Mcp Linear

What is Mcp Linear about?

Mcp Linear bridges AI assistants and the Linear project‑management platform. By implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), it lets assistants understand natural‑language commands and translate them into GraphQL operations against Linear.

How to use Mcp Linear?

1. Obtain a Linear API token – follow the steps in Linear settings under Security & access → Personal API Keys.
2. Install the server – the recommended way is via Smithery, or manually with npm:

   npx -y @smithery/cli install @tacticlaunch/mcp-linear --client cursor   # for Cursor
   npx -y @smithery/cli install @tacticlaunch/mcp-linear --client claude    # for Claude Desktop
   

   Alternatively, install globally:

   npm install -g @tacticlaunch/mcp-linear
   mcp-linear --token YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN
   

3. Configure the MCP client – add the server entry to the client‑specific mcp.json (or equivalent) file, specifying the token via the LINEAR_API_TOKEN environment variable.
4. Interact – use natural‑language prompts such as “Show me all my Linear issues” or “Create a new issue titled ‘Fix login bug’ in the Frontend team”.

Key features of Mcp Linear

• Retrieve issues, projects, teams, and other Linear entities.
• Create new issues with title, description, and team assignment.
• Update issue status, assignee, and add comments.
• Create projects and teams on the fly.
• Fully compatible with Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude VSCode extension, and GoMCP clients.
• Auto‑generated tool definitions (see TOOLS.md).

Use cases of Mcp Linear

• Developer workflow automation – quickly open or update tickets without leaving the IDE.
• Project status reporting – ask an AI assistant for a summary of open issues or sprint progress.
• On‑call triage – create or assign bugs directly from chat when incidents occur.
• Team onboarding – generate standard issue templates or project structures via natural language.

FAQ from the Mcp Linear

Q: Which AI clients are supported? A: Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude VSCode extension, and any client that reads the standard MCP mcp.json configuration.

Q: Do I need to run the server locally? A: Yes. The server runs as a Node.js process on your machine and communicates with the client over the MCP protocol.

Q: What Node version is required? A: Node.js v18 or newer.

Q: How is the API token protected? A: The token is passed via the LINEAR_API_TOKEN environment variable; never hard‑code it in source files.

Q: Where can I see the full list of available tools? A: In the repository’s TOOLS.md file.

Q: Can I contribute new features? A: Yes. See DEVELOPMENT.md for guidance on local development and publishing.

MCP Linear

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation for the Linear GraphQL API that enables AI assistants to interact with Linear project management systems.

Features

MCP Linear bridges the gap between AI assistant and Linear (project management tool) by implementing the MCP protocol. This allows to:

• Retrieve issues, projects, teams, and other data from Linear
• Create and update issues
• Change issue status
• Assign issues to team members
• Add comments
• Create projects and teams

Example prompts

Once connected, you can use prompts like:

• "Show me all my Linear issues"
• "Create a new issue titled 'Fix login bug' in the Frontend team"
• "Change the status of issue FE-123 to 'In Progress'"
• "Assign issue BE-456 to John Smith"
• "Add a comment to issue UI-789: 'This needs to be fixed by Friday'"

Installation

Getting Your Linear API Token

To use MCP Linear, you'll need a Linear API token. Here's how to get one:

1. Log in to your Linear account at linear.app
2. Click on organization avatar (in the top-left corner)
3. Select Settings
4. Navigate to Security & access in the left sidebar
5. Under Personal API Keys click New API Key
6. Give your key a name (e.g., MCP Linear Integration)
7. Copy the generated API token and store it securely - you won't be able to see it again!

Installing via Smithery (Recommended)

• To install MCP Linear for Cursor:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @tacticlaunch/mcp-linear --client cursor

• To install MCP Linear for Claude Desktop:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @tacticlaunch/mcp-linear --client claude

Manual Configuration

Add the following to your MCP settings file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@tacticlaunch/mcp-linear"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_TOKEN": "<YOUR_TOKEN>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Client-Specific Configuration Locations

• Cursor: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
• Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Claude VSCode Extension: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json
• GoMCP: ~/.config/gomcp/config.yaml

Manual run

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• NPM or Yarn
• Linear API token

# Install globally
npm install -g @tacticlaunch/mcp-linear

# Or clone and install locally
git clone https://github.com/tacticlaunch/mcp-linear.git
cd mcp-linear
npm install
npm link  # Makes the package available globally

Running the Server

Run the server with your Linear API token:

mcp-linear --token YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN

Or set the token in your environment and run without arguments:

export LINEAR_API_TOKEN=YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN
mcp-linear

Available Tools

See TOOLS.md for a complete list of available tools and planned features.

Development

See DEVELOPMENT.md for more information on how to develop locally.

Links

tacticlaunch/cursor-memory-bank - If you are a developer seeking to enhance your workflow with Cursor, consider giving it a try.

License

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