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1335 words Slides

12.3 Linear for Project Tracking

Course: Claude Code - Power User Section: MCP Fundamentals Video Length: 4-5 minutes Presenter: Daniel Treasure

Opening Hook

"Your code is on GitHub, but where's the plan? Linear is where teams track what needs to be done. Connect it to Claude Code, and every code change automatically links back to the work tracking it. Full visibility, no context switching."

Key Talking Points

1. What is Linear and Why It Matters

  • Linear is a lightweight issue tracking tool used by high-velocity teams
  • Replaces GitHub Issues + Jira workflows for many teams
  • Provides clear project structure, sprints, cycles, and issue hierarchy
  • When connected to Claude Code, links issues to code changes seamlessly
  • Real-time visibility into project health, blockers, and progress

What to say: "Linear is the single source of truth for what your team is working on. When Claude Code connects to Linear, code changes don't happen in a vacuum. Every commit, every PR, every feature is tied to the issue that requested it. You get perfect visibility: who's blocked, what's next, why code was written."

What to show on screen: Linear dashboard showing issues, cycles, project board. Then show Claude Code with /mcp status showing Linear connected. Highlight the correlation.

2. The Linear MCP Integration

  • Connect with: claude mcp add --transport http linear <linear-api-endpoint>
  • Linear MCP provides tools to:
  • View issues and their status
  • Create new issues from Claude
  • Update issue status as work progresses
  • Link code changes to issues
  • Query project structure and team information
  • Works with Linear workspaces and projects

What to say: "One command connects you to Linear. From then on, Claude can read your team's backlog, understand priorities, and help you stay on track. It's like giving Claude a copy of your project plan."

What to show on screen: Terminal running claude mcp add for Linear. Show the Linear MCP endpoint. Then show /mcp in Claude Code confirming connection.

3. Workflow: Linking Issues to Code

  • Start with a Linear issue: "Implement user authentication"
  • In Claude Code, reference the issue: "I'm working on LIN-123"
  • Claude understands the issue context and requirements
  • As code changes are made, Claude updates the issue status
  • When PR is created, issue is linked automatically

What to say: "Here's a typical flow: Your team creates an issue in Linear. You pull it into Claude Code and say 'Let's solve this.' Claude reads the issue, understands the requirements, and as you build, Claude updates the status in Linear. When you're done, the issue is marked complete, and the PR is linked. No manual updates needed."

What to show on screen: A Linear issue in the browser. Then in Claude Code, ask Claude to work on that issue. Show Claude fetching the issue details, understanding the requirements. Then show Claude updating the status in Linear as work progresses. Finally, show the issue auto-linked to the PR created.

4. Real-time Project Visibility

  • Cycles: Track sprints and timelines
  • Issue status: Not Started, In Progress, In Review, Done
  • Priorities: Urgent, High, Medium, Low
  • Teams: See who's working on what
  • Blockers: Identify what's holding up progress

What to say: "Project managers love this. Developers love this. Everyone sees what's real-time. An issue moves from 'In Progress' to 'In Review' the moment the PR is created. Blockers surface instantly. No more status update meetings."

What to show on screen: Claude Code chat where you ask Claude to show project health. Claude queries Linear and returns a summary: X issues in review, Y in progress, Z blocked. Show how quickly this syncs.

5. Connecting Across the Stack

  • Linear issues drive feature requests
  • GitHub PRs implement those requests
  • Code review happens before merge
  • On merge, issue automatically closes
  • Documentation (Notion) is updated to match

What to say: "Linear to GitHub to review to merge to Notion — it's one integrated workflow. Claude orchestrates all of it. You write code once. Everything else flows from that."

What to show on screen: A visual or narrative flow showing the cycle: Issue in Linear → PR in GitHub → Code review → Merge → Status update in Linear. Show this happening automatically as Claude works.

Demo Plan

  1. Open Linear workspace in browser, show a few open issues
  2. In Claude Code, run claude mcp get linear to verify connection
  3. Ask Claude to summarize current cycle: "What's in the current cycle? What's blocked?"
  4. Claude queries Linear and displays summary with issue counts, priorities
  5. Pick a specific issue (e.g., "LIN-42: Add email notifications")
  6. Ask Claude: "Can you work on LIN-42?" — Claude fetches full issue context
  7. Make code changes in Claude to implement the issue
  8. Ask Claude to update Linear status: "Mark LIN-42 as In Review"
  9. Show Linear dashboard update in browser (status changed)
  10. Create a PR that links to the issue automatically
  11. Show the full flow: Issue → Code → PR → Status update → Issue closed

Code Examples & Commands

# Register Linear MCP (requires Linear API key/endpoint)
# Contact Linear support or check documentation for endpoint
claude mcp add --transport http linear https://api.linear.app/mcp

# In Claude Code, verify Linear is connected
/mcp

# Example Claude Code prompts:
# "What issues are in the current cycle?"
# "Show me all High priority issues"
# "Create a new issue: Implement dark mode"
# "I'm working on LIN-123, show me the full context"
# "Update LIN-123 status to In Review"
# "What's blocking our progress? Show me all blocked issues"
# "Link this PR to LIN-456"

# Verify connection:
claude mcp get linear

# Check if Linear is enabled in project scope:
cat .mcp.json | grep linear

Gotchas & Tips

  • Linear API key: You need a valid Linear API key to connect. Generate one in Linear workspace settings.
  • Workspace access: Claude can only access issues in workspaces you have access to. Personal workspaces won't appear to other users.
  • Cycle dates: Linear cycles have start/end dates. Be aware of cycle timing when planning work.
  • Custom fields: If your Linear workspace uses custom fields, Claude can read them but interaction depends on field type.
  • Team permissions: If you don't have permission to edit an issue in Linear, Claude won't be able to update it either.
  • Status values: Different Linear teams may have different custom statuses. Claude adapts to your team's workflow.
  • Rate limits: Linear API has rate limits. Heavy usage could throttle requests, but Claude handles retries gracefully.

Lead-out

"Linear keeps your plan visible. In the next video, we'll add Figma — so design specs are just as accessible. Designers and developers stay in sync from the start. Then Notion for internal documentation. Your entire workflow becomes one unified experience."

Reference URLs

  • Linear documentation: https://linear.app/docs
  • Linear API reference: https://developers.linear.app/docs/graphql/working-with-the-graphql-api
  • Linear workspaces and teams: https://linear.app/docs/workspaces
  • Issue management best practices: https://linear.app/docs/start/getting-started

Prep Reading

  • Linear issue tracking and project management workflows
  • How to generate and manage Linear API keys
  • Understanding Linear cycles, statuses, and priorities
  • Authentication and workspace management in MCPs

Notes for Daniel: Linear is less known than GitHub in some circles, but it's growing fast. If your audience uses Jira, Linear, or GitHub Issues, they'll recognize the value immediately. Emphasize the "no context switch" benefit — Claude bridges the gap.

Demo tip: Have a real Linear workspace with actual issues. A realistic backlog with mixed statuses makes the demo credible. Show the before/after: messy status tracking vs. automatic updates.

Tone: Focus on team coordination. This isn't just about developers — it's about teams moving faster together. Project managers, developers, and designers all benefit.

Production note: If Linear API endpoints differ for your setup, adjust the mcp add command accordingly. Linear endpoints are workspace-specific.