Linear MCP Server

Overview

This project implements a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that acts as a bridge between Claude and the Linear task/issue management system. It allows Claude to interact with Linear through the following tools:

1. get_ticket - Retrieve detailed information about a specific Linear ticket
2. get_my_issues - List issues assigned to the current user with filtering by state
3. add_comment - Add comments to Linear tickets
4. create_issue - Create a new issue in Linear
5. get_teams - Retrieve available teams for reference

Installation

No direct installation is needed. The package will be automatically downloaded and used by your Claude integration when configured properly.

Usage

1. Obtain a Linear API key from your Linear account settings - click 'New API key' under 'Personal API keys'.

2. Configure the MCP server in your code editor as shown below.

Using with VS Code

One click install:

Add this to your settings JSON file:

{
  "mcp": {
    "inputs": [
      {
        "type": "promptString",
        "id": "linear_api_key",
        "description": "Linear API Key",
        "password": true
      }
    ],
    "servers": {
      "linear": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@larryhudson/linear-mcp-server"
        ],
        "env": {
          "LINEAR_API_KEY": "${input:linear_api_key}"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Using with Cursor IDE

Add this to the MCP config JSON file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@larryhudson/linear-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using with Claude Desktop App

Add this to your MCP configuration JSON file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@larryhudson/linear-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Using with Cline VS Code Extension

Add this to the MCP config JSON file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@larryhudson/linear-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "LINEAR_API_KEY": "<YOUR_API_KEY>"
      },
      "disabled": false,
      "autoApprove": []
    }
  }
}

Environment Variables

- LINEAR_API_KEY - Your Linear API key (required)

How It Works

The server is built on the following key technologies:

- Model Context Protocol (MCP) - Framework for allowing AI assistants to interact with external tools and APIs
- Linear SDK - Client library for communicating with the Linear API
- Node.js - JavaScript runtime environment
- Zod - Type validation library for tool parameters

Key Features

Ticket Retrieval

- Gets comprehensive ticket details including status, priority, assignee, and team - Fetches the full description and all comments - Processes Markdown content with embedded images - Downloads and includes images from ticket descriptions

Issue Listing

- Retrieves issues assigned to the current user - Filters by state (active, backlog, completed, canceled, or all) - Returns a formatted table with key information about each issue

Comment Addition

- Allows adding new comments to existing tickets - Provides confirmation of successful comment creation

Technical Implementation Details

1. Image Handling
- Extracts image URLs from Markdown using regular expressions
- Downloads images to a local temp directory
- Converts images to base64 for inclusion in MCP responses
- Uses MD5 hashing of URLs to create unique filenames

2. Linear API Integration
- Authenticates using a Linear API key
- Retrieves issues, tickets, comments, and user information
- Formats data for human-readable display

3. Error Handling
- Gracefully handles API errors, missing tickets, and download failures
- Provides meaningful error messages to the user

Running the Server

The server communicates with Claude through standard input/output (stdio) using the MCP protocol. It requires:

- A Linear API key (configured in the code)
- Node.js runtime environment
- The dependency packages specified in package.json

Project Structure

This is a relatively simple Node.js application with a single main source file (index.ts) that defines the MCP server, tools, and associated helper functions. It uses TypeScript for type safety and better developer experience.

Dependencies

- @modelcontextprotocol/sdk: Core MCP implementation
- @linear/sdk: Linear API client
- dotenv: Environment variable management
- node-fetch: HTTP client for image downloads
- zod: Schema validation for tool parameters

Limitations and Potential Improvements

- There's limited pagination support for large result sets (currently limited to 20 issues)
- Error handling could be improved for various edge cases
- The image downloading could benefit from better MIME type detection
- Consider adding more tools for managing issues (updating status, changing assignees, etc.)
- Support for attachments when creating issues or adding comments