Linear

You can run a Linear MCP Server to let Large Language Models interact with Linear issues through the Model Context Protocol. This server provides a direct bridge to Linear’s issue tracking, enabling you to create, update, search, and comment on issues from your MCP-enabled client.

How to use

Use the Linear MCP Server from your MCP client to perform common issue-tracking actions. You can create new issues, update existing ones, search for issues with flexible filters, fetch issues assigned to users, and add comments to issues. Access the issue details and team views through the provided endpoints to drive AI-assisted workflows like triage, status updates, and reporting.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Node.js and npm installed on your system. Ensure you have access to a Linear API key for your team.

# Install the MCP server via Smithery (automatic integration)
npx -y @smithery/cli install @gerbal/linear-mcp-server-1 --client claude

Manual installation steps will configure Claude Desktop to load the Linear MCP Server and supply the Linear API key. Add or update the Claude Desktop config with the following mcpServers entry.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-linear"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "your_linear_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Additional notes

There is no separate remote MCP URL in the basic setup. The server runs locally via Node/NPM with the specified command and environment variable. Keep your Linear API key secret and do not commit it to public repositories.

Configuration and usage notes

The server runs as a local stdio MCP server. You start it by invoking the runtime command shown in the manual installation config. The key environment variable is LINEAR_API_KEY, which must be supplied with a Linear API key associated with your team. The server exposes a suite of tools for managing Linear issues.

Development

Development flow involves installing dependencies, providing the API key, and building or running the server for development.

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Configure Linear API key in the environment
LINEAR_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

# Build the server
npm run build

# For development with auto-rebuild
npm run watch

Available tools

linear_create_issue

Create a new Linear issue. Required inputs: title (string), teamId (string). Optional: description (string, markdown supported), priority (number 0-4), status (string).

linear_update_issue

Update an existing Linear issue. Required: id (string). Optional: title (string), description (string), priority (number 0-4), status (string).

linear_search_issues

Search issues with filters. Optional: query, teamId, status, assigneeId, labels, priority, limit (default 10).

linear_get_user_issues

Get issues assigned to a user. Optional: userId, includeArchived, limit (default 50).

linear_add_comment

Add a comment to an issue. Required: issueId, body. Optional: createAsUser, displayIconUrl.