Linear MCP server for AI agents

This MCP server allows Claude to interact with Linear's API, enabling the management of teams, issues, projects, and cycles through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It provides tools to search, create, and update Linear issues directly from your AI assistant.

Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing the Linear MCP server, you need:

Node.js environment
Linear account with API access
MCP configuration access

Setup Process

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server.git

Install dependencies:
```
npm install
```
Build the server:
```
npm run build
```

Getting Linear OAuth Credentials

Create a Linear OAuth application at https://linear.app/settings/api/applications
Name the application "Cline MCP"
Set the redirect URI to http://localhost:3000/callback
Note your client ID and client secret
Create and copy a USER based developer token

MCP Configuration

Add the following to your MCP configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/linear-mcp-server/build/index.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
        "LINEAR_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret",
        "LINEAR_REDIRECT_URI": "http://localhost:3000/callback",
        "LINEAR_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your-refresh-token"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Replace the placeholder values with your actual Linear credentials.

Verifying Installation

After configuring the server, test the connection:

Reload your MCP configuration
Test the connection using the linear_search_issues tool:

use_mcp_tool(
  server_name="github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server",
  tool_name="linear_search_issues",
  arguments={
    "first": 5
  }
)

A successful response will display a list of issues from your Linear account.

Usage

Getting Teams

Retrieve all teams and their information:

use_mcp_tool(
  server_name="github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server",
  tool_name="linear_get_teams",
  arguments={}
)

Searching Issues

Search for issues with optional filtering:

use_mcp_tool(
  server_name="github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server",
  tool_name="linear_search_issues",
  arguments={
    "query": "Optional search query",
    "teamIds": ["Optional team IDs"],
    "first": 10
  }
)

Getting Cycles

Retrieve cycles for a specific team:

use_mcp_tool(
  server_name="github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server",
  tool_name="linear_get_cycles",
  arguments={
    "teamId": "required-team-id"
  }
)

Getting Projects

Retrieve projects, optionally filtered by team:

use_mcp_tool(
  server_name="github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server",
  tool_name="linear_get_projects",
  arguments={
    "teamId": "optional-team-id",
    "first": 10
  }
)

Creating Issues

Create a new issue in Linear:

use_mcp_tool(
  server_name="github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server",
  tool_name="linear_create_issue",
  arguments={
    "teamId": "required-team-id",
    "title": "Required issue title",
    "description": "Optional issue description",
    "assigneeId": "optional-assignee-id",
    "stateId": "optional-state-id",
    "priority": 0,
    "estimate": 1,
    "cycleId": "optional-cycle-id",
    "projectId": "optional-project-id",
    "labelIds": ["optional-label-ids"]
  }
)

Updating Issues

Update an existing issue:

use_mcp_tool(
  server_name="github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server",
  tool_name="linear_update_issue",
  arguments={
    "issueId": "required-issue-id",
    "title": "Optional new title",
    "description": "Optional new description",
    "assigneeId": "optional-assignee-id",
    "stateId": "optional-state-id",
    "priority": 0,
    "estimate": 1,
    "cycleId": "optional-cycle-id",
    "projectId": "optional-project-id",
    "labelIds": ["optional-label-ids"]
  }
)

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues with the MCP connection:

Verify your MCP configuration file has the correct server path and credentials
Ensure the Linear API is operational by checking status.linear.app
Check for error messages in the server logs if running manually
Confirm your Linear OAuth tokens are valid and not expired

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "github-com-cpropster-linear-mcp-server" '{"command":"node","args":["/path/to/linear-mcp-server/build/index.js"],"env":{"LINEAR_CLIENT_ID":"your-client-id","LINEAR_CLIENT_SECRET":"your-client-secret","LINEAR_REDIRECT_URI":"http://localhost:3000/callback","LINEAR_REFRESH_TOKEN":"your-refresh-token"},"disabled":false,"autoApprove":[]}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/path/to/linear-mcp-server/build/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "LINEAR_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
                "LINEAR_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret",
                "LINEAR_REDIRECT_URI": "http://localhost:3000/callback",
                "LINEAR_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your-refresh-token"
            },
            "disabled": false,
            "autoApprove": []
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "github.com/cpropster/linear-mcp-server": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "/path/to/linear-mcp-server/build/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "LINEAR_CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id",
                "LINEAR_CLIENT_SECRET": "your-client-secret",
                "LINEAR_REDIRECT_URI": "http://localhost:3000/callback",
                "LINEAR_REFRESH_TOKEN": "your-refresh-token"
            },
            "disabled": false,
            "autoApprove": []
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect