I wanted Claude to help me manage Linear tickets without leaving my terminal. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) makes this possible. Here’s how I set it up.

Why Claude CLI with MCP? Link to heading

I spend most of my day in the terminal. Switching to a browser to check Linear tickets, update descriptions, or create new issues breaks my flow. With Claude CLI + MCP, I can:

  • Ask Claude to list my in-progress tickets
  • Create new tickets with proper descriptions
  • Update ticket statuses and assignees
  • Search for tickets by content

All without leaving my terminal.

Installation Link to heading

Install the CLI via Homebrew:

brew install claude-cli

Verify it works:

claude version
# Should show: Claude CLI vX.X.X

Adding the Linear MCP server Link to heading

MCP servers expose external services (like Linear, GitHub, Slack) to Claude. Add the Linear server:

claude mcp add --transport sse linear-server https://mcp.linear.app/sse --scope user

The --scope user flag makes it available across all projects, not just the current one. This is recommended if you use Linear across multiple projects.

Other MCP servers I use Link to heading

Beyond Linear, I’ve connected several other services:

GitHub (for code search and PR management):

claude mcp add --transport stdio github npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-github --scope user

Filesystem (for file operations):

claude mcp add --transport stdio filesystem npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem --scope user

PostgreSQL (for database queries):

claude mcp add --transport stdio postgres npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres --scope user

Verify configuration Link to heading

List configured MCP servers:

claude mcp list

You should see all your servers with their transport types and connection details.

If things go wrong Link to heading

If you mess up the config or a server isn’t working:

# Remove the config file
rm '/Users/me/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json'

# Re-add your MCP servers
claude mcp add --transport sse linear-server https://mcp.linear.app/sse --scope user

Workflows enabled by Claude CLI Link to heading

Here are some things I now do entirely from my terminal:

Ticket management:

claude "Show me all my in-progress tickets in Linear"
claude "Create a Linear ticket to fix the auth bug in Cetus team"
claude "Move ticket XYZ-123 to Done"

Code + Linear integration:

claude "Read the issue XYZ-123, then find all related code in this repo"
claude "Create a Linear ticket for the TODO comments in this file"

GitHub + Linear:

claude "Search GitHub for similar bugs and link them to XYZ-123"
claude "What PRs are related to this Linear issue?"

The real power is that Claude can combine multiple MCP servers in one request. It’s like having a very smart assistant who can talk to all your tools.

CLI vs Desktop app Link to heading

Both have their use cases:

Claude CLI for:

  • Quick ticket lookups while coding
  • Creating tickets from command-line context (e.g., error logs)
  • Automating workflows (I have shell functions that invoke Claude)
  • Working on remote servers via SSH

Claude Desktop for:

  • Longer conversations with context
  • Image analysis and screenshots
  • Drafting documents
  • Exploratory work where I don’t know exactly what I need

The CLI is faster for known tasks. The desktop app is better for open-ended exploration.

Further reading Link to heading