CLI tool for Linear.app with JSON output, smart ID resolution, and optimized GraphQL queries. Designed for LLM agents and humans who prefer structured data.
npm install linearisCLI tool for Linear.app with JSON output, smart ID resolution, and optimized GraphQL queries. Designed for LLM agents and humans who prefer structured data.
There was no Linear CLI client I was happy with. Also I want my LLM agents to work with Linear, but the official Linear MCP (while working fine) eats up ~13k tokens (!!) just by being connected. In comparison, linearis usage tells the LLM everything it needs to know and comes in well under 1000 tokens.
This project scratches my own itches, and satisfies my own usage patterns of working with Linear: I do work with tickets/issues and comments on the command line; I do not manage projects or workspaces etc. there. YMMV.
``bashShow available tools
linearis
$3
bash
Add comment to issue
linearis comments create ABC-123 --body "Fixed in PR #456"
`$3
bash
Get issue details including embedded files
linearis issues read ABC-123
Returns JSON with embeds array containing file URLs and expiration timestamps
Download a file from Linear storage
linearis embeds download "https://uploads.linear.app/.../file.png?signature=..." --output ./screenshot.pngOverwrite existing file
linearis embeds download "https://uploads.linear.app/.../file.png?signature=..." --output ./screenshot.png --overwrite
`$3
bash
Upload a file to Linear storage
linearis embeds upload ./screenshot.png
Returns: { "success": true, "assetUrl": "https://uploads.linear.app/...", "filename": "screenshot.png" }
Use with comments
URL=$(linearis embeds upload ./bug.png | jq -r .assetUrl)
linearis comments create ABC-123 --body "See attached: !$URL"
`$3
Linear Documents are standalone markdown files that can be associated with projects or teams. Use
to link documents to issues.`bash
Create a document
linearis documents create --title "API Design" --content "# Overview\n\nThis document..."Create document in a project and attach to an issue
linearis documents create --title "Bug Analysis" --project "Backend" --attach-to ABC-123List all documents
linearis documents listList documents selectively
linearis documents list --project "Backend"
linearis documents list --issue ABC-123Read a document
linearis documents read Update a document
linearis documents update --title "New Title" --content "Updated content"Delete (trash) a document
linearis documents delete
`$3
bash
List all projects
linearis projects listList labels for specific team
linearis labels list --team Backend
`$3
bash
List all teams in the workspace
linearis teams listList all users
linearis users listList only active users
linearis users list --active
`$3
You can list and read cycles (sprints) for teams. The CLI exposes simple helpers, but the GraphQL API provides a few cycle-related fields you can use to identify relatives (active, next, previous).
bash
List cycles (optionally scope to a team)
linearis cycles list --team Backend --limit 10Show only the active cycle(s) for a team
linearis cycles list --team Backend --activeRead a cycle by ID or by name (optionally scope name lookup with --team)
linearis cycles read "Sprint 2025-10" --team Backend
`Ordering and getting "active +/- 1"
- The cycles returned by the API include fields
, isNext, isPrevious and a numerical number field. The CLI will prefer an active/next/previous candidate when resolving ambiguous cycle names.
- To get the active and the next cycle programmatically, do two calls locally:
1. linearis cycles list --team Backend --active --limit 1 to get the active cycle and its number.
2. linearis cycles list --team Backend --limit 10 and pick the cycle with number = (active.number + 1) or check isNext on the returned nodes.
- If multiple cycles match a name and none is marked active/next/previous, the CLI will return an error listing the candidates so you can use a precise ID or scope with --team.#### Flag Combinations
The
cycles list command supports several flag combinations:Valid combinations:
-
cycles list - All cycles across all teams
- cycles list --team Backend - All Backend cycles
- cycles list --active - Active cycles from all teams
- cycles list --team Backend --active - Backend's active cycle only
- cycles list --team Backend --around-active 3 - Backend's active cycle ± 3 cyclesInvalid combinations:
-
cycles list --around-active 3 - ❌ Error: requires --teamNote: Using
together works but --active is redundant since --around-active always includes the active cycle.$3
`bash
Show all available commands and options (LLM agents love this!)
linearis usageCombine with other tools (pipe JSON output)
linearis issues list -l 5 | jq '.[] | .identifier + ": " + .title'
`Installation
$3
bash
npm install -g linearis
`$3
bash
git clone https://github.com/czottmann/linearis.git
cd linearis
npm install
npm run build
npm link
`$3
bash
git clone https://github.com/czottmann/linearis.git
cd linearis
npm install
npm start # Development mode using tsx (no compilation needed)
`Authentication
You can authenticate by passing in your API token via
flag:`bash
linearis --api-token issues list
`… OR by storing it in an environment variable
:`bash
LINEAR_API_TOKEN= linearis issues list
`… OR by storing it in
once, and then forgetting about it because the tool will check that file automatically:`bash
Save token once:
echo "" > ~/.linear_api_tokenDay-to-day, just use the tool
linearis issues list
`$3
1. Log in to your Linear account
1. Go to _Settings_ → _Security & Access_ → _Personal API keys_
1. Create a new API key
Example rule for your LLM agent
markdown
We track our tickets and projects in Linear (https://linear.app), a project management tool. We use the linearis CLI tool for communicating with Linear. Use your Bash tool to call the linearis executable. Run linearis usage to see usage information.The ticket numbers follow the format "ABC-". Always reference tickets by their number.
If you create a ticket, and it's not clear which project to assign it to, prompt the user. When creating subtasks, use the project of the parent ticket by default.
When the the status of a task in the ticket description has changed (task → task done), update the description accordingly. When updating a ticket with a progress report that is more than just a checkbox change, add that report as a ticket comment.
The
issues read command returns an embeds array containing files uploaded to Linear (screenshots, documents, etc.) with signed download URLs and expiration timestamps. Use embeds download to download these files when needed.
``Carlo Zottmann,
This project is neither affiliated with nor endorsed by Linear. I'm just a very happy customer.
I don't accept sponsoring in the "GitHub sponsorship" sense[^1] but next to my own apps, I also sell "Tokens of Appreciation". Any support is appreciated! 😉
[^1]: Apparently, the German revenue service is still having some fits over "money for nothing??".
> [!TIP]
> I make Shortcuts-related macOS & iOS productivity apps like Actions For Obsidian, Browser Actions (which adds Shortcuts support for several major browsers), and BarCuts (a surprisingly useful contextual Shortcuts launcher). Check them out!
- Ryan Rozich
- Chad Walters
- Louis Mandelstam
- Ralf Schimmel
- docs/project-overview.md - Project purpose, technology stack, and platform support
- docs/architecture.md - Component organization, data flow, and performance patterns
- docs/build-system.md - TypeScript compilation, automated builds
- docs/testing.md - Testing approach, manual validation, and performance benchmarks
- docs/development.md - Code patterns, TypeScript standards, and common workflows
- docs/deployment.md - Git-based npm install, automated compilation, and production deployment
- docs/files.md - Complete file catalog with descriptions and relationships
- dist/main.js - Compiled CLI entry point for production use
- src/main.ts - TypeScript source with Commander.js setup (development)
- package.json - Project configuration with automated build scripts and npm distribution
- tsconfig.json - TypeScript compilation targeting ES2023 with dist/ output