Linear Project Management

Overview

Linear Project Management is wrsmith108/linear-claude-skill, an MIT-licensed Claude Code skill for managing Linear issues, projects, and teams. It layers three access paths: the official Linear MCP server for simple operations, TypeScript SDK scripts for multi-step automation, and direct GraphQL for anything the other two cannot reach. A SKILL.md tells Claude which path to use, and reference files (api.md, sdk.md, sync.md, projects.md) are loaded only when needed.

Key Features

• High-level operations through npm run ops: create initiatives and projects, create sub-issues, set parent-child relationships, and update issue status in bulk.
• Discovery before creation. The skill checks for existing projects and issues first to avoid duplicates.
• Label taxonomy. Domain-based labels for consistent categorization and agent routing (documented in docs/labels.md).
• Bulk sync of code changes to Linear via the CLI, agents, or hooks.
• Image uploads to Linear's storage, attached to issues.
• Setup check (npm run setup) that reports exactly what configuration is missing.
• Optional fast path through the lin Rust CLI, with automatic fallback to the SDK.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/wrsmith108/linear-claude-skill ~/.claude/skills/linear
cd ~/.claude/skills/linear && npm install
npm run setup
export LINEAR_API_KEY="lin_api_..."   # Linear > Settings > Security & access > Personal API keys
npm run ops -- whoami
npm run ops -- create-sub-issue ENG-100 "Add tests" "Unit tests for feature"
npm run ops -- status Done ENG-123 ENG-124

npm run build pre-compiles the scripts with esbuild for faster cold starts; without it they still run through tsx. The README recommends the official MCP server at mcp.linear.app and warns against deprecated community Linear MCP servers.

Use Cases

• Turning a plan written with Claude into a Linear initiative, project, and sub-issues.
• Closing or moving several issues at once after a merge.
• Keeping Linear in sync with what actually shipped.

Limitations

• Requires a Linear account and a personal API key with access to your workspace.
• Node.js tooling is required; the lin CLI and MCP server are optional extras you install separately.

FAQ

Do I need the Linear MCP server?

It is recommended for simple operations, but the SDK scripts and GraphQL runner work with just LINEAR_API_KEY.

How do I list every command?

Run npm run ops -- help.

Alternatives

• Lark CLI if your team tracks work in Feishu/Lark.
• Planning with Files keeps plans as markdown in the repo instead of a tracker.
• Zapier for no-code automation between Linear and other apps.

More in Skills and the project management tag.