article

README

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.

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.

mcp-linear