MCP GitLab Jira Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for GitLab and Jira integration. This server allows AI agents like gemini-cli to interact with your GitLab and Jira instances.

Features

GitLab

• Projects: List all accessible projects or filter them by name.
• Merge Requests: List merge requests for a project, get detailed information (including diffs), add comments, and assign reviewers.
• Files: Get the content of a specific file at a given SHA.
• Releases: List all releases for a project or filter them since a specific version.
• Users: List project members, get a user's ID by username, and get user activities.

Jira

• Tickets: Get detailed information about a ticket, get comments, add comments, search for tickets using JQL, create new tickets, get available transitions, update tickets, and transition tickets to a new status.

Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• GitLab Personal Access Token with API access
• Jira API Token
• Access to a GitLab instance (on-premise or GitLab.com)
• Access to a Jira instance

Installation

1. Install the package globally:

   npm i -g mcp-gitlab-jira
   

2. Set up environment variables:

   # GitLab
   export GITLAB_URL="https://your-gitlab-instance.com"
   export GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-personal-access-token"
   
   # Jira
   export ATLASSIAN_SITE_NAME="your-atlassian-site-name"
   export ATLASSIAN_USER_EMAIL="your-email@example.com"
   export ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN="your-jira-api-token"
   

3. Test the server manually:

   # Test that the server starts without errors
   echo '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "tools/list", "params": {}}' | mcp-gitlab-jira
   

   The server should start and log "GitLab/Jira MCP server started" to stderr.

Using with MCP Clients

Configuration for gemini-cli or other MCP clients

Create or update your MCP configuration file (usually ~/.mcp/config.json or similar):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab-jira-mcp": {
      "command": "mcp-gitlab-jira",
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_URL": "https://your-gitlab-instance.com",
        "GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-personal-access-token",
        "ATLASSIAN_SITE_NAME": "your-atlassian-site-name",
        "ATLASSIAN_USER_EMAIL": "your-email@example.com",
        "ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN": "your-jira-api-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Running with Docker

You can also run this MCP server in a Docker container using the pre-built image from Docker Hub.

Available Docker Images

The Docker images are automatically built and published to Docker Hub for each release:

• Latest release: hainanzhao/mcp-gitlab-jira:latest
• Specific versions: hainanzhao/mcp-gitlab-jira:v0.1.2, hainanzhao/mcp-gitlab-jira:v0.1.1, etc.
• View all available tags: Docker Hub - mcp-gitlab-jira

The images are built for multiple architectures: linux/amd64 and linux/arm64 (Apple Silicon compatible).

Usage

1. Pull and run the Docker container:

   docker run -d --name mcp-gitlab-jira-container \
     -e GITLAB_URL="https://your-gitlab-instance.com" \
     -e GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-personal-access-token" \
     -e ATLASSIAN_SITE_NAME="your-atlassian-site-name" \
     -e ATLASSIAN_USER_EMAIL="your-email@example.com" \
     -e ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN="your-jira-api-token" \
     hainanzhao/mcp-gitlab-jira:latest
   

2. Alternative: Run without persistent container (one-time execution):

   docker run --rm -i \
     -e GITLAB_URL="https://your-gitlab-instance.com" \
     -e GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-personal-access-token" \
     -e ATLASSIAN_SITE_NAME="your-atlassian-site-name" \
     -e ATLASSIAN_USER_EMAIL="your-email@example.com" \
     -e ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN="your-jira-api-token" \
     hainanzhao/mcp-gitlab-jira:latest
   

Using with MCP Clients (Docker)

You have two options for using the Docker container with MCP clients:

Option 1: Using a persistent container (recommended)

First, start the container as shown above, then update your MCP configuration file. The env block is empty because the necessary environment variables are passed directly to the container using the -e flag in the docker run command.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab-jira-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["exec", "-i", "mcp-gitlab-jira-container", "npm", "start"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using one-time execution

This runs a new container for each MCP session:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab-jira-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run", "--rm", "-i",
        "-e", "GITLAB_URL=https://your-gitlab-instance.com",
        "-e", "GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN=your-personal-access-token",
        "-e", "ATLASSIAN_SITE_NAME=your-atlassian-site-name",
        "-e", "ATLASSIAN_USER_EMAIL=your-email@example.com",
        "-e", "ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN=your-jira-api-token",
        "hainanzhao/mcp-gitlab-jira:latest"
      ],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

GitLab Tools

• gitlab_get_merge_request_details: Fetches detailed information about a GitLab Merge Request, including file diffs.
• gitlab_get_file_content: Fetches the content of a specific file at a given SHA in a GitLab project.
• gitlab_add_comment_to_merge_request: Adds a comment to a GitLab Merge Request. Can be a general comment, a reply to an existing discussion, or an inline comment on a specific line.
• gitlab_list_merge_requests: Lists merge requests for a given GitLab project.
• gitlab_assign_reviewers_to_merge_request: Assigns reviewers to a GitLab Merge Request.
• gitlab_list_project_members: Lists all members (contributors) of a given GitLab project.
• gitlab_list_project_members_by_project_name: Lists all members (contributors) of a given GitLab project by project name.
• gitlab_list_projects_by_name: Filters GitLab projects by name using a fuzzy, case-insensitive match.
• gitlab_list_all_projects: Lists all accessible GitLab projects.
• gitlab_list_all_releases: Fetches releases for a given GitLab project.
• gitlab_list_releases_since_version: Filters releases for a given GitLab project since a specific version.
• gitlab_get_user_id_by_username: Retrieves the GitLab user ID for a given username.
• gitlab_get_user_activities: Fetches activities for a given GitLab user by their username, optionally filtered by date.

Jira Tools

• jira_get_jira_ticket_details: Fetches detailed information about a Jira ticket.
• jira_get_jira_ticket_comments: Fetches comments for a Jira ticket.
• jira_add_comment_to_ticket: Adds a comment to a Jira ticket.
• jira_search_tickets_by_jql: Searches for Jira tickets using a JQL (Jira Query Language) string.
• jira_create_ticket: Creates a new Jira ticket with given fields.
• jira_get_available_transitions: Fetches available transitions for a Jira ticket.
• jira_update_ticket: Updates a Jira ticket summary, description, labels.
• jira_update_custom_fields: Updates custom fields on a Jira ticket.
• jira_transition_ticket: Transitions a Jira ticket to a new status.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. "Cannot find module" errors: If you are developing locally, make sure you've run npm install and npm run build.
2. Authentication errors: Verify your GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN, ATLASSIAN_USER_EMAIL, and ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN have the necessary permissions.
3. Connection errors: Ensure your GITLAB_URL and ATLASSIAN_SITE_NAME are correct and accessible.
4. Server not responding: Check that the MCP server process is running and the path in your config is correct.

Debug Mode

To see detailed logs, you can run the server directly:

export GITLAB_URL="your-url"
export GITLAB_ACCESS_TOKEN="your-token"
export ATLASSIAN_SITE_NAME="your-atlassian-site-name"
export ATLASSIAN_USER_EMAIL="your-email@example.com"
export ATLASSIAN_API_TOKEN="your-jira-api-token"
mcp-gitlab-jira

Development

For development, clone the repository and install the dependencies.

npm install
npm run build

Local Docker Development

To test the Docker build locally before pushing:

# Build and test the Docker image locally
./scripts/build-docker-local.sh

This script will build the Docker image and run basic tests to ensure it works correctly.

For maintainers: See Docker Setup Guide for information about setting up automated Docker Hub publishing.

Project Structure

• src/index.ts: Main MCP server implementation
• src/gitlab.service.ts: GitLab API client
• src/gitlab.ts: GitLab type definitions
• src/jira.service.ts: Jira API client
• src/jira.ts: Jira type definitions
• dist/: Compiled JavaScript output

Adding New Features

1. Add new methods to the GitLabService or JiraService class.
2. Define new tools in the allTools array in index.ts.
3. Add a corresponding case in the tool handler in index.ts.
4. Rebuild with npm run build.

License

ISC