MCP Linear: AI-Powered Project Automation & Seamless Integration

Effortlessly connect AI assistants to Linear with MCP Linear—retrieve, create, and update projects/issues via natural language, boosting team productivity without coding.

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About MCP Linear

What is MCP Linear: AI-Powered Project Automation & Seamless Integration?

MCP Linear is a server implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) designed to integrate AI assistants with Linear, a popular project management tool. By leveraging Linear's GraphQL API, it enables seamless bidirectional communication between AI systems and project workflows, automating tasks like issue tracking, team assignments, and status updates without manual intervention.

How to Use MCP Linear: AI-Powered Project Automation & Seamless Integration?

Getting started requires three core steps:

Obtain a Linear API Token: Generate via Linear's Security & Access settings under Personal API Keys.
Install via Preferred Method: Use Smithery CLI for simplified installation (supports Cursor and Claude clients) or manual configuration via npm.
Run the Server: Execute with your API token either via environment variables or command-line arguments.

Once configured, issue natural language commands through your AI client to interact with Linear workflows directly.

MCP Linear Features

Key Features of MCP Linear: AI-Powered Project Automation & Seamless Integration?

Automated task creation and updates using natural language inputs
Real-time status tracking and team assignment management
Seamless integration with Cursor and Claude AI platforms
Full GraphQL API coverage for advanced workflow automation
Environment-variable based security configuration

Use Cases of MCP Linear: AI-Powered Project Automation & Seamless Integration?

Common scenarios include:

Automating bug reporting by translating user feedback into tracked issues
Proactive project status updates via scheduled AI-driven reports
Streamlining sprint planning by converting meeting notes into actionable tasks
Automated dependency management through cross-project visibility
Error-free task assignment using AI-powered resource optimization

MCP Linear FAQ

FAQ from MCP Linear: AI-Powered Project Automation & Seamless Integration?

Which clients are supported?: Officially supports Cursor and Claude platforms, with MCP protocol compatibility enabling broader integration possibilities.
Do I need Node.js?: Yes, the server component requires Node.js 16+ to execute.
Can I customize commands?: Yes, the open-source toolkit allows developers to extend functionality through the documented API endpoints.
Is there rate limiting?: Adheres to Linear's API rate limits; enterprise plans offer increased capacity.
How secure is the integration?: Uses encrypted API tokens and recommends environment variable management for production use.

Content

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:

Log in to your Linear account at linear.app
Click on organization avatar (in the top-left corner)
Select Settings
Navigate to Security & access in the left sidebar
Under Personal API Keys click New API Key
Give your key a name (e.g., MCP Linear Integration)
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.

License

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