Cc Linear

name: cc-linear description: Execute atomic Linear operations via one-shot cc session with Linear MCP. Use for creating issues, updating status, adding comments, querying tasks. CRITICAL: Each command performs ONE operation only. For multi-step workflows (update status THEN add comment), execute SEPARATE cc commands sequentially. Spawned sessions cannot ask clarifying questions - prompts must be self-contained and unambiguous. See OPERATIONS.md for patterns and anti-patterns.

CC Linear

Interact with Linear task management via cc alias — spawns a one-shot Claude Code session with Linear MCP connected.

When to Use

• Create Linear issues from current session
• Update issue status (In Progress, In Review, Done, etc.)
• Query issue details or search issues
• Add comments to issues
• Any Linear operation without leaving current context

Critical: One-Shot Limitation

Main Chat → Bash → cc session (one-shot) → Results back
                        ↑
                  NO FEEDBACK LOOP

The Problem:

• Spawned session executes prompt and returns output
• If it asks a clarifying question → you see it but CANNOT respond
• --dangerously-skip-permissions removes permission prompts, but NOT clarification questions

The Solution: Self-Contained Prompts

All prompts MUST be:

• Concrete — specify exactly what to do
• Self-contained — include ALL required parameters
• Unambiguous — no room for interpretation

Standard Syntax: Always Use Pipe

All prompts go through pipe — consistent, reliable, no escaping issues.

echo 'Your prompt here' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

Why pipe:

• No shell escaping issues with quotes, $, backticks
• No command line length limits
• Works identically for short and long prompts
• Single pattern to remember

For multiline prompts use heredoc:

cat <<'EOF' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -
Create Linear issue in WYT team:
- title: "Add logout button"
- description: "Add logout functionality to settings page"
- priority: 3
Return the created issue ID.
EOF

Linear Operations

Get Issues

# Top tasks from project
echo 'Get top 5 tasks from WYT project ordered by priority' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

# Specific issue details
echo 'Get details for issue WYT-66' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

# Search issues
echo 'Search WYT issues containing "authentication"' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

Create Issue

cat <<'EOF' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -
Create Linear issue in WYT team:
- title: "Add user logout functionality"
- description: "Implement logout button in settings page that clears session and redirects to login"
- priority: 3 (Normal)
Return the created issue ID and URL.
EOF

Update Issue Status

# Update to In Progress
echo 'Update WYT-66 status to "In Progress". Do NOT modify description.' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

# Update to In Review
echo 'Update WYT-66 status to "In Review". Do NOT modify description.' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

# Update to Done
echo 'Update WYT-66 status to "Done". Do NOT modify description.' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

Add Comment

cat <<'EOF' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -
Add comment to WYT-66:
"Implementation completed. PR #123 ready for review.
- Added logout endpoint
- Updated auth middleware
- Tests passing"
EOF

Critical: Separate Operations

NEVER combine status updates and comments in one prompt!

The cc session may interpret "Add comment" as modifying the description field, causing loss of the original task description.

WRONG - Combined prompt:

# DO NOT DO THIS - causes description overwrite
echo 'Update WYT-66: 1. Set status to In Review 2. Add comment: Implementation completed' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

CORRECT - Separate prompts:

# First: Update status only
echo 'Update WYT-66 status to "In Review". Do NOT modify description.' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

# Second: Add comment separately
echo 'Add comment to WYT-66: "Implementation completed. PR ready for review."' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

Configuration

WYT Project Settings

Team ID: WYT

Task States (in order)

- Backlog
- Ready for Implementation
- In Progress
- In Review
- Needs Fixes
- Ready to Merge
- Done
- Canceled

Priority Levels

0: None
1: Urgent
2: High
3: Normal (default)
4: Low

Usage in Commands

When commands (like /ct, /si, /sr) need Linear operations:

cat <<'EOF' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -
Create Linear issue in WYT:
- title: "[Task Title]"
- description: "[Full description with context, requirements, acceptance criteria]"
- priority: [0-4]
Return the created issue ID and URL.
EOF

Template for Any Operation

cat <<'EOF' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -
ACTION: [create_issue | update_issue | add_comment | get_issue | search_issues]

TARGET: [issue ID if applicable, e.g., WYT-66]

PARAMETERS:
- team: WYT
- [action-specific params...]

CONSTRAINTS:
- Do NOT modify fields other than [specified field]

RETURN: [what you need back]
EOF

Important Notes

1. MCP Config Path: Always use .claude/mcp/linear.json
2. Working Directory: Run from project root
3. No Session Context: Spawned session knows nothing about parent conversation
4. Auth: Linear MCP uses SSO — ensure authenticated in browser first
5. Pipe + -p -: The - tells cc to read prompt from stdin

Troubleshooting

Empty or Unexpected Output

Prompt was too vague. Add team ID, full description, exact parameters.

MCP Connection Failed

echo 'List all available Linear MCP tools' | cc --mcp-config .claude/mcp/linear.json -p -

Authentication Issues

Linear MCP uses browser SSO. Open Linear in browser, ensure logged in, then retry.

References

See references/linear-mcp-tools.md for detailed MCP tool signatures.