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Linear MCP Server

Provides access to Linear’s issue tracking via MCP, enabling issue creation, updates, project updates, labeling, and advanced search.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

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

This Linear MCP Server gives you a typed, scalable interface to Linear’s issue tracking from any MCP client. You can create and manage issues, search with advanced filters, track project updates, and consistently apply labels and assignees through a secure, rate-limited bridge.

How to use

You interact with the MCP server from an MCP client to perform common Linear operations. Create issues and subissues, assign teammates (including using the special me keyword for your own account), attach labels, and update or delete issues with validation. Retrieve project lists and updates, post project health updates, and search across Linear issues with powerful filters, including by cycle, assignee, creator, labels, and more. All actions are designed to be robust with comprehensive error handling and automatic data cleaning to optimize AI context.

Operational notes: the server handles rate limits and error propagation through the MCP protocol. You can query issues by ID or key, fetch related entities, and leverage the built-in relation and label synchronization features to keep your data consistent across connected tools.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing the MCP server:

• Bun runtime (v1.0.0 or higher) for improved performance.

• Linear account with API access and a Linear API key.

Step-by-step setup:

1. Clone the project repository.

git clone [repository-url]

2. Install dependencies and build the MCP server.

bun install

bun run build

3. Configure the MCP server by adding the Linear MCP entry to your MCP configuration. Use the provided snippet to wire up the server with your API key.

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

Additional configuration and startup notes

4. Restart the MCP service after the configuration change. If you’re using a desktop integration, restart the MCP client as well to ensure the new server is loaded.

Configuration and security

• The Linear API key is used to authenticate requests to Linear. Treat this key as a secret and store it securely in your environment. Never expose it in client-side code or logs.

• Data handling includes safe error propagation, rate limit awareness, and comprehensive input validation to protect your workflow and maintain stable integration behavior.

Development notes

Developer-oriented commands are available for local development and testing. Build and run flows leverage Bun for fast iteration, with strict TypeScript usage and explicit environment configuration.

Available tools

create_issue

Create a new Linear issue or subissue with support for labels, assignees, and optional parent-child relationships.

update_issue

Update an existing Linear issue, modifying any fields such as title, description, status, priority, assignees, labels, and cycle.

get_issue

Retrieve detailed information about a specific Linear issue, with optional related entities.

search_issues

Search issues using a rich, filterable query interface that supports multiple criteria, logical operators, and relationships.

get_teams

Fetch a list of Linear teams with optional name or key filtering.

delete_issue

Delete an existing Linear issue after validation.

create_comment

Add a new comment to a Linear issue with optional markdown formatting.

get_projects

List Linear projects with filtering and pagination options.

get_project_updates

Retrieve updates for a project, with optional filtering by health, author, or date.

create_project_update

Create a new project update with health status tracking.