Guides · Cursor

How to connect the Atlassian Rovo MCP server to Cursor

The Atlassian Rovo MCP Server is hosted by Atlassian, so Cursor connects to https://mcp.atlassian.com/v2/mcp over HTTP and nothing runs on your machine. It acts with your own Atlassian Cloud permissions, and Atlassian recommends the v2 endpoint for all clients.

Steps summarize the official docs linked below, checked 2026-10-29. Client UIs change; if a menu name differs, the linked docs win.

1. Check what you need
An Atlassian Cloud site with Jira, Confluence, Jira Service Management, Bitbucket or Compass, and a browser for the OAuth 2.1 sign-in. An API token works only if an org admin has enabled API-token authentication (Atlassian Administration → Rovo → Rovo MCP server → Authentication).
2. Install the Atlassian plugin from the Cursor Marketplace
This is the route Atlassian's setup guide gives for Cursor: open the Atlassian plugin on the Cursor Marketplace (cursor.com/marketplace/atlassian) and select Add to Cursor. The plugin bundles the MCP server with Atlassian's skills for Jira, Confluence, triage, backlogs and status reports. The Add to Cursor button in Atlassian's README installs only the server, with the same v2 URL.
3. Or add it to mcp.json yourself
Put it in ~/.cursor/mcp.json to have it in every project, or in .cursor/mcp.json to share it with the repository. A remote server only needs its URL in Cursor's format; this is the config Atlassian's Add to Cursor link writes. No credentials go in the file: each person signs in with their own account.
```
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atlassian": {
      "url": "https://mcp.atlassian.com/v2/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```
4. Sign in with OAuth
Cursor supports OAuth for remote servers (authorization code flow with PKCE, dynamic client registration), so the first connection opens Atlassian's consent screen in your browser. Pick the site and approve. The agent then sees only what your Atlassian account can already see.
5. Headless: use an API token from your environment
For setups without a browser, create a scoped personal API token, base64-encode email:api_token as Atlassian's token guide shows, and send it as a Basic Authorization header (a service account key uses Bearer instead). Cursor resolves ${env:NAME} in headers, so the encoded value can live in your shell profile or secret manager instead of in mcp.json. Jira Service Management tools only work with token auth; some Compass tools are not available with it.
```
# once, in your shell profile or secret manager:
export ATLASSIAN_MCP_BASIC=$(echo -n "your.email@example.com:YOUR_API_TOKEN" | base64)

# ~/.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "atlassian": {
      "url": "https://mcp.atlassian.com/v2/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Basic ${env:ATLASSIAN_MCP_BASIC}"
      }
    }
  }
}
```
6. Keep write tools behind approval
The server can create and update Jira issues, Confluence pages and Bitbucket content. Cursor asks for approval before running MCP tools by default; click the arrow next to the tool name to see its arguments before you approve a write. MCP tools follow the same Run Modes as terminal commands, so don't allowlist Atlassian write tools for automatic runs unless you trust every change they can make. On Enterprise, admins can approve the server by URL in the MCP Allowlist and restrict which of its tools run automatically.
7. Check that it works
The server's tools appear under Available Tools. Atlassian's quick check is to ask for something that needs Jira or Confluence data; you should get content back from your site. If the server doesn't connect, open the Output panel (Cmd+Shift+U) and select MCP Logs. Toggle it off from Customize in the sidebar without deleting the config.
```
List my open Jira issues.
Summarize the Q2 planning page in Confluence.
```

Good to know

delete_jira and manage_jira permission groups are disabled by default; an admin has to turn them on. Leave them off unless you need them.
Tool calls through the server consume Rovo credits from your organization's shared pool; larger or more complex requests use more.
The server exposes a small set of primary tools and lets the client discover the rest on demand. Atlassian documents ?tools=all (a flat list of every tool) for MCP gateways, so keep the plain /v2/mcp URL in Cursor.
Tokens are not bound to one cloudId and skip the OAuth domain allowlist, so prefer OAuth for interactive use and keep tokens scoped to what the agent needs.
Atlassian suggests putting your Jira project key, Confluence space and cloudId in AGENTS.md so the agent makes fewer discovery calls.
Cloud Agents keep their own MCP sign-ins on Cursor's servers, separate from the ones on your machine; signing out locally doesn't sign them out.
Every tool call is recorded in your organization's audit log (Atlassian Administration → Insights → Audit log).
The legacy SSE endpoint (/v1/sse) stopped being supported after 30 June 2026; point old configs at /v2/mcp.

Troubleshooting

Only errors documented in the official docs; each fix links to its source.

"Your organization admin must authorize access from this redirect URL": The OAuth redirect isn't on your org's Rovo MCP domain list. Atlassian's defaults include cursor://cursor.mcp and localhost (Cursor's desktop callback is http://localhost:8787/callback); www.cursor.com, which Cursor uses for web and Cloud Agents sign-in, isn't on the default list. An org admin adds the missing entry under Atlassian Administration → Rovo → Rovo MCP server → Domain settings. source ↗
OAuth loop or redirect error: Atlassian names pop-up blockers and a blocked redirect URI as the usual causes. Allow pop-ups and make sure your browser and firewall don't block the localhost callback, then run the sign-in again. source ↗
"invalid token" or "invalid context provided": Check the URL is not the retired /v1/sse endpoint, then check your device clock: a clock a few minutes off makes Atlassian reject the time-sensitive tokens. Turn on automatic time sync and retry in a fresh browser session. source ↗
"You don't have permission to connect from this IP address": Your organization uses IP allowlisting and the request's source IP isn't allowed. Ask your site, organization or Bitbucket workspace admin to review the allowlist. source ↗
Sign-in succeeds, but tool calls return 403: A successful sign-in doesn't guarantee tool calls pass IP restrictions; a 403 can also mean missing scopes, app permissions or another access policy. Confirm the denial reason with your admin before changing an allowlist. source ↗
Empty or partial results: Usually an expired token or missing scopes. Sign in again and check the scopes you approve on the consent screen. source ↗

Sources

Catalog verdict

From the AgentTask Atlas catalog entry (verified 2026-10-26). Based on official docs, not hands-on tested. New to MCP in Cursor? Start with the general How to add an MCP server to Cursor.

Atlassian Rovo MCP Server · Atlassian · needs credentials
Pick it when the agent must read or update Jira issues, Confluence pages or Bitbucket repos; the README recommends the v2 endpoint for new setups.

Ask the catalog from inside Cursor: the AgentTask Atlas MCP server is free, read-only and needs no account.

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Same server in other clients: How to connect the Atlassian Rovo MCP server to Claude Code

⚠ No independent security audit: entries summarize official sources only. Review permissions and code before installing.

How to connect the Atlassian Rovo MCP server to Cursor

1. Check what you need

2. Install the Atlassian plugin from the Cursor Marketplace

3. Or add it to mcp.json yourself

4. Sign in with OAuth

5. Headless: use an API token from your environment

6. Keep write tools behind approval

7. Check that it works

Good to know

Troubleshooting

Sources

Catalog verdict