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": []
       }
     }
   }

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