linear

name

linear

description

Manages Linear issues, projects, cycles, documents, and team workflows through whichever Linear MCP server the current harness exposes. Use when the user asks to triage, plan, create, update, audit, or report on Linear work. Produces verified mutations or read-only summaries with gaps and blockers. In Loaf projects, preserves loaf issue authority and synchronization boundaries. Not for configuring or authenticating MCP servers.

Linear

Use the Linear MCP already configured in the current harness. In a Loaf project, record its server name in .agents/loaf.json; MCP installation and authentication remain external. This skill owns Linear workspace selection and general-purpose Linear workflows, while Loaf issue execution remains governed by loaf issue.

Contents

• Critical Rules
• Verification
• Quick Reference
• Workflow
• Common Workflows
• Loaf Projects
• Update Format
• Topics

Critical Rules

• Discover the Linear-capable MCP servers available in the current harness. Do not assume a server name, install a plugin, configure a server, or initiate authentication from this skill.
• In a Loaf project, read integrations.linear.mcp_server_name from .agents/loaf.json. When it names an available Linear MCP, use that server. When it is absent and exactly one Linear MCP is available, record the exact server name and set integrations.linear.enabled to true, preserving the rest of the file. With several candidates, ask which server belongs to the project before recording or operating. Never silently replace a different recorded name.
• Select one server before operating. Verify the workspace and team with a read; a recorded or uniquely available server name does not prove the authenticated destination. If the recorded server is unavailable or the destination remains ambiguous, stop before any mutation and report the mismatch.
• Read before writing. Resolve current workspace, team, project, cycle, workflow state, labels, users, and target records as the requested operation requires.
• Batch related work by shared destination and intent. Explain the grouping before a bulk mutation, keep each batch bounded, and never fan mutations across workspaces implicitly.
• Re-read changed records after mutation. Report successes, unchanged records, failures, gaps, and blockers; do not claim a write succeeded from the request alone.
• Preserve identifiers returned by Linear and reuse resolved IDs within the operation instead of repeatedly searching by display name.
• In a Loaf project, read .agents/loaf.json and follow Loaf Issue Coordination. Never use generic MCP mutations to bypass loaf issue identity, description, or status reconciliation.

Verification

• The selected server's workspace and relevant team or project were verified before mutation.
• In a Loaf project with an active Linear MCP, integrations.linear.mcp_server_name matches the selected server; an existing different value was not replaced without user direction.
• Every mutation was preceded by a read of the affected record or destination metadata.
• Bulk work was grouped into explainable batches and did not cross an unconfirmed workspace boundary.
• Changed records were re-read or otherwise confirmed by the selected MCP.
• The final response distinguishes created, updated, unchanged, skipped, and failed items and names unresolved access, data, or configuration gaps.
• In Loaf projects, issue identity and status changes flowed through loaf issue; Linear comments or metadata did not silently drive Loaf status.

Quick Reference

Request	Read First	Then	Verify
Issue triage	Team, statuses, labels, candidate issues	Rank, label, assign, or move the approved scope	Re-read affected issues
Cycle planning	Team, cycle, backlog, assignees	Apply the agreed issue set and assignments	Re-read cycle membership and owners
Project planning	Project, teams, milestones, related issues	Update project structure and related work in batches	Re-read project and changed issues
Documentation audit	Documents and related issues	Summarize gaps; create approved follow-up issues	Re-read created issues and links
Workload review	Active issues and users	Report balance; apply approved reassignment batch	Re-read assignees
Status update	Exact issue and valid workflow states	Update or comment within the confirmed boundary	Re-read issue state and latest activity
Read-only report	Relevant teams, projects, cycles, issues, or documents	Synthesize without mutation	Name missing or inaccessible scope

Workflow

1. Scope the request. Identify the intended workspace, team or project, records, time window, and whether the user wants analysis or mutation. Resolve priority, labels, cycle, assignee, and due date only when relevant.
2. Select the MCP. In a Loaf project, prefer the recorded integrations.linear.mcp_server_name. Otherwise inspect the available Linear-capable servers and record the sole candidate, or ask the user to choose among several. Validate the selected server through a minimal workspace or team read and stop before writes if the project destination remains unclear.
3. Read context. Fetch destination metadata and existing records. Confirm identifiers and allowed workflow values rather than guessing names.
4. Plan batches. Group related operations by workspace, team/project, and mutation type. Reuse the read results and state the grouping logic before a bulk change.
5. Execute. Apply the smallest coherent batches. Continue independent items when one item fails, but do not cascade from an unresolved prerequisite.
6. Verify and report. Re-read mutations, compare requested versus observed state, and summarize outcomes plus remaining gaps or blockers.

Routine, fully specified writes do not need an extra confirmation. Ask before writes when the destination is ambiguous, the request would archive or delete data, a broad batch has unclear bounds, or the operation changes ownership beyond the user's stated scope.

Common Workflows

• Bug triage: read high-impact open bugs and workflow metadata, rank by evidence, then apply approved priority, labels, assignment, or status changes.
• Cycle planning: read backlog candidates, current load, and cycle scope; assemble a coherent set and verify membership after updates.
• Release planning: read the project and dependency graph, identify missing milestones or work, then create or update the approved structure in dependency-aware batches.
• Documentation audit: search relevant documents, compare them with current issues or projects, report gaps, and create only approved follow-up work.
• Workload balance: group active work by assignee, identify concentration or unowned work, and apply only the approved reassignments.
• Stale-work updates: read recent activity and blockers before commenting; do not invent progress from issue age alone.
• Smart labeling: read existing label taxonomy first, propose mappings for unlabeled issues, and create new labels only when the taxonomy truly lacks the concept.

Loaf Projects

Linear can be both a general collaboration surface and a Loaf issue backend. integrations.linear.enabled records project availability, integrations.linear.mcp_server_name identifies the MCP selected for this project, and issue.authority is the execution identity contract. The server name is routing metadata, not installation or authentication state. When a Linear issue corresponds to a Loaf work unit, use loaf issue pull, loaf issue push, and loaf issue reconcile rather than parallel MCP edits to owned fields.

Read Loaf Issue Coordination before creating, adopting, publishing, or reconciling a Loaf-backed Linear issue.

Update Format

Linear progress comments are succinct, outcome-focused, and self-contained:

## Progress

- [x] Completed outcome
- [ ] Pending outcome

## Blockers

None currently.

Use Markdown checkboxes for progress lists. Omit emoji, absolute paths, local agent artifacts, session or council details, and duplicated issue titles after identifiers. For a real blocker, state its impact and what is needed to unblock it; include an ETA only when one is known.

Topics

Topic	Reference	Use When
Loaf Issue Coordination	loaf-issues.md	Creating, adopting, publishing, or reconciling Linear-backed Loaf issues