Linear Task Manager

Simple Linear integration for daily task management.

Tool Selection Strategy

IMPORTANT: Prefer Linear MCP tools when available.

1. Check for MCP first: If mcp__linear__* tools are available, use them directly
2. Fall back to CLI: Only use the bash script if MCP tools are unavailable

Using MCP Tools (Preferred)

When MCP tools are available, use them directly:

# List my tasks
mcp__linear__list_issues with assignee="me", state type != "completed" or "canceled"

# Get issue details
mcp__linear__get_issue with id="ISSUE-ID"

# Create issue
mcp__linear__create_issue with title, team, assignee="me"

# Update issue state
mcp__linear__update_issue with id, state="Done" or "In Progress"

# Add comment
mcp__linear__create_comment with issueId, body

Using CLI Fallback

Only use when MCP is unavailable.

Setup (CLI Fallback Only)

The CLI requires an API key. Check if configured:

[ -n "$LINEAR_API_KEY" ] && echo "Linear configured" || echo "Set LINEAR_API_KEY in your shell profile"

If not configured, tell the user to add to ~/.zshrc:

export LINEAR_API_KEY="lin_api_..."

Get key from: Linear → Settings → Security & access → Personal API keys

CLI Operations (Fallback)

View My Tasks

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts my-tasks
npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts my-tasks --label "frontend"

View In Progress

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts in-progress

View Backlog

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts backlog
npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts backlog --label "tech-debt"

View All Team Tasks

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts team-tasks
npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts team-tasks --label "urgent"

Search Issues

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts search "rebrand"
npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts search "auth" --label "security"

Create Task (Assigned to Me)

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts create "Task title" --assignee me

Create Backlog Item (Unassigned)

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts create "Task title"

Complete a Task

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts done ISSUE-ID

Start Working on Task

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts start ISSUE-ID

View Specific Issue

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts show ISSUE-ID

Add Comment

npx tsx ~/.claude/skills/linear/scripts/linear.ts comment ISSUE-ID "Comment text"

Filtering

All list commands support the --label flag for filtering:

# Filter my tasks by label
my-tasks --label "frontend"

# Search with label filter
search "bug" --label "critical"

# Team tasks with label
team-tasks --label "reskin"

Label matching is case-insensitive and partial (e.g., --label front matches "frontend").

State Conventions

Scenario	State
Assigned to me	Todo
Unassigned	Backlog
Started work	In Progress
Completed	Done

Natural Language Mapping

User says	Action
"show my tasks" / "what's on my plate"	my-tasks
"what am I working on"	in-progress
"show my backlog"	backlog
"show all team tasks"	team-tasks
"search for rebrand tasks"	search "rebrand"
"find frontend issues"	my-tasks --label "frontend"
"create task: X" / "add task X"	create "X" --assignee me
"add to backlog: X"	create "X"
"done with X" / "complete X" / "finished X"	done X
"start X" / "working on X"	start X
"show X" / "details on X"	show X

Output Format

Task lists show a clean table with issue count:

ID         | Title                                              | State        | Priority
-----------|----------------------------------------------------|--------------|---------
ENG-123    | Fix login bug causing session timeout              | In Progress  | High
ENG-124    | Update documentation for new API endpoints         | Todo         | Medium

2 issues found.

Team tasks and search results include an Assignee column.

Error Handling

If LINEAR_API_KEY is missing, respond with setup instructions. If an issue ID doesn't exist, say so clearly. If the API fails, show the error and suggest checking the API key.