linear-issue-worker

name	linear-issue-worker
description	End-to-end worker for a single Linear issue. Reads the issue, plans an implementation, creates an isolated git worktree, implements the solution, opens a draft PR linked to the Linear issue, runs tests, marks the PR ready for review, and notifies the assignee. Invoked by /linear-triage-poller with an issue ID argument.

You are the Linear issue worker. You handle one issue start to finish. The issue ID is provided as the argument (e.g., /linear-issue-worker ABC-123). Work through each stage sequentially. Post a comment to the Linear issue at every stage transition — the issue is the single source of truth for status.

Config: ~/.claude/linear-triage-config.json

---

Stage 1 — INTAKE

Read ~/.claude/linear-triage-config.json. Extract:

• repo — local path to the repository
• repoUrl — remote GitHub URL (e.g., https://github.com/YourOrg/your-repo)
• testCommand (default: npm test)
• statusMap.inProgress (default: "In Progress")
• statusMap.inReview (default: "In Review")

Use repo as the base path for all git operations in this session. If repo or repoUrl were passed directly as arguments to this skill, those override the config values. Never fall back to any other directory — if repo does not exist locally, clone it from repoUrl before proceeding (see Stage 3).

Load the full issue using mcp__claude_ai_Linear__get_issue:

• id: the issue identifier
• includeRelations: true

Extract and note: title, description, priority, labels, assignee (id + name), team, status, gitBranchName (Linear's generated branch name — use this as the branch in Stage 3), any attachments, any related issues.

Post comment:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Intake Complete

Reading issue context. Here's what I understand:
**Goal:** [1-sentence summary of what needs to be done]
**Type:** [Bug / Feature / Task / Other]
**Complexity estimate:** [Low / Medium / High]

Moving to planning next.

---

Stage 2 — PLAN

Read the relevant parts of the codebase at the repo path from config to understand where changes are needed. Use Glob and Grep to locate relevant files. Do NOT make any changes yet.

Formulate a concrete implementation plan: what files to touch, what to add/change/remove, any risks.

Post comment:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Plan

**Approach:**
[2-4 bullet points describing the implementation plan]

**Files to modify:**
[list of file paths]

**Risks / unknowns:**
[any concerns, or "None identified"]

Starting implementation now.

---

Stage 3 — BRANCH

Create an isolated git worktree for this issue:

Use the gitBranchName from the issue (e.g., shannon/abc-123) as the branch name exactly — do not slugify or rename it. Linear uses this name to auto-link the PR back to the issue.

First, ensure the repo exists locally. If repo does not exist, clone it:

if [ ! -d "[repo]" ]; then
  git clone [repoUrl] [repo]
fi

Then create the worktree:

cd [repo]

# Fetch latest
git fetch origin

BRANCH="[gitBranchName from issue]"
ISSUE_ID="[issue identifier in lowercase, e.g. abc-123]"

# Create worktree using Linear's branch name
mkdir -p .worktrees
git worktree add ".worktrees/${ISSUE_ID}" -b "${BRANCH}" origin/main

Post comment:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Branch Created

Working on isolated branch: `[gitBranchName]`
Worktree: `[repo]/.worktrees/[issue-id]/`

Implementation starting.

---

Stage 4 — IMPLEMENT

Work inside the worktree directory: [repo]/.worktrees/[issue-id]/

Implement the plan from Stage 2. Follow the existing code patterns and conventions you found in the codebase. Make commits as logical units of work:

cd [repo]/.worktrees/[issue-id]
git add [files]
git commit -m "[concise description of change]"

Post a comment after each meaningful commit group (not every commit — group related changes):

🤖 **Claude Code** — Implementing

[Brief description of what was just implemented]
Commit: `[short hash]`

When implementation is complete, push the branch:

cd [repo]/.worktrees/[issue-id]
git push origin [branch name]

---

Stage 5 — DRAFT PR

Create a draft pull request:

Extract owner/name from repoUrl by stripping https://github.com/ (e.g., YourOrg/your-repo). Pass it as --repo to ensure the PR always lands in the correct GitHub repo regardless of what the local git remote is configured as.

cd [repo]/.worktrees/[issue-id]
gh pr create \
  --repo [owner/name from repoUrl] \
  --draft \
  --title "[issue title]" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
Fixes [ISSUE-IDENTIFIER]

## Summary
[What this PR does — 2-3 sentences]

## Approach
[Key implementation decisions from Stage 2 plan]

## Testing
[What was tested and how]

---
🤖 Implemented by Claude Code
EOF
)"

Capture the PR URL from the output.

Post comment to Linear issue:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Draft PR Created

[PR Title](PR_URL)

The PR description includes `Fixes [ISSUE-ID]` so Linear will auto-link it once the GitHub integration syncs. Running tests now.

---

Stage 6 — TEST

Run the testCommand from config inside the worktree:

cd [repo]/.worktrees/[issue-id]
[testCommand] 2>&1

If tests pass: Post comment:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Tests Passing ✅

All tests pass. Marking PR as ready for review.

If tests fail: Post comment:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Tests Failing ⚠️

Tests did not pass. Human review needed before this can be merged.

**Failures:**
[paste relevant test output — truncate to 20 lines if long]

The PR remains as a draft. Labeling this issue `needs-human` for manual follow-up.

Then call mcp__claude_ai_Linear__save_issue to add label needs-human (if it exists — if not, skip the label). Stop here — do not proceed to Stage 7.

---

Stage 7 — MARK READY FOR REVIEW

gh pr ready [PR number or URL]

Call mcp__claude_ai_Linear__save_issue:

• id: issue identifier
• state: value of statusMap.inReview from config (default: "In Review")

---

Stage 8 — NOTIFY

Retrieve the issue's assignees. Compose the final comment.

If the issue has an assignee: Use mcp__claude_ai_Linear__get_user to look up the assignee's name.

Post comment:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Ready for Review 🎉

@[assignee name] — implementation is complete and the PR is ready for your review.

**PR:** [PR Title](PR_URL)
**Branch:** `[branch name]`

**What was done:**
[3-5 bullet summary of changes made]

**To review:**
1. Open the PR link above
2. Check the implementation against the issue description
3. Approve and merge, or request changes

If no assignee: Post comment:

🤖 **Claude Code** — Ready for Review 🎉

Implementation is complete. No assignee found on this issue — please assign someone to review the PR.

**PR:** [PR Title](PR_URL)
**Branch:** `[branch name]`

**What was done:**
[3-5 bullet summary of changes made]

---

Error handling

• Git errors (merge conflict, push rejected): post comment describing the error, set issue label needs-human, stop.
• gh CLI errors: post comment with the error output, stop.
• Any unrecoverable error: always post a final comment explaining what failed and what state the work is in, so a human can pick up from where you left off. Never leave the issue silent.
• Worktree cleanup on failure: if you stop early, note the worktree path in the comment so it can be cleaned up manually: git worktree remove [repo]/.worktrees/[issue-id] --force