Development AI Agentic Coding Assistant Kiro [Kiro] MCP Server Configuration

Overview

A guide on how to configure and manage MCP servers in Kiro, with practical examples.

Steps

1. Configuration File Location

Global settings (user-wide): ~/.kiro/settings/mcp.json – available across all projects
Workspace settings (per-project): .kiro/settings/mcp.json – available only in that project, takes precedence over global settings

2. Basic Configuration Structure

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "command to execute",
      "args": ["--stdio"],
      "env": {
        "ENV_VAR": "value"
      },
      "timeout": 120000,
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

3. Adding a Server via CLI

3.1. Basic Addition

kiro-cli mcp add --name git --command mcp-server-git --args --stdio

3.2. With Options

kiro-cli mcp add \
  --name github \
  --command mcp-server-github \
  --args --stdio \
  --env GITHUB_TOKEN=$GITHUB_TOKEN \
  --scope workspace

3.3. Key Options

Option	Description
`--name`	Server name (required)
`--command`	Execution command (required)
`--args`	Command arguments
`--env`	Environment variables
`--scope`	Scope (default/workspace/global)
`--agent`	Add to a specific agent only
`--disabled`	Add in disabled state
`--force`	Overwrite existing server

4. Server Management Commands

4.1. List Servers

kiro-cli mcp list
kiro-cli mcp list workspace
kiro-cli mcp list global

4.2. Remove a Server

kiro-cli mcp remove --name git

4.3. Check Server Status

kiro-cli mcp status --name git

4.4. Import a Configuration File

kiro-cli mcp import --file servers.json workspace

5. Checking in Chat

5.1. View Server Status

/mcp
/mcp list

5.2. Output Example

@git (mcp-server-git)
Status: ✓ Initialized
Tools: git_status, git_commit, git_log
@github (mcp-server-github)
Status: ⚠ Needs authentication
OAuth URL: https://github.com/login/oauth/...
Tools: (not loaded)

6. MCP Server Examples

6.1. Context7 (Documentation Search)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@upstash/context7-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Searches programming library/framework documentation and retrieves code examples.

6.2. Sequential Thinking (Step-by-Step Reasoning)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sequential-thinking": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sequential-thinking"]
    }
  }
}

Analyzes complex problems step by step and tracks the problem-solving process.

6.3. Atlassian (Confluence + Jira)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-atlassian": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["--with", "pydantic==2.11.9", "mcp-atlassian"],
      "env": {
        "CONFLUENCE_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net/wiki",
        "CONFLUENCE_USERNAME": "your-email@company.com",
        "CONFLUENCE_API_TOKEN": "your-confluence-token",
        "JIRA_URL": "https://your-domain.atlassian.net",
        "JIRA_USERNAME": "your-email@company.com",
        "JIRA_API_TOKEN": "your-jira-token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Supports reading/writing/searching Confluence pages, creating/viewing/updating Jira issues, and linking documents with issues.

The required environment variables are as follows.

CONFLUENCE_URL: Confluence instance URL
CONFLUENCE_USERNAME: User email
CONFLUENCE_API_TOKEN: API token (generated from Atlassian account settings)
JIRA_URL: Jira instance URL
JIRA_USERNAME: User email
JIRA_API_TOKEN: API token

6.4. GitLab

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gitlab": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@zereight/mcp-gitlab"],
      "env": {
        "GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "your-gitlab-token",
        "GITLAB_API_URL": "https://your-gitlab.com/api/v4/",
        "GITLAB_PROJECT_ID": "your-project-id",
        "GITLAB_READ_ONLY_MODE": "false",
        "USE_GITLAB_WIKI": "false",
        "USE_MILESTONE": "false",
        "USE_PIPELINE": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

Supports GitLab issue/MR management, code review and commit inspection, and project information retrieval.

The required environment variables are as follows.

GITLAB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN: GitLab Personal Access Token
GITLAB_API_URL: GitLab API endpoint
GITLAB_PROJECT_ID: Target project ID

The optional environment variables are as follows.

GITLAB_READ_ONLY_MODE: Read-only mode (true/false)
USE_GITLAB_WIKI: Whether to use the Wiki feature
USE_MILESTONE: Whether to use the Milestone feature
USE_PIPELINE: Whether to use the Pipeline feature

6.5. Figma Dev Mode (SSE Method)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "Figma Dev Mode MCP": {
      "type": "sse",
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:3845/sse"
    }
  }
}

Extracts development information from Figma design files. It uses type and url instead of command, connecting to a locally running server.

7. Per-Agent MCP Configuration

7.1. Adding Directly to the Agent Configuration File

Add the mcpServers field to .kiro/agents/my-agent.json.

{
  "name": "my-agent",
  "tools": ["fs_read", "fs_write"],
  "mcpServers": {
    "git": {
      "command": "mcp-server-git",
      "args": ["--stdio"]
    }
  }
}

7.2. Adding a Server to a Specific Agent Only

kiro-cli mcp add --name git --command mcp-server-git --agent my-agent

8. Troubleshooting

8.1. When a Server Won’t Start

Verify the command is in PATH
Try running it manually: mcp-server-git --stdio
Check logs: ~/.kiro/logs/ or $TMPDIR/kiro-log/

8.2. When Tools Don’t Appear

Check server status with the /mcp command
Verify whether OAuth authentication is required
Wait for the server to finish initializing

8.3. When a Tool Name Is Too Long or Invalid

Report the issue to the server provider. The tool will be automatically excluded.

8.4. Tools with Overly Long Descriptions

A warning message is displayed, but the tool remains usable. Response speed may be slower.

References

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[Kiro] MCP Server Configuration

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