Atlassian MCP Server: Cursor IDE Setup Guide (2026)

Connecting Cursor IDE to your Atlassian workspace via MCP lets your AI assistant read Jira tickets, search Confluence docs, and interact with Bitbucket — all without leaving your editor.

What You Can Do With Atlassian MCP + Cursor

Prerequisites

Step 1: Install the Atlassian MCP Server

npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-atlassian

Or use it directly via npx (no install required):

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-atlassian

Step 2: Get Your Atlassian API Token

1. Go to id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security/api-tokens
2. Click Create API token
3. Name it "Cursor MCP" and copy the token

Step 3: Configure Cursor IDE

Open Cursor Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,) → Search "MCP" → Click Edit MCP Settings

Add this configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atlassian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-atlassian"],
      "env": {
        "ATLASSIAN_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "ATLASSIAN_EMAIL": "your@email.com",
        "ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Replace your-domain, your@email.com, and your-api-token-here with your actual values.

Step 4: Restart Cursor and Test

1. Restart Cursor completely
2. Open the AI chat panel (Cmd/Ctrl + L)
3. Try: "List my open Jira tickets"

If it works, you'll see your actual Jira issues returned in the chat.

Useful Prompts to Try

Combining With Other MCP Servers

For maximum productivity, combine Atlassian MCP with other servers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atlassian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-atlassian"],
      "env": {
        "ATLASSIAN_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "ATLASSIAN_EMAIL": "your@email.com",
        "ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN": "your-api-token"
      }
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..."
      }
    }
  }
}

Now Cursor can cross-reference your Jira tickets with GitHub PRs automatically.

Troubleshooting

"Server failed to start" — Check your API token is correct and hasn't expired.

"Permission denied" — Make sure your Atlassian account has API access enabled.

Jira not returning results — Verify your ATLASSIAN_URL ends with .atlassian.net and doesn't have a trailing slash.

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