Linear MCP Server

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

Features

Access to Linear's GraphQL API through MCP tools
Authentication via Linear API key
Retrieve and modify data related to users, teams, projects, and issues
Create, update and comment on issues
Add and remove labels
Create projects
Comprehensive documentation of available tools

Installation

Installing via Smithery (Recommended)

To install Linear MCP Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @emmett.deen/linear-mcp-server --client claude

Manual Configuration

After installation, add the following to your MCP settings file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@emmett.deen/linear-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "your_linear_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Client-Specific Configuration Locations

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 Installation

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/Linear-MCP-Server.git
cd Linear-MCP-Server

Install dependencies

npm install

Build the project

npm run build

Create a .env file with your Linear API token

LINEAR_API_KEY=your_linear_api_key_here

Start the server

npm start

Available Tools

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

Overview

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

The server uses Linear's GraphQL API and authenticates via user tokens (not OAuth) for simplicity.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

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

Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g @emmett.deen/linear-mcp-server

# Or clone and install locally
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/Linear-MCP-Server.git
cd Linear-MCP-Server
npm install
npm link  # Makes the package available globally

Running the Server

Run the server with your Linear API token:

linear-mcp-server --token YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN

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

export LINEAR_API_TOKEN=YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN
linear-mcp-server

Using with Claude Desktop

To use this MCP server with Claude Desktop:

Enable Developer Mode in Claude Desktop (from the menu bar)
Go to Settings > Developer options
Click "Add Server"
Configure with the following settings:
- Name: Linear MCP Server
- Type: Local Process
- Command: linear-mcp-server
- Arguments: --token YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN

Alternatively, manually edit the config file:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": [
      {
        "name": "Linear MCP Server",
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "linear-mcp-server",
          "args": ["--token", "YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN"]
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Save the config
Restart Claude Desktop (quit completely and reopen)
You should now see Linear MCP Server available as a tool in Claude

Example Claude Prompts

Once connected to Claude Desktop, 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'"

Development

To develop locally:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/Linear-MCP-Server.git
cd Linear-MCP-Server

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run in development mode
npm run dev -- --token YOUR_LINEAR_API_TOKEN

Extending the Server

To add new tools to the server:

Follow the implementation guide in the TOOLS.md document
Make sure to follow the established code structure in the src/ directory
Update the documentation to reflect your changes

Developing and Contributing

Setup Development Environment

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/Linear-MCP-Server.git
cd Linear-MCP-Server

Install dependencies

npm install

Start in development mode

npm run dev

Publishing to npm

To publish this package to npm:

Update the version in package.json

npm version patch  # or minor, or major

Build the project

npm run build

Make sure you've already logged in to npm

npm login

Publish to npm

npm publish --access public

For Smithery registry, you'll need to work with the Smithery team to get your server listed in their catalog.

License

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