MCP Setup¶
Model Context Protocol (MCP) connects your IDE or agent to version control and issue tracking services. This page uses Cursor as the primary example; other environments may use different settings locations.
MCP combinations:
- GitHub + Jira — GitHub for repositories and pull requests; Jira for issue tracking
- ADO only — Azure DevOps provides both repository management and issue tracking (standalone)
ASDLC is optional.
Configuration¶
Cursor: Settings → Features → Model Context Protocol
Or edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json (macOS/Linux) or %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json (Windows).
Other environments: see your IDE or agent’s MCP documentation.
Option A: GitHub + Jira¶
{
"mcpServers": {
"github": {
"url": "https://api.githubcopilot.com/mcp/",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer <YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN>"
}
},
"atlassian": {
"url": "https://mcp.atlassian.com/v1/sse"
}
}
}
GitHub: github.com/settings/tokens — scopes: repo, read:org
Jira: On first use, your environment may prompt for Atlassian OAuth (e.g. Cursor). Test: "Get Jira issues in my current sprint"
Option B: Azure DevOps (ADO) Only¶
Azure DevOps provides both repository management and issue tracking, so it can be used standalone without GitHub.
{
"mcpServers": {
"ado": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@azure-devops/mcp", "your-org-name"]
}
}
}
Replace your-org-name with your Azure DevOps organization (e.g. contoso for https://dev.azure.com/contoso).
ADO auth: On first use, @azure-devops/mcp prompts for Microsoft sign-in. For unattended or CI, set AZURE_DEVOPS_PAT (and optionally AZURE_DEVOPS_ORG_URL) in the server’s env if your MCP config supports it.
Test: "Get work items in my current sprint" or "List repositories in my organization"
Troubleshooting¶
MCP not connecting? Restart your IDE or agent, verify URLs, check internet connection.
GitHub auth fails? Verify token has repo and read:org scopes.
Atlassian OAuth fails? Clear browser cookies, try incognito window.