Linear MCP Server

An MCP server for interacting with Linear's API. This server provides a set of tools for managing Linear issues, projects, and teams through Cline.

Setup Guide

1. Environment Setup

1. Clone the repository

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Copy .env.example to .env:

   cp .env.example .env

2. Authentication

The server supports two authentication methods:

API Key (Recommended)

1. Go to Linear Settings

2. Navigate to the "Security & access" section

3. Find the "Personal API keys" section

4. Click "New API key"

5. Give the key a descriptive label (e.g. "Cline MCP")

6. Copy the generated token immediately

7. Add the token to your .env file:

   LINEAR_API_KEY=your_api_key

OAuth Flow (Alternative) NOT IMPLEMENTED

1. Create an OAuth application at https://linear.app/settings/api/applications

2. Configure OAuth environment variables in .env:

   LINEAR_CLIENT_ID=your_oauth_client_id
   LINEAR_CLIENT_SECRET=your_oauth_client_secret
   LINEAR_REDIRECT_URI=http://localhost:3000/callback

3. Running the Server

1. Build the server:

   npm run build

2. Start the server:

   npm start

4. Cline Integration

1. Open your Cline MCP settings file:

   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

   • Windows: %APPDATA%/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

   • Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/globalStorage/saoudrizwan.claude-dev/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json

2. Add the Linear MCP server configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "linear": {
         "command": "node",
         "args": ["/path/to/linear-mcp/build/index.js"],
         "env": {
           "LINEAR_API_KEY": "your_personal_access_token"
         },
         "disabled": false,
         "autoApprove": []
       }
     }
   }

Related MCP server: Linear MCP Server

Available Actions

The server currently supports the following operations:

Issue Management

• ✅ Create issues with full field support (title, description, team, project, etc.)

• ✅ Update existing issues (priority, description, etc.)

• ✅ Delete issues (single or bulk deletion)

• ✅ Search issues with filtering

• ✅ Associate issues with projects

• ✅ Create parent/child issue relationships

• ✅ Read and create comments and threaded comments

Project Management

• ✅ Create projects with associated issues

• ✅ Get project information with rich text descriptions

• ✅ Search projects with rich text descriptions

• ✅ Associate issues with projects

• ✅ Proper description handling using Linear's documentContent field

Team Management

• ✅ Get team information (with states and workflow details)

• ✅ Access team states and labels

Authentication

• ✅ API Key authentication

• ✅ Secure token storage

Batch Operations

• ✅ Bulk issue creation

• ✅ Bulk issue deletion

Bulk Updates (In Testing)

• 🚧 Bulk issue updates (parallel processing implemented, needs testing)

Rich Text Description Support

The server now properly handles Linear's rich text descriptions for projects:

• Legacy Support: Maintains compatibility with the old description field

• Rich Content: Uses Linear's documentContent field for actual description content

• Automatic Fallback: Falls back to legacy field if rich content is unavailable

• Type Safety: Includes proper TypeScript types for both description formats

How It Works

Linear uses a dual-field system for descriptions:

1. description - Legacy field (often empty for backward compatibility)

2. documentContent.content - Contains the actual rich text description content

The MCP server automatically:

• Queries both fields from Linear's API

• Prioritizes documentContent.content over the legacy description field

• Provides a utility function getProjectDescription() for consistent access

• Returns an actualDescription field in responses for easy access

Features in Development

The following features are currently being worked on:

Issue Management

• 🚧 Complex search filters

• 🚧 Pagination support for large result sets

Metadata Operations

• 🚧 Label management (create/update/assign)

• 🚧 Cycle/milestone management

Project Management

• 🚧 Project template support

• 🚧 Advanced project operations

Authentication

• 🚧 OAuth flow with automatic token refresh

Performance & Security

• 🚧 Rate limiting

• 🚧 Detailed logging

• 🚧 Load testing and optimization

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run tests
npm test

# Run integration tests (requires LINEAR_API_KEY)
npm run test:integration

# Build the server
npm run build

# Start the server
npm start

Integration Testing

Integration tests verify that authentication and API calls work correctly:

1. Set up authentication (API Key recommended for testing)

2. Run integration tests:

   npm run test:integration

For OAuth testing:

1. Configure OAuth credentials in .env

2. Remove .skip from OAuth tests in src/__tests__/auth.integration.test.ts

3. Run integration tests

Recent Improvements

Project Description Support (Latest)

• ✅ Fixed empty project descriptions by implementing Linear's documentContent field support

• ✅ Added proper TypeScript types for rich text content

• ✅ Implemented automatic fallback from rich content to legacy description

• ✅ Updated all project-related queries and handlers

• ✅ Added comprehensive tests for new description handling

• ✅ Maintained backward compatibility with existing API consumers

Previous Improvements

• ✅ Enhanced type safety across all operations

• ✅ Implemented true batch operations for better performance

• ✅ Improved error handling and validation

• ✅ Added comprehensive test coverage

• ✅ Refactored architecture for better maintainability