Code Assist MCP for Jira Assets

Build 26.0.9655

Establishing a Connection

The CData Code Assist MCP for Jira Assets defines each connection to Jira Assets as a named configuration that an MCP Client (such as Claude Desktop) can use when sending natural language queries.

You create and manage these configurations using the CData Code Assist MCP Configuration Tool. The tool automatically handles formatting, storage, and registration with MCP clients.

Understanding Connection Configurations

Each connection configuration is stored in a .mcp file. This file includes the details needed to initialize the connector when an MCP Client starts a session.

  • On Windows, configuration files are stored in "~/AppData/Roaming/CData/Jira Assets Data Provider/".
  • On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/Jira Assets Data Provider/".

The .mcp file is a text file that contains a list of connection properties and a timestamp. For example: 

#Tue May 20 15:48:40 EDT 2025
AuthScheme=Basic
User=myUser
Password=myPassword
Security Token=myToken

The configuration tool handles these settings automatically. Each saved configuration enables an MCP client to launch a dedicated MCP server instance with the correct connector and options. Manual file editing is not required.

Connecting and Authenticating to Jira Assets

Jira Assets supports connecting and authenticating using the APIToken or OAuth 2.0 authentication method.

To establish a connection, the URL connection property is required. This property must be set to the base URL of your Jira Assets (Atlassian Cloud) site, for example: https://your-domain.atlassian.net.

API Token

To generate an API token:

  1. Log in to your Atlassian account.
  2. Navigate to Security > Create and manage API Token > Create API Token.
Atlassian generates and then displays the API token.

After you have generated the API token, set these parameters:

  • User: The login of the authenticating user.
  • APIToken: The API token you just generated.

OAuth 2.0

You can leverage Jira Assets's "three-legged" OAuth 2.0 support (3LO) to connect to data without providing your login credentials.

The following procedures assume that AuthScheme has been set to OAuth in all OAuth flows.

Desktop Applications

CData provides an embedded OAuth application that simplifies OAuth desktop Authentication. Alternatively, you can create a custom OAuth application. See Creating a Custom OAuth Application for information about creating custom applications.

After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set to the Client ID in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set to the Secret in your application settings.
  • CallbackURL: (custom applications only) Set to the callback URL configured in your app.
  • URL : Set this to the URL to your Jira Assets endpoint, for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.
When you connect, the server opens Jira Assets's OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The server then completes the OAuth process:

  • The server obtains an access token from Jira Assets and uses it to request data.
  • Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
  • Saves OAuth values in the location specified in OAuthSettingsLocation. These values persist across connections.
The server refreshes the access token automatically when it expires.

Web Applications

When connecting via a Web application, you need to register a custom OAuth application with Jira Assets. You can then use the server to get and manage the OAuth token values. See Creating a Custom OAuth Application for more information.

Get an OAuth Access Token

Set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:

  • OAuthClientId: Set to the Client ID in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: Set to the Secret in your application settings.
  • URL : Set this to the URL to your Jira Assets endpoint, for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Then call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

  1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB and the CallbackURL to the callback URL you specified in your application. The stored procedure returns the URL to the OAuth endpoint.
  2. Navigate to the URL that the stored procedure returned in Step 1. Log in and authorize the web application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
  3. Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB and the Verifier input to the "code" parameter in the query string of the redirect URI.

To connect to data, set the OAuthAccessToken connection property to the access token returned by the stored procedure. When the access token expires after ExpiresIn seconds, call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure again to obtain a new access token.

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you need to authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

  1. Choose one of two options:
    • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
    • Option 2: Install the server on a machine with an internet browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.
  2. Then configure the server to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

  1. Choose one of these options:
    • If you are using the Embedded OAuth Application, call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.
    • If you are using a custom OAuth application, set the following properties: Then call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the appropriate CallbackURL. Open the URL returned by the stored procedure in a browser.
  2. Log in and grant permissions to the server. You are then redirected to the redirect URI. There is a parameter called code appended to the redirect URI. Note the value of this parameter. Later you need this to set the OAuthVerifier connection property.
Next, you need to exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthVerifier: Set this to the noted verifier code (the value of the code parameter in the redirect URI).
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set to the Client ID in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set to the Secret in your application settings.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified location.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then re-set the following properties to connect:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set to the Client ID in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set to the Secret in your application settings.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you need to install and create a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

Test the connection to generate the OAuth settings file, then copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

  • InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
  • OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set to the Client ID in your application settings.
  • OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set to the Secret in your application settings.
  • OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of the OAuth settings file you copied from the machine with the browser. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the server to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.

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Build 26.0.9655