jira-pm
Mode: Cognitive/Prompt-Driven - No standalone utility script; use via agent context.
Required:
- JIRA_URL - Base URL of your Jira instance (e.g., https://yourcompany.atlassian.net)
- JIRA_API_TOKEN - API token for authentication (generate at Jira Account Settings -> Security -> API Tokens)
- JIRA_USER_EMAIL - Email address associated with the API token
Optional:
- JIRA_DEFAULT_PROJECT - Default project key for operations (e.g., PROJ)
- JIRA_API_VERSION - API version (default: 3)
<tool_categories>
Issues
| Tool | Description | Confirmation Required |
|---|---|---|
| search | Search issues using JQL | No |
| get-issue | Get detailed issue information | No |
| create-issue | Create a new issue | Yes |
| update-issue | Update existing issue fields | Yes |
| transition | Change issue status/workflow state | Yes |
Projects
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| list-projects | List all accessible projects |
| project-info | Get detailed project information |
Sprints
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| active-sprint | Get currently active sprint for a board |
| sprint-issues | List all issues in a specific sprint |
Comments
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
| get-comments | Retrieve all comments on an issue |
| add-comment | Add a comment to an issue |
</tool_categories>
<usage_patterns>
Common Workflows
Issue Creation: List projects -> Get project info -> Create issue -> Add comment
Sprint Management: Get active sprint -> List sprint issues -> Update issue status -> Add comments
Issue Search: Use JQL for targeted searches -> Retrieve issue details -> Update issues
</usage_patterns>
<agent_integration>
Primary Agent: planner
- Use Case: Project backlog management, sprint planning, requirement tracking
- Common Operations: Create issues, update priorities, manage sprints
Secondary Agent: developer
- Use Case: Issue tracking during development, status updates
- Common Operations: Search assigned issues, transition issues, add comments
</agent_integration>
<error_handling>
Common Error Scenarios
- Authentication Errors: Missing or invalid API token, expired credentials, insufficient permissions
- Rate Limiting: Too many API requests in short period, implement exponential backoff
- Invalid Inputs: Non-existent project keys, invalid issue types, invalid transition IDs
- Network Errors: Connection timeouts, unreachable Jira instance
</error_handling>
<best_practices>
- Use JQL Efficiently: Craft precise JQL queries to reduce result sets and API calls
- Cache Metadata: Store project keys, issue types, and transitions locally
- Verify Before Create: Always verify project and issue type before creating issues
- Use Transitions: Respect workflow states when changing issue status
- Batch Operations: Group related API calls when possible
- Handle Errors Gracefully: Provide clear error messages and recovery suggestions
- Respect Rate Limits: Implement backoff strategies for high-volume operations
</best_practices>
<progressive_disclosure>
Context Optimization
- Lazy Loading: Only load issue details when explicitly requested
- Field Selection: Request only necessary fields from Jira API
- Caching: Store frequently accessed metadata (projects, issue types)
- Streaming: Not supported - all responses are complete payloads
- Pagination: Automatically handle large result sets
Context Savings: 90%+ compared to loading full Jira MCP server </progressive_disclosure>
<api_reference>
Jira REST API Endpoints Used
- /rest/api/3/search - JQL search
- /rest/api/3/issue/{issueKey} - Get/update issue
- /rest/api/3/issue - Create issue
- /rest/api/3/issue/{issueKey}/transitions - Transition issue
- /rest/api/3/project - List projects
- /rest/api/3/project/{projectKey} - Get project details
- /rest/agile/1.0/board/{boardId}/sprint - Get sprints
- /rest/agile/1.0/sprint/{sprintId}/issue - Get sprint issues
- /rest/api/3/issue/{issueKey}/comment - Get/add comments
See https://developer.atlassian.com/cloud/jira/platform/rest/v3/ for full reference. </api_reference>
Iron Laws
- ALWAYS verify the project key exists before creating an issue — Jira silently ignores invalid project keys in some API versions, creating orphaned issues or returning cryptic errors.
- NEVER use
PUT /issueto change status — Jira status changes must go through valid workflow transitions viaPOST /issue/{key}/transitions; direct field updates bypass workflow validators and automation rules. - ALWAYS use JQL for issue searches rather than fetching all issues and filtering client-side — returning all issues wastes quota and causes timeouts on projects with thousands of tickets.
- NEVER create duplicate issues without first searching for existing ones — duplicate tickets fragment tracking, confuse assignees, and produce misleading velocity metrics.
- ALWAYS include
summary,issuetype, andprojectfields when creating an issue — these three fields are the minimum required by Jira Cloud REST API v3; missing any produces a 400 error.
Anti-Patterns
| Anti-Pattern | Why It Fails | Correct Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Updating status via field PUT | Bypasses workflow guards; invalid state transitions succeed silently; automation rules don't fire | Use POST /issue/{key}/transitions with the correct transition ID |
| Fetching all issues and filtering locally | Times out on large projects; wastes API quota; slow for paginated results | Always use JQL with specific project/sprint/status filters |
| Creating issues without duplication check | Splits work tracking; team sees multiple tickets for same task | Search with JQL (project = X AND summary ~ "keyword") before creating |
Hardcoding field IDs (e.g., customfield_10016) |
Field IDs differ between Jira instances and cloud/server; breaks across projects | Discover field IDs dynamically via /rest/api/3/field endpoint |
| No error handling for rate limits (429) | Jira Cloud rate limits at ~300 requests/minute; unhandled 429 crashes automation | Implement exponential backoff; check Retry-After header on 429 responses |
Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)
Before starting: Read .claude/context/memory/learnings.md
After completing:
- New pattern -> .claude/context/memory/learnings.md
- Issue found -> .claude/context/memory/issues.md
- Decision made -> .claude/context/memory/decisions.md
ASSUME INTERRUPTION: If it is not in memory, it did not happen.