docs: add how-to guide for connecting Copilot and Claude CLI to Jira MCP server

[Copilot]

No documentation existed for configuring MCP (Model Context Protocol) server connections to Jira for AI development tools used with this repo.

Changes

• New how-to guide docs/how_tos/connect_ai_tools_to_jira_mcp.rst covering:
  • GitHub Copilot — VS Code (mcp.json) and JetBrains setup; notes web UI limitation
  • Claude Desktop — claude_desktop_config.json config
  • Claude CLI — one-liner registration + env var setup for command-line use:

    claude mcp add jira npx -- -y jira-mcp-server
    export JIRA_BASE_URL="https://your-domain.atlassian.net"
    export JIRA_API_TOKEN="YOUR_JIRA_API_TOKEN"
    export JIRA_EMAIL="your-email@example.com"
    claude

  • Comparison table across tools and further reading links

Original prompt

Can I do it with claude on the command line?

The following is the prior conversation context from the user's chat exploration (may be truncated):

User: how can I connect co-pilot to the jira MCP server?

Assistant: Here's how to connect GitHub Copilot to a Jira MCP server:

Connecting Copilot to a Jira MCP Server

GitHub Copilot supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers, so you can connect it to a Jira MCP server by manually configuring it in your IDE. The steps vary slightly by IDE:

---

VS Code

1. Open Copilot Chat in Agent mode.
2. Click the tools icon ("Configure your MCP server") at the bottom of the chat window.
3. Click Add MCP Tools.
4. Edit your mcp.json file to add the Jira MCP server configuration. For example (using a local/stdio server):

{
  "servers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "jira-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_JIRA_API_TOKEN",
        "JIRA_EMAIL": "your-email@example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

The exact command/args depend on which Jira MCP server package you're using.

---

JetBrains IDEs

1. Open Copilot Chat and switch to Agent mode.
2. Click the MCP icon in the Copilot Chat window.
3. Either:
   • From registry: Browse the MCP Registry and install a Jira server if available.
   • Manually: Click the tools icon → Add MCP Tools → edit mcp.json with your Jira config (same structure as above).

---

Key Prerequisites

• You need a GitHub Copilot subscription.
• If you're on a Copilot Business or Enterprise plan, your org admin must have the "MCP servers in Copilot" policy enabled.
• You'll need a Jira API token (generated from your Atlassian account settings) and your Jira instance URL.

---

Finding the Right Jira MCP Server

The exact package/command depends on which Jira MCP server implementation you're using. Common options include:

• Community npm packages (e.g., jira-mcp-server)
• Atlassian's own MCP server if available
• Self-hosted MCP servers

Check the specific Jira MCP server's documentation for the correct command, args, and environment variables to use in your mcp.json.

For more details, see Extending GitHub Copilot Chat with MCP servers.

User: can I do this on the website? https://github.com/copilot

Assistant: Yes, you can use MCP on github.com/copilot, but with an important limitation:

MCP on github.com/copilot

The Copilot Chat on the GitHub website does support MCP, but currently it only works with a predefined set of built-in skills from the GitHub MCP server. It does not support connecting custom or third-party MCP servers (like a Jira MCP server) directly through the website.

So unfortunately, you cannot connect a Jira MCP server on github.com/copilot at this time.

---

Your Options for Jira MCP

To use a Jira MCP server with Copilot, you'll need to use one of the IDE integrations instead:

• VS Code
• JetBrains IDEs
• Eclipse
• Other supported editors

These allow you to configure custom MCP servers (like Jira) via the mcp.json configuration file, as described in my previous response.

---

For more details, see Using the GitHub MCP Server.

User: Can I do it with claude on the command line?

Assistant: Yes! You can use a Jira MCP server with Claude on the command line (via Claude Desktop or the Claude CLI). Here's how:

Using Jira MCP with Claude CLI / Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop

1. Open (or create) your Claude Desktop config file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add your Jira MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jira": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "jira-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "JIRA_BASE_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_JIRA_API_TOKEN",
        "JIRA_EMAIL": "your-email@example.com"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop — it will automatically connect to the MCP server.

---

Claude CLI (claude command line tool)

If you're using Anthropic's Claude CLI, you can add MCP servers with a command:

claude mcp add jira npx -- -y jira-mcp-server

Then set the required environment variables, or pass them inline depending on the CLI version.

---

Key Differences vs. GitHub Copilot

	GitHub Copilot (IDE)	Claude Desktop/CLI
Custom MCP servers	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Jira MCP support	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Config file	mcp.json	claude_desktop_config.json
Web browser support	...

This pull request was created from Copilot chat.