbye!")
                break

            # Send query
            await client.query(user_input)

            # Receive and print response
            print("Claude: ", end="", flush=True)
            async for message in client.receive_response():
                if hasattr(message, "content"):
                    for block in message.content:
                        if hasattr(block, "text"):
                            print(block.text, end="", flush=True)
            print()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(chat_with_remote_mcp())

Conclusion

You've successfully built a Claude Agent SDK agent that can interact with Jira through Composio's Tool Router.

Key features:

  • Native MCP support through Claude's agent framework
  • Streaming responses for real-time interaction
  • Permission bypass for smooth automated workflows
You can extend this by adding more toolkits, implementing custom business logic, or building a web interface around the agent.

How to build Jira MCP Agent with another framework

OpenAI Agents SDK

OpenAI Agents SDK

Use Jira MCP with OpenAI Agents SDK

Google ADK

Google ADK

Use Jira MCP with Google ADK

LangChain

LangChain

Use Jira MCP with LangChain

Vercel AI SDK

Vercel AI SDK

Use Jira MCP with Vercel AI SDK

Mastra AI

Mastra AI

Use Jira MCP with Mastra AI

LlamaIndex

LlamaIndex

Use Jira MCP with LlamaIndex

CrewAI

CrewAI

Use Jira MCP with CrewAI

FAQ

What are the differences in Tool Router MCP and Jira MCP?

With a standalone Jira MCP server, the agents and LLMs can only access a fixed set of Jira tools tied to that server. However, with the Composio Tool Router, agents can dynamically load tools from Jira and many other apps based on the task at hand, all through a single MCP endpoint.

Can I use Tool Router MCP with Claude Agent SDK?

Yes, you can. Claude Agent SDK fully supports MCP integration. You get structured tool calling, message history handling, and model orchestration while Tool Router takes care of discovering and serving the right Jira tools.

Can I manage the permissions and scopes for Jira while using Tool Router?

Yes, absolutely. You can configure which Jira scopes and actions are allowed when connecting your account to Composio. You can also bring your own OAuth credentials or API configuration so you keep full control over what the agent can do.

How safe is my data with Composio Tool Router?

All sensitive data such as tokens, keys, and configuration is fully encrypted at rest and in transit. Composio is SOC 2 Type 2 compliant and follows strict security practices so your Jira data and credentials are handled as safely as possible.

Used by agents from

Context
ASU
Letta
glean
HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
Rolai
Context
ASU
Letta
glean
HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
Rolai
Context
ASU
Letta
glean
HubSpot
Agent.ai
Altera
DataStax
Entelligence
Rolai

Never worry about agent reliability

We handle tool reliability, observability, and security so you never have to second-guess an agent action.

Book a call↗Get started for free