MCP Jira Stdio vs Esa
A side-by-side look at the MCP Jira Stdio and Esa MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MCP Jira Stdio for workplace & productivity work as a local process; choose Esa for workplace & productivity as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Jira Stdio when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
JIRA_BASE_URL, JIRA_EMAIL, JIRA_API_TOKEN. - You want tools like
jira_get_visible_projects, jira_get_issue, jira_search_issues.
Choose Esa when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Workplace & Productivity domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN, LANG. - You want tools like
esa_get_teams, esa_get_team_stats, esa_get_team_tags.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Workplace & Productivity | Workplace & Productivity |
| Quality signal | 65/100 · Great | 67/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | JIRA_BASE_URLJIRA_EMAILJIRA_API_TOKEN | ESA_ACCESS_TOKENLANG |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 14 | 62 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 23 | 22 |
| Full listing | View MCP Jira Stdio | View Esa |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Jira Stdio tools 23
jira_get_visible_projectsRetrieves all projects accessible to the authenticated user. Returns project keys, names, descriptions, and basic metadata.jira_get_issueRetrieve details for a specific Jira issue by key or URL. Use this when the user mentions an issue like "PAYWALL-943" or pastes a Jira link (e.g., https://your.atlassian.net/browse/PAYWALL-943). Returns status, assignee, priority, project, type, labels, components, timestamps, and description.jira_search_issuesSearch for Jira issues using JQL. Supports complex queries with pagination and field selection. Examples: "project = PROJECT AND status = Open", "assignee = currentUser()". For pagination, use nextPageToken from previous response.jira_get_my_issuesRetrieves issues assigned to current user, sorted by most recently updated first. Supports pagination and field selection. For pagination, use nextPageToken from previous response.jira_get_issue_typesRetrieves available issue types. Can get global issue types or project-specific issue types including regular issues and subtasks (Bug, Story, Task, Epic, etc.).jira_get_usersSearch for users by name, email, username, or account ID. Returns display name, email, account status, and account type. Supports pagination.jira_get_prioritiesRetrieves available priorities (e.g., Highest, High, Medium, Low, Lowest). Returns IDs, names, and descriptions.jira_get_statusesRetrieves available statuses (global or project-specific, e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done). Returns status categories and workflow information.jira_get_project_infoRetrieves detailed information about a project (components, versions, issue types, roles, insights). More comprehensive than the basic project list.jira_get_create_metaRetrieves create metadata for a project, showing all available fields (including custom fields) for creating issues. Shows required vs optional fields, field types, and allowed values. Use this before creating issues to discover what fields are needed.jira_get_custom_fieldsRetrieves all custom fields available in Jira. Shows custom field names, IDs (e.g., customfield_10071), and types. Useful for discovering what custom fields exist and their identifiers.jira_get_commentsRetrieves all comments for a Jira issue. Returns comment author, content, timestamps, and visibility settings. Supports pagination for issues with many comments.- +11 more on the listing page
Esa tools 22
esa_get_teamsRetrieves a list of esa teams that the user has access to.esa_get_team_statsRetrieves team statistics including member count, posts count (total/WIP/shipped), comments, stars, watches, and daily/weekly/monthly active usersesa_get_team_tagsRetrieves all tags used in posts within a team, along with the count of posts for each tagesa_get_team_membersRetrieves all members of a team with their roles and profile informationesa_get_postRetrieves a specific post from an esa team by post number, with optional comments included.esa_search_postsSearch for posts in esa.ioesa_create_postCreates a new post in an esa team with optional tags, category, and WIP status.esa_update_postUpdates an existing post in an esa team by post number. You can update the title, content, tags, category, and WIP status. To ship a post (mark as complete), set wip to false - this is preferred over using esa_ship_post when updating other fields simultaneously.esa_get_commentRetrieves a specific comment by comment ID, with optional stargazers included.esa_create_commentCreates a new comment on an existing post in an esa team.esa_update_commentUpdates an existing comment in an esa team by comment ID.esa_delete_commentDeletes a comment from an esa team by comment ID.- +10 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Jira Stdio
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-jira-stdio": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-jira-stdio@latest"
],
"env": {
"JIRA_BASE_URL": "YOUR_JIRA_BASE_URL_HERE",
"JIRA_EMAIL": "YOUR_JIRA_EMAIL_HERE",
"JIRA_API_TOKEN": "YOUR_JIRA_API_TOKEN_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Esa
{
"mcpServers": {
"esa": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@esaio/esa-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN": "YOUR_ESA_ACCESS_TOKEN_HERE",
"LANG": "YOUR_LANG_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Jira Stdio is categorized under Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. Esa belongs to Workplace & Productivity and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Jira Stdio for workplace & productivity work and Esa for workplace & productivity.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
MCP Jira Stdio has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Esa has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add mcp-jira-stdio and esa as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Jira Stdio has a quality signal of 65/100 (Great) with 0 views, 0 installs and 14 GitHub stars. Esa has 67/100 (Great) with 2 views, 0 installs and 62 GitHub stars.