Overview
What is Linear MCP Server?
Linear MCP Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that bridges Claude AI with the Linear task/issue management system. It exposes tools for retrieving ticket details, listing assigned issues, adding comments, creating issues, and fetching available teams. It is intended for developers using Claude who need to interact with Linear directly from their AI assistant.
How to use Linear MCP Server?
No separate installation is required; the server is automatically downloaded when configured in a Claude integration. Obtain a Linear API key from your Linear account settings, then add the server configuration to your code editor (VS Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop, or the Cline VS Code extension) using the command npx -y @larryhudson/linear-mcp-server and setting the LINEAR_API_KEY environment variable. The server communicates via stdio and requires Node.js.
Key features of Linear MCP Server
- Retrieve comprehensive ticket details including status, priority, assignee, and team.
- List issues assigned to the current user with state filtering (active, backlog, completed, canceled, or all).
- Add comments to existing Linear tickets with confirmation.
- Fetch full ticket descriptions and comments, including embedded Markdown images.
- Process and include downloaded images as base64 in MCP responses.
Use cases of Linear MCP Server
- Quickly look up the details, status, or comments of a specific Linear ticket.
- View a formatted table of your open issues filtered by state.
- Add a comment to a ticket during a conversation without switching applications.
- Create new issues in Linear directly from an AI chat interface.
- Retrieve available teams to reference when creating or querying issues.
FAQ from Linear MCP Server
What tools does Linear MCP Server expose?
The server provides five tools: get_ticket, get_my_issues, add_comment, create_issue, and get_teams.
What are the dependencies and runtime requirements?
It requires a Node.js runtime, a Linear API key, and the following packages: @modelcontextprotocol/sdk, @linear/sdk, dotenv, node-fetch, and zod.
How does the server handle authentication?
It authenticates using a Linear API key provided via the LINEAR_API_KEY environment variable.
What transport does the server use?
The server communicates with Claude through standard input/output (stdio) using the MCP protocol.
Are there any known limitations?
Pagination is limited to 20 issues per request. Tools for updating ticket status or changing assignees are not yet implemented. Image MIME type detection could be improved.
