linear-cli

name	linear-cli
description	Use the Linear CLI for agent-friendly Linear issue workflows

Linear CLI

Use this skill when you need to inspect, create, update, or organize Linear issues from an agent session.

Core Rules

• Prefer linear commands for Linear work. The short alias li is equivalent when available.
• Use --json whenever another tool, script, or agent will consume the output.
• Check auth and workspace context before making changes:

linear auth status --json

• Prefer canonical branch names from Linear instead of hand-crafting branch names:

linear issues branch <id-or-identifier> --json

Read the branch from .data.branchName.

Common Issue Commands

linear issues list --limit 25 --json
linear issues get <id-or-identifier> --json
linear issues create --input '{"teamId":"<team-id>","title":"Investigate issue"}' --json
linear issues update <id-or-identifier> --input '{"priority":2}' --json
linear issues branch <id-or-identifier> --json
linear comments list --issue <id-or-identifier> --json
linear prep <id-or-identifier> --json
linear pr-ready <id-or-identifier> --pr <url> --json

For list workflows, use filters instead of broad scans when possible:

linear issues list --team ENG --state "In Progress" --json
linear issues list --assignee me --json
linear issues list --project "Project name" --label eng --json
linear issues list --query "search text" --json
linear issues list --updated-after 2026-05-01 --json
linear issues list --created-after -P7D --json
linear issues list --parent ENG-123 --json
linear issues list --team ENG --no-parent --json

Use pagination flags for bounded queries:

linear issues list --limit 50 --cursor <cursor> --json

Use --all only when the workflow needs a full local drain before filtering or sorting.

Create And Update Payloads

Issue creation requires teamId plus either title or a template:

linear issues create --input '{"teamId":"<team-id>","title":"New issue title"}' --json
linear issues create --state "Todo" --input '{"teamId":"<team-id>","title":"New issue title"}' --json
linear issues create --input '{"teamId":"<team-id>","title":"New issue title","state":"Todo"}' --json
linear issues create --template "Bug Report" --input '{"teamId":"<team-id>"}' --json

Issue updates accept Linear issue update fields:

linear issues update ENG-123 --input '{"title":"Clearer title","priority":2}' --json
linear issues update ENG-123 --input-file update.json --json

For exact payload fields, check command help and the Linear GraphQL schema references shown there:

linear issues create --help
linear issues update --help
linear docs

Set Issue State By Name

You do not need a stateId UUID to change an issue's state. Pass the state name and the CLI resolves it against the target issue's team:

linear issues update ENG-123 --state "In Progress" --json
linear issues update ENG-123 --input '{"state":"In Progress"}' --json
linear issues update ENG-123 --input '{"stateName":"In Progress"}' --json
linear issues create --state "Todo" --input '{"teamId":"<team-id>","title":"New issue"}' --json
linear issues bulk-update --ids ENG-123,ENG-124 --state "In Progress" --dry-run --json

All three are equivalent. A raw stateId UUID still works and is used as-is:

linear issues update ENG-123 --input '{"stateId":"<uuid>"}' --json

Notes:

• Resolution is scoped to the issue's own team, so the same name (e.g. "In Progress") maps to the right team's state.
• The match is case-insensitive and ignores surrounding whitespace.
• An unknown or ambiguous name fails with an error that lists the team's valid states as name (type), so you can correct it in one step instead of guessing.
• To discover the exact names yourself, list the workflow states:

linear states list --json

Common Mistakes

These are the patterns agents reach for that do not work, with the command that does:

Goal	Do not use	Use instead
Set an issue's state	Hand-crafting or guessing a stateId UUID	linear issues update <id> --state "In Progress" (or --input '{"state":"In Progress"}'; the name resolves automatically)
Discover workflow states	Guessing list-states or parsing team payloads	linear states list --json (statuses and workflow-states are accepted aliases)
Read one issue	Treating an alias as the canonical docs target	linear issues get <id> --json (view and show also work)
Read issue discussion	linear comments list with a broad scan	linear comments list --issue <id-or-identifier> --json
List issues	linear issues list --all --json with no filters	Add --mine, --team, --state, --query, or --limit
Start work	Multiple commands to fetch context, branch, and set state	linear prep <id> --json
Mark PR ready	Separate update plus hand-written PR comment	linear pr-ready <id> --pr <url> --json

Batch Workflows

Use bulk-update for multi-issue updates. Start with --dry-run and inspect the per-issue result before writing:

linear issues bulk-update --ids ENG-123,ENG-124 --input '{"priority":2}' --dry-run --json
linear issues bulk-update --ids ENG-123,ENG-124 --input '{"priority":2}' --json
linear issues bulk-update --ids ENG-123,ENG-124 --state "In Progress" --dry-run --json
linear issues bulk-update --input-file updates.json --dry-run --json

For per-issue input files, use an array where each object includes the target issue id or identifier plus update fields. A shared --state applies to every item and resolves per issue team; per-item state or stateName also works.

Prep And PR Ready

Use prep when starting work. It fetches the issue, parent or project context, branch name, and moves the issue to the team's in-progress state:

linear prep ENG-123 --json
linear prep ENG-123 --state "Doing" --json

Use pr-ready when the branch is ready for review. It moves the issue to In Review unless you override the state, and comments only when you ask for one:

linear pr-ready ENG-123 --json
linear pr-ready ENG-123 --pr https://github.com/org/repo/pull/123 --json
linear pr-ready ENG-123 --comment "Ready for review" --json

Linear Linking In GitHub

Link PRs and commits to Linear issues by including the Linear issue ID, such as ENG-123, in the branch name, PR title, PR description, or commit message.

Branch Name

Prefer the CLI-generated branch name:

linear issues branch ENG-123 --json

Use .data.branchName as the branch name. If working from Linear directly, use the Copy git branch name action or Cmd/Ctrl + Shift while viewing or selecting an issue, then paste that value into the new GitHub branch name.

Pull Request Title

Include the Linear issue ID in the PR title:

ENG-123 Add richer Linear issue filtering

Pull Request Description Or Title Magic Words

Use a magic word plus a Linear issue ID or Linear issue URL in the PR description or title:

Fixes ENG-123
Fixes https://linear.app/workspace/issue/ENG-123/add-richer-filtering

If the Linear issue is unassigned when the link is created, Linear may assign it to the user who linked it.

Magic words must be in the PR title or description. They do not work when added only in a PR comment.

Closing Magic Words

Closing magic words link the PR or commit and allow Linear automation to move the issue through the configured workflow, including moving it to Done when the PR or commit reaches the default branch.

Recognized closing magic words:

• close
• closes
• closed
• closing
• fix
• fixes
• fixed
• fixing
• resolve
• resolves
• resolved
• resolving
• complete
• completes
• completed
• completing
• implements
• implemented
• implementing

Non-Closing Magic Words

Non-closing magic words link the PR or commit without automating the final Done transition on merge. Linear can still move the issue through earlier workflow statuses according to the workspace Workflow settings.

Recognized non-closing magic words:

• ref
• refs
• references
• part of
• related to
• contributes to
• toward
• towards

Commit Messages

Use a magic word before the Linear issue ID in the commit message:

Fixes ENG-123

Closing magic words can move the issue to In Progress when the commit is pushed and Done when the commit reaches the default branch, depending on Linear Workflow settings.

Multiple Links

To link multiple Linear issues to one PR, include multiple issue IDs after the magic word in the PR description:

Fixes ENG-123, DES-5 and ENG-256

To link multiple PRs to one Linear issue, use any linking technique on each PR. Linear updates the issue status when the final linked PR reaches the required workflow state; for example, if two PRs are linked to one Linear issue, both PRs generally need to merge before Linear moves the issue to Done.

Safe Operating Checklist

1. Run linear auth status --json and confirm the workspace/team context.
2. Fetch the target issue with linear issues get <id> --json before mutating it.
3. Use filtered linear issues list commands instead of workspace-wide scans.
4. Use --dry-run for batch updates.
5. Prefer linear issues branch <id> --json for branch names.
6. Keep JSON output in logs or handoffs when another agent must continue the work.