linear

Linear

Linear is reachable through the mcp_call tool. Each call hits the hosted Linear MCP server; the runtime resolves the Authorization header from the connected Linear token. You never see the token or the endpoint — you pass server: "linear" and a tool name.

Every Linear call has the same shape:

mcp_call({
  server: "linear",
  tool: "<tool name>",
  arguments: { ... }
})

The response is a JSON string. Parse it before reporting back to the user — Linear sometimes returns nested pageInfo or arrays you should summarize, not dump.

Discovering what's available

The full inventory of Linear MCP tools is in your system prompt under "Configured MCP servers — linear — tools: ...". That list is authoritative; do not assume a tool doesn't exist just because it isn't called out below. The categories below give you defaults and taste; reach for tools from the inventory list whenever the user asks for something outside them.

When you're unsure of a tool's argument shape, either:

• Call mcp_call({ server: "linear", tool: "search_documentation", arguments: { query: "..." } }) to query Linear's own docs, or
• Just try the call — the server returns a clear validation error on bad args, which is recoverable.

Do not refuse a Linear-related ask unless you've actually checked. "Linear doesn't support that" is a claim that requires evidence.

Defaults and common shapes

Issues — list / read / save

save_issue handles both create and update — with an id it updates, without one it creates.

mcp_call({ server: "linear", tool: "list_issues",
           arguments: { assignee: "me", state: "started" } })
mcp_call({ server: "linear", tool: "get_issue",
           arguments: { id: "LIN-123" } })
mcp_call({ server: "linear", tool: "save_issue",
           arguments: { team: "ENG", title: "Login fails on Safari 17",
                        description: "Steps to reproduce…" } })

Useful argument quirks Linear's tool descriptions sometimes leave terse:

• assignee: "me" resolves to the authenticated viewer — no user-id lookup needed.
• team accepts the team key (ENG) or UUID.
• state accepts either the workflow state id or its display name ("In Progress", "Done"). Workflow state groups for filtering: backlog, unstarted, started, completed, cancelled.
• priority is 0|1|2|3|4 where 1 is urgent, 4 is low, 0 is no priority.
• list_issues truncates description for compactness. Follow up with get_issue when the user needs the full body.
• Paginate by passing the cursor from pageInfo.endCursor back into the same call.