Linear Todo Sync

Automatically fetch assigned Linear tasks and generate a comprehensive markdown todo list in your project root. This skill queries the Linear GraphQL API to retrieve all open tasks assigned to you, organizing them by project with full details including status, priority, labels, estimates, and due dates.

Setup

1. Install Required Packages

Install the Python dependencies:

pip install requests mdutils python-dotenv

Or using conda:

conda install requests python-dotenv
pip install mdutils

2. Obtain Linear API Key

1. Navigate to Linear API Settings
2. Click "Create new key" under Personal API Keys
3. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., "Claude Code Sync")
4. Copy the generated API key

3. Configure Environment

Create a .env file in your project root:

cp .claude/skills/linear-todo-sync/assets/.env.example .env

Edit .env and add your API key:

LINEAR_API_KEY=lin_api_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Important: Ensure .env is in your .gitignore to protect your API key.

4. Verify Setup

Test the configuration by running:

python .claude/skills/linear-todo-sync/scripts/sync_linear_tasks.py

A markdown file named linear-todos-YYYY-MM-DD.md should appear in your project root.

How It Works

When triggered, this skill:

1. Loads credentials from the .env file in your project root
2. Queries Linear API using GraphQL to fetch all assigned issues in non-completed states
3. Retrieves task details including title, description, status, priority, labels, estimates, due dates, project, and URL
4. Groups tasks by project for better organization
5. Generates markdown file with filename linear-todos-YYYY-MM-DD.md in the project root
6. Outputs summary showing total tasks and project count

The generated markdown file provides a comprehensive view of your work with all relevant task metadata, making it easy to review priorities and plan your day.

Usage

Trigger this skill with phrases like:

• "What do I need to work on this morning"
• "Show me my work"
• "Load work"
• "Sync my Linear tasks"
• "Get my todo list from Linear"

The skill will execute the sync script and create a dated markdown file in your project root.

Generated File Format

The markdown file follows this structure:

# Linear Tasks - January 18, 2025

Generated: 2025-01-18 09:30:45
Total Tasks: 12

## Project Alpha

### Implement user authentication (High)
- **Status**: In Progress
- **Labels**: backend, security
- **Estimate**: 5 points
- **Due**: 2025-01-20
- **Link**: https://linear.app/team/issue/PROJ-123

Add JWT-based authentication to the API endpoints...

### Fix login bug (Urgent)
- **Status**: Todo
- **Labels**: bug, frontend
- **Estimate**: 2 points
- **Due**: 2025-01-19
- **Link**: https://linear.app/team/issue/PROJ-124

Users cannot log in when using Safari...

## Project Beta

...

Customization

To modify the skill's behavior, edit scripts/sync_linear_tasks.py:

Change GraphQL Query

Modify the QUERY variable to fetch additional fields:

QUERY = """
query {
  viewer {
    assignedIssues(filter: { state: { type: { nin: ["completed", "canceled"] } } }) {
      nodes {
        id
        title
        description
        state { name }
        priority
        labels { nodes { name } }
        estimate
        dueDate
        project { name }
        url
        # Add more fields here
        createdAt
        updatedAt
        assignee { name }
      }
    }
  }
}
"""

Adjust Task Filtering

Modify the filter in the GraphQL query to change which tasks are fetched:

# Include completed tasks from the last week
filter: {
  state: { type: { nin: ["canceled"] } }
  completedAt: { gte: "2025-01-11" }
}

Modify Output Format

Customize the markdown generation in the generate_markdown() function to change structure, add sections, or include different metadata.

Change Output Location

Update the output_path variable in main():

# Save to a different directory
output_path = os.path.join(project_root, "docs", filename)

Troubleshooting

Error: "LINEAR_API_KEY not found in environment"

Cause: The .env file is missing or doesn't contain the API key.

Solution:

1. Verify .env exists in your project root (not in the skill directory)
2. Check that it contains: LINEAR_API_KEY=lin_api_...
3. Ensure no extra spaces around the = sign
4. Restart your terminal session if you just created the file

Error: "Authentication failed: Invalid API key"

Cause: The API key is incorrect or expired.

Solution:

1. Go to Linear API Settings
2. Verify your API key is still active
3. Generate a new key if needed
4. Update .env with the correct key

Error: "Network request failed"

Cause: Cannot connect to Linear API (network issue, timeout, or API downtime).

Solution:

1. Check your internet connection
2. Verify https://linear.app is accessible
3. Check Linear Status for outages
4. Try again in a few moments

Error: "Rate limit exceeded (429)"

Cause: Too many API requests in a short period.

Solution:

• Wait 60 seconds before retrying
• Avoid running the sync multiple times in quick succession
• Linear's rate limit is 2000 requests per hour per API key

Warning: "No tasks found"

Cause: You have no assigned tasks in non-completed states.

Solution: This is informational only. The skill will still create a markdown file indicating zero tasks.

Error: "Permission denied when writing file"

Cause: Insufficient file system permissions.

Solution:

1. Check you have write permissions in the project directory
2. Verify the directory exists and is accessible
3. Try running with appropriate permissions

Script runs but no file appears

Cause: File created in unexpected location or script error.

Solution:

1. Check the script output for the exact file path
2. Look for error messages in the console
3. Run with verbose output: python scripts/sync_linear_tasks.py --verbose

Security Best Practices

1. Never commit .env file: Always add .env to .gitignore
2. Rotate API keys periodically: Generate new keys every 90 days
3. Use minimal permissions: Linear API keys inherit your user permissions
4. Keep packages updated: Run pip install --upgrade requests mdutils python-dotenv
5. Review generated files: Check markdown files before sharing to ensure no sensitive data

Advanced Usage

Automated Daily Sync

Add to your shell profile (.bashrc, .zshrc) to sync on terminal startup:

# Auto-sync Linear tasks daily
if [ -f "/path/to/project/.env" ]; then
  python /path/to/project/.claude/skills/linear-todo-sync/scripts/sync_linear_tasks.py
fi

Integration with Git Hooks

Create a post-checkout hook to sync after changing branches:

#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/post-checkout
python .claude/skills/linear-todo-sync/scripts/sync_linear_tasks.py

CI/CD Integration

Use in continuous integration to track team tasks:

# .github/workflows/sync-tasks.yml
- name: Sync Linear Tasks
  run: |
    pip install requests mdutils python-dotenv
    python .claude/skills/linear-todo-sync/scripts/sync_linear_tasks.py
  env:
    LINEAR_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.LINEAR_API_KEY }}

Additional Resources

• Linear GraphQL API Documentation
• Linear API Reference
• Python Requests Documentation
• MDUtils Documentation

For detailed API reference and advanced GraphQL queries, see the Linear API documentation.