feat(jira): add Atlassian MCP server configuration

[cblecker]

Summary

This PR adds bundled Atlassian MCP server configuration to the jira plugin, simplifying the setup process for users.

Changes

• Added .mcp.json file with Atlassian MCP server configuration using Podman
• Updated README.md with new setup instructions based on environment variables
• Removed old SSE-based manual setup instructions

Motivation

Previously, users had to manually start the Atlassian MCP server and configure it using claude mcp add commands. This PR bundles the MCP configuration directly with the plugin, so users only need to:

1. Install Podman
2. Set JIRA_USERNAME and JIRA_PERSONAL_TOKEN environment variables
3. Install the plugin

The plugin automatically handles MCP server configuration, reducing setup complexity and potential configuration errors.

Testing

1. Install the plugin
2. Set required environment variables
3. Verify MCP server starts correctly with plugin
4. Test jira commands (e.g., /jira:solve)

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Jira integration added via a new MCP-based server configuration for streamlined local runtime.

• Documentation

  • Complete rewrite of setup and installation guidance with prerequisites and installation commands.
  • New step-by-step Personal Access Token instructions and mapped runtime configuration details.
  • Expanded troubleshooting, usage examples for public commands, and links to full documentation.

_{✏️ Tip: You can customize this high-level summary in your review settings.}

[openshift-ci]

[APPROVALNOTIFIER] This PR is NOT APPROVED

This pull-request has been approved by: cblecker
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[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

Adds a new MCP server configuration file for Jira integration and updates the plugin README with prerequisites, credential acquisition, configuration details, and installation/usage guidance for the new .mcp.json-based setup.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Change Summary
Jira MCP Server Configuration plugins/jira/.mcp.json	New JSON configuration declaring an Atlassian MCP server of type stdio that runs a Podman container (ghcr.io/sooperset/mcp-atlassian:latest). Maps runtime environment variables JIRA_URL, JIRA_USERNAME, JIRA_PERSONAL_TOKEN, and JIRA_SSL_VERIFY into the container via -e flags and sets container execution flags (interactive, remove after exit).
Jira Setup Documentation plugins/jira/README.md	Rewrote README to remove an explicit podman run example and introduce a Prerequisites section, instructions for obtaining a Jira personal access token, configuration details describing the .mcp.json mappings and defaults, installation instructions (marketplace/plugin install), and standardized public command usage examples.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 2 (Simple) | ⏱️ ~10 minutes

• Validate plugins/jira/.mcp.json is valid JSON and schema-conformant for the MCP loader.
• Confirm environment variable names in .mcp.json and README.md match exactly.
• Check the Podman container flags and image reference for correctness.
• Verify the README token URL and installation/usage commands are accurate and actionable.

Pre-merge checks and finishing touches

Important

Pre-merge checks failed

Please resolve all errors before merging. Addressing warnings is optional.

❌ Failed checks (1 inconclusive)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
No Real People Names In Style References	❓ Inconclusive	Unable to access repository files directly to verify compliance with custom check requirements for real person names.	Provide direct access to modified files (plugins/jira/.mcp.json and plugins/jira/README.md) for comprehensive verification.

✅ Passed checks (6 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: adding Atlassian MCP server configuration to the jira plugin.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
No Assumed Git Remote Names	✅ Passed	PR adds Jira plugin configuration with .mcp.json file and README updates. Changes involve Podman container setup and environment variables. No git operations or assumptions about git remote names detected.
Git Push Safety Rules	✅ Passed	PR only adds JSON configuration and Markdown documentation files with no git push commands, executable scripts, or automation workflows.
No Untrusted Mcp Servers	✅ Passed	PR introduces MCP server from trusted GHCR source with proper containerization and explicit environment variable configuration.

✨ Finishing touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment

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📜 Recent review details

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Cache: Disabled due to data retention organization setting

Knowledge base: Disabled due to data retention organization setting

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between a702b5c and 7fcddb8.

📒 Files selected for processing (2)

• plugins/jira/.mcp.json (1 hunks)
• plugins/jira/README.md (1 hunks)

🚧 Files skipped from review as they are similar to previous changes (1)

• plugins/jira/.mcp.json

🔇 Additional comments (1)

plugins/jira/README.md (1)

1-64: Verification incomplete due to repository access limitations; review comment contains unverifiable claims.

The review correctly identifies that bare URLs at lines 29 and 46 have been properly formatted as markdown links in the provided snippet. However, the verification request references line numbers (76, 89, 114, 131, 190, 245) that extend beyond the provided code snippet (1-64), making those claims unverifiable. Without repository access, confirm that command documentation files exist in plugins/jira/commands/ and that the relative link to /README.md from line 58 is valid before approving.

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_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[openshift-ci]

Hi @cblecker. Thanks for your PR.

I'm waiting for a github.com member to verify that this patch is reasonable to test. If it is, they should reply with /ok-to-test on its own line. Until that is done, I will not automatically test new commits in this PR, but the usual testing commands by org members will still work. Regular contributors should join the org to skip this step.

Once the patch is verified, the new status will be reflected by the ok-to-test label.

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 1

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

plugins/jira/.mcp.json (1)

18-18: Consider pinning the container image to a specific version.

Using the latest tag can introduce unexpected breaks when the upstream image is updated. For better reproducibility and stability, pin to a specific version (e.g., ghcr.io/sooperset/mcp-atlassian:v0.1.0).

If you've tested and confirmed compatibility with the current upstream image, consider documenting the version that was tested and pinning it. You can update this as needed in future PRs.

📜 Review details

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Pro

Cache: Disabled due to data retention organization setting

Knowledge base: Disabled due to data retention organization setting

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 815ec83 and a702b5c.

📒 Files selected for processing (2)

• plugins/jira/.mcp.json (1 hunks)
• plugins/jira/README.md (1 hunks)

🧰 Additional context used

🪛 markdownlint-cli2 (0.18.1)

plugins/jira/README.md

29-29: Bare URL used

(MD034, no-bare-urls)

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46-46: Bare URL used

(MD034, no-bare-urls)

🔇 Additional comments (4)

plugins/jira/.mcp.json (1)

1-28: Configuration structure is sound.

The MCP server configuration correctly forwards environment variables to the Podman container and provides sensible defaults for JIRA_URL and JIRA_SSL_VERIFY. The stdio type and interactive flags are appropriate for Claude integration.

plugins/jira/README.md (3)

32-42: Environment variable setup instructions are clear and actionable.

The guidance for setting JIRA_USERNAME and JIRA_PERSONAL_TOKEN aligns well with the .mcp.json configuration and provides necessary prerequisites for users.

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48-55: Configuration Details section accurately documents the mapping.

The explanation of how environment variables and defaults map to the .mcp.json file is clear and helps users understand the setup requirements. The security note on SSL_VERIFY is appropriate.

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56-63: Installation section is clear and properly updated.

The /plugin install jira@ai-helpers command is straightforward, and the reference to marketplace setup instructions provides necessary context for new users.

[stbenjam]

I've been advocating holding off on merging automatically available .mcp.json configs in this repo as it gives the appearance of some kind of official approval these are OK to use. I'm not sure this is a significant help either, users still have to get their tokens and they may not have podman ready to use. We're also about to move to Atlassian Cloud and instructions here I think will be totally different (and we could use the official MCP server then).

Beyond Jira, a lot of MCP out there get used with npx and uvx which have all sorts of risks like the recent Shai Halud worm, especially if folks don't have protective measures like safe-chain installed.

I'm surprised CodeRabbit didn't flag this PR, since we explicitly tell it to flag MCP server configs.

Anyway, just my opinion. Might be worth talking about in #hybrid-platforms-ai-experimentation on Slack.