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linear-mcp

MCP.Pizza Chef: cosmix

The linear-mcp server is a Model Context Protocol implementation that exposes Linear's issue tracking system through a standardized interface. It enables creating, updating, deleting, and querying issues and projects with advanced filtering, label management, and comment support. It supports self-assignment, project updates, and parent-child issue relationships, all with robust error and rate limit handling. This server integrates Linear's powerful SDK for type-safe operations and clean data transformation, making it ideal for developers building workflows around Linear's project management data.

Use This MCP server To

Create and manage Linear issues and subissues programmatically Retrieve and update Linear project statuses and health Perform advanced searches on Linear issues with custom filters Add comments to Linear issues with markdown formatting Self-assign issues using the 'me' keyword Track parent-child relationships in issue hierarchies Delete issues with validation and error handling Integrate Linear issue data into external dashboards or tools

README

Linear MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation that provides access to Linear's issue tracking system through a standardized interface.

Features

  • Create new issues and subissues with label support
  • Retrieve the list of linear projects
  • Retrieve the project updates
  • Create a new project update with health status
  • Update existing issues with full field modification
  • Delete issue with validation
  • Self-assign issues using 'me' keyword
  • Advanced search with Linear's powerful filtering capabilities
  • Filter issues by cycle (current, next, previous, or specific cycle by UUID or number)
  • Add comments to issues with markdown support
  • Query Linear issues by ID or key with optional relationships
  • Search issues using custom queries with enhanced metadata
  • Type-safe operations using Linear's official SDK
  • Comprehensive error handling
  • Rate limit handling
  • Clean data transformation
  • Parent/child relationship tracking with team inheritance
  • Label management and synchronization

Prerequisites

  • Bun runtime (v1.0.0 or higher)
  • Linear account with API access

Environment Variables

LINEAR_API_KEY=your_api_key  # Your Linear API token

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone [repository-url]
cd linear-mcp

2. Install dependencies and build:

bun install
bun run build

3. Configure the MCP server:

Edit the appropriate configuration file:

macOS:

  • Cline: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
  • Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows:

  • Cline: %APPDATA%\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json
  • Claude Desktop: %APPDATA%\Claude Desktop\claude_desktop_config.json

Linux:

  • Cline: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
  • Claude Desktop: sadly doesn't exist yet

Add the following configuration under the mcpServers object:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/linear-mcp/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "your_api_key"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Restart the MCP server.

Within Cline's MCP settings, restart the MCP server. Restart Claude Desktop to load the new MCP server.

Development

Run development server:

bun run dev

Build project:

bun run build

Available MCP Tools

For detailed usage examples of all tools, see USAGE.md.

create_issue

Create a new Linear issue or subissue.

Input Schema:

{
  "teamId": "string",     
  "title": "string",      
  "description": "string",
  "parentId": "string",   
  "status": "string",
  "priority": "number",   
  "assigneeId": "string | 'me'",
  "labelIds": ["string"]  
}

update_issue

Update an existing Linear issue.

Input Schema:

{
  "issueId": "string",    
  "title": "string",
  "description": "string",
  "status": "string",     // Expects status NAME (e.g., "In Progress"). Must be valid for the issue's team.
  "priority": "number",   // Expects 0 (None) to 4 (Low).
  "assigneeId": "string | 'me'",
  "labelIds": ["string"],
  "cycleId": "string"
}

get_issue

Get detailed information about a specific Linear issue with optional relationships.

Input Schema:

{
  "issueId": "string",
  "includeRelationships": "boolean"  
}

search_issues

Search for Linear issues using a query string and advanced filters. Supports Linear's powerful filtering capabilities.

Input Schema:

{
  "query": "string",
  "includeRelationships": "boolean",
  "filter": {
    "title": { "contains": "string", "eq": "string", ... },
    "description": { "contains": "string", "eq": "string", ... },
    "priority": { "gte": "number", "lt": "number", ... },
    "estimate": { "eq": "number", "in": ["number"], ... },
    "dueDate": { "lt": "string", "gt": "string", ... },
    "createdAt": { "gt": "P2W", "lt": "2024-01-01", ... },
    "updatedAt": { "gt": "P1M", ... },
    "completedAt": { "null": true, ... },
    "assignee": { "id": { "eq": "string" }, "name": { "contains": "string" } },
    "creator": { "id": { "eq": "string" }, "name": { "contains": "string" } },
    "team": { "id": { "eq": "string" }, "key": { "eq": "string" } },
    "state": { "type": { "eq": "started" }, "name": { "eq": "string" } },
    "labels": { "name": { "in": ["string"] }, "every": { "name": { "eq": "string" } } },
    "project": { "id": { "eq": "string" }, "name": { "contains": "string" } },
    "and": [{ /* filters */ }],
    "or": [{ /* filters */ }],
    "assignedTo": "string | 'me'",
    "createdBy": "string | 'me'"
  },
  "projectId": "string",
  "projectName": "string"
}

Supported Comparators:

  • String fields: eq, neq, in, nin, contains, startsWith, endsWith (plus case-insensitive variants)
  • Number fields: eq, neq, lt, lte, gt, gte, in, nin
  • Date fields: eq, neq, lt, lte, gt, gte (supports ISO 8601 durations)

get_teams

Get a list of Linear teams with optional name/key filtering.

Input Schema:

{
  "nameFilter": "string"  
}

delete_issue

Delete an existing Linear issue.

Input Schema:

{
  "issueId": "string"
}

create_comment

Create a new comment on a Linear issue.

Input Schema:

{
  "issueId": "string",
  "body": "string"
}

get_projects

Get a list of Linear projects with optional name filtering and pagination.

Input Schema:

{
  "nameFilter": "string",
  "includeArchived": "boolean",
  "first": "number",
  "after": "string"
}

get_project_updates

Get project updates for a given project ID with optional filtering parameters.

Input Schema:

{
  "projectId": "string",
  "includeArchived": "boolean",
  "first": "number",
  "after": "string",
  "createdAfter": "string",
  "createdBefore": "string",
  "userId": "string | 'me'",
  "health": "string"
}

create_project_update

Create a new update for a Linear project.

Input Schema:

{
  "projectId": "string",
  "body": "string",
  "health": "onTrack | atRisk | offTrack",
  "isDiffHidden": "boolean"
}

Technical Details

  • Built with TypeScript in strict mode
  • Uses Linear's official SDK (@linear/sdk)
  • Uses MCP SDK (@modelcontextprotocol/sdk 1.4.0)
  • Authentication via API tokens
  • Comprehensive error handling
  • Rate limiting considerations
  • Bun runtime for improved performance
  • ESM modules throughout
  • Vite build system
  • Type-safe operations
  • Data cleaning features:
    • Issue mention extraction (ABC-123 format)
    • User mention extraction (@username format)
    • Markdown content cleaning
    • Content optimization for AI context
  • Self-assignment support:
    • Automatic current user resolution
    • 'me' keyword support in create/update operations
    • Efficient user ID caching
  • Advanced search capabilities:
    • Comprehensive filtering with Linear's API
    • Support for all field comparators
    • Relationship filtering
    • Logical operators (and, or)
    • Relative date filtering
    • Filter by assignee/creator (including self)
    • Support for specific user IDs
    • Project filtering by ID or name
    • Efficient query optimization
  • Project management features:
    • Project listing with filtering and pagination
    • Project update creation with health status tracking
    • Project update retrieval with filtering options

Error Handling

The server implements a comprehensive error handling strategy:

  • Network error detection and appropriate messaging
  • HTTP status code handling
  • Detailed error messages with status codes
  • Error details logging to console
  • Input validation for all parameters
  • Label validation and synchronization
  • Safe error propagation through MCP protocol
  • Rate limit detection and handling
  • Authentication error handling
  • Invalid query handling
  • Team inheritance validation for subissues
  • User resolution validation
  • Search filter validation

LICENCE

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENCE file for details.

linear-mcp FAQ

How does linear-mcp handle rate limiting?
It includes built-in rate limit handling to gracefully manage API request limits and avoid service disruptions.
Can I create and update project updates using linear-mcp?
Yes, you can create new project updates with health status and retrieve existing updates.
Does linear-mcp support advanced issue search?
Yes, it supports Linear's powerful filtering capabilities for complex queries.
How does linear-mcp ensure data integrity when deleting issues?
It performs validation before deleting issues to prevent accidental data loss.
Can I assign issues to myself using linear-mcp?
Yes, you can self-assign issues using the 'me' keyword for convenience.
What kind of error handling does linear-mcp provide?
It offers comprehensive error handling to manage API errors and data inconsistencies effectively.
Is the linear-mcp server type-safe?
Yes, it uses Linear's official SDK to ensure type-safe operations and data transformations.
How does linear-mcp manage parent-child issue relationships?
It tracks parent/child relationships with team inheritance to maintain issue hierarchies accurately.