Step-by-step guide to connecting Claude Cowork with GitHub and Jira via MCP. Read PRs, query backlogs, post review comments, and generate sprint summaries — without leaving Cowork.
Cowork's GitHub and Jira connectors are what separate it from a chat tool. They're MCP servers — Anthropic's Model Context Protocol — that give Cowork real read/write access to your repositories and project boards. You can load a pull request, the associated Jira ticket acceptance criteria, and ask Cowork to review the implementation. You can query your sprint backlog, generate sprint planning briefing, or create release notes — all without context-switching to your usual tools.
In our Claude Cowork for software developers guide, we cover the core Cowork workflow. This article is hands-on: how to set up the connectors, what they can and can't do, and five production workflows that use both connectors together.
Architecture: MCP-driven OAuth. Cowork connects to GitHub via the Anthropic GitHub MCP server. When you authenticate, Cowork gets an OAuth token scoped to repositories you select. The connection stays local to your Cowork workspace — no credentials stored on our servers.
What it reads:
What it can write (with explicit permission):
What it can't do (intentional constraints):
These constraints are safety-by-design. Cowork can comment on a PR to flag a concern, but it can't merge the PR. You remain the gatekeeper.
Authentication: API token scoped to projects. You provide a Jira API token (created in your Jira account). Select which projects Cowork should access. Unlike GitHub OAuth, you manage exactly which projects and boards are visible to Cowork.
What it reads:
What it can write (with explicit permission):
Default behavior: read-heavy. Cowork is configured to read Jira by default. Write actions require you to explicitly ask in the canvas. This prevents accidental ticket mutations.
Load a GitHub PR diff + the associated Jira ticket acceptance criteria. Ask Cowork: "Does this implementation satisfy the acceptance criteria?" Cowork reads the code and requirements, flags mismatches, suggests missing edge cases.
Query Jira for the upcoming sprint backlog + GitHub for open PRs awaiting review in that sprint. Ask Cowork to generate a sprint planning briefing: What's in scope? What's blocked? What's ready to ship? Saves 30 min of standup prep.
Query GitHub for all commits since the last release tag + Jira for all "Done" tickets in the sprint. Ask Cowork to generate release notes in your format (features, fixes, breaking changes, contributors). Export directly to your release markdown.
Read Jira backlog + GitHub issues. Ask Cowork to identify tickets with missing acceptance criteria, unclear requirements, or dependency gaps. Generate a grooming checklist for your next grooming session.
Load today's Jira in-progress tickets + GitHub PRs awaiting your review. Ask Cowork: "What did we ship? What's in progress? What's blocked?" Generate a what-I-did/what-I'm-doing/blockers summary for standup, async style.
Copy these into Cowork to jump-start common workflows:
Review this GitHub PR implementation against the Jira ticket acceptance criteria.
For each acceptance criterion:
1. Is it satisfied by the code?
2. If not, what's missing?
3. Are there edge cases the code doesn't handle?
Output format:
**CRITERIA MET:**
- [criterion name]
**CRITERIA NOT MET:**
- [criterion name] — Missing: [what's needed]
**ADDITIONAL CONCERNS:**
- [edge case or issue not in acceptance criteria]
**RECOMMENDATION:**
[Approve / Request changes / Approve with minor changes]Generate a sprint planning briefing from our Jira sprint and GitHub PR status.
Include:
1. Summary: total story points, number of tickets
2. Status breakdown: how many in To Do / In Progress / Done
3. At risk: tickets without clear owners or blocked by external deps
4. GitHub PRs: any PRs from this sprint awaiting review or blocked by CI
5. Recommended actions: what should we prioritize this sprint?
Format as a brief bullet-point briefing for standup.Generate release notes from GitHub commits and Jira "Done" tickets.
Format:
## Features
- [feature with Jira ticket link]
## Fixes
- [bug fix with Jira ticket link]
## Breaking Changes
- [if any]
## Contributors
- [list of GitHub committers]
## Thank You
[standard thank-you message]
Make it concise and user-facing (not technical jargon).PR + Jira Review: Copy PR diff into chat, manually type or screenshot Jira criteria, ask Claude to compare
Setup time: 10 min per review
Limitations: No history, can't post review comments back
Output: Chat response (not integrated with GitHub)
PR + Jira Review: Cowork loads PR and Jira ticket directly via connectors
Setup time: 30 seconds (click PR link + Jira key)
Capabilities: Full history available, post comments directly to GitHub PR
Output: PR comments visible to team in GitHub
The connectors transform Cowork from a tool you have to copy-paste into to a tool that's integrated with your dev workflow.
Can I revoke GitHub access? Yes, anytime. Go to GitHub Settings → Applications → Authorized OAuth Apps, find Cowork, click Revoke. Your Jira API token can be revoked in Jira settings.
Does Cowork see my private repos? Only the repos you explicitly select during OAuth. You control the scope.
What if I want to write to Jira? Do I have to ask Cowork every time? Yes, by design. This prevents accidental ticket mutations. Each write (comment, status change, etc.) requires your explicit prompt.
Our Claude Certified Architects can set up the GitHub and Jira connectors for your team, create team-specific prompt templates, and train your engineers on the workflows that matter most.
The Cowork GitHub MCP server requests: read access to repository content (code, PRs, issues), write access to PR and issue comments, and read access to GitHub Actions. It does not request permission to modify branch settings, delete repositories, or push code. You can scope it to specific repositories during OAuth.
Not by default — you'd have to explicitly ask Cowork to create a ticket and confirm it first. However, yes, it's technically possible if you grant Cowork create permissions. Most teams keep this disabled for safety. The connector is optimized for reading backlogs and commenting on existing tickets.
Yes. If your GitHub is self-hosted or on GitHub Enterprise, you can configure the connector to point to your GitHub URL during setup. The MCP server will authenticate with your enterprise instance. Check with your GitHub admin about OAuth app permissions.
As of January 2026, Cowork has official MCP connectors for GitHub and Jira. Linear and Azure DevOps connectors are on the roadmap. In the meantime, you can use Cowork's generic API connector (MCP HTTP server) to read Linear or DevOps APIs, though it requires manual setup.