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Limit the Atlassian MCP server to read and search capabilities

AgentArmor team1 min read

You will restrict the hosted Atlassian MCP server so your client sees only read and search tools. This lowers the write surface a coding agent can reach.

  1. Choose capabilitiesRead and search only
  2. Set URL parametercapabilities=... in server URL
  3. Reconnect clientReload the server config
  4. Verify tool listNo write tools should appear

Why it matters

The hosted Atlassian MCP server had no read-only option, so a connected client could reach write tools too. Capability filtering shipped to the hosted server on 2026-03-24, as recorded in the GitHub issue thread (opens external site), though the docs were not yet updated at that time. Limiting capabilities reduces the tool surface, which is a practical way to reduce risk.

Steps

  1. Decide which products you need. For read-only use, choose only the read and search capabilities: READ_JIRA, SEARCH_JIRA, READ_CONFLUENCE, and SEARCH_CONFLUENCE.

  2. Add the capabilities query parameter to the server URL, with capability names separated by commas:

capabilities=READ_JIRA,SEARCH_JIRA,READ_CONFLUENCE,SEARCH_CONFLUENCE

  1. Put the updated server URL into your MCP client's server URL setting. Because the change is only a query parameter, no other config change is needed.

  2. Restart or reconnect the client so it reloads the server.

  3. List the available tools and confirm that no write tools appear.

  4. Check the auth method for each product you enable. Jira and Confluence support OAuth and headless auth, Compass is OAuth only, and Jira Service Management is API token only.

  5. Keep the URL in version control with your other MCP config, so any change to the capability list gets reviewed.

The read-only volume mount and write-check idea for containers is a separate concern that these sources do not cover. The same habit applies there: remove write access you do not need, then confirm it is gone.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming the parameter changes Atlassian-side permissions. It only limits which tools the server exposes to your client.
  • Adding a WRITE_ capability just in case, then forgetting it widens the surface.
  • Skipping the tool-list check after changing the URL, so you never confirm the filter took effect.

Checklist

0 of 8 done

Sources

  1. How do I enable read-only mode for the Atlassian MCP server?
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