tiger-linear

Tiger Linear MCP Server is a wrapper around the Linear API that exposes focused tools for use with the Model Context Protocol. It enables LLMs and tooling environments to interact with Linear data and workflows through a standardized MCP interface. You can experiment with the server using the MCP Inspector (a web-based UI) or integrate it into clients such as Claude Desktop by providing the appropriate configuration (path to the server's dist/index.js and the stdio transport). The server expects an API key for Linear via the LINEAR_API_KEY environment variable, and it serves its capabilities over standard MCP stdio-based transport.

To test locally, run the server using Node.js (the server is built to emit an MCP interface over STDIO). You can then connect tooling or UI components (like the MCP Inspector) to send requests and receive structured results. The included CLI example shows how to configure Claude Desktop with a direct path to the compiled server and the stdio argument, using an absolute path to your local tiger-linear-mcp-server project.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js and npm installed
• Git available
• Basic familiarity with MCP and the Linear API

1. Clone the repository git clone git@github.com:timescale/tiger-linear-mcp-server.git

2. Install dependencies and build npm i npm run build (or npm run watch for automatic rebuilds)

3. Create a local environment file cp .env.sample .env Edit .env to include any required configuration (e.g., LINEAR_API_KEY, LINEAR_API_URL if applicable)

4. Run the server locally node dist/index.js

5. Optional: test with MCP Inspector or configure an integration (e.g., Claude Desktop) using the stdio transport as shown in the README.

Environment variable: LINEAR_API_KEY is required to authenticate with the Linear API. Ensure the key has appropriate permissions for the actions you intend to perform. When configuring Claude Desktop or other MCP clients, use an absolute path to your local tiger-linear-mcp-server project and pass the stdio transport option (e.g., ["/absolute/path/to/tiger-linear-mcp-server/dist/index.js", "stdio"]). If you encounter issues, verify that dist/index.js exists after building, and ensure NODE_PATH or module resolution settings are compatible with how you run the server. The MCP config above nests the server under the server-name tiger-linear and uses the node command with the path to dist/index.js.